I love Lucy. You love Lucy. But what was it about Lucille Ball that made her the most beloved funny woman of all time?
Lucy was the First Lady of TV Comedy-literally-taking her successful radio series My Favorite Husband to the then-new medium of television as I Love Lucy in 1951. Jack Benny had already made the leap from radio, but Lucy was the first female on the small screen to give our chuckle muscles a real workout.
As Lucille McGillicuddy, the hapless wife of Latin bandleader Ricky Ricardo, Lucy put a comedic spin on the familiar travails of 1950s life, from getting those new-fangled TV sets to work properly to a wife just trying to wheedle a mink coat out of her husband. The show was an immediate hit, winning Emmys as Best Situation Comedy its first two seasons.
One of the reasons for her unprecedented success is that there's a little bit of "Lucy" in each of us. She represents the eternal optimist in us all-from her constant quest to improve her family's quality of life to her desire to be rich and famous.
Like Lucy, we've all dreamed of escaping from everyday drudgery. Why else would anyone try out for "Survivor" or "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire"?
And, just like Lucy, some of our more harebrained get-rich-quick schemes have fallen apart. But are we discouraged? Well, yes, actually. But Lucy shows us by example that we should never give up hope. There will always be another chance to get in on Ricky's nightclub act.
Television presented Lucille Ball with boundless opportunities to play her real trump card-an extraordinary gift for physical comedy. She was able to mine that rich comedic vein in five television series -- I Love Lucy, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy.
For most of her life, Lucy showed us her uncanny ability to make us laugh. But at the age of 74, she also proved that she could evoke other emotions, taking on the dramatic role of Florabelle, a homeless bag lady, in the 1985 TV movie Stone Pillow. It was a poignant epitaph to a 55-year career that ended with her passing in 1989.
Lucille Ball once said, "I'm not funny. What I am is brave." Excuse us, but we have to disagree. She was both. She allowed us to laugh at her, and at what we saw of her in ourselves. And for that, we will always love Lucy. 
