What would the modern sitcom be without someone like Lucille Ball? Alongside her then-husband Desi Arnaz, Ball became a household name when it came to comedy thanks to I Love Lucy, which ran from 1951 to 1957 and remains a favorite among many to this very day. In addition to the show being nothing short of hilarious, it was also revolutionary for a number of reasons. For starters, it was the first sitcom to be filmed before a live studio audience, allowing the audience to react to such memorable moments as the candy conveyor belt or the grape-squashing scene. I Love Lucy was also the first show of its kind to use a three-camera setup, allowing for a seamless flow from scene to scene.
Thanks to syndication (and we should mention that I Love Lucy was also one of the first TV shows ever to be sold into syndication) the show can still be enjoyed to this very day thanks to reruns, and back in 2012 CBS was reported to still be making as much as $20 million a year from I Love Lucy syndication deals. While it’s true that not all the credit for the show’s success can go to Ball herself, what could the show have ever been without its shining star? And how different would the world of comedy have been were it not for the invaluable contribution Lucille Ball made?
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