LUCILLE "LUCY" BALL - AUTOGRAPHED INSCRIBED PHOTOGRAPH - HFSID 287737

LUCILLE BALL
Shown with John Hodiak in promotional photo for the film Two Smart People
Inscribed photograph signed: "To/Joan/Lucille/Ball". B/w, 8x10. Captioned publicity photo for the MGM film Two Smart People (1946), captioned in lower margin. Show business veteran Lucille Ball (1911-1989) appeared in the chorus of Broadway productions before breaking into films in the 1930s. By 1938, she was a star of "B" movies, having appeared in Stage Door (1937), and her later roles in films such as DuBarry Was a Lady (1943) made her a popular star. Lucy was offered her own television show, but she refused unless her husband, Cuban musician and bandleader, Desi Arnaz, would co-star. After I Love Lucy debuted on the small screen in 1951, Lucy became an American institution. Nominated for 13 Emmy Awards and the winner of four Emmys for her role as Lucy Ricardo in I Love Lucy (1953 and 1956) and Lucy Carmichael in The Lucy Show (1967 and 1968), Ball was also a television pioneer and astute businesswoman. She and her husband, Desi Arnaz, pioneered the three-camera technique that is now the standard in filming TV sitcoms and the concept of syndicating TV programs. She and Desi also formed Desilu Productions, which was highly successful in producing other TV shows, and later purchased the facilities of RKO, where both had been contract players. Lightly toned around edges. Corners lightly worn and creased. Pencil note (unknown hand) on verso. Otherwise, fine condition.