I (really do) Love Lucy

I enjoyed reading the Meloncamp article, especially since I am a huge Lucile Ball fan. The Ballet episode is one of my all time favorites, and one I quote often. I was even giggling when reading this paper, just visualizing each scene she describes (I have seen them all multiple times and own the complete series on DVD). Several times in the article, I felt my defenses go up, such as when she says, “perhaps the supreme fiction of the program was that Lucy was not star material, and hence needed to be confined to domesticity” (p. 89). Here I would argue that even in the context of the show, she IS star material at times. When it suits the plot, she can suddenly sing and dance pretty well, and Lucy never has a hard time convincing a guest star to help with her scheme and perform WITH her.

            I would also consider pushing back against the notion that “Lucy’s resistance to patriarchy might be more palatable because it is mediated by racism which views Ricky as inferior” (p. 90). Something I always noticed is that Lucy is the only one to blatantly tease him for his accent. Sometime Fred will make a joke too – but I personally never found it to be any more aggressive than a good friend poking fun in a safe space. Furthermore, each character is subject to jabs from the others regarding their stereotypes: Fred for being cheep, overweight, and bald; Ethel for being older, and an overeater; Lucy for dying her hair, behavioral issues, and Ricky for his temper and accent. I think the fact that Lucy and Desi were a real life couple, who produced the show together through Desilu Productions, should create an atmosphere that is no more racist than contemporary comedies such as Jane the Virgin, Ugly Betty, or Modern Family.

            I very much agree with Meloncamp that while Lucy is victim to the patriarchy in the series as a whole, she makes a series stand in each individual episode. For me, this is the point, and one of the reasons I love Lucy (no pun intended). Considering the 1950s climate and the other shows on air during this time, she is extremely modern, strong, and independent. She also loves her husband, even if she has to listen to him and is frustrated by that. Lucy is extremely complex, and that is what I think makes her such a strong character.