Neil Posted August 9, 2019 Report Share Posted August 9, 2019 Seems to me this book was mentioned in a thread but I can't find it. Tom Shales book "Legends: Remembering American's Greatest Stars". It's an affectionate look at stars of the past with a chapter about Lucy AND a separate one about Desi. Lucy's in entitled "Wildcat" although there's no mention of the show per se. I know the name Tom Shales. I think he was one of the TV columnists that was particularly cruel in his review of "Life with Lucy". He devotes most of his chapter to I Love Lucy. And he's so very right about one thing. It wasn't the SLAPSTICK that made the series popular, it was the HEART. (If you think about it, what percentage of episodes were built around a big slapstick, physical comedy scene?) . This was written in 1989 so he can be excused for repeating the Viv 20 pounds overweight contract story but why do people like this one so much??. He lumps all her post ILL TV work into one statement: "the chemistry just wasn't there". HOWEVER, that part that galled me.....he interviewed Lucy during LWL time and has this to say (CAPS ARE MINE) : "She had eyebrow pencil where there were no eyebrows and pink lipstick where there were NO LIPS. She looked even OLDER THAN HER 75 YEARS". First off, why write this at all? what's the point? Secondly how much older than 75 years can any old person look?, I gotta ask. There's just something about Lucy aging that seems to make writers MAD. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted November 27, 2019 Report Share Posted November 27, 2019 Jesus Christ... https://www.amazon.ca/Lucille-Ball-Desi-Arnaz-Ricardo/dp/1936003716/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=lucille+ball&qid=1574874382&sr=8-1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvsbway Posted November 27, 2019 Report Share Posted November 27, 2019 29 minutes ago, Brock said: Jesus Christ... https://www.amazon.ca/Lucille-Ball-Desi-Arnaz-Ricardo/dp/1936003716/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=lucille+ball&qid=1574874382&sr=8-1 Self-published no doubt. What the hell? It's like the comments section of a Lucy Facebook group in book form. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted November 27, 2019 Report Share Posted November 27, 2019 2 minutes ago, Luvsbway said: Self-published no doubt. What the hell? It's like the comments section of a Lucy Facebook group in book form. His other books (and I use the term loosely) are just beyond ridiculous -- and you just know there are some individuals out there (and I'm sure we can both list a handful by name) who will take this bullshit as gospel because they want to believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mot Morenzi Posted November 27, 2019 Report Share Posted November 27, 2019 This makes "Before the Laughter" look positively nuanced! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryCarter Posted November 27, 2019 Report Share Posted November 27, 2019 I’ve long been afraid these fiction artists would latch onto Lucy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mot Morenzi Posted November 27, 2019 Report Share Posted November 27, 2019 So what's the low-down on this dynamic duo? I've looked them up and it appears they're former travel writers who've subsequently latched onto the whole "Hollywood Babylon" craze. Do they just make stuff up or do they simply publish all the nastiest rumours that have circulated over the years? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted November 27, 2019 Report Share Posted November 27, 2019 2 hours ago, Mot Morenzi said: Do they just make stuff up or do they simply publish all the nastiest rumours that have circulated over the years? Yes, and yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mot Morenzi Posted November 27, 2019 Report Share Posted November 27, 2019 3 minutes ago, Brock said: Yes, and yes. Charming 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryCarter Posted November 27, 2019 Report Share Posted November 27, 2019 I’m sure every page will feature a word for word account of a private conversation that no one could have possibly heard that features improbable biographical information that wouldn’t come up in a conversation and a salacious sexual detail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted November 27, 2019 Report Share Posted November 27, 2019 25 minutes ago, HarryCarter said: I’m sure every page will feature a word for word account of a private conversation that no one could have possibly heard that features improbable biographical information that wouldn’t come up in a conversation and a salacious sexual detail. That sounds about right. Don’t forget that every male star “interviewed” will have invariably propositioned the writer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryCarter Posted November 28, 2019 Report Share Posted November 28, 2019 This is what I predict the book will be like: “Upon their first meeting, Carole Lombard said to Lucy, “Lucille, I was born Jane Alice Peters in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I was nominated for an Oscar for My Man Godfrey back in ‘36. Now, I’m married to Clark Gable, “the King of Hollywood.” Do you want to know what he’s like in bed?” (Continued for several pages) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted November 28, 2019 Report Share Posted November 28, 2019 BEWARE of anything written by Darwin Porter. He makes Boze Hadleigh look like Edward R Morrow----which is like saving Doris Ziffel makes Mother Burnside look like Mamie Van Doren. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie2 Posted November 28, 2019 Report Share Posted November 28, 2019 That summary of the "book" had me laughing. It's the first time I've ever heard George Sanders described as "Zsa Zsa Gabor's suicidal husband". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted November 30, 2019 Report Share Posted November 30, 2019 What an awful book. The description of it is horrible. He gets ILL ended in 1956 and from there lies pile up faster than manure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie2 Posted February 2, 2020 Report Share Posted February 2, 2020 Not only is today Super Bowl Sunday, but it's also Elaine Stritch's birthday (can you imagine the halftime show she would've put on?), so I figure I'd share that Lucy gets a couple of fairly inconsequential mentions in Still Here, the fantastic new biography by Alexandria Jacobs. For one thing, Elsa Maxwell said that Stritch and Lucy were her two favorite comediennes. The more interesting tidbit is that Elaine was in a flop on stage called Loco and the producers originally wanted Lucy for the role, but she couldn't get out of her MGM contract. It's kind of weird to think that at that point in their careers they were considered a similar type. For fans of Stritch and anecdotes from show business history, I totally recommend the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryCarter Posted February 3, 2020 Report Share Posted February 3, 2020 7 hours ago, Freddie2 said: Not only is today Super Bowl Sunday, but it's also Elaine Stritch's birthday (can you imagine the halftime show she would've put on?), so I figure I'd share that Lucy gets a couple of fairly inconsequential mentions in Still Here, the fantastic new biography by Alexandria Jacobs. For one thing, Elsa Maxwell said that Stritch and Lucy were her two favorite comediennes. The more interesting tidbit is that Elaine was in a flop on stage called Loco and the producers originally wanted Lucy for the role, but she couldn't get out of her MGM contract. It's kind of weird to think that at that point in their careers they were considered a similar type. For fans of Stritch and anecdotes from show business history, I totally recommend the book. I greatly enjoyed Still Here. However, there were some Stritch credits glossed over that I would have liked the author to have covered. There was no mention of Stritch starring in one of TV’s first sitcoms, The Growing Paynes. Stritch played the mother to a 12 year old. She was 23 at the time! Stritch actually played a different role in Loco than the one offered Lucy. Stritch played the daughter of Loco’s older love interest. If Lucy had done it, she and Stritch would have been on stage together. Imagine that! Loco became the Betty Grable plotline in How to Marry a Millionaire. Loco was written by Lucy’s good friends Dale and Katherine Eunson, who also wrote The Star for Lucy. Bette Davis, of course, ended up doing it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie2 Posted February 3, 2020 Report Share Posted February 3, 2020 5 hours ago, HarryCarter said: I greatly enjoyed Still Here. However, there were some Stritch credits glossed over that I would have liked the author to have covered. There was no mention of Stritch starring in one of TV’s first sitcoms, The Growing Paynes. Stritch played the mother to a 12 year old. She was 23 at the time! Stritch actually played a different role in Loco than the one offered Lucy. Stritch played the daughter of Loco’s older love interest. If Lucy had done it, she and Stritch would have been on stage together. Imagine that! Loco became the Betty Grable plotline in How to Marry a Millionaire. Loco was written by Lucy’s good friends Dale and Katherine Eunson, who also wrote The Star for Lucy. Bette Davis, of course, ended up doing it. I'll have to reread the section about Loco- I must not have been paying close enough attention. Lucy and Stritch onstage together in any capacity would've been a delight! A Here's Lucy plot featuring Elaine as a sophisticated jet-setting prospective client of the agency who gets into a drinking contest with Lucy is immediately forming in my brain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted February 3, 2020 Report Share Posted February 3, 2020 The movie "THE STAR"-----as one of the two kids, looking at a billboard for WC Field's The Bank Dick movie at the beginning of WC's follow up "Never Give a Sucker an Even Break", says "WHAT A BUPKE!" The only scene I enjoy is when Margaret's sister and her husband, the belching Herb Vigran (can't remember his character's name), arrive for their "monthly check" and completely ignore Margaret's telling them she's broke until Margaret blows her top as only Bette can. The couple have let themselves in before Margaret arrives home. Herb is raiding the frig and doesn't even bother to close the door! The conversation turns to all the money Margaret has given them to set Herb up in business. The laundromat's failure? Sister: "That wasn't his fault. How did Herb know everybody was going to buy WHIRLPOOLS?" And finally Margaret desperately pleads "I've given you over $50,000. Can I have $200?" (her rent is in arrears). Sister: "For heaven's sake, Margaret. Where would we get that kind of money?" Margaret "well, maybe you could print it if I HAD ONLY THOUGHT TO BUY HERB A PRINTING PRESS!"---which as I recall was the only witty line is this film. Whoever talked Bette into cutting her Talulah-like All Above Eve locks in favor of an Ethel Mertz/Celeste Holm-do should have been fired as Bette's style consultant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickylu Posted March 28, 2020 Report Share Posted March 28, 2020 It looks like a new book was just published called, "The Forgotten Desi and Lucy TV Projects: The Desilu Series and Specials That Might Have Been". https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Desi-Lucy-TV-Projects/dp/1629335452/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=the+forgotten+desi+and+Lucy+tv+projects&qid=1585409857&sr=8-2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mot Morenzi Posted March 30, 2020 Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 On 3/29/2020 at 2:47 AM, rickylu said: It looks like a new book was just published called, "The Forgotten Desi and Lucy TV Projects: The Desilu Series and Specials That Might Have Been". https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Desi-Lucy-TV-Projects/dp/1629335452/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=the+forgotten+desi+and+Lucy+tv+projects&qid=1585409857&sr=8-2 Thanks for sharing! The one review currently available is absolutely glowing. Sounds like this is a real treasure trove of rarely discussed information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted April 23, 2020 Report Share Posted April 23, 2020 Lucy Barker has made the cover of Billy Van Zandt's upcoming memoir: https://www.amazon.com/GET-CAR-JANE-Adventures-Wasteland-ebook/dp/B0855TWKKB/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Lucille+Ball&qid=1587682464&s=books&sr=1-2&swrs=14563003FA86252FE7DF3F10B1E91F5C 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted April 25, 2020 Report Share Posted April 25, 2020 On 4/23/2020 at 3:57 PM, Brock said: Lucy Barker has made the cover of Billy Van Zandt's upcoming memoir: https://www.amazon.com/GET-CAR-JANE-Adventures-Wasteland-ebook/dp/B0855TWKKB/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Lucille+Ball&qid=1587682464&s=books&sr=1-2&swrs=14563003FA86252FE7DF3F10B1E91F5C This name sounds familiar. Do we know who he is? A couple of quotes from the amazon page: Lucille Ball welcoming Billy into her home to watch the debut of her final TV series after critics have panned the legendary star into tears:Lucy: Hello. I used to be in television! But it wasn't previewed before the premiere so it couldn't have been panned yet. Or could it? He was invited to her house?? The Desilu Projects book: I've just skimmed. A lot of readable information. He's not always clear if a pilot was shot but he's obviously seen scripts. He refers to the Lucie Arnaz "Apron Strings" Here's Lucy episode pilot with the alternate title "Kim". Never heard that before. Look at the author's picture on the amazon listing. As Alvin Littlefield said to Phoebe: "Well, at least SMILE!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted July 30, 2020 Report Share Posted July 30, 2020 Great Lucy stories in his book I Loved Her in the Movies: Memories of Hollywood's Legendary Actresses By Robert Wagner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted August 1, 2020 Report Share Posted August 1, 2020 From the new book "Dolls Dolls Dolls" about the making of the movie Valley of the Dolls. In the section about casting Helen Lawson (eventually played by Susan Hayward), it states: (CAPS are mine) "In January, Lucille Ball SHOULDERED in (??), VAULTING herself to the top of the list of contenders. The moviemakers sparked to that idea: signing Ball to that role would not only be a shocker but a publicity windfall. Ball--with her singing voice dubbed * of course--certainly could have been a revelation. On December 24th national syndicated columnist Alex Freeman reported that Ball was committed to the project as long as the script could be "padded a little to make it an even more important part". Apparently Ball wanted more than a little padding so the moviemakers kept dangling the carrot before Joan Crawford, Bette Davis and BETTY HUTTON (??)".....(then they signed Judy Garland and....well I assume you know the story) I find it hard to believe that Lucy would consider appearing in such a movie but wouldn't THAT have been interesting? Especially considering who her co-star would have been. *With just a slight tweak, I can see/hear Margaret Whiting dubbing for Lucy and it sounding like the real thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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