April 26: Lucille Ball Dies

On this date in History .... April 26, 1989:  

Lucille Ball dies a week after open heart surgery, on the day of her friend Carol Burnett’s 56^th birthday.  Burnett received the flowers that Lucy had ordered earlier for delivery on her birthday.  



Lucy was the first woman to own her own film studio and the first woman to receive the International Radio and Television Society’s Gold Medal. 

Her annual salary while President of Desilu was reported at $100,000 (in 1965, the average annual salary in the U.S. was under $4700).  

In 1935, she signed her first promotional agreement with Max Factor and again in 1942. Of all the stars, she had the longest association with the Max Factor company.  

She started out as a model but was stricken by rheumatoid arthritis early in her career and spent two years re-learning how to walk. While making a 1933 movie, she was required to shave off her eyebrows and they never grew back.  She was also once fired from an ice cream parlor for forgetting to put bananas in the banana splits.

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April 3: First Issue of TV Guide is Published

On this date in history ... April 3, 1953:

The first TV Guide was published with Lucille Ball and her new son Desi Jr. on the cover.  It sold at a price of only fifteen cents. She was on the cover more than any other celebrity, a total of 39 times with Johnny Carson coming in second with 28 covers.

TV Guide reached a circulation of 1.5 million its first year and eventually peaked at 20 million in the 1980s.  Cable created a challenge for the magazine and its circulation dropped to about 3 million.

January 18: "The Jeffersons"

On this date in History .... 1975:

The first episode of “The Jeffersons” airs on CBS and would run for 11 years, becoming the longest running All-in-the-Family spin-off.

 

The series was the first show to depict a successful black family. It showed the viewing public not only the white side of bigotry but also the black side of bigoty.  “George Jefferson was .....the opposite side of Archie Bunker, a bigot on the opposite side of racial intolerance.”

 

 

In the Norman Lear method of addressing taboo topics, George even uses two “politically incorrect” terms (spoiler alert: they are used in this clip  - Click Here - ).

 

Several CBS executives tried to get the interracial kiss between (neighbors) Tom and Helen Willis (the first black/white “married” couple on TV) edited out, but executive producer Fred Silverman successfully lobbied to keep it in.

 

(The title of “1^st interracial couple” is given to Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz; the 1^st scripted interracial kiss was in 1966 between Capt. Kirk and Lt. Uhura.)

 

In 1981, Isabel Sanford (Louise) became the only African-American to ever win the Emmy award for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

 

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