I heard the other day that Lucille Ball is the most beloved deceased star in America. This will not bring Ms. Ball back from the dead, but it is mildly interesting.
Lucille Ball always said she did not think she was funny, and I could not agree more. Even in my childhood I did not think her antics were funny.
Lucille Ricardo was clearly an idiot. She lied constantly to her husband. Now it's true that the conga-beating Ricky left a lot to be desired, but if Lucy'd had a brain in her head she would have realized that lying only got her into trouble. Over the course of years you would think she would have learned, but no.
Now we can blame this on the show's writers, but in truth if Ms. Ball had been inately funny she might have been able to circumvent bad writing.
I was always of the opinion that Joan Davis was a far more gifted comedienne. Her show "I Married Joan" was not high brow comedy either, but I found Ms. Davis less the stooge than Ms. Ball.
Then there comes that age old "classic": The Honeymooners.
Was there ever a show more offensive than that?
Jackie Gleason was the ultimate urban bully, constantly caught in the web of his own stupidity, threatening those around him.
Alice was just a few incidents shy of a beating. Where was "the moon?" A euphemism for the emergency room, I suspect.
If one thinks that "I Love Lucy" and "The Honeymooners" epitomize a kinder gentler time, one is severely delusional.
2 comments:
I LOVE I Married Joan
but then again
I might not be your best supporter in this discussion
'cause
I MARRIED I Love Lucy
PS I also loved Our Miss Brooks
Apparently you are way to young to even remember her or Jackie Gleason! Otherwise you would have learned to appreciate them for the Great Comedians that they are. They are the ones who will go down in history! Lucy is one of the first female pioneers, not only in show business, but business head of her own studio! That in those days is a major accomplishment and one that you should learn from.
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