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The Hazel Pierce Appreciation Thread


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I was just watching Ricky Loses His Voice, and Hazel's performance is so interesting. (To me, anyway. LOL)

 

Before this appearance, she is limited to simply walking by or loitering in the background of a scene, with the one notable exception being her appearance in The Quiz Show as the woman who went over Niagara Falls in a barrell. :marionstrong:

 

But in Ricky Loses His Voice we have her simply CUTTING LOOSE here and being absolutely hilarious in her dance number. I always wonder why they finally decided to draft her for this musical number. She obviously had talent -- Wanda said that before she got a job as Lucy's girl Friday she was also a professional dancer -- but to the best of my recollection she was never used in another musical number until "Hello!" in Lucy Plays Cleopatra.

 

 

Any other musings on the enigmatic Hazel Pierce?

 

How about her mysterious disappearance between "Lucy Sues Mooney" in November 1967 and "Lucy & Jim Bailey" in November 1972... and then never to be seen again?

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We get to hear her voice in this episode. :hazel: Doesn't she say "I'm An Angel"?

 

 

Yep!

 

We also hear her voice in Ricky's European Booking ( :hazel: "That's ME! I won!!" :viv1: "Why, Hazel Pierce!" ) and Lucy Plays Cleopatra ( :hazel: "Mary Lou!" ). I think I'm missing one other instance.

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Love that clip! :marionstrong:

 

I remember noticing years ago that Hazel was an extra in so many of the ILL episodes. I didn't know for a long time who she was, but it made sense when I read that she was Lucy's stand-in & on the set all the time.

 

Funny thing is, I had gotten so used to spotting her that I started looking for her whenever there were other women in the background -- and I do it to this day :) .

 

I watched Lucy & the Ceramic Cat recently & recognized the back of her head in the cafe scene :hazel:

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  • 3 weeks later...

I had a Hazel sighting tonight watching the December Bride episode "Lily's Song" -- when Lily and Hilda go on an American Idol-type show for emerging singer/songwriters, their fellow contestants were Hazel Pierce, Bennett Green, Renita Reachi, and some other guy. :marionstrong: Unfortunately Hazel didn't get to sing. LOL

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Bennett and Hazel both appear in this episode of Jess Oppenheimer's Angel:

 

 

Hazel appears around 20:18.

Cute show! And a total "Desilu production" when you see all the familiar names in the end credits -- Irma even did their hair! :D

I don't remember ever seeing it but would like to now. Too bad we'll never see a DVD release or inclusion on a Desilu Cable Channel! What a pity all this stuff was filmed for preservation and it doesn't see the light of day! Sigh.lucydisgust.JPG

 

 

 

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Cute show! And a total "Desilu production" when you see all the familiar names in the end credits -- Irma even did their hair! :D

I don't remember ever seeing it but would like to now. Too bad we'll never see a DVD release or inclusion on a Desilu Cable Channel! What a pity all this stuff was filmed for preservation and it doesn't see the light of day! Sigh.lucydisgust.JPG

 

Angel has gotten a 12 episode official DVD release via Shokus Video:

My link

 

My link

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Hazel was married to Wesley Pierce. They were a comedic dance team called Pierce & Harris (her maiden name was Hazel Harris). Wesley had died by the time I Love Lucy came along.

 

I'm still dying to know how exactly Hazel, Bennett, and Renita came into the Lucy fold. I have a theory that they came in through Desi. Bennett was the emcee at the club Mother Kelly's in Miami where Desi performed. Renita and husband Ramon were also a dance team. Pierce & Harris, Ramon & Renita, and Bennett seemed to all work in the same area at various times, but I've yet to find any evidence of all them working together at the same time. I think Desi might have worked with all of them in his nightclub days.

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Found this passage in Keith Thibodeaux's book.

 

Hazel Pierce, who was Lucy’s stand-in on the show and a close friend, lived in (Lucy’s) guest house. She and her husband, Wasley, were a dance team, and had been friends with Lucy since she first came to Hollywood. Hazel was older than Lucy, and when Wesley died, Lucy took her in. You can see her in many I Love Lucy episodes, she is usually in the background as the blonde and skinny extra. Hazel was a very nervous person, and ditsy in a kind of Gracie Allen/Stan Laurel kind of way. Instead of ‘What?’ she would say ‘Hello?’ Lucie recalls that Hazel would be walking down the hall, carrying a big stack of papers, and Lucy would scream, ‘Hazel! Get over here!’ really loud, causing Hazel to throw the papers in the air in surprise.

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Found this passage in Keith Thibodeaux's book.

 

Hazel Pierce, who was Lucy’s stand-in on the show and a close friend, lived in (Lucy’s) guest house. She and her husband, Wasley, were a dance team, and had been friends with Lucy since she first came to Hollywood. Hazel was older than Lucy, and when Wesley died, Lucy took her in. You can see her in many I Love Lucy episodes, she is usually in the background as the blonde and skinny extra. Hazel was a very nervous person, and ditsy in a kind of Gracie Allen/Stan Laurel kind of way. Instead of ‘What?’ she would say ‘Hello?’ Lucie recalls that Hazel would be walking down the hall, carrying a big stack of papers, and Lucy would scream, ‘Hazel! Get over here!’ really loud, causing Hazel to throw the papers in the air in surprise.

What a character! I'd love to know more about her life- I never knew she was a dancer.
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