"Lucy Thinks Ricky..." Part II

Here is the second part of "Lucy Thinks Ricky is Trying to Murder Her".

"Lucy Thinks Ricky is Trying to Murder Her"

Here is the very first episode that lucky audience got to see on September 8, 1951.  Little did they know they were witnessing the birth of a legend!  So imagine, as you watch this, that it's 1951, you've never seen a sitcom, you don't even have a TV, and you honestly have no idea what's in store.  And above all, ENJOY!

America Meets Lucy

The first broadcast of "I Love Lucy" hit television screens on October 15, 1951, with the episode "The Girls Want to Go to a Nightclub".  This was not the first episode filmed, but due to pre-production issues, this was the first episode to air.  The first to be filmed (and what I still consider the very first "I Love Lucy" episode) was "Lucy Thinks Ricky is Trying to Murder Her", which was filmed on September 8, 1951.
Throughout the pilot and first episode, Lucy was costumed in large robes and pajamas, first to conceal her pregnancy, then to hide her bandages and healing from her Caesarean section.  She had given birth to Lucie Arnaz on July 17, 1951, taken a brief break, and returned to work to film the first episodes.
The show was not an instant success, but became increasingly popular about halfway through the first season.  At this time, there were relatively few televisions in the US, but it did not take long for "I Love Lucy" to become one of the staples of American life.  Not long after the show debuted in it's regular time slot (Monday nights at 9:00pm), it was observed that activity across the country was affected.  Traffic was drastically reduced, restaurants saw less customers, and even retail shops noticed a drop in business.  As the show progressed, the actors got to know their characters as well as the writers did, the technicians mastered the camera, editing, and recording techniques, and "I Love Lucy" was well on it's way to becoming a television legend.

Barbershop "Quartet"

Here's an example of Fred and Ethel singing together with Ricky as part of a barbershop "quartet" that Lucy keeps trying to butt into.

You Keep Mentioning "Vaudeville"...

Here's a little background on one of the greatest forms of American entertainment.  A Little Explanation of Vaudeville

So, Did Fred and Ethel Really Hate Each Other?

In one word?  Yes. 
Yet they managed to play a married couple for nine years on television.  My own personal opinion is that they used their mutual dislike of one another to enrich their weekly character portrayals. 
When they first met, Vivian Vance was appalled she had to play the wife of someone old enough to be her father (23 years older, to be exact), and William Frawley was simply convinced that Vance had no talent whatsoever.  Eventually, Vance accepted that Frawley was just an old codger, and too much so to change his ways.  The only thing she always maintained was every week they got their scripts for that week's show, she would "pray there wasn't a scene where I had to be in bed with him."
Frawley couldn't have cared less what Vance thought of him.  Although he maintained his attitude that Vance couldn't sing or dance, many episodes in "I Love Lucy" continue to prove him wrong.  The show's premise of having the Mertzes as ex-vaudevillians turned out to work perfectly, as both Frawley and Vance had performed in vaudeville earlier in their careers (Frawley, of course, to a greater extent simply because of his age).  Regardless of their mutual disdain for one another, they performed perfectly together, perfectly with Lucy and Ricky in the "Battle of the Sexes" episodes, and were and are an integral part of the success of "I Love Lucy".

The Mertzes

As in "My Favorite Husband", it was decided that Lucy and Ricky needed another couple to play off of.  In "Husband", the couple that fit that description were more financially successful than the Coopers (Lucy and Richard Denning), but after beginning to consider William Frawley, things began to change.  He was a seasoned character actor, having been in vaudeville for years and nearly 100 films to his credit.  Frawley personally called Lucy, whom he had known briefly when they were both under contract to RKO pictures in the late 1930s-early 1940s, and asked her if there was anything on her new show for him.  Lucy mentioned the call to Desi, who met with Frawley soon thereafter and immediately liked him for the role of Fred Mertz.  The more Desi championed Frawley for the role, the more he was met with opposition (namely because of Frawley's well-known alcohol problem), and the more Desi ultimately convinced producers Frawley was perfect for the part.  It was agreed that as long as Frawley was absolutely sober while working, they were willing to work with him.  Once he was cast, the role of Fred Mertz evolved from more financially successful than the Ricardos to less (mostly to fit his physicality and gruff persona). 
Once Frawley was cast, producers began the search for his wife, Ethel Mertz.  "I Love Lucy"'s first director, Marc Daniels, suggested an actress he had worked with on Broadway in the late 1940s, Vivian Vance.  Though she had had a successful career onstage, she was still a virtual unknown in Hollywood.  She was appearing at La Jolla Playhouse in a production of "The Voice of the Turtle" when Desi and Daniels went to see her (Lucy's first pregnancy was in too advanced of a state to travel at this point).  Desi absolutely loved her and she was hired backstage after the show.  Luckily, after just a few rehearsals, Vivian and Lucy bonded quickly, and would remain close personal and professional friends for the rest of their lives.