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‘I Love Lucy’: Lucille Ball 100th Birthday Today

I Love Lucy
Clip from chocolate conveyor belt scene
I Love Lucy
Clip from chocolate conveyor belt scene

Who doesn’t love Lucy?

Saturday would have been Lucille Ball’s 100th birthday and her legacy still lives on, as her famous black-and-white sitcom is still idolized by those who watched the first episode of “I love Lucy” in 1951, and by a younger audience who usually turn away at the site of a television show without color.

The show took viewers into the life of Lucy, who constantly strived to become a star, like her bandleader husband—Ricky Ricardo. Unfortunately for Lucy, she usually found herself in the strangest situations, which provided decades of laughter for her fans.

Take the scene when Lucy is put to work and has to stomp on grapes inside an oversized barrel of fruit. At first she’s hesitant to step inside, and that awkward moment when her face displays a disgusted look quickly turns into Lucy dancing around another woman who takes her craft quite serious.

But that’s not all. As Lucy tries to leave the barrel after having her fun, she pushes the worker down into the sea of grapes. A grape slinging fight ensues, which then leads to a semi-physical fight as Lucy eggs on the worker.

And another: The chocolate wrapping conveyor belt scene. Lucy is joined by her good friend Ethel to do a simple job—grab the candy off the conveyor belt, wrap it up, and place it back on the belt. Easy enough.

When the supervisor asks if they understand, Lucy nervously responds, “Yes, sir,” to the woman.

“All right, girls, now this is your last chance,” the plant supervisor tells Lucy and Ethel. “If one piece of candy gets past you and into the packing room unwrapped, you’re fired.”

“This is easier,” then their other jobs Lucy tells her friend before the conveyor belt unexpectedly speeds up. As dozens of chocolates pass by, the friends start stuffing the candy in their mouth, clothes and anywhere else they can hide the unwrapped chocolates.

The supervisor returns and Lucy and Ethel can barely open their chocolate-filled mouths when the supervisor says, “You’re doing splendidly, speed it up a little!!”

These are just two classic scenes that required no dialogue for their funniest moments.

Lucille Ball died at the age of 77, but she continues to surprise her greatest fans with many of her classic moments as “Lucy.”