13 Great Jokes and Bits From Lucille Ball
Across the combined landscape of American television, comedy and culture, you’re hard-pressed to find someone who made a larger impact than the ridiculously funny Lucille Ball. Naturally, generations of funny people have been influenced by Ball’s quick wit, cartoonish antics and inherent ability to charm. The most obvious example of everything above is I Love Lucy, which is still lauded as one of the greatest sitcoms ever 66 years after its final episode aired.
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With that in mind, here are some of the funniest jokes, bits and segments Ball gave us throughout her illustrious career…
When She Hung Out with Superman
On Men
“A man who correctly guesses a woman’s age may be smart, but he’s not very bright.”
Multilingual Game of Telephone
Keep in mind this was before a scriptwriter could use Google Translate to write such a bit.
Too Much Yeast
On the “Pioneer Women” episode of I Love Lucy, Lucy bakes possibly the most gigantic loaf of bread ever.
On Being a Parent of Grown Children
“You see much more of your children once they leave home.”
Fire Nose
As a means of disguising herself from Bill Holden, Lucy puts on a fake nose. However, sometimes pants aren’t the only thing liars catch on fire.
‘Lucy and Viv Put in a Shower’
On The Lucy Show, Lucy and her best friend Viv install a shower. I mean, that’s literally the title of the episode. Nearly drowning wasn’t.
On How ‘I Love Lucy’ Was Created
“How was I Love Lucy born? We (Ball and then-husband, Desi Arnaz) decided that instead of divorce lawyers profiting from our mistakes, we’d profit from them.”
The Egg Tango
Lucy does the tango with Desi with a shirt filled with eggs. We refuse to provide any more context.
Wine Grape Stomping
The I Love Lucy episode “Lucy’s Italian Movie” sees Lucy stomping grapes for an Italian vineyard. It goes about as well as you think.
Mirroring Harpo Marx
Lucy got to hang out and mime out with the silent member of the legendary Marx Brothers in the aptly named “Lucy and Harpo Marx” episode of I Love Lucy.
Vitameatavegamin
“Lucy Does a TV Commercial” is the episode’s title, which we guess came from no one wanting to have to type out the product’s entire name.
Lucy and Ethel at the Chocolate Factory
Arguably the most iconic I Love Lucy scene, the chocolate wrapping assembly line hijinks in “Job Switching” still gets laughs from people of all ages, nearly three-quarters of a century after it first aired.
