Lucille Ball had an option to buy out Desi Arnz and Lucy exercised that option and became the first and up to now only Woman to run a Hollywood studio. To be exact Desilu had 3 studio lots: Desilu Gower which was where the HQ of Desilu were located; Desilu Cahuenga where the original I Love Lucy shows were filmed and Desilu Culver which was the site of Selznick International which still had standing Gone With The Wind sets and th fabled. Tara
Miss Ball was CBS biggest star and Lucy extracted from CBS a Pilot Development fund $600,000. Per year to fund CBS TV pilots*. One of the piots was for Mission Impossible, This was a ground breaking brilliant executed and cast Series. Steven Hill, Martin Landau, Peter Lupus and Greg Morris starred along with sexy smoky voiced Barbara Bain who was in real life Mrs. Landau! Note that Lucy wanted to meet Ms. Bain and approved of Ms. Bain's casting. Greg Morris was a very important cast member as the was one of the first racially Integrated shows. Herbert F. Solow Head of Progrsmming at Desilu and Executive Producer Bruce Geller created many wonderful stories for this series. It was an expensive show to produce with many backlot scenes at Desilu Culver. A highlight of the show was the opening theme which is one of the most famous of. All time and used the Tom Cruise Mission Impossible films..
This TV series would win major Awards and today stands the time as a brilliant TV show from a great studio Desilu run by Lucille Ball who overuled her Desilu Board of Directors to produce this classic show. Without Lucille Ball whose career as a madcap comedienne who in real life was a very intelligent, serious woman there would not be Mission Impossible. Lucy's Board voted to forego Mission Impossible and Star Trek but Lucy bet her fortune and overruled her Board. Hindsight is always 20/20 but I feel Lucy sold out to Paramount a year too early. With Mannix a smash hit tv show Desilu had 3 great show: Mannix and Mission Impossibleand Star Trek. The 3 Desilu studios were rented 100% and Desilu's smash hit Yours Mine and Ours made a profit of $20 million dollars and Desilu got 25% or $4 million which would have erased all debt from Desilu. PS. Lucy while her studio was producing Star Trek and Mission Impossible was in Europe doing her brilliant "Lucy In London" specia. Lucy looked great Desilu's only International Production.
The Emmy's of 1968 saw Ms. Ball win Best Comedy Show for Desilu's comedy series The Lucy Show, and Desilu's Mission Impossible best dramatic show. It was a triumphant night for Desilu.
When Lucy handed over "the keys " to Desilu to Paramount the studio was at its peak. Merriwell" based on the famous character.
Miss Ball was CBS biggest star and Lucy extracted from CBS a Pilot Development fund $600,000. Per year to fund CBS TV pilots*. One of the piots was for Mission Impossible, This was a ground breaking brilliant executed and cast Series. Steven Hill, Martin Landau, Peter Lupus and Greg Morris starred along with sexy smoky voiced Barbara Bain who was in real life Mrs. Landau! Note that Lucy wanted to meet Ms. Bain and approved of Ms. Bain's casting. Greg Morris was a very important cast member as the was one of the first racially Integrated shows. Herbert F. Solow Head of Progrsmming at Desilu and Executive Producer Bruce Geller created many wonderful stories for this series. It was an expensive show to produce with many backlot scenes at Desilu Culver. A highlight of the show was the opening theme which is one of the most famous of. All time and used the Tom Cruise Mission Impossible films..
This TV series would win major Awards and today stands the time as a brilliant TV show from a great studio Desilu run by Lucille Ball who overuled her Desilu Board of Directors to produce this classic show. Without Lucille Ball whose career as a madcap comedienne who in real life was a very intelligent, serious woman there would not be Mission Impossible. Lucy's Board voted to forego Mission Impossible and Star Trek but Lucy bet her fortune and overruled her Board. Hindsight is always 20/20 but I feel Lucy sold out to Paramount a year too early. With Mannix a smash hit tv show Desilu had 3 great show: Mannix and Mission Impossibleand Star Trek. The 3 Desilu studios were rented 100% and Desilu's smash hit Yours Mine and Ours made a profit of $20 million dollars and Desilu got 25% or $4 million which would have erased all debt from Desilu. PS. Lucy while her studio was producing Star Trek and Mission Impossible was in Europe doing her brilliant "Lucy In London" specia. Lucy looked great Desilu's only International Production.
The Emmy's of 1968 saw Ms. Ball win Best Comedy Show for Desilu's comedy series The Lucy Show, and Desilu's Mission Impossible best dramatic show. It was a triumphant night for Desilu.
When Lucy handed over "the keys " to Desilu to Paramount the studio was at its peak. Merriwell" based on the famous character.