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I Love Lucy was a hilarious sitcom that ran on CBS from 1951 to 1957. It starred Lucille Ball and her husband in real life, Desi Arnaz, who played her husband on the show. It also starred Vivian Vance and William Frawley as their best friends. The show is a big part of Hollywood history, and many still love to watch Lucy's antics. You might be able to recite many of the famous lines from the show, but there are plenty of interesting facts about I Love Lucy you probably don't know. Here are some interesting facts about I Love Lucy! 1. Lucy wasn't actually a redhead Lucille Ball / Flickr The show was in black and white, but many people know Lucille Ball for her red hair. She was actually a natural brunette! She dyed her hair blonde at first but then dyed it red for a role. Lucille must have realized how much she stood out and kept with it. I can't imagine her without it! 2. The idea for the show was inspired by a dream Carole Lombard / Wikimedia Commons Lucille wasn't sure if she should move from movies to television, but she had a dream about her friend and actress who was deceased named Carole Lombard. In the dream, Carole convinced her to try television. We are so glad she had that dream! 3. It was almost Lucy and Larry Lucy and Ricky / CBS The show almost named Lucy's husband Larry instead of Ricky. That just sounds weird, right? 4. I Love Lucy had the first live audience in history 'Lucy' audience / CBS I Love Lucy was the first sitcom to be recorded in front of a live studio audience. That is really cool! 5. Desi Arnaz only read his scripts once Desi Arnaz / Pixabay Reportedly, Desi had a photographic memory and only read his scripts once to memorize his lines. He was pretty lucky because many actors have trouble memorizing their lines. 6. Lucille Ball and her baby were on the cover of the first TV Guide First ever TV Guide / TV Guide She ended up appearing on 39 issues. Most importantly, she was on the very first TV Guide cover. What an honor! 7. The show was based on real life 'I Love Lucy' cast / CBS Their friends on the show, Fred and Ethel were based on their friends in real life, Fred Arnaz (Desi's brother) and Ethel Merman. I love this Pronunciation scene... Read onto the NEXT page to learn about the Ad-Lib policy for the show... 8. Ad-libs were not allowed Driving around / CBS The actors weren't allowed to ad-lib and the entire show was scripted. Sometimes ad-libs are the best lines... we wonder why they weren't allowed on I Love Lucy. 9. You can sometimes hear Lucy's mom in the background of the show Lucille Ball's mother / Pinterest Lucille's mom made it to every single episode and you can sometimes hear her say "Uh-Oh!" in the background. If you love Lucy, check out this adorable figurine of her. 10. They used high-quality film for the time Lucy / CBS I Love Lucy was the first television show to shoot live on 35 mm film. This was a huge deal back then. Lucille and Desi spent lots of money to create a high-quality television show and it paid off. The show made them multi-millionaires. 11. William Frawley got time off for this reason William Frawley / Wikimedia Commons In his contract, it said he could get time off from the show if the New York Yankees were playing in a World Series games. He didn't want to miss it! 12. Real life best friends Lucy and Ethel / CBS Vivian Vance and Lucille Ball weren't just playing friends on the show, they were best friends in real life! Check out a DVD of some of the "lost moments" from I Love Lucy! 13. Desi never received an Emmy nomination Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball / Max Pixel Lucille Ball won several Emmy awards, Vivian won one, and William was nominated several times. Desi was not nominated at all, which is surprising. 14. It was the first show to show reruns Baby / CBS When Lucille had their son in 1953, Desi wanted to give her a break. He convinced the network to air reruns during this time. Reruns are now commonplace on television. 15. Lucille Ball was the first woman to run a major television studio Lucille Ball / Pixabay After Lucille and Desi got divorced, she bought her share of their production company and started her own. She was the first woman to run one. What a great accomplishment! She surely paved the way for many women in television. If you love I Love Lucy, check out some of the greatest moments from this beloved show! Note: DoYouRemember.com is an Amazon Associate so we may earn a small fee from qualifying purchases. Thanks for your support!