Maureen O’Hara met Lucille Ball on the set of the movie Dance, Girl, Dance. The women first encountered one another during dance rehearsals for the movie. O’Hara said she had a hard time learning the ballet routines, but that Lucy breezed through the rehearsals because she was a former Ziegfeld dancer. A friendly rivalry developed between the two over silly things like dance stockings.
O’Hara and Lucy Make Dance, Girl, Dance
A scene in Dance, Girl, Dance, involved a confrontation between O’Hara and Lucy. O’Hara said she was initially disappointed over the lack of choreography for the scene. O’Hara remembered how fabulous her properly planned and executed action scenes were in prior films. The director decided not to plan the fight, instead electing to let the women ad lib the scene. O’Hara said the cast and crew were anxious as they waited to commence filming.
Lucy and O’Hara warmed up with some idle chitchat, and O’Hara remembers Lucy asking, “Everyone safe and sound back home, honey?” O’Hara responded, “Oh, yes, thanks. Just got a letter from Daddy yesterday. Everyone is fine.” Then the director yelled action and the fun began. O’Hara lunged wildly at Lucy, pulled at Lucy’s hair, and made her scream. Lucy responded by digging her fingernails in to O’Hara’s arms and ripped a handful of hair from O’Hara’s head. They threw punches at each other and rolled around on the floor while flailing about. The catfight went on for a few minutes and the women never let up until the director yelled cut.
O’Hara, Lucy, and Desi
As the two women separated, Lucy rolled off O’Hara and asked, “Hey, you hungry kid?” O’Hara replied that she was starving. The two walked to the studio commissary together, arm in arm, clothes torn, and hair still tangled up. While they were in line, Lucy complained about her next picture, Too Many Girls. Lucy was worried about her new leading man because he was younger and had never been in a movie. The young man was Desi Arnaz.
While Lucy had never met Desi, O’Hara had. O’Hara caught his act in New York a few months before. She was telling Lucy how great Desi was when Desi and his agent walked into the commissary. O’Hara said that the first words Lucy said when she laid eyes on Desi was, “Oh my God!” O’Hara claims it was love at first sight for Lucy.
Lucy and Desi Marry
The two women continued their conversation and O’Hara said, “I hear he’s a real lady-killer.” Lucy responded with, “And here’s his next victim.” At the same time Desi’s agent, Doc Bender, tired to get Desi to meet Lucy. Desi said, “Don’t introduce me, Lucille Ball is the queen of B movies. I don’t do picture with her. Will kill my career.” With that, Desi and Doc left the commissary. However, Lucy did not give up and pursued Desi all over the RKO studios. Finally, after months of pursuit, Lucy won the heart of Desi, and the two were married. O’Hara and Lucy remained close friends for years and then eventually lost touch with one another.
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Reference:
O’Hara, Maureen and Nicolletti, John. ‘Tis Herself, A Memoir. New York, N.Y. Simon & Schuster, 2004.
Larry Putt - Larry Putt is a Steam Plant Operator, Radiological Controls Technician, Nuclear Chemist, and an Episcopal Lay Preacher. A veteran of the ...
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