I Love Lucy (1951–1957) is considered one of the most popular and influential of all television (see entry under 1940s—TV and Radio in volume 3) situation-comedy series. The debut program aired on CBS on October 15, 1951, and after a few weeks it was the number-one-rated comedy on television. Since 1959, the sitcom (see entry under 1950s—TV and Radio in volume 3) has been broadcast in reruns to an international market and dubbed into many languages.

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. The Kobal Collection. Reproduced by permission.

The basic plotline involves Lucy Ricardo, played by Lucille Ball (1911–1989), a zany redhead who gets involved in unorthodox adventures without the knowledge of her Cuban bandleader husband Ricky, played by Ball's real-life husband, Desi Arnaz (1917–1986). In the early 1950s, the pairing of a Cuban male with a Scottish American female (Lucy Ricardo's maiden name is MacGillicuddy...