Home> Facts and Trivia > Stars > Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball Facts
| Sign | Leo |
| Born |
Aug 6, 1911 Jamestown, NY |
| Died |
Apr 26, 1989 Beverly Hills, CA |
| Age | Died at 77 |
| Total Facts | 76 |
She put her Chesterfield cigarettes in a Philip Morris package to please her sponsor (of the "I Love Lucy" (1951) show).
She signed her first promotional agreement with Max Factor in 1935 and again in 1942. Of all the stars, she had the longest association with the Max Factor company.
She was fired from working at an ice cream store because she kept forgetting to put bananas in banana splits.
She was proud of her family and heritage. Her genealogy can be traced back to the earliest settlers in the colonies. One direct ancestor, William Sprague (1609-1675), left England on the ship "Lyon's Whelp" for Plymouth/Salem, Massachusetts. They were from Upwey, Dorsetshire, England. William, along with his 2 brothers, helped to found the city of Charlestown, Massachusetts. Other Sprague relatives became soldiers in the Revolutionary War and 2 of them became governors of the state of Rhode Island.
Stricken by rheumatoid arthritis early in her modeling career and spent 2 years re-learning how to walk.
Suffered a miscarriage with her and Desi Arnaz's first child in 1942.
Suffered a second miscarriage with her and Desi Arnaz's second child in 1949.
Suffered third miscarriage in 1950 with husband Desi Arnaz.
The day she first met Desi Arnaz, she had a black eye and a torn dress from filming a fight scene for Dance, Girl, Dance (1940) and he didn't find her at all attractive until they met again later in the day when she had changed into her own clothes and makeup. His oft-quoted first impression of her extraordinary beauty was "That's a hunk o' woman".
The original Desilu was her and Desi Arnaz's ranch in Chatsworth, CA. They used the same method of naming it that Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford's did when they named their estate "Pickfair".
Though starring in many successful 1940s musical comedies for MGM, her contract allowed her to honor her prior commitments.She starred in the film noir classics, "The Dark Corner"(1946) for Fox and the independently produced "Lured"(1947).
TV Guide picked her as the greatest TV star of all time.
Was Frank Sinatra's first choice for the role of Laurence Harvey's mother in The Manchurian Candidate (1962). He was only dissuaded when John Frankenheimer took him to see Angela Lansbury in a play.
Was good friends with actresses: Mary Jane Croft, Carole Lombard, Ginger Rogers, Vivian Vance, and Mary Wickes. All except Croft were childless; Wickes never married.
Was in frail health following a heart attack in May 1988.
Was known for a while as Dianne Belmont back when she was a model.
Was of Irish, Scottish, French, and English descent.
Was offered the role of Angel in The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), but was forced to turn it down due to pregnancy. Gloria Grahame was later cast instead.
Was once known as the "Chesterfield Girl" because she was the spokesmodel for Chesterfield cigarettes.
Was one of the 20 original "Goldwyn Girls", along with Virginia Bruce; Ann Dvorak; Paulette Goddard and Betty Grable.
Was the first woman to own her own film studio.
Was tutored in comedy by Buster Keaton.
When Ball lived at 1000 N. Roxbury Drive in Beverly Hills, Jack Benny lived at 1002 N. Roxbury Drive.
When her subsequent series "The Lucy Show" (1962) and "Here's Lucy" (1968) became popular, Jess Oppenheimer, a co-creator of "I Love Lucy" (1951) alleged that her character Lucy Carmichael/Carter was in fact Lucy Ricardo re-named and threatened to sue. Rather than go to court, she settled for $220,000.
When they were first married in 1940, Desi Arnaz had to give Lucy a ring from a drugstore because all jewelry stores were closed. She wore it for the rest of their marriage.
While still contemplating whether to do the "I Love Lucy" (1951) shows, she claimed that in her dream, Carole Lombard came to her and told her to "Give it a whirl".