August 6, 1911

99 years ago a legend was born. The comedy queen of the TV screen started her life in Jamestown, NY and worked her way all the way to Hollywood...
Between 1933 and 1951 she appeared in more than 70 motion pictures...and she worked with the best in the business:
Katharine Hepburn
Ginger Rogers
Eve Arden
Eddie Albert
Bob Hope
Red Skelton
Ann Miller
and many more!
It was a quiet domestic radio sitcom that paved the way on her road to becoming a legend...in 1948 she began work on the series "My Favorite Husband" and by 1951 CBS thought so much of her talent that they offered her a chance to bring the show to the small screen....
History has already told us what she had to go through to get her series on the air...
"I Love Lucy" began on October 15, 1951 featuring the actress with her real life husband Desi Arnaz (married in 1940) as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo along with William Frawley and Vivian Vance as neighbors Fred and Ethel Mertz.......179 half hour shows, 1 lost pilot and 1 Christmas special later "I Love Lucy" ended in 1957. The characters continued for 13 additional programs as part of a special series entited "The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show", later "The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour." That ended in 1960...
She returned to weekly television in 1962 with "The Lucy Show" again co-starring Vivian Vance and later Gale Gordon. That series ended in 1968 and later that year "Here's Lucy" began. This series allowed her to work with her real life children Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz, Jr.
"Here's Lucy" ended in 1974....that same year Lucille's work in the film version of Mame was released.
As the 1970's and 1980's went on the actress stayed in semi-retirement. She was a frequent guest on various game shows and she could always be seen at a tribute special or award ceremony.
In 1985 she earn rave reviews for her portrayal of a homeless bag lady in the TV movie "Stone Pillow." The success of the film lead her to try a return to weekly television and in 1986 "Life with Lucy" debuted. Sadly the series never caught on and ended after only eight shows...
Never to be slowed down she continued to make occasional appearances despite a stroke in 1988. She was on hand to be a presenter at the 61st Annual Academy Awards on March 29, 1989...along side her old pal Bob Hope she walked on stage to a standing ovation.
Four weeks later on April 18th the actress was rushed to the hospital following a heart attack. She underwent surgery to repair her damaged aorta and seemed to be recovering well. On April 26, 1989 approx. 5:04 in the morning the star awoke with severe pains in her back...her aorta had ruptured in a different place and God finally called her to his Eternal Kingdom in Heaven...
She was the absolute best.......there can't be an argument. And today on the anniversary of her birth exactly as it did last year...and will continue to do for a very long time....
In Memoriam Remembers: Lucille Ball

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