blitnowink Posted January 10, 2012 Report Share Posted January 10, 2012 I vaguely remember reading that Lucille Ball did not consider herself as a feminist, but does anyone know in detail how she reacted or responded to the idea that her Lucy persona was viewed by some as a feminist character, or that she herself may have been viewed as a feminist icon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magster Posted January 10, 2012 Report Share Posted January 10, 2012 "Women's lib? I'm afraid that doesn't interest me. I've been so liberated it hurts." - Lucille Ball Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blitnowink Posted January 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2012 "Women's lib? I'm afraid that doesn't interest me. I've been so liberated it hurts." - Lucille Ball Oh yes, that does remind me of that one line in the 1974 Dick Cavett interview (I think) in which she says something along the lines of, "a lot men don't feel liberated." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted January 10, 2012 Report Share Posted January 10, 2012 Oh yes, that does remind me of that one line in the 1974 Dick Cavett interview (I think) in which she says something along the lines of, "a lot men don't feel liberated." That's right, Lucy felt she couldn't possibly be more liberated if she tried. Her short hair BOB in school and her wearing pants a la Hepburn and that was only the start, she smoked and drank early too, fooled around early too, went to NYC at fifteen for corn sakes. Her own mother was the same, working at a time when women didn't. Making her kids fend for themselves and learn to stand on their own two feet which Lucy passed on to her own kids. She always kept her money seperate from her hubbies and did better handling hers than Desi ever did. She sold war bonds and helped the war effort. She dated and loved on her won terms, she was ready to live with Desi but he was the one insisting on marriage. She did give in to her hubbies handing them power as she was the main breadwinner and that was tough on them being Mr Ball. She was the only female superstar on television at a time when Hope and Berle and so many others ruled the airwaves. I think Lee Tannen put it best when he said to The Advocate magazine that Lucy Ricardo was the gay icon, not Lucy Ball. But, because she got to the top and became the most powerful woman in Hollywood at one point, even feminist leader Gloria Steinem never considered Ms Ricardo a feminist and she hated the show and the character because she kept giving in to her husband BUT she allowed that Ms Ball was one in real life though, reaching the top in show business and even running a studio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted January 10, 2012 Report Share Posted January 10, 2012 And always remember that it was tough for a woman back then, they never got to the top on their own, especially in business, and when she ran the studio, she made lots of enemies because of all the business decisions, firing sycophants at Desilu, running three thousand employees, being the one to decide to do another year at CBS instead of worrying about being cancelled by the CBS head honchos. I still say the crap that came out of former employees' mouths were partly resentment at this woman telling them what to do, tha's the only thing the book Desilu did not get right, painting us a picture of what it was like for woman back then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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