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DINAH! {LUCILLE BALL, LUCIE ARNAZ, VIVIAN VANCE, DEDE BALL, ZSA ZSA GABOR} (TV)

Summary

One in this series of daily talk shows, briefly known as "Dinah & Friends," hosted by Dinah Shore. In this episode, Shore sings "Hey, Look Me Over" from "Wildcat," in which Lucille Ball starred in 1960, her only Broadway performance. Ball then joins Shore onstage, wearing a dark wig and stating that she is "sick of" her signature red hair. Shore then questions Ball about her childhood in Celoron, New York; her schooldays and reputation as a mischievous "dreamer"; her beloved elementary school teacher Lillian Appleby; funny stories of Miss Appleby's questionable pronunciations of certain American landmarks; and Ball's first theatrical role in the comedy play "Charley's Aunt."

Shore then surprises Ball by introducing her mother, Désirée "DeDe" Ball, who joins them onstage and presents several baby photos and tales from Ball's youth. Ball comments on her early interest in vaudeville and her inspiration from performer Julius Tannen, explaining that her mother supported her showbiz dreams from an early age.

"Little Lucie" Arnaz, Ball's daughter, then takes the stage and sings an original song honoring her mother, after which she sits down and shares photos from her own childhood and later life, including her first appearance on "The Lucy Show" and her 1971 wedding. Shore then introduces Ball's "long-lost relative," who turns out to be a redheaded Zsa Zsa Gabor, and she and Ball discuss their personal similarities and differences.

Shore introduces a clip from the first episode of "I Love Lucy" and then introduces Ball's famous on-screen partner-in-crime, Vivian Vance. The two friends happily reunite and chat about the following topics: the funny "employment contract" for Vance, written by Ball in their early days working together; an amusing story about Ball's determination to track down her preferred red henna hair dye while vacationing in Rome; the unusual tale of their unexpected encounter with the real King of Siam; and their many memorable presents, both silly and otherwise, given to one another over the years. A clip is also shown from Ball's new TV movie, "Three For Two" (1975), also starring Jackie Gleason and set to air in two days' time on CBS.

Gabor then discusses her friendship with Ball, revealing that she herself was madly in love with George Sanders, whom she eventually married in 1949, while Sanders was infatuated with Ball, his co-star in "Lured" (1947), and Arnaz recalls her shock at hearing that Clark Gable had rather casually once proposed to Ball. Shore performs "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" before introducing the final surprise guest, Ball's longtime publicist Charlie Pomerantz. Pomerantz swears ignorance of the Gable story and shares a few more funny anecdotes about Ball, including her ill-timed use of sleeping pills on a cross-country flight and the great global excitement over the 1953 birth of Desi Jr., which was famously written into the plot of "I Love Lucy." Commercials deleted.

Details

  • NETWORK: WCBS (New York, NY)
  • DATE: October 31, 1975 4:30 PM
  • RUNNING TIME: 1:08:51
  • COLOR/B&W: Color
  • CATALOG ID: B:92669
  • GENRE: Talk/Interview
  • SUBJECT HEADING: Talk/Interview; Music/Variety
  • SERIES RUN: Syndicated - TV series, 1974-1980
  • COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

  • Dinah Shore … Host, Performer
  • Lucie Arnaz … Guest, Performer
  • Lucille Ball … Guest
  • Désirée "DeDe" Ball … Guest
  • Zsa Zsa Gabor … Guest
  • Vivian Vance … Guest
  • Charlie Pomerantz … Guest
  • Lillian Appleby
  • Clark Gable
  • Jackie Gleason
  • George Sanders
  • Julius Tannen