(Image source: LIFE.com)
BY TRACY PFEIFFER
ANCHOR GARY COTTON
You're watching multisource entertainment news analysis from Newsy.
Vitameatavegamin.
It’s not easy to say -- but if you know what it means -- it’s unforgettable.
And the woman who made it famous -- Lucille Ball -- would have turned 100 Saturday. She passed away at the age of 77 in 1989 -- but the media’s still showing much love for the actress. Here’s a few highlights. (Video: CBS)
“The annual Lucille Ball comedy festival kicks off today and runs through Sunday in Jamestown, the legendary actress’ birthplace. …This year’s festival coincides with what would have been Lucy’s 100th birthday.” (WIVB)
ANN CURRY, NBC: “To mark this occasion, editors at LIFE.com went through the magazine’s archives and dug up a series of never-before-seen photographs of the legendary actress.”
DAWNIE WALTON, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, LIFE.COM: “That photo is Lucy in 1944 and she is at an event for the president. …That is sort of, in 1942, that’s one of the earliest photos that we have in the archives of her.”
And Google’s daily Doodle was also a tribute to the actress, featuring clips from some of her sitcom’s most beloved episodes.
And of course -- the media took the opportunity to reflect on the actress’ life and contributions to the world of television. CBS -- the network that aired the original ‘I Love Lucy’ series -- starts us off with Ball’s early career.
KATHLEEN BRADY, AUTHOR: “Her early days as a model were days of struggle. She was fired from every job that she had as a showgirl.”
KEN TUCKER, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: “She took some acting classes and was told by an acting coach that she, Lucille, had no talent whatsoever and she should leave the business.”
LUCILLE BALL: “I wanna do something with my hands.”
TUCKER: “But she persisted, and she became known as the ‘Queen of the Bs’ -- the B movies.”
‘I Love Lucy’ jettisoned Ball and then-husband Desi Arnaz to fame -- and stirred up quite a bit of controversy. Critics were skeptical America would accept a Latino man married to a white woman -- and
PCMag adds -- Ball made execs sweat by being one of the first women to appear on television -- pregnant.
“Executives required that the word ‘expectant’ be used instead of ‘pregnant,’ but seven episodes basically mirrored Ball's real-life pregnancy and a pre-taped episode featuring the birth of Lucy's child coincided with the actual delivery of Ball's baby. That episode had a record number of viewers, beating out the inauguration of President Eisenhower...”
And a blogger for the Vancouver Sun adds...
“She was also the first female head of a production company, and Desilu introduced a number of industry firsts, including the use of several cameras with a live studio audience and the building of adjacent sets for filming. Ball was also among the first television stars to reap the benefits of residuals from syndication.”
Finally, a blogger for The Baltimore Sun has a parting message for the departed actress -- “thanks for everything.”
“You made television history and television magic, Miss Ball. Another hundred years from now, assuming the planet remains habitable, you will be still be making people laugh.”
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