“LUCY” RETIRED!?

July 8, 1954

Lucille Ball revealed today she and husband Desi Arnaz will break up their television series team in two years and work mainly behind the TV camera. 

The Arnaz’ eight million dollar contract with their sponsor will expire in the spring of 1956. Then the adventures of Lucy and Ricki Ricardo on CBS’ popular “I Love Lucy” will be retired, according to the carrot-topped comedienne. 

‘I’m not going to work forever,” she said. “I want to stay home and take care of my two children.” (1)

Lucy and Desi still may appear together, she added, “on one of those occasional one-hour variety shows in color.” (2) But they will not play the Ricardo characters. (3) 

Even now they are planning to split and do singles in theater movies if a good script for the two of them isn’t offered by Hollywood studios. (4)

After "I Love Lucy” ends, the Arnaz’ will continue to both produce and direct other TV shows. (5) Their company, Desilu Productions handles technical production of “I Love Lucy”, “Our Miss Brooks”, “The June Havoc Show”, “December Bride”, “Where’s Raymond” and “Make Room for Daddy.” (6)

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(1) Lucille’s idea of staying home and raising the children after 1956 didn’t last very long.  She found that she was the sort of person not happy unless she was working, and went from TV to Broadway back to TV again, where she mostly stayed for the rest of her career. 

(2) The “occasional one-hour variety shows” did indeed materialize: “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hours”, 13 shows over three seasons. They were presented as part the “Desilu Playhouse” series, which was first sponsored by Ford, then by Westinghouse.  Most all included celebrities and music, but none were in color.  CBS was still holding out hope they might develop their own color processing and broadcast technology, instead of using RCA’s, who owned their rival NBC. 

(3) Much to their chagrin, they did indeed play The Ricardos. The public wanted it, and the Arnaz’ complied. 

(4) Although Lucy and Desi did make two feature films during the run of “I Love Lucy” – The Long, Long Trailer and Forever, Darling – as a couple (basically playing variations on Lucy and Ricky), solo movie projects did not materialize.  

(5) Both Lucy and Desi were active as producers, but did not really direct very much. Lucille is only credited with directing one TV pilot for NBC “Bungle Abbey” which did not go to series. She is credited with co-directing one episode of “Here’s Lucy.”  Desi started directing toward the end of the “Lucy-Desi Comedy Hours” because they had alienated their usual directors.  He, like Lucy, directed one failed sitcom pilot, “The Carol Channing Show,” but then directed a handful of episodes of his series “The Mothers-in-Law”.  

(6) These were just a few of the projects that Desilu was involved in.  There were many more.  

• “Our Miss Brooks” (1952-56) starring Eve Arden, actually started on radio.  It shared many of Ball’s favorite performers, including Gale Gordon. 
• “The June Havoc Show” aka “Willy” (1954-55) was a sitcom about a female lawyer. It lasted just one season. 
• “December Bride” (1954-59) was probably Desilu’s most popular shows. Desi even guest-starred on it as himself. 
• “Where’s Raymond?” (1953-55) starring Ray Bolger, had him transforming into different characters through each girl’s imagination.  
• “Make Room for Daddy” aka “The Danny Thomas Show” (1953-65) was their longest-lasting hit, even spawning spin-offs.  When the series moved to CBS, “Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” did reciprocal cross-over episodes with “Make Room for Daddy”.