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I Loved Lucy: My Friendship with Lucille Ball

I Loved Lucy: My Friendship with Lucille Ball
By Lee Tannen

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Product Description

Few people knew Lucille Ball the way Lee Tannen did. Lee first met Lucy as a child, but their close and enduring relationship began almost twenty-five years later. Now, Tannen gives us an intimate portrait of the "lost" Lucy years: from what life was like in her Beverly Hills and Palm Springs hideaways to how she traveled, what she ate, and how she entertained. I Loved Lucy reveals for the first time the private face of a beloved star whose public persona is the most famous in television history.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #476440 in Books
  • Published on: 2002-10-25
  • Original language: English
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 256 pages

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
While Kathleen Brady's outstanding Lucille: The Life of Lucille Ball (1994) is still the benchmark for biographies on the red-headed comedienne who ruled the TV airwaves from 1951 through 1974, this slighter memoir, focusing on the last decade of her life, is still a treat for fans who continue to love Lucy. Tannen, a distant relative through marriage, befriended Ball (1911-1989) during the last decade of her life. By this time, Ball was spending most days playing backgammon and confining professional appearances mostly to yearly Bob Hope specials. Whereas Jim Brochu's Lucy in the Afternoon (1990) covered the same ground, Brochu pulled memories from Ball as they toiled over the backgammon table, creating an oral history of her professional and private life. Tannen's portrait of Ball is less reflective on the past, instead concentrating on her frustration at being denied one of the great joys of her life her work because of bad health and poor decisions. Gary Morton is presented as an absentee husband (when not golfing, he's in his study on the phone with friends). His bad career advice leads Ball into two late-in-life disasters: a TV movie (1985's Stone Pillow), which ruined her health, and the poorly conceived TV series Life with Lucy (1986), which, when canceled, convinced her that she no longer had a career or fans who wanted to see her. Tannen believes that this led Lucy to lose enthusiasm for life. This affectionate and intimate but by no means rose-colored portrait presents Ball as a demanding taskmaster at a loss during her twilight years. Fans won't learn much new here, but it's still a worthwhile visit. Photos not seen by PW.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Lucille Ball will always be remembered as Lucy Ricardo, the wacky redhead who was forever getting herself into hilarious situations. The queen of comedy was a very different person in her private life. Writer/director Tannen, who is a distant cousin of Gary Morton, Lucy's second husband, became one of the comedienne's closest friends before her death. This book is not a biography but a memoir of those years. Tannen spent many hours playing backgammon with Lucy, going on ski trips, accompanying her to awards ceremonies, and traveling anywhere else Lucy wanted to go. Writing with sensitivity and passion, Tannen shows us the real Lucy, who could be lovable but also very controlling, reclusive, and demanding. The only fault here is Tannen's flexibility with chronology; it would have been easier to follow had he kept the time line more focused. Otherwise, this is a great book about one of the great Hollywood legends. Lucy fans will not be disappointed. Recommended for larger libraries. Rosalind Dayen, Broward Cty. South Regional Lib., Pembroke Pines, FL
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Tannen draws "solely from memory," so no impertinent documentation obstructs his "remembrance of a friendship and of a time in my life spent with a remarkable woman." Tannen, distantly related to Lucille Ball's husband Gary Morton, met Ball at family gatherings. He breezily delineates the Morton family's delicious details, starting with the fact that Gary was an ex of the sister of JFK playgirl Judith Exner. From such obscurity Lucy plucked him to run her Hollywood empire, among other things, such as marriage. His main theme, then, is Lucy in her later years. His bond with her was forged virtually over a backgammon board, and she soon became a positive maven of the game. Tannen and his, uh, partner Tom became Lucy's traveling companions, getting to know quite well her strained relationships with her children, her quick, star-powered temper, and more. Other stars pop up throughout Tannen's recollections; even Leona Helmsley rears her head: "Good God, what a bore," Lucy opined. Delightful light reading and, of course, required for Lucy fans. Mike Tribby
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