Subject Librarian
Lucinda M. Hall
Contact:
Evans Map Room, Baker-Berry Library
Dartmouth College
25 N Main ST
Hanover, NH 03755
Dartmouth College
25 N Main ST
Hanover, NH 03755
(603) 646-0962
Website Skype Contact: d1128r8@kiewit.dartmouth.edu
Other library resource(s)
Pioneers of television: funny ladies by Call Number: Streaming video... Funny Ladies also looks at Lucille Ball's breakthrough on I Love Lucy and the sitcom stars who followed, including Mary Tyler Moore, Betty White and Marla Gibbs. ...
Television comedy from Oxford Bibliographies Online by Call Number: Electronic resourceISBN: 9780199791286Few genres have commanded as much popular attention, discussion, and ratings success throughout television’s history as has comedy. Few performers, too, have been as well loved as those who make us laugh on a regular basis, and the affective relationships created between viewers and comedians can prove remarkably strong.
Finding library resources for I Love Lucy
"I Love Lucy" holds a special place in television history. The following links lead you to resources in the Library's collections.
- i love lucyThis search will list all the "I Love Lucy" episodes we have in our collections.
- i love lucy (television program)This is a subject search for books about the actual program.
- ball lucille 1911 1989This is a subject search for books about Lucille Ball.
- ball lucille 1911 1989Everything in our collections in which she appeared.
- arnaz, desi 1917 1989Everything in our collections in which he appeared.
- arnaz desi 1917 1986This is a subject search for books about Desi Arnaz.
- vance vivianThis is a subject search for books about Vivian Vance.
Introductory reading(s)
Politics and the American television comedy: a critical survey from I Love Lucy through South Park by Call Number: Baker-Berry PN 1992.8 .C66 G74 2008ISBN: 9780786432356This work examines the unique and ever-changing relationship between politics and comedy through an analysis of several popular American television programs. Focusing on close readings of the work of Ernie Kovacs, Soupy Sales, and Andy Kaufman, as well as Green Acres and The Gong Show, the author provides a unique glimpse at the often subversive nature of avant-garde television comedy. ...
I Love Lucy: a celebration of all things Lucy: inside the world of television's first great sitcom by Call Number: Baker-Berry PN 1992.77 .I253 E38 2011ISBN: 9780762439768Still rerun daily in thirty countries throughout the world and beloved by fans young and old, the enduring popularity I Love Lucy is unparalleled. Upon the 60th anniversary of the landmark television show's debut and the 100th birthday of superstar Lucille Ball, I Love Lucy is the ultimate celebration of the show we love. This book brings to life the world of the show and its impact more fully than ever before. Rare backstage photos and images from the stars; personal collections illustrate new stories about the making of I Love Lucy.
Selected book titles
Ball of fire: the tumultuous life and comic art of Lucille Ball by Call Number: Baker-Berry PN 2287 .B16 K36 2003ISBN: 9780375727719As a movie actress Lucille Ball was, in her own words, "queen of the B-pluses." But on the small screen she was a superstar-arguably the funniest and most enduring in the history of TV. In this exemplary biography, Stefan Kanfer explores the roots of Lucy's genius and places it in the context of her conflicted and sometimes bitter personal life. Ball of Fire gives us Lucy in all her contradictions. Here is the beauty who became a master of knock-down slapstick; the control freak whose comic alter ego thrived on chaos, the worshipful TV housewife whose real marriage ended in public disaster. Here, too, is an intimate view of the dawn of television and of the America that embraced it. ...- Desilu: the story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz byCall Number: Baker-Berry PN 2287.B16 S26 1993ISBN: 9780688112172The spectacular magical union of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz created I Love Lucy and Desilu Studios - two of the greatest show-business success stories of all time. Yet the overwhelming pressures of incredible wealth and fame led to the destruction of their star-crossed, tumultuous marriage - but never their love for each other. ...
Love, Lucy by Call Number: Baker-Berry PN 2287 .B16 A3 1996ISBN: 9780399142055Over thirty years ago, the undisputed queen of comedy sat down to record the story of her life. Lucille Ball was at the pinnacle of her success in show business, having teamed with Desi Arnaz (whom she had married in 1940) to make I Love Lucy and The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour and, after her divorce from Desi, The Lucy Show. No comedienne had made America laugh so hard, no television actress had made the leap from Ziegfeld, radio, and film to land on the nation's picture tubes with such zany style and comedic charm.
The other side of Ethel Mertz: the life story of Vivian Vance by Call Number: Baker-Berry PN 2287 .V32 C38 1998ISBN: 9781879198265This biography details the actress' early days in theater and her often stormy relationship with Lucille Ball.
Finding articles & journals
Articles and other writings about television comedies can be found in many publications. Our collection does not include a magazine or journal title which looks exclusively at Lucille Ball's body of work. You can use Film & Television Literature Index or search using the box at the top of the page.
Film & television literature index by Call Number: Electronic resourceUse this index to find articles about this topic.
The web of science citation databases by Call Number: Electronic resourceThe online version of 3 separate ISI indexes: Arts & Humanities Citation Index, Science Citation Index and, Social Sciences Citation Index.
Selected comedy shows
See more Lucille Ball titles in the Library's collections.
Here's Lucy. Season one by Call Number: Jones Media DVD #9076Lucille Carter is a widowed mother of teenagers Kim and Craig. Lucy works for her brother-in-law Harry, played by Gale Gordon, who owns Carter's Unique Employment Agency, leading Lucy into endless predicaments and hilarious hijinks.
I love Lucy. The complete second season on DVDCall Number: Jones Media DVD #2319 discs 1 - 5ISBN: 9780792197188Contains gems such as "Job switching" in which Lucy and Ethel do unforgettable battle with a chocolate factory conveyor belt; and "The operetta" in which Lucy's money problems bring down the curtain on her role as "Queen of the gypsies". This collection also includes the groundbreaking "pregnancy shows", including the touching moment at the Tropicana when Lucy breaks the news to Ricky that they are going to have a baby, and "Lucy goes to the hospital" the record-setting episode that garnered the highest ratings in 1953.
Internet resource(s)
- Directing the First Multi-Camera Film Sitcom Before a Live AudienceOn October 15, 1951, television broadcast history was made when the first episode of I Love Lucy aired on CBS. Technically, it was not the first episode of the show. The pilot, directed by Ralph Levy, was recorded as a kinescope, a 16mm filmed recording taken from an extremely bright cathode ray tube, but it was not broadcast until 1990. ...
- Lucille Ball Comedy Festival from the National Comedy CenterThe National Comedy Center has produced the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival for the past 25 years, and in 2016 brought visitors from 41 states to Jamestown, NY.
- Lucy Desi MuseumThe mission of the Lucy Desi Center for Comedy is to preserve the legacy of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and enrich the world through the healing powers of laughter through its commitment to the development of the comedic arts.
Keeping up with Television Studies journal literature
Want an easy way to keep up with the journal literature in Television? And you use a mobile device? You can install the BrowZine app and create a custom Bookshelf of your favorite journal titles. Then you will get the Table of Contents (ToCs) of your favorite journals automatically delivered to you when they become available. Once you have the ToC's you can download and read the articles you want.
You can get the app from the App Store or Google Play.
Don't own or use a mobile device? You can still use BrowZine! It's now available in a web version. You can get to it here. The web version works the same way as the app version. Find the journals you like, create a custom Bookshelf, get ToCs and read the articles you want.