For my Top 10 this week, I am counting down my Top 10 I Love Lucy Characters - one of TV's all time classics but not one with a ton of characters.
Carolyn Appleby was only in ten episodes (once as Lillian Appleby) but it felt like more because she was referred to often by Lucy. She was a pretty typical busybody and was at her best when she was competing with Lucy for one reason or another (such as who had the better baby pictures). She created a different dynamic as a female contemporary to Lucy as even Ethel was a little bit older.
9. MRS. MCGUILLICUDY
Lucy's mother accompanied the Ricardos and Mertzes to Hollywood and she was just an unbearable as you might imagine. But she provided a lot of funny moments for Lucy and Ricky, and she played the annoying role very effectively. It shouldn't be a surprise that an older version of Lucy would be even more of a loose cannon and the show had fun with that though I wish they explored a little more of her relationship with Lucy.
8. BOBBY THE BELLBOY
Bobby the Bellboy was a fixture in the California episodes of I Love Lucy. He was mostly a dutiful worker at the hotel but occasionally got wrapped up in Lucy's schemes which allowed for a couple of very funny moments. He was given more to do than a lot of supporting players during the course of the season he was on, and he fit in nicely to the ensemble.
Betty Ramsey was in even less episodes than Carolyn Appleby because she didn't appear until the Ricardos moved to Connecticut at the very end of the season. But while she was there, she provided an interesting new dynamic that the series played with very specifically the way that impacted the friendship of Lucy and Ethel. I wish there had been more time with the Ramseys.
6. LITTLE RICKY
The last surviving member of the I Love Lucy cast, Little Ricky was little more than an afterthought after his birth in season two until Keith Thibodeaux took over the role in the final season. Once he did, the gifted young drummer was a pretty solid sitcom kid, especially by 1950s standards. He had some funny line deliveries and dang that drumming was impressive.
Anybody who would rank I Love Lucy characters would surely have the four characters still to come as their top four in one order or another. So, who's the best when you take out the main four? That honor goes to Mrs. Trumbull, the one time grump who often becomes Little Ricky's babysitter, often for plot points where Little Ricky can't be around. But she has a great personality especially in her debut episode where her grumpiness gets softened over the course of it.
4. FRED MERTZ
It was tough to rank the Top 4 because you need all of them for the show to work. It's like Friends, where the main cast members are so far and above the rest that even the lowest ranking one is very secure in their spot. Fred Mertz was lovably gruff but with a heart of gold. His penny pinching ways made him one of TV's first grumpy old men but his loyalty to those closest to him and the fact that he was really a giant softie made him a winning character.
I think Desi Arnaz has always been underrated when it comes to I Love Lucy. Of course he was a pioneer in the industry in general with the way the show was filmed and airing reruns. But I also think he was terrific as Ricky. Arnaz's genuine love for Lucille Ball was always evident on screen and he took such great joy in letting her shine that he really understood his place and his role as Ricky. An actor who was more about himself could have messed with that. Ricky Ricardo is one of TV's all time great straight men.
2. ETHEL MERTZ
Ethel Mertz wasn't just a sidekick, she defined the sidekick role. How many characters since I Love Lucy have been referred to as having a Lucy and Ethel dynamic? Just like Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance knew and embraced her role as a second banana. But unlike Arnaz, she was also given a ton of comedy to do as she got roped into many of Lucy's crazy schemes. If Vance wasn't up to the task, would the candy factory scene (for example) really become an all time classic? As so many TV shows have proven since, you need an Ethel to complement a Lucy.
Of course Lucy Ricardo is #1 on this list. She's not only the best character on I Love Lucy, she is one of TV's all time great characters. One way to prove that is the fact that none of Ball's subsequent characters, though they all had elements of the "Lucy" persona and were popular in their own right, were close to the icon that Lucy Ricardo was. She was child-like but not childish. Ball had impeccable timing for physical comedy and line delivery and she was surrounded by people who helped her shine even brighter. In less capable hands, Lucy could have been an annoying character at times or just a little bit too much. But she never was. She always pushed things just far enough down the crazy path without once stepping over that line. A legendary character played by a legendary actress.
Tomorrow: A One Season Wonder look at Capitol Critters!
Next Tuesday: Top 10 Episodes of 2021!
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