TV Titans: Lucille Ball

Their characters are legend: Woodward. Austin. Tanna. Little Joe. But the importance of the fictional pales in comparison to that of the near-mythical actors and actresses who breathed life into the roles. Their shows seldom were Emmy-winning, but their work was seen in your household if you owned a set at the time, their names known to you. We salute TV’s true stalwarts — those with the constitution to make it to the set year after year, show after show. This time it’s the turn of comedic giant Lucille Ball.

Notable contributions:
Life With Lucy, Here’s Lucy, The Lucy Show, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, I Love Lucy

Memorable traits:
Above all a pioneering spirit, Ball combined beauty with brilliant comic timing and a rubber-faced style borrowed from the silent-film stars and perfected for the small screen.

Staying power:
What didn’t she do? Ball paved the way for funny/pretty TV women to come, while she and husband Desi Arnaz hammered out the blueprint for TV production: I Love Lucy was one of the earliest shows shot live on film and Desilu Studios went on to create hits like The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Untouchables, Mission: Impossible and Star Trek.