I Love Lucy

Aaron Sorkin Being the Ricardos I Love Lucy

THANKS TO AARON SORKIN, WE NO LONGER LOVE LUCY

Finally got around to seeing Being the Ricardos and now we understand why the reviews are so varied. It’s all the fault of writer/director Aaron Sorkin. There’s no doubt he’s an intelligent and skillful writer, BUT he lacks empathy, and like most male writers, should NOT be writing female characters. His female characters behave and speak just like men and other women cannot identify with them. Nicole Kidman’s Lucy was impossible to even LIKE, much less love. (Was anybody else bothered by Lucy using the F word so frequently? in 1952, yet!) The film revealed NOTHING about her personality or private life that would make viewers connect with her. The actors in the film did a valiant job, especially with the lines they were given. Sorkin also jammed too many storylines and incidents into “one week” of Lucy and Desi’s life.The film not only made us not love Lucy but it made us wonder if Lucie Arnaz, who approved this film, suffered during her childhood and wanted to punish her mother with this…

By Janet / December 29, 2021
8 Comments
Alia Shawkat I Love Lucy Lucille Ball Writer

ALIA SHAWKAT DOESN’T NEED BRAD PITT

You may not recognize this actress in her 1950’s wardrobe, but she abruptly became famous because she was seen in the company of Brad Pitt. She’s Alia Shawkat, and it turned out she and Brad are just friends, but it put her on the map. Alia is costarring in the Lucille Ball film (with Nicole Kidman) now called Being the Ricardos for Amazon. She plays Madelyn Pugh Davis. Madelyn and Bob Carroll Jr were the writers of the entire I Love Lucy 180 episode series. Madelyn was one of VERY few female writers in Hollywood – certainly it was her female point of view that made Lucille Ball so funny. Let’s face it, female writers are BETTER at writing female characters. Leave it to writer/director Aaron Sorkin to acknowledge the importance of these comedy writers.

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA

By Janet / May 2, 2021
2 Comments
Aaron Sorkin Being the Ricardos Desi Arnaz I Love Lucy Javier Bardem Lucille Ball Nicole Kidman

CASTING CALL FOR FRED AND ETHEL MERTZ

Nice to hear that Aaron Sorkin has written and is directing a feature film about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz called Being the Ricardos and it looks like Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem will be starring. Lucy and Desi filmed 180 episodes (that’s a LOT!) of the hit show I Love Lucy for the six seasons it ran in the early 50’s. It was one of the all-time most successful series on TV, and Aaron’s script deals with one production week of the show in which two devastating events occurred threatening the couple’s careers and their marriage. Interesting that Nicole and Javier are neither American or Cuban. What we want to know is: Who will play Fred and Ethel Mertz? Any suggestions?

Photo: I Love Lucy

By Janet / January 11, 2021
3 Comments
Husband I Love Lucy Lucille Ball Thanks for the Memories

LUCILLE BALL PICKED THE RIGHT HUSBAND THE SECOND TIME AROUND

Memories of Lucille Ball: Lucy was born on August 6, 1911 so Saturday would have been her 100th birthday. After she divorced Desi Arnaz , Lucy married 13 years younger stand-up comic Gary Morton, and he seemed to be the perfect husband for the rest of her life. We remember seeing them together at Pips playing backgammon, and once we ran into Lucy and Gary shopping in Carl’s Market. Gary pushed the cart and Lucy pointed to the things she wanted and he scooped them up. They bought lots of canned tuna on sale. Another time we were hovering outside her dressing room at some event and we overheard that distinctive deep, gravelly voice of hers saying “Gary freshen my drink, will you?” We always wondered what made her voice become so deep – smoking, drinking? We also visited Lucy’s Beverly Hills house before it was sold and destined to be torn down. She had a hidden bar- you pushed a button on the den wall and a well-stocked hidden bar popped out. We miss Lucy.

By Janet / August 8, 2011
29 Comments