You can see in Desi Arnaz's face that this wasn't just an empty sentiment. The way he paused and looked out to the crowd in calling for the Academy to recognize the writers was a powerful statement. The fact that he, Vivian Vance and Lucille Ball all mentioned them showed real humility and grace on their parts, not to mention a united front as a cast. I love it.
Vivian Vance deserved this award without question and Lucy and Desi were genuinely thrilled for her. The awards took place in February 1954 when the show was at its peak.
This is one of the best examples of true class, shown by the featured winners, but especially by Desi. It's too bad William Frawley never won, though he was nominated several years, as I understand. I really like how they all acknowledged the writers, but I especially loved when Desi mentioned William Frawley, as he was then the only actor at their ILL table without an award. A true class act.
Desi Arnaz was so ahead of his time in terms of thinking. To mention the writers was so thoughtful and brilliant, Desi understood that no matter how well he, lucy or the other cast members delivered their lines, that it wouldn't go over well if the writing in the script didn't hold up.
@Just a Girl You have no idea. He created the multiple camera scheme of filming which was quickly copied by everybody else. He created having a live audience on a sound stage when he was told it wouldn't be practical (when you see any show "filmed before a live audience" in some sitcom, well, he started it.) He and Lucy together invented the idea of syndication of TV shows (reruns). His behind the scenes work, especially with the various Desilu Productions (such as Star Trek) was really more influential than his role on the I Love Lucy show.
@Daniel Beehn And if it wasn't for Desi Arnaz giving a young producer a chance to be the Executive Producer Of the Untouchables. we would have never had shows like Cannon, Streets of San Francisco. And a lot of other Television gems. That producer's name- Quinn Martin...
Desi was the brains in the outfit. Notice how he goes over and banters briefly with the band, what amazing presence of mind at such a moment. He came up with real innovations with how sitcoms were made that continue to this day.
Vivian Vance deserved the award! You're right about Ricky, Bill. They all made the show, not just Lucy. Lucy became too "take charge" and bossy in later years.
gimpinmypants Dear Sir: Where, oh WHERE, did you get that truly charming and unique "visage" to go with your posting name? I got a HUGE kick out of both! LOL...Thank you! And your comment was wonderful---I gave you my "thumbs up."
@@donnahoffman3639 Me too and I am 76 - Love Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Both had histories of family tragedy and both were intelligent, competent on many levels. Both wanted to reunite their families and take care of them. Desi's mother died two years after he died and he still provided for her in his will. God bless both Desi and Lucy - they gave the world so much joy and laughter. Thank you.
I read Desi was gonna produce a new show called Fred and Ethel , Frawley was willing but Vivian didn’t wanna work with him. It’s a shame cuz they didn’t like each other-Desi said they were just as important as Him and Lucy!
With respect to William Frawley, his excellent characterization of Fred Mertz was overshadowed by Art Carney's legendary portrayal of Jackie Gleason's pal "Ed Norton". Every year, Mr. Carney was given the award. I think he won five Emmys for that role, while ironically Gleason himself NEVER won an Emmy.@@billhosko7723
Wow. Where the heck did you find this clip !!?? This is amazing. I loved how excited Lucy got for Vivian Vance winning her award. And very unselfish gesture of Desi and Lucy to recognize the writers the way they did; and I had to look it up and sure enough, Emmy awards for Comedy writing started in 1954
I just finished watching a commentary given by Lucy about 15 years after I Love Lucy and she was still giving her writers credit. She said she never adlibbed one single word and that she herself is not funny. Everything she did on screen was given to her in a script so her writers really did deserve recognition and it was beautiful that up until Desi and Lucy both died, they were still talking about Oppenheimer, Pugh and Carroll!!!!
Ooh, I love that Richard Denning presented Vivian Vance's award. He played Lucille Ball's husband in My Favorite Husband, the radio show precursor to I Love Lucy! :D
@Just a Girl desi wasnt a nobody...he did excellent work and Lucy gave him credit where it was due. And though he experienced heavy racism in the beginning, those in the industry had to eventually acknowledge his business and tv production acumen, as well. But, yeah, he was also a cheat and an alcoholic..
Desi was a brilliant business man and way ahead of his time in so many ways. He 'donated' his big winning moment to the writers and to the genius cameraman Freund he knew they were the one that would make or break the show and at that time the Emmys didn't even HAVE a writing award.
What's funny here is that Vivian Vance walks up stage and says "Thank you... Thank you.." in the EXACT same way as she did thanking Elsa Lanchester for those awful watercress sandwiches in the "Lucy Goes to Florida" episode...
i never really liked fred mertz, to be honest. the show was great and he could be very funny in his line delivery but ethel should have had a younger husband. i never bonded with fred. and he was mean to vivian vance. something about fred, william frawley, i felt was not nice, cold, egotistical. i never thought he was affable as many others seemed to. i felt there was a meanness there. vivian vance suffered alot over his behavior towards her.
Bill Frawley was Fred Mertz in real life: gruff, mean at times, but also a caring man, as said by almost all his co-workers in television. Vivian Vance started the fight by complaining about his age in a very disparaging way. He never forgave her for that and made her know it. “Miss Fat ass” and “that c**t” were often his descriptions of her. I think that Vivian was the one that thought too much of herself. Frawley played Frawley from the 30s movies all the way up until his last appearance on the Lucy Show in the mid sixties.
RMPsumma this coming from an old man or woman who I’m sure doesn’t even watch modern day tv anymore. Cause if you did you’d realize how incredibly wrong and ignorant you are.
what a great clip. thank u so much. i think vivian vance was the best co actress comedian of all time. Lucy was great but i think vivian vance made lucy even better. I cannot imagine a lucy without an ethel. Vivian vance was flawless and wonderful as ethel mertz. A true commedienne. The most natural comedic actress you could find. Lucy and Desi were so gracious in this clip. it was really wonderful to see. and i love desi's realness in his comments about giving writers credit. but he didnt over extend it or overdue it but it made an impact. i love the way lucy practically skipped back to the table. Precious. and their performances on i love lucy looked so effortless. little could they have known that their show, decades later, would be the most beloved in history, and in fact broadcast all over the world.
It was a situation comedy and was supposed to represent real life, so hair and clothes were the same, but Lucy was always stylish and dressed to perfection. Loved those 40's and 50's styles.
Loved this so much. I was born a year later and 'I Love Lucy' was the first television program that I can remember watching as a three-year-old. Wonderful classic TV during this era so long ago. The cast of that show were the forerunners of all who have come after.
Calpurnia Moravia I feel the same way! Vivian was an attractive woman, and even though, by 1954, she had to remain 20 pounds heavier to play Ethel, she could have easily worn a beautiful evening gown and looked smashing. Still, it was kind of fun...it was as if Ethel Mertz herself won the award that Vivian Vance accepted! LOL...
I grew up watching I Love Lucy,( I’m 57) it was a family favorite n we’d all sit around the TV to watch together. Decades later (2022) my kids love to see these reruns!! It’s a classic due to the actors and writers. Its good wholesome fun in a world that needs more belly laughs. Thank you for sharing this clip.
Vivian Vance was pure class and a very genuine warm person. You can tell by her gracious acceptance speech. Today we have people who have no class and will disrupt an award show by slipping in their political garbage. Politics doesnt have any place in an award show. Boy, do I miss those days when TV was worth watching..
I couldnt agree more ! I was just watching with my mother and said that " these two were actual genuine people.. not like the fake get uine we see today!!" They were very sincere and humble stars.. meanwhile now we have idiots that thanks everyone but the people that MADE them... and even when they do its quick and fake and its sickening to watch... it went from classy, genuine and fun and turned into a me me me my options my platform type of sh*tshow it is today!!!
+Hypercoaster1989 No kidding. If they had the writing categories available, I Love Lucy would have won every year! That's what you get when you're a pioneer paving the way for others!
This is precious. I've seen this once before, and was just taken by their classiness. Vivian was precious, and Lucy and Desi were amazingly thoughtful in their speeches. It's a real shame that actors don't seem to be able to be classy nowadays...
They totally earned every award they received. I do not watch TV because of how bad shows are now a days . but let me tell you if there were shows like lucy and what's my line and good stuff like that I'd be all over it.
Match Point But there were so FEW categories back in those days. In fact, one year there was a single "best comedian or comedienne" award, so Lucy was competing against women AND men. Another year, her category was simply "best actress," and she was competing against both sitcom and dramatic actresses. Another year it was "best female star of a regular series," which included not only sitcom and drama actresses, but variety show performers as well. There are probably too many categories these days, but back then there were way too few.
camiller83 I believe William Frawley was dismissed, unfairly, as an alcoholic has-been, even though he delivered the goods every week on "I Love Lucy." Professional jealousy probably played a major part in his never winning an Emmy, too. Sad.
Great vintage footage of the early days of television. I enjoyed how the camera men circled the table and showed general ab lib reactions of the stars. Wish more of these clips were available.
They truly were pioneers from inventing the sitcom, reruns, multi camera shooting and in this both mentioned honoring the writers, the following year the Emmy’s began giving awards to writers. They were pioneers in the industry in so many ways.
Wow. So different from the award shows and acceptance speeches of today. You can totally see the humbleness and sheer excitement as Vivian, Desi, and Lucy accept their awards. Unlike many entertainers of today, they seem genuinely honored and humbled to win the award, as opposed to some of the smug and entitled attitudes of a few "stars" today. These people had such class!
@@bartholomewlemonhead3029 to be fair, TV was new and exciting, it was like the internet in the mid 90's when people still poo-pooed it and did not take it or its potential seriously. Yes, the past is totally over-praised - really miss the Mc Carthy Hearings and morality clauses for entertainers... Pink scare, Red scare..
Did anyone else catch sight of William Frawley patting Vivian Vance on the back as she returned to the table with her Emmy Award? So much for all the press releases and articles and books claiming how much he "hated" her, and vice-versa. If that was "hate" that I just saw, make mine "well-done," please!
Bill Frawley may have congratulated her, but the hate was there from the beginning, from both parties. As soon as he overheard her complaining about having to play that old man's wife, he crucified her and vice Versa. "Vivian Vance hated the idea of being thought of as Frawley's wife. Not that she had anything against him at the outset. It was just that he was 64 and she was 39. "He should be playing my father," she complained frequently to anyone who would listen. Complicating matters was the clause in her contract that stated that if anything happened to either of them, the other could be written out of the show. It was this overconcern about being identified with Bill that laid the groundwork for the infamous Frawley-Vance feud that would rage for the full run of "Lucy." Once Bill discovered how Vivian felt, the gloves were off and no one could reconcile their differences. Many times during the series run, Oppenheimer had to be called down to the stage to arbitrate one of their arguments. Usually it was ignited when Vance suggested some changes in dialogue or additional bits of stage business. Because the ideas were Vance's, Frawley refused to cooperate, often retreating to his dressing room. Not even the director could make him budge. Oppenheimer would have to go in and soothe his ruffled feathers. The producer usually got Frawley to cooperate by saying, ''Do it for me." Frawley would eventually agree, reminding Oppenheimer, ''I'll do it for you, but not for that bitch!" After "Lucy" went off prime time, Frawley made this remark about Vance, his TV wife, his so-called "honeybunch": "She's one of the finest gals to come out of Kansas, but I often wish she'd go back there. I don't know where she is now and she doesn't know where I am, and that's exactly the way I like it." ( thanks to Taboola Sponsored Links for this piece of information). The photo op was for show business, as it was well known that Bill and Vivian despised each other; it's one of those cases where two people work greatly together, but they just hate each other. In all, and despite the hate, this was a great night for everyone and I don't think anyone had hate on their mind.
+A Martin I had never heard about the clause stating one would be written out should the other die. Vivian must have felt that he held her future in his hands. I think they had a 'like/don't like' relationship....they must have felt hurts from some of the things said behind each other's back....but, at the same time they must have appreciated each other's talents because they flawlessly acted appropriately in their scenes, whether it was a lovey dove you moment or one of their regular parts of fussing at one another. Never did any of their scenes appear fake.....they were truly amazing together!
I mean, what was he going to do in front of all those people? Give her the finger and say, "Fuck you, Vivian?" The accounts from everyone involved with the show are pretty consistent.
Let's see. Did Vivian mention that she wanted to share her award with "Fred"? Did she express regret that Frawley didn't win? Nope. That was left to Lucy and Desi to do indirectly. By the way, as most know, it really bothered Lucy that Desi was not so much as nominated even once. One does wonder why. Was it assumed he was playing himself? That's not fair. Lucy wanted Gale Gordon to play Fred, though a more appropriate name might have been Chauncey Mertz. It would have been a very different show. Gordon played long-suffering fussy characters and continued to do so in Lucy's other shows. It's hard to imagine him as Ricky's chum. Frawley played Fred as long-suffering but fighting back. He had already spent two decades playing no-nonsense characters, and did so on "I Love Lucy". Whoever liked or disliked each other, they were the perfect quartet on the screen.
The I Love Lucy Show is so Unique. It’s truly the best shows in the world till this day. It’s the most special show. Lucille is the most talented the most smarted women in the world. We Will All See Them Very Soon. Love You All
Those were the days, humility and grace..... from 3 of the best that EVER came to us form the "Golden Age of Television" Thay knew .....with out your writers, you have very little to say or do! I wish more were like them today!
thanks for sharing, that was AMAZING to see after 50+ years for me watching the Lucy universe. i never ever saw the actual ceremony, and what gracious people Lucy and Desi were. i SO SO SO miss this quartet of great actors.
That was so sweet about the writers. Not many people would be that modest today, because they have people telling them word for word what to say. Thank you for posting!
I just saw “Being the Ricardos” and absolutely loved it ! I had also read that William Frawley had once been asked about his five Emmy losses and replied, “I knew they didn’t know what they were doing when Vivian Vance got one!” Seeing JK Simmons play Fred Mertz was a real treat and he did seem particularly dismissive of Vivian Vance I hope he gets nominated; but I wanted to see this particular clip to watch Frawley’s reaction to Vance’s win. It is very subtle, but as Vivian is going to her seat and stopping to hug Lucy, you can see Frawley reach up and pay her on the back. A very sweet moment.
YOU ARE-WATCHING THE ERA OF PURE CLASS- TAKE NOTE: NO SLOB-LOOKING WOMEN WITH BREASTS HANGING OUT OR THEIR THIGHS SHOWING, NO WOMEN WEARING DISGUSTING TATTOOS. JUST PURE BEAUTY,TALENT,GRACE AND ETIQUETTE.
THE PICTURE OF LUCY & DESI AT THE AWARD'S SHOW IS ....... AWESOME BEYOND BELIEF 💝 THE LOVE BETWEEN THEM IS SOMETHING CLEARLY PURE 💓 LOVE & THAT LOVE SHINE'S THROUGH LUCI AND DESI JR TO THIS DAY....BOTH OF YOU ARE STARS & THE MOON ON A CLEAR NITE & BEYOND.
My favorite comedy teams of all times1. Laurel and Hardy 2. Tim Conway and Harvey Kourman 3. Lucy and Ethel4. Porky and Buckwheat 5. Abbott and Costello
For those of you that may not know, the first presenter was Richard Denning. He played Lucy’s husband in the radio comedy “My Favorite Husband”, the radio show “I Love Lucy” was based on.
