Watching Lucy with a critical eye as an adult, was Lucille Ball as talented as we think? True, she had comedy down pat. She could have been a sister to the Marx Brothers. However… could she even dance or sing? Seems like she can’t. Instead, she fakes it well usually by goofing off and/or making a half-hearted effort to perform. So, I have to ask: Was Lucy really that bad at singing and dancing?
Well, she was in a Marx brothers movie. Her comedy was pretty broad, and not to modern tastes.
I believe I’ve seen all the Marx Bros movies, but I do not recall her in any of them. …Might you be thinking of that one “I Love Lucy” episode starring Harpo Marx? If not, which Marx Bros movie did you have in mind?
Check her out in “The Dark Corner,” a film noir private-eye movie, where she’s the wise-cracking secretary with the heart of gold. A sterling serious performance, showing that she was good at more than just comedy.
“Lucy Ricardo” couldn’t dance or sing well - but Lucille Ball did just fine Lucille Ball - Jitterbug Bite - YouTube Lucille Ball Dancing the Hula -Yipe! - YouTube (at least as well as every actress was expected to do in the old star system).
She seemed to have timing but not a great voice. She worked as a chorus girl early in her career so probably could dance a little. I think she was as good a dancer and singer as the typical comedian, which is not great, but good enough for comic purposes.
She was in “Room Service” Room Service (1938 film) - Wikipedia
Not one of their better movies. It was not written specifically for them. Still fun to watch though.
But did you ever want to see her tits?
- American Gods reference.
Here’s Lucille Ball in 1974’s Mame. This is 15 years after I Love Lucy went off the air.
Even for a woman in her 60’s, her voice was pretty well shot at that point, but within her limited range, she was hitting the notes and styling the words well enough that the studio didn’t think it necessary to dub in someone else. Her dancing was at least up to the “soft shoe” level needed for a musical.
She was also in a 3 Stooges short.
Her daughter Lucie Arnaz says that in real life Lucy was funniest imitating other people. Their speech patterns, body gestures, holding a cigarette, etc. She did that well enough that Lucie would be cracking up “Oh Mom, that didn’t really happen, did it?”.
Like her first husband Desi, she was also very good at business and trusting her instincts and she used that talent in television. When most of the other people wanted to drop “Star Trek” and “Mission Impossible” as too expensive for Desilu, she said no, I like them. God only knows how much money those two franchises have brought into Paramount.
Her comedy must still be pretty popular. In recent years CBS has broadcast a colorized episode of “I Love Lucy” and it has done well in the ratings, even with the 18-35 demographic.
She evidently sung well enough to star in a Broadway show.
In any case, I never cared much for Lucy’s comedy. It’s just slightly better than the Ritz Brothers.
“The Big Street” with Henry Fonda, playing a nightclub performer who is paralyzed and homeless, taken in by Henry Fonda and his friends. I just saw this recently, thinking it was some kind of ‘caper’ movie, and was surprised how very dark it was. Such anguish and bitterness expressed by Ms. Ball 
over her sad fate.
Oh, and she was in one of my favorite mid-late 30’s movies, an ensemble, but she did her part: Five Came Back, about a plane that went down in the Amazon jungle, with disparate characters. VERY suspenseful and engrossing, though dated.
I don’t know about the Marx brothers, but she was in a Three Stooges short.
Ball was a credible performer. She certainly had comic timing, could deliver lines well, and in the rare instance where she does a ‘serious’ song & dance performance, performs well. You have to remember that her character is pretty well established as not being especially talented. It would seem too out of character for her to suddenly dance like Ginger Rogers or sing like Doris Day. So, even when “Lucy Ricardo” would strut her stuff, Lucille Ball likely held back a little to stay true to the show.
Does anyone hold her up as a talented dancer or singer? She’s considered talented because of her comedic skills. Maybe I’m missing something but this feels a little like saying “Sure, she had great comedy chops, but could she patch drywall? Was she really talented?”
With all the physical (pratfall?) comedy she did, I can’t imagine she wouldn’t be a good dancer.
I used to date an actress. She said that it took a great singer to sing badly, a great dancer to dance badly, and a great actor to act badly. There’s nothing half hearted about performing badly on purpose on stage or TV. It takes great talent to do so.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus must secretly be the reincarnation of Ginger Rogers!
I agree with Jophiel. She was a goddam comedy actress. Why not ask if Groucho’s singing and dancing was a match for Crosby and Astaire? Is this some weird sexist thing?