"I Love Lucy,"Lucille Ball Was Born 100 Years Ago. Greatest funny lady and Hollywood executive used 3 camera shot that is used in sit coms today.



Karl Freund in 1915

  Karl Freund was the cinematographer who worked on Metropolis. In 1929 he came to the US and worked on  Key Largo and Dracula. At the beginning of the 1950s, he was persuaded by Desi Arnaz at Desilu to be the cinematographer in 1951 for the televisions series I Love Lucy. Critics have credited Freund for the show's lustrous black and white cinematography, but more importantly, Freund designed the "flat lighting" system for shooting sitcoms that is still in use today. This system covers the set in light, thus eliminating shadows and allowing the use of three moving cameras without having to modify the lighting in-between shots. And where Freund did not invent the three camera shooting system, he did perfect it for use with film cameras in front of a live audience.

Freund and his production team also worked on other sitcoms produced at/through Desilu such as Our Miss Brooks.

Lucy at her last public appearance in 1989. She died 4 weeks later on April 18th, 1989 from heart problems.

Lucy with Ethel on I Love Lucy

  I Love Lucy evolved out of a successful radio show that Lucy did for CBS in 1948 called, My Favorite Husband.  The show was a huge success that CBS had asked Lucy to do a spin off for TV. The show featured her husband, Desi, William Frawley and Vivienne Vance.  The sit com was shot using film which enabled the quality to exist today.


Lucille Ball in Stage Door in 1937

Lucy took acting classes at the John Murray Anderson acting school in New York City.  She was told that she was not a good actress by her teachers.  One of her classmates was the talented  Bette Davis. 

Lucy and Desi Arnaz in 1953.

The couple had met in 1940 while filming, Too Many Girls.  They got married and she was six years older than he.  Older women was frowned upon so the couple divided their age difference and she became 3 years younger and he 3 years older so they told everyone that they were the same age. The couple had two children, Lucy and Desi Jr.

Lucy said,  'you can't teach someone comedy, either you have it or you don't.'