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Lucille Desiree Ball. The first thought that comes into many peoples minds when this name is said would be Lucy the well known funny character she played on her popular TV series I Love Lucy (1951 - 57). How did she become a legend? With dreams of being on stage in musicals to being the star in the big screen.
Just like Lucy, Lucille yearned to be a famous performer. Looking back now, anyone could say that her childhood dream came true. Who would have thought that a Jamestown farm girl could become a Hollywood legend. I guess you can say it all started on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown New York - when a star was born. Lucille was the first child of Henry Donnell Ball and the former Desiree Evelyn Hunt, both were teens when they were married and had Lucille. She had ancestors from all over Europe.
With roots from France England, Scotland, and Ireland. (Harris 20) Besides having the ability to make anyone laugh any time and in any situation. Another unforgettable trait Lucille had was her red hair. Unfortunately, she was brought into this world with blond hair, that darkened to a brunette. However she still kept that little girl quality, which became one of her main appeals as a comedian. Lucille despised being called Lucy so her family nicknamed her Lucyball. Although she tried to avoid being called Lucy after a certain television debut in 1951, she was rarely called anything but Lucy.
Lucille's father worked for her grandfather, Jasper Ball as a electrical lineman. As a result of his job, the family was constantly on the move. Lucille ended up spending her childhood in places like Anaconda, Montana, and Wyandotte, Michigan. Far from her birthplace in Jamestown. (Harris 20) Even as a child Lucille possessed qualities similar to Lucy. Her mother always had to tie a rope around her waist and hook it to the clothesline in order to keep Lucille out of trouble. Most of the time she did anyway.
One morning her mother looked out the window and saw her all tangled up on a tree branch, begging the milkman to help her get free. (Harris Life seemed to go well for young Lucille. With a baby brother on the way. It was supposed to be their happiest year. Until a tragedy happened to the Balls. In February, Henry Ball came down with typhoid fever and died. After her fathers death, Lucille and her mother moved to Jamestown to live her grandparents, Frederick and Florabelle Hunt.
Shortly after the move, Lucille's baby brother Fred was born on July 3, 1915. Certain that Fred was her mothers favorite Lucille hated her brother. Little did she know that her mother dedicated her life to Lucille. Desiree had studied piano and wanted Lucille to follow in her footsteps, but Lucille showed no interest despite her mothers efforts to teach her. (Harris 21) Lucille was in care of her grandparents most of the time. Her mother still young and wanting to find a husband made it difficult to watch over Lucille and Fred. Lucille was very close to her grandparents, especially her grandfather.
She got her first taste of show business from Grandpa Hunt. Lucille loved watching vaudeville with her grandpa on Saturdays. When they got home, she would reenact the show for her grandmother. She also used to play theater with her friend Pauline Loss. They used the barn as their theater, stage, mansion, ranch house.
Lucille and her friends often put on one-act plays and revues, for which they made their own tickets, props, and advertising posters. She loved playing a boy in her acts and the audience loved it too. Her grandfather saw her love for acting, and he encourage her to get involved in plays at school and church. (Harris 22) Like before whenever things seem to be going well for Lucille, something had to go wrong. It did. In 1920 Lucille's mom Desiree remarried, and left Lucille and Fred temporarily.
Later she sent for her kids where they lived with her new husband Ed Peterson. Ed was really strict to the children, Lucille felt frustrated all the time with his rules. The only way out of this for her was to make people laugh. Things began to go bad in the Peterson home Ed began drinking. Thats when Lucille and her brother were sent back to their grandparents house. Once again tragedy strict, Lucille's grandmother died from cancer.
With her grandmother gone, Lucille had to take care of Fred. And at the age of 10, she began having part-time jobs. During the summer, she sold hot dogs and ice cream from a little gazebo or on the boardwalk. Lucille was in her teens when World War I and the Great Lucille was the first girl in her neighborhood to get the bob hair cut, own a raccoon coat, and to wear unbuckled galoshes.
Like true flapper. At 15, Lucille was 56, as tall as she would ever be. Many didnt know if she was a woman or a child because of her mature looks. Some people were suspicious of where she got that $ 125 raccoon coat. But it was a bribe from her mother to keep Lucille from dropping school. (Harris 26) Lucille didnt really care about her education. She could have been a good student if she wanted to.
At 15, she wanted to quit going to Jamestown High School and go to John Murray Anderson-Robert Milton School of the Theater and Dance which she thought would lead her to a big career in Broadway or in vaudeville. Desiree finally agreed to let Lucille go, but only on a trial bases for 6 weeks. Her mom doubted she wouldnt get any further than that. Unfortunately her mother was right, Lucille was in and out of that school in 6 weeks. The school even sent her mom a letter literally saying she was wasting her money. Lucille did have a role model in her short time at the academy.
Ruth Elizabeth Davis, or as she was known at the school Bette Davis. Lucille would follow her around the school in complete admiration- It was back to Jamestown High. Lucille being a typical teenager, hung out at Harveys Drugstore, dated boys, played on the girls basketball team, and was a cheerleader. Typical teenager, except she was determined to Lucille's grandfather was forced to sell the house and possessions to pay for medical bills for an accident that happened at his house to one of Fred's friends. So they had to move in with Desiree and Ed. Lucille couldnt stand living in such a small house with so many people.
She often took the train to commute between Jamestown and New York. (Harris 28) Over the next few years Lucille tried and failed to land jobs...
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