Why Lucille Ball Chose to Play a Character As Far ‘From Lucy Ricardo As Possible’ After ‘I Love Lucy’
Lucille Ball became one of the most famous celebrities because of I Love Lucy. Why did she choose an opposite character next?
Lucille Ball became one of the most beloved and recognizable stars of her era thanks to I Love Lucy. But when the groundbreaking sitcom came to an end, Ball was eager to distance herself from the character of Lucy Ricardo — a role that had defined her but also, in some ways, confined her.
Lucille Ball had dreams of being on Broadway long before her 1950s sitcom
Lucille Ball as Lucy Ricardo and Vivian Vance as Ethel Mertz on an episode of I Love Lucy in 1952 | CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images
According to Playbill.com, when Lucille Ball “finally said goodbye to Lucy Ricardo,” she “turned her sights to Broadway, finding what seemed like a sure-fire hit.” The project was Wildcat, a musical that cast Ball in the lead role of Wildy — “a brassy, self-sufficient character as far removed from Lucy Ricardo as possible.” It was a bold move, signaling Ball’s desire to reinvent herself beyond the lovable chaos of her TV persona.
What set this character apart from Lucy Ricardo? The two couldn’t have been more different. Wildcat, The New York Times reported, tells the story of “a woman in dungarees” who arrives in a Southwestern oil town with dreams of striking it rich.” As the publication explained:
Unlike the heroines of other plays Ball had read and rejected, Wildcat ‘Wildy’ Jackson … was the kind of ‘rough-talking, and unbelievably energetic’ character she wanted to play.
Did Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz’s divorce play a role in the ‘I Love Lucy’ star’s next project?
But what led Ball to make this decision? After all, she could have coasted off the Lucy character for years, had she chosen.
Several factors seem to have influenced Ball’s decision to make her Broadway debut. She likely wanted to explore new creative territory after playing the same character on television for so many years. But perhaps her motivation went beyond simply distancing herself from her iconic TV persona.