I Love Lucy (sitcom, starring Lucille Ball Arnaz and Desi Arnaz)

     (CBS Primetime, 1951 - 1957 [weekly half-hours];
      CBS Specials,  1957 - 1960 [hour specials];
      CBS Reruns,    1957 - 1961 [weekly half-hours]) 
     (Syndicated)

     [From 1957 - 1960 the show became a series of one-hour
      specials under the titles "The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show"
      and "The Luci-Desi Comedy Hour" which alternated with 
      the dramatic anthology "Desilu Playhouse", which see;

      "I Love Lucy" derived from a CBS radio series which had 
      starred Lucille Ball and Richard Denning called "My 
      Favorite Husband"; Head writer/producer Jess Oppenheimer 
      and two other writers who had worked on the CBS radio
      show became the core staff working on the new TV series, 
      which also introduced Vivian Vance and William Frawley
      into the TV ensemble cast; 

      When CBS asked Lucille Ball to move to television, she 
      insisted they let her real-life husband, latin bandleader
      Desi Arnaz, play her fictional husband "Ricky" in the TV 
      series; But CBS-TV executives did not believe the 1950s 
      TV viewing audience would be interested in the family
      life of a wacky redhead married to a Cuban bandleader;

      Lucy and Desi came up with an idea to break the impasse --
      proving the concept would work by taking a stage act on 
      the road to movie theaters in major cities (as a live act
      during intermissions) to preview material and the Lucy and 
      Ricky characters; Not only was the road show a hit with
      live audiences, it got such rave reviews with critics that 
      the doubting network executives were won over...and 
      gave the green light for Desi to join the series;

      After the weekly half-hour shows ended on CBS in 1957,
      a new show was created in the form of 60-minute specials
      sponsored by Ford, called "The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show";
      but due to the real-life marital problems the specials did
      not endure more than one season more; the THEME for these
      specials was an arrangement of the "I Love Lucy (Signature)";

      After a two-year hiatus for Lucy to pick up the pieces,
      Lucille Ball went on to star in "The Lucy Show" with
      Vivian Vance; this series aired from 1962 - 1968, but
      ex-husband Desi and William Frawley were not in the cast;
      the "Lucy Show Theme" while listed separately in ASCAP was
      derived from Daniels' "I Love Lucy (Signature)"]


Main Title Theme 1: "On The Trail (from 'The Grand Canyon Suite')"

    [The original name of "The Grand Canyon Suite" as
     filed for copyright was "Five Pictures of the Grand Canyon";
     
     Verified as the THEME in the TV Guide article "What's The
     Name of That Theme Song?" Feb. 19, 1954 on p.21;
     
     Although some people thought Ferde Grofé (sometimes
     spelled "Ferdie" Grofé) was of Latin descent, he was 
     actually of French Huguenot extraction. His last name from 
     birth was "von Grofé"

     During the first season, CBS-TV broadcasts opened with a 
     custom animation incorporating sponsor Phillip Morris's
     graphics and "stick figure" cartoons of Desi and Lucy;

     It was scored with the Grofé THEME used for Phillip Morris
     cigarette advertising on radio/TV; and a voice-over by midget
     bellboy "Johnny" with his familiar cry in which he drawled, 
    "Call for Phil-lip Mor-ray-iss";

     During the 2nd part of the animation, the Grofe THEME segued
     into the famous "I Love Lucy (Signature)" THEME below]

     Composer: Ferde Grofé (ASCAP)
              [professional name of Ferdinand Rudolph von Grofé]

     1978 Publisher: Robbins Music Corp. (ASCAP)

     2001 Publisher: EMI-Robbins Catalog, Inc. (ASCAP)
                        c/o EMI Music Publishing, Inc. 
                        of New York, NY

     Composition Date: 1931

    ["On The Trail" filed as an individual work:]
     Unpublished Copyright Date: Dec. 30, 1931; EU 49 483.
     Unpublished Renewal Date:   Dec. 30, 1958; R 227 995.

     Recordings:


Main Title 2 and End Credits Theme: "I Love Lucy (Signature)"

    [Verified as the THEME in the TV Guide article "What's The Name of That Theme 
     Song?" Feb. 19, 1954 on p.21;

     Eliot Daniel had been a writer-arranger-pianist with Freddy Martin's band, and
     was hired to work in network radio during the late 1930s and 1940s. He met Jess
     Oppenheimer (later to become producer of "I Love Lucy") when they both worked on
     staff of the Rudy Vallee radio program. They became friends and both enlisted in
     the Coast Guard after Pearl Harbor. 

     After World War II ended, Daniel returned to Hollywood and found work as a
     composer-arranger at the Walt Disney Studios, where he scored Disney films and
     short subjects including "Song of the South", "Make Mine Music", "Fun and Fancy 
     Free", "Melody Time", and "So Dear to My Heart." A song from the last one which
     Daniel co-wrote with lyricist Larry Morey called "Lavender Blue (Dilly Dillly)" 
     was nominated for a 1949 "Best Song" Academy Award. 

     Daniel got an offer to join the staff of 20th-Century Fox, where he worked on the
     film "Golden Girl"; A 1951 Oscar nomination followed for the song "Never"; and 
     it was during  this time his buddy Jess Oppenheimer joined the fledgling Lucy 
     series -- first on radio and then in the expanded version with Desi on television.

     Daniel is said to have written the THEME for the untested Lucy TV show secretly and 
    "as a favor to his old Coast Guard buddy" Oppenheimer", according to Oppenheimer's 
     memoir "Laughs, Luck...and Lucy" (Syracuse University Press: ISBN: 0815605846.)
     
     Since Daniel still had another year under his exclusive contract to Fox, he asked 
     Jess to keep his "name out of it." Consequently his name does not appear on first
     or the second season TV credits for what became one of the most popular TV THEMES.
     Daniel also wrote the TV THEME for the Desilu series "December Bride", "Angel" and
     "Those Whiting Girls", which see.]
     
    Composer: music by Eliot Howard Daniel (ASCAP/BMI), and
              lyrics added later by Harold Adamson (ASCAP)

     Orig. Publisher: Bulls Eye Music Co. (ASCAP Index 1954)

     1978 Publisher: Desilu Music Corp. (ASCAP Index 1978)

     1997 Publisher: Desilu Music Corp. (ASCAP Repertoire 1997)

     Composition Date: 1951

     Published Copyright Date: Jan. 30, 1953; Ep 69 472.
     Published Renewal   Date: Jan.  7, 1981; RE-91-896.

     Recordings:
          78rpm Single - "I Love Lucy" (1953)
               Columbia _____
               by Desi Arnaz and His Orchestra (vocal)
          45rpm Single - "I Love Lucy" (1953) (from Gelfand book)
               Columbia 4-39937
               by Desi Arnaz and His Orchestra (vocal)
          45rpm Single - "(I Love Lucy) Disco Lucy" (1976)
               Island Records 078
               Wilton Place Street Band
          33rpm 12" Dance Single - "(I Love Lucy) Disco Lucy" (1976)
               Island Records IS-1001
               Wilton Place Street Band
          LP - "Musical Moments from I Love Lucy" (1981)
               Star Merchants SM-1951 (special TV offer)
               Wilbur Hatch and the Orchestra (authentic instrumental)
          LP - "Musical Moments from I Love Lucy" (1981)
               Star Merchants SM-1951 (special TV offer)
               Desi Arnaz and His Orchestra (vocal version)
     Re-released on:
          CD - "Babalu Music" (1991)
               Columbia CK 48507
               Wilbur Hatch and the Orchestra (authentic instrumental)
          CD - "Babalu Music" (1991)
               Columbia CK 48507
               Desi Arnaz and His Orchestra (vocal version)
     New Recording:
          CD - "Television's Greatest Hits (Volume 1)" (1986)
               [recreation by a small group, not authentic]
               TeeVee Toons Records TVT 1100 CD



Return to the 1950s TV Series Title Page


Copyright 1960 - 2018 by The Media Management Group. All Rights Reserved