15 Fun Facts About ‘I Love Lucy’ You Never Heard Before

7. I’m no cheat!

It was well-known that Arnaz was a huge supporter of America and the opportunities that had made the life he had possible. When writers on the series wanted his character Ricky to cheat on his taxes in the episode “Lucy Tells the Truth”, Arnaz was stoutly against it. He didn’t want their loyal audience thinking that his character would ever cheat the U.S. government. For a teen who fled Cuba to Miami with nothing but the clothes on his back to become one of the biggest stars of his time, it’s understandable why this was a sore topic for the celeb. This excerpt from his acceptance speech on Ed Sullivan’s Toast of the Town (1954) sums it up: “From cleaning canary cages to this night in New York is a long ways. And I don’t think there’s any other country in the world that could give you that opportunity.”

8. We’re live in 5, 4, 3 . . .

It must have been really something being a part of the comedic beast that was I Love Lucy. Fans stopped everything when it aired, water and telephone use decreased, and even department stores closed early. The comedy series was the first to be filmed before a live audience, which added to its appeal and charm.

9. Laughter is the best medicine

“Lucy Does the Tango” (1957) was a special episode for a pretty amusing reason. While audiences had come to expect crazy and hilarious antics from the cast, when Lucy concealed dozens of eggs in her blouse and proceeded to tango with Ricky, which of course led to crushed eggs and yolk everywhere, the audience laughed for sixty-five seconds! It was so much laughter in fact, that some of it had to be edited out of the final film. What really sold the scene was that neither Ball nor Arnaz had rehearsed with the eggs, so their side-splitting reactions were all real.