Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Too Many Girls (1940)

Do you know? Lucille Ball was actually quite reluctant in doing the movie, Too Many Girls.
First of all, she felt that she was too old to play a role of a co-ed. She was in her late twenties that time. She didn't want to be criticized by anyone, especially her fans.

Second of all, she was also making a movie, Dance, Girl, Dance, where she was a sexy and rowdy burlesque queen. She was afraid that she could not "get into" the role and be convincing.

She couldn't have been more wrong: Lucille looked wonderful and young and fresh in the movie! She was also wonderful in her acting. I always have problems linking the movie "Lucy" with the television "Lucy", and even for each movie that she has made, she was different. This is a rare quality that most actors do not have. Lucille was certainly versatile.

I think that we take it for granted when we study history. What makes history so fascinating to me is that I keep reminding myself that the characters that we are studying have no idea what the next moment would be. We know it not because we're clairvoyant, but because we're looking back into the past. I just feel that timing is really important. Lucille was in RKO at that time, and RKO was milking her "never say no to movies" attitude. She was easygoing and amazingly agreeable back then because she would never say no to any opportunity for learning. Because of her circumstances at that time, she met another actor in the movie, fell in love with him, eloped with him, made I Love Lucy, became the first pregnant woman on television, America's favorite redhead and queen of comedy.

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