America loved Lucy — but the stars who appeared on Lucille Ball’s hit television shows often despised the caustic comedienne! Lucille was one of Hollywood’s most demanding icons and never backed down from a fight, including during her volatile marriage to Desi Arnaz! But plenty of big names ended up in celebrity feuds after agreeing to make an appearance with Lucy, only to learn that the pioneering TV star had an ego worthy of the big screen…
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Elizabeth Taylor and
Richard Burton guested on "The Lucy Show" in 1970, and were soon being lectured on their acting skills!“She is a monster of staggering charmlessness and monumental lack of humor,"
he wrote in his diaries — adding: "Milady Ball can thank her lucky stars I'm not drinking...I might have killed her."
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Burton was also furious over Lucille lecturing him about where to stand on stage — and
Dean Martin had the same complaint when he guested on "I Love Lucy." The showbiz veteran was roughly pushed around by his costar, finally declaring:"If she touches me one more time, I'm going home!"
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Outtakes from "Here's Lucy" showed Jack Benny suffering through a musical number with Lucy where she's barking orders at the comedy legend. Jack once told veteran "Lucy" director Herbert Kenwith: "You ought to call a psychiatrist for her!"
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Katharine Hepburn knew to avoid Lucy's sitcoms because she'd already faced the redhead's wrath on a film set. A makeup man made the mistake of stopping his work on Lucy to work on Katharine. Lucy then threw a cup of coffee that hit Katharine instead. Ginger Rogers saved Lucy from being fired, thanks to her own rivalry with Katharine.
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Lucille's Hollywood reputation really sank when
Joan Crawford showed up for a turn on "The Lucy Show" in 1968 — with the TV icon tearing into Joan after catching her drinking vodka through a straw during rehearsals. Crawford ran to her dressing room in tears, famously saying: "My God, and they say
I'm a bitch!"
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Tallulah Bankhead stepped in to replace
Crawford's nemesis Bette Davis in a 1957 episode of "The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour," where the two fought all week over line readings. Tallulah finally stormed off the set and showed up drunk for the live broadcast — although Lucille later admitted: "Tallulah sailed through every scene magnificently, but I didn't!"
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Comic Taylor Negron revealed Lucy's encounter with future
"What's Happening?" star Shirley Hemphill in a '70s acting class, after Shirley told Lucy: "I want to be on a TV show now!" Negron wrote: "Lucy pointed to her with her cigarette, then stabbed it out in the ashtray. 'You're not ready, and you will never make it with this attitude of yours.' Shirley said, 'Oh, sh*t,' and...asked for her money back."
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Ricki Lake was one of the last people to be disappointed by Lucille Ball, telling
Andy Cohen how her performance during the 1989 Oscars was only marred by meeting her idol backstage. “Lucille Ball and
Bob Hope introduced us...She wasn’t very nice — ‘salty’ is putting it mildly...She was not happy to be there, and she died shortly after that.”
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Jayne Meadows probably best summed up the shock that celebrities felt from working with Lucy. "We were very good friends," she recalled. "I turn up for the first day of rehearsals and she walked right past me. Didn't speak to me...I've never seen anybody so bossy. No longer the friend — it was Jekyll-and-Hyde!"
Elizabeth Taylor and
Richard Burton guested on "The Lucy Show" in 1970, and were soon being lectured on their acting skills!“She is a monster of staggering charmlessness and monumental lack of humor,"
he wrote in his diaries — adding: "Milady Ball can thank her lucky stars I'm not drinking...I might have killed her."
Photo credit: Getty Images
Burton was also furious over Lucille lecturing him about where to stand on stage — and
Dean Martin had the same complaint when he guested on "I Love Lucy." The showbiz veteran was roughly pushed around by his costar, finally declaring:"If she touches me one more time, I'm going home!"
Photo credit: Getty Images
Outtakes from "Here's Lucy" showed Jack Benny suffering through a musical number with Lucy where she's barking orders at the comedy legend. Jack once told veteran "Lucy" director Herbert Kenwith: "You ought to call a psychiatrist for her!"
Photo credit: Getty Images
Katharine Hepburn knew to avoid Lucy's sitcoms because she'd already faced the redhead's wrath on a film set. A makeup man made the mistake of stopping his work on Lucy to work on Katharine. Lucy then threw a cup of coffee that hit Katharine instead. Ginger Rogers saved Lucy from being fired, thanks to her own rivalry with Katharine.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Lucille's Hollywood reputation really sank when
Joan Crawford showed up for a turn on "The Lucy Show" in 1968 — with the TV icon tearing into Joan after catching her drinking vodka through a straw during rehearsals. Crawford ran to her dressing room in tears, famously saying: "My God, and they say
I'm a bitch!"
Photo credit: Getty Images
Tallulah Bankhead stepped in to replace
Crawford's nemesis Bette Davis in a 1957 episode of "The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour," where the two fought all week over line readings. Tallulah finally stormed off the set and showed up drunk for the live broadcast — although Lucille later admitted: "Tallulah sailed through every scene magnificently, but I didn't!"
Photo credit: Getty Images
Comic Taylor Negron revealed Lucy's encounter with future
"What's Happening?" star Shirley Hemphill in a '70s acting class, after Shirley told Lucy: "I want to be on a TV show now!" Negron wrote: "Lucy pointed to her with her cigarette, then stabbed it out in the ashtray. 'You're not ready, and you will never make it with this attitude of yours.' Shirley said, 'Oh, sh*t,' and...asked for her money back."
Photo credit: Getty Images
Ricki Lake was one of the last people to be disappointed by Lucille Ball, telling
Andy Cohen how her performance during the 1989 Oscars was only marred by meeting her idol backstage. “Lucille Ball and
Bob Hope introduced us...She wasn’t very nice — ‘salty’ is putting it mildly...She was not happy to be there, and she died shortly after that.”
Photo credit: Getty Images
Jayne Meadows probably best summed up the shock that celebrities felt from working with Lucy. "We were very good friends," she recalled. "I turn up for the first day of rehearsals and she walked right past me. Didn't speak to me...I've never seen anybody so bossy. No longer the friend — it was Jekyll-and-Hyde!"
Photo credit: Getty Images
