The passing of Lucille Ball, April 26, 1989.

first about the death of one of the inventors of television comedy Lucille Ball before there was a global village before the medium was the message there was Lucy week after week from the 1950s to the reruns still running worldwide in the 1980s Lucille Ball died today at 77 a little over a week after heart surgery correspondent Jerry Bowen reports on the outpouring of respect and love for an actress who made a nation laugh out loud in the living room yes the news from the hospital was a real shock Lucille Ball recovering so well from emergency open heart surgery just eight days ago died suddenly early today even hospital officials were stunned she was even beginning to walk a little bit now her spirits were good everyone felt very optimistic there was no reason to suspect that anything was about to occur her family went into seclusion friends and flowers began arriving at her Beverly Hills home and tributes flowed from Hollywood royalty and loyal fans alike to the queen of comedy she was a friend they loved her dearly and she's truly going to be missed what she did for televisions what Chaplin did for silent movies she inspired women comics you'd have to be inspired to watch her work and realize that it's possible for a woman to get laughs so no matter how many tears we cry today the laughs outnumber I Love Lucy speaking for everybody in the world they grew up with her like I did we'll all love her it was big news from Tokyo to Melbourne where Lucy stars and reruns the queen of comedy Lucille Ball died very suddenly sad news from Hollywood Boulevard to the Beverly Hills beauty parlor probably the greatest comedian that ever you know Lucy's last public appearance was at the Academy Awards the night the stars shine and she did but I've got the most gorgeous girl right by my side Lucille Ball right there just like the passing of an era you know it's like Gleason is going and I'll Lucy but what can you do the guy knocks on your door gives you back your pictures you gotta leave but there's one thing that's nice Lucy is gone but she'll always be with us I Love Lucy everybody everybody Jerry Bowen CBS News Hollywood when Lucille Ball came to New York to take acting classes as a 15 year old the school wrote her parents to advise they were wasting their money was anyone ever more wrong about anything or worse advice given correspondent David browning looks at Lucy's unforgettable career in comedy [Music] [Music] so why don't you join the thousands of happy peppy people and get a great big bottle of my Amina measurements everybody loved Lucy and it wasn't just the saucer eyes or the laughs of mating laughs to know Lucy's hold on several generations of Americans went way beyond that well I don't think she ever did anything to hurt anyone I think she was childlike and amused and bewitched bothered and bewildered and Lucy Lucy of the pratfalls Lucy of the sight-gags Lucy of the reruns that go on forever all around the globe Lucy is so much a part of America's history and it's part it's hard to remember that even before Lucy there was Lucille Ball actress there she is on the left one of the showgirls with Eddie Cantor of the 1933 movie Roman scandals I want to do something with my hand she arrived in Hollywood via Broadway and arrived at the truth be known as a brunette the red hair came later an homage to her favorite movie star I loved loved her red hair I think that's why I had red hair I wasn't born with this you know no no her movie roles in the 30s and 40s range from the solid to the purely ornamental from brunette to blonde to redhead and it was in the movies that she first met a young Cuban bandleader named Desi Arnaz well Carmen please come to the waiter painted out against mine they married and while Lucy and her own radio show on CBS desi went on the road with his BAM and then came television William Paley the founder of CBS remembered how I Love Lucy came to be she came in one day and we're gonna transfer her from radio to television and said I just can't do it and I said why not she said well I'm married to Desi Arnaz and and the most important thing in the world to me now is have a baby it's not gonna be possible for me to have a baby if Desi is out traveling around the country leading his band 50 weeks a year or something that kind of have to be with him and if I can't if I can't have him with me here in Hollywood and participating in my show I'm just gonna travel for them so under duress I said well it's not that important we'll find a place for him and we'll put him into your show and we started doing it that way and it was a lucky relationship because the show as you remember was a very very successful one to a very large extent because of Lucille Ball's stubbornness just why don't you have a baby Ricky this is it we didn't know that would be on for a year even we knew nothing about time or reruns or anything I found the character that I love doing and I had a chance to do it again and again and again that's great but life does not always imitate television Lucy and Desi divorced in 1960 and went their separate ways but always spoke with respect of the magic that the other brought the televisions most famous show about her she never mind looking messed up or wet though with modern her face you know most girls are always learning about their hair the thing you know t know it k you know if he was funny if he was good fine you know how do you remember desi fondly gratefully in recent years will seal bald in occasional television roles serious and comic and was honored from Hollywood to Washington and was once asked the epitaph she'd prefer I love doing what I was doing so I felt very lucky I'm happy that I brought laughter because I have been shown by many the value of it [Music] [Applause] we're as happy as you can be [Applause] [Music] I Love Lucy [Music] [Applause] [Music] and that's tonight's CBS Evening News later this evening CBS News will present a primetime one hour broadcast on the remarkable life of Lucille Ball that will be at 10:00 9:00 central time tonight until then Dan Rather Lucille Ball everybody's favorite redhead share the fond memories of her legendary life Lucy a CBS News special tonight this is CBS

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Length: 9min 26sec (566 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 26 2020