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The Six Degrees of Lucille Ball

Sydney

By Sydney,
in The Hennarincess

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Sydney Newbie

Sydney

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Okay, so you may have heard about this game called the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. The idea is that any given actor in movies can be linked to Kevin Bacon in six steps or less. For example, Lucy has a Bacon number of 2. Here's a link to show you how: http://oracleofbacon.org/cgi-bin/movielinks

I just thought it would be interesting to see how many degrees each of us are to Lucy. I have a "Lucy" number of 3!! Years ago, when Burt Reynolds was filming a movie in south Georgia (the name escapes me at the moment) my mama, who was a star chaser equivalent to Lucy Ricardo herself, followed Burt in his car until he stopped to talk to her, my grandma, and a few other people. They walked up to his car and in the passenger seat with Burt was the one and only Lucie Arnaz! Mama didn't get a picture of her because she was starstruck by Burt; rest assured I haven't let her live that one down yet! So it goes: Me->Mama->Lucie->LUCY!! So I'm 2 degrees from Lucie AND 3 degrees from Lucy! And if I'm not mistaken, by reading this you now have a number of 4! ...Unless you have a better number, at which I would be immensely jealous! :obrien:

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C L A U D E Newbie

C L A U D E

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Okay, so you may have heard about this game called the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. The idea is that any given actor in movies can be linked to Kevin Bacon in six steps or less. For example, Lucy has a Bacon number of 2. Here's a link to show you how: http://oracleofbacon.org/cgi-bin/movielinks

I just thought it would be interesting to see how many degrees each of us are to Lucy. I have a "Lucy" number of 3!! Years ago, when Burt Reynolds was filming a movie in south Georgia (the name escapes me at the moment) my mama, who was a star chaser equivalent to Lucy Ricardo herself, followed Burt in his car until he stopped to talk to her, my grandma, and a few other people. They walked up to his car and in the passenger seat with Burt was the one and only Lucie Arnaz! Mama didn't get a picture of her because she was starstruck by Burt; rest assured I haven't let her live that one down yet! So it goes: Me->Mama->Lucie->LUCY!! So I'm 2 degrees from Lucie AND 3 degrees from Lucy! And if I'm not mistaken, by reading this you now have a number of 4! ...Unless you have a better number, at which I would be immensely jealous! :obrien:

Lucie dated Burt, however briefly, but actually met Lucy at her home when he asked Lucie to introduce them, Burt told the story himself at her Variety Clubs Party.

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Sydney Newbie

Sydney

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Lucie dated Burt, however briefly, but actually met Lucy at her home when he asked Lucie to introduce them, Burt told the story himself at her Variety Clubs Party.

I figured they had to have dated for her to be in South Georgia with him. I'll have to look up that story, I've never heard it!

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Magster Newbie

Magster

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Over the past 10 years I've been so incredibly fortunate to have met many wonderful people who've worked directly with Lucy - Keith Thinadeaux, Frank & Wanda, Carole Cook, Robert Osborne, Bob Schiller, Dann Cahn, to name a few! I've never gotten to meet Lucie or Desi but I did see Lucie perform live once and she sent me a letter in the mail last month! :)

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Sydney Newbie

Sydney

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Over the past 10 years I've been so incredibly fortunate to have met many wonderful people who've worked directly with Lucy - Keith Thinadeaux, Frank & Wanda, Carole Cook, Robert Osborne, Bob Schiller, Dann Cahn, to name a few! I've never gotten to meet Lucie or Desi but I did see Lucie perform live once and she sent me a letter in the mail last month! :)

Ahhh! That's amazing! I once sent a letter to Lucie and never got a reply. I even used one of my Lucy stamps, lol! Good thing I had extras! ;)

 

My great-aunt dated Lawrence Welk back in the day, and since Welk was on an episode of "Here's Lucy," I guess I'm 2 degrees from Lucy? :marionstrong:

 

Whaaat! That was such a good episode! Man, all of y'all have seen the stars, huh? I gotta get out more! Or out of GA at least :lucythrill:

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Taylor Newbie

Taylor

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Ahhh! That's amazing! I once sent a letter to Lucie and never got a reply. I even used one of my Lucy stamps, lol! Good thing I had extras! ;)

 

 

 

Whaaat! That was such a good episode! Man, all of y'all have seen the stars, huh? I gotta get out more! Or out of GA at least :lucythrill:

 

I saw Jimmy Stewart in a parade once here in my current city (he's originally from my state). Since I just saw him and never met him or knew anyone who met him, I guess that doesn't count, but I'll take anything. hehehe

 

Me + waving at Jimmy Stewart in a parade + Jimmy being Lucy's neighbor = 1?

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Sydney Newbie

Sydney

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I saw Jimmy Stewart in a parade once here in my current city (he's originally from my state). Since I just saw him and never met him or knew anyone who met him, I guess that doesn't count, but I'll take anything. hehehe

 

Me + waving at Jimmy Stewart in a parade + Jimmy being Lucy's neighbor = 1?

 

 

Haha I would count it, too! but that would give you a 2..still higher than me! :lucydisgust: lol

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Taylor Newbie

Taylor

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I don't know why, but I need every single detail on this. :lucyhaha:

 

Welk is originally from North Dakota, dontcha know, and my great-aunt Iris was introduced to him at some shindig there in town. This was years before he made it big. Long story short, she went out with him a couple times but thought he was a putz and eventually dumped him. So I guess Lucy wasn't the only one who didn't think Welk was too bright. Lol

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Sydney Newbie

Sydney

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Does anyone know if Bob Barker and Lucy ever met? If so, my Aunt Iris taught him in school as a kid. There's another connection. Lol

 

Your aunts just had it going on, didn't they? With all of these connections, I think you deserve a clause. I vote you get a half a point, making you 1 1/2 degrees from Lucy

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Sydney Newbie

Sydney

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Well, I'd be a 2 from every angle I can think of.... My husband.... Lucie.... My wedding party.... People I work with every day... and the people I see every week. But, I know a few on here would be a 1. Neil? Putty? And Rick Rick Rick Rick!

 

 

You met Lucie?! Please share! :) And there are people on here who actually met Lucy?! :lucyhorror:

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JoeySanJoaquin Newbie

JoeySanJoaquin

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Have you told the story of you meeting Lucy? I haven't heard it. :peachonthebeach:

A couple years out of high school, I met a fellow Lucy fan(atic), with whom I became (then) best friends. He happened to have struck up a friendship around the same time with Lucy fanclub president Tom Watson who worked in the ratings department of CBS at the time, with his office at CBS Television City, renowned at the time for being home to recent hits such as All in the Family, Maude, Carol Burnett, The Price is Right and many others.

 

One thing led to another and when Lucy was scheduled to appear as guest star on one of the first episodes of the newly-revamped Mary Tyler Moore Hour (it had originally aired in a different format with a mostly different supporting cast, including then relative unknowns David Letterman and Michael Keaton!), reworked to be more Carol Burnett Show-like with different guest stars each week. Given our common fandom and Tom's access at CBS, he kindly asked if we'd like to be his guests to attend the taping of TMTMH.

 

Young but no fools, we knew we couldn't pass up this opportunity and so traveled the 300+ miles one day in mid-December 1978 to find we not only could see that evening's show, but having arrived early enough, we were also welcome to attend the dress rehearsal too (which, as most videotaped shows of the era did, they taped the dress performance for "coverage" as well). Since this was all new to us and we felt like kids in a candy store, of course we agreed to see both performances.

 

Sitting through the dress taping, we soon discovered to some disappointment that much of the "hour" was in fact already pre-taped, in particular the Mike Douglas Show sequences (the other "name" guest star that week and integral to the "plot", as it were) as well as the two featured musical numbers, most notably the show's lavish finale, "The Girlfriends of the Whirling Dervish."

 

So, the majority of our live Lucy 'sperience was enjoying the scene set in the dress boutique where our heroines not only meet but proceed to become -- in typical Lucy fashion -- unknowingly quite inebriated.

 

After the evening taping, we were about to leave when Tom had us follow him out to the studio's hallway where the artist's entrance/exit was, telling us he couldn't promise anything but that he knew that this is where you-know-who would be exiting and making a quick getaway. Sure enough, just a few moments later, a familiar red-tressed figure exited into the hallway, husband Gary in tow, and couldn't help notice our friends very oh how shall we say, loud t-shirt he had made and wore especially for the occasion featuring said redhead. Honing in on the t-shirt -- it was hard to miss! -- she stopped and chatted with us briefly, greeting both of us with warm, wonderful handshakes (to this day, I'm still amazed at how "grandmotherly", for lack of a better word, she seemed!), discovered we were the ones who'd had flowers sent to her dressing room earlier, thanked us profusely and was then quickly whisked away too soon by Mr. Morton.

 

All I have to do to "take me back" to that special moment in time is to rewatch the last scene she appeared in where she says goodbye and thanks to Mary (as that was the outfit she was (still) wearing when we met) saying "I loved every minute!"

 

So did we. ;)

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rickee Newbie

rickee

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A couple years out of high school, I met a fellow Lucy fan(atic), with whom I became (then) best friends. He happened to have struck up a friendship around the same time with Lucy fanclub president Tom Watson who worked in the ratings department of CBS at the time, with his office at CBS Television City, renowned at the time for being home to recent hits such as All in the Family, Maude, Carol Burnett, The Price is Right and many others.

 

One thing led to another and when Lucy was scheduled to appear as guest star on one of the first episodes of the newly-revamped Mary Tyler Moore Hour (it had originally aired in a different format with a mostly different supporting cast, including then relative unknowns David Letterman and Michael Keaton!), reworked to be more Carol Burnett Show-like with different guest stars each week. Given our common fandom and Tom's access at CBS, he kindly asked if we'd like to be his guests to attend the taping of TMTMH.

 

Young but no fools, we knew we couldn't pass up this opportunity and so traveled the 300+ miles one day in mid-December 1978 to find we not only could see that evening's show, but having arrived early enough, we were also welcome to attend the dress rehearsal too (which, as most videotaped shows of the era did, they taped that performance for "coverage" as well). Since this was all new to us and we felt like kids in a candy store, of course we agreed to see both performances.

 

Sitting through the dress taping, we soon discovered to some disappointment that much of the "hour" was in fact already pre-taped, in particular the Mike Douglas Show sequences (the other "name" guest star that week and integral to the "plot", as it were) as well as the two featured musical numbers, most notably the show's lavish finale, "The Girlfriends of the Whirling Dervish." So, the majority of our live Lucy experience was enjoying the scene set in the dress boutique where our heroines not only meet but proceed to become -- in typical Lucy and Lucy fashion -- unknowingly quite inebriated.

 

After the evening taping, we were on our way out when Tom led us to and out the studio's hallway where the artist's entrance/exit was, telling us he couldn't promise anything but that he knew that this is where you-know-who would be exiting and making a quick getaway. Sure enough, just a few moments later, a familiar red-tressed figure exited into the hallway, husband Gary in tow, and couldn't help notice our friends very oh how shall we say, loud t-shirt he had made especially for the occasion and wore prominently featuring said redhead. She stopped and chatted with us briefly, greeting both of us with warm, wonderful handshakes (to this day, I'm still amazed at how "grandmotherly", for lack of a better word, she treated us!), thanked us for the flowers we'd sent to her dressing room earlier and was then quickly whisked away too soon by Mr. Morton.

 

All I have to do to "take me back" to that special moment in time is to rewatch the last scene she appeared in where she says goodbye and thanks to Mary (as that was the outfit she was (still) wearing when we met) saying "I loved every minute!"

 

So did we. ;)

 

 

 

Great,story, Joe. That's exactly how she was...very, very gracious and kind to her fans.

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