Lucille Ball created a television dynasty with the popular sitcom “I Love Lucy.”
Although she had a bustling career as a model and a movie star, her time as Lucy Ricardo launched her into worldwide stardom. Suddenly, millions of people were watching her scandalous, sneaky, and hilarious schemes each week on TV.
As it turns out, Lucy Ricardo wasn’t the only thing sneaky about “I Love Lucy.”
‘I Love Lucy’ Mentions Real-Life Fame
When it comes to Lucy, a lot of the scheming boiled down to one motivator — fame.
Lucy would do whatever she could to try to get her name and face out there. One of the funniest was swallowing a heaping spoonful of the disgusting Vitameatavegamin concoction to try to get into commercial work.
She even dressed as a clown and did an extraordinarily hilarious routine with a cello.
Clearly, there were no limits when it came to scheming on “I Love Lucy.” There was one episode that turned this all on the flip side. In “Lucy Gets Ricky on the Radio” from the first season of the series, one prop continues to stand out.
Ricky is chilling on the couch with a magazine in his hands. He is absent-mindedly flicking through it. As it turns out, this is the June 3, 1952 issue of “Look Magazine.”
Now, if you have extremely amazing vision and get within a foot of your screen, you may notice something interesting on the cover. Right next to Adlai Stevenson and Marilyn Monroe is none other than Lucille Ball. At that moment in the show though, she’s just Lucy Ricardo on “I Love Lucy.”
In the magazine photo, she’s wearing an elaborate blue gown. She’s at the very peak of her fame and success. The title of her article is “Why Desi’s Dizzy for Lucy.” He was reading a fun gossip piece on the iconic Hollywood couple. While fame was a struggle on “I Love Lucy,” her face still managed to grace a magazine cover.
Whether it was a mistake or “I Love Lucy” producers were trying to be sly, it’s quite the entertaining Easter Egg.
Desi Arnaz Prop on the Show
While the magazine was an incredibly small addition to an episode, one hidden prop was a staple for Desi Arnaz.
According to Mental Floss, Desi Arnaz was 5’9″ and would wear four-inch lifts in his shoes. It was important to Arnaz to be taller than his wife, hence the shoes.
This wasn’t the only thing added to the “I Love Lucy” set to make Arnaz feel more secure in his height. There was an additional cushion inside the couch that was used to make him seem taller when he was sitting next to Lucille Ball. It was unnoticeable to audiences.
It also helped him get up easier and into his tall elevator shoes. Clearly, Desi Arnaz always put his best elevator shoe forward during his career.
