CHAPTER 9
Queen of Comedy

In 1976, Lucy and Desi appeared together on a CBS special that celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of I Love Lucy . Even though it had stopped running years earlier, reruns of the show were still watched by millions of people every day in the United States. A new generation of fans had come to love it. I Love Lucy had been translated and dubbed into over a dozen languages and was popular all over the world. There were many places where Lucille Ball herself had never been but was loved just the same.

In the anniversary show, Lucy sang and danced. Other movie and TV stars appeared to introduce favorite scenes from I Love Lucy that everyone remembered. Even though television was changing in the 1970s, I Love Lucy seemed to be as funny as ever.

Although Desi and Lucy were no longer married, they were still good friends who loved each other. Their daughter, Lucie, was now married and had two children. Lucy and Desi had become grandparents.

Lucy loved her grandchildren, but she did not like being called “Grandma.” She thought it made her sound old. She insisted on being called “Nana” instead. Lucy even got a new apartment in New York City so she could go to visit Lucie and her family there.

In April 1984, Lucy was honored by the Museum of Broadcasting as the “Queen of Television.” For five months, the museum showed hours of television shows and movies starring Lucy. She came to New York for the opening night of the show, called “Lucille Ball: First Lady of Comedy.” Lucy had not had a regular show in years, but people hadn’t forgotten her.

Later that year, Lucy surprised everyone by appearing in a TV movie unlike anything she’d done before. Stone Pillow was the story of a homeless woman named Florabelle. The writer of the script used the name in honor of Lucy’s grandmother. The movie showed that Lucy could still surprise people. For years she had only done comedy, but her role in Stone Pillow was a serious one.

Not long after the success of Stone Pillow , Desi was admitted to the hospital. He had lung cancer. Lucy wanted to visit him, but he refused. Desi didn’t want her to see him looking so sick. But Lucy finally insisted on getting into the hospital, and the two spent a long afternoon together. Three weeks later, Desi Arnaz died in his daughter Lucie’s arms.

Many reporters asked Lucy how she felt about Desi’s death. She told them how she and Desi had stayed close through all the years. She was happy that he was no longer sick but would miss him always. At the memorial service for Desi, Lucy cried the entire time.

After Desi’s death, Lucy didn’t appear on television very often. In 1988 her old friend Bob Hope invited her to celebrate his eighty-fifth birthday on a TV special. Shortly after the show, she collapsed. She’d had a minor heart attack and a stroke that left her partially paralyzed. She had trouble using the right side of her body. It was hard for her to speak or eat. Lucy worked with a physical therapist to get better. In three months she was walking again and she could speak more clearly. By November 1988, she was well enough to appear on one of her favorite game shows, Super Password .