America’s Favorite Sitcom “I Love Lucy”
Studying Lucille Ball’s Star Image and Its Impacts on 50’s American Television
Lucille Ball’s star image is explored and elaborated upon in the works of Alexander Doty and Ben Mankiewicz, as both develop on the unique formation of Ball’s star image, from her looks to her personality. Doty’s writing addresses how Ball’s wit, beauty, and earthiness elevated her image through her role in I Love Lucy. Mankiewicz focuses on Ball’s star image’s impact on a slowly progressing 1950s society. The writing of Dyer helps to highlight the star image that Ball was able to reject and reinvent herself. This essay will analyze the progressive steps I Love Lucy has taken and how Ball’s star image was reclaimed by herself.
A Star Taking Control Over Their Image
Doty explores how Ball was able to revamp her star image by changing her beauty and establishing a new star image. Ball stated. “I didn’t want my character to be glamorous. I didn’t want her to have beautiful clothes. And I didn’t want her to be a wisecracking girl who drops a line and walks out of the room. I’d done all that in the picture…
