I Loved Lucy

My Friendship with Lucille Ball

By: Lee Tannen

Narrated by: Lee Tannen

Few people knew America's comic sweetheart Lucille Ball the way Lee Tannen did. Lee first met Lucy as a child but cemented their close and enduring friendship as an adult. During the last 10 years of Lucy's life - years mostly lived out of the spotlight and mainly around a backgammon table in New York; Beverly Hills; Snowmass, Colorado; and Palm Springs - Lee was fortunate enough to be sitting opposite Lucy.

For the first time, we get a glimpse of what it was like to be with Lucy, the way she truly was, and the way she chose to live. This is Lucy the way you've never seen her before; a warts-and-all look at arguably the most famous female entertainer of the 20th century!

©2001 Lee Tannen (P)2013 Lee Tannen

HUGELY VALUABLE

The authors accent is sooooo thick it’s almost unbearable to think there are hours ahead of this voice. However as it goes on, you realize this is the voice of one of Lucy’s friends — a voice she would recognize and look forward to hearing. The chronicle of these lost years are invaluable and by the end of the book you wish the authors voice would go on and on and on.

*love the honesty about Gary Morton. As people in LA refer to him, the male Barbara Sinatra.

Lucy in your Living Room!!

Where does I Loved Lucy rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

High on the List!! This is a fast listen because it is so enjoyable. You will feel like you know Lucy personally after this audible title. I have read all sorts of books and have old movies. I am a fan of "I LOVE LUCY" like so many others but this is brand new insight into who she was offscreen.

What was one of the most memorable moments of I Loved Lucy?

Seeing some of the vulnerability and loneliness that she faced in her later years was heartbreaking but there were great moments of JOY also. So much information was shared both positive and truthful---I won't say negative because it was just showing the REAL LUCY through the eyes of someone who adored her but realized she wasn't just that goofball on TV. She had weaknesses and imperfections like all of us.

Which character – as performed by Lee Tannen – was your favorite?

Lee did a great job on bringing forth all the characters that he described. He isn't using different voices to portray characters like in a novel but he describes LUCY's circle of friends. He will mimic some of LUCY's mannerisms or favorite sayings and you feel like you are right in the room with her.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The loss that Lee suffered when his close friend Lucy died.

Any additional comments?

It was such a wonderful gift to get this inside peek at the friendship that Lee and Lucy had for so many years. It changed the perception of who she was outside of her TV characters but still, I LOVE LUCY.

Amazing!!! Wish it was longer!!!

This was absolutely amazing to listen to. Laughed and Cried. Thank you Lee so very much for opening the door to your life with Lucy. This is one of my favorite "biographies" of Lucy I have ever heard and have read to listened to all I have been able to find.

Lovely Lucy Moments

If you could sum up I Loved Lucy in three words, what would they be?

FabulousFunnyFantastic

What did you like best about this story?

Everything and more, all the behind the scenes details were wonderful.Details were perfection...

What about Lee Tannen’s performance did you like?

Wonderful job telling the stories

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The last day of Lucy's life.

Any additional comments?

My mother saw Lucille Ball perform at Queens College in Charlotte, North Carolina with a traveling troupe of actors in 1939. She said Lucy came out on stage with platinum blonde hair & all the girls just were amazed how beautiful she was! Mother told us she was really a showgirl and she put on a fantastic performance there.

Wonderful glimpse inside the private life of a legend during the last decade of her extraordinary life.

Who doesn’t love Lucy? I’ve read and listened to every Lucille book/audiobook I can find. Most are very good but this one is exceptional. The author manages to respect the legend while also revealing a lot of her human side as well.

Why We All Love Lucy

Reading I LOVED LUCY, especially by listening to it as read by the author Lee Tannen, was an immensely satisfying experience. In no particular order, firstly, the author really KNEW Lucille Ball, and in his authentic, New York accented voice, talks (not reads) about his first hand experience as a the best friend to Lucille Ball in the last ten years of her life. Secondly, this is a privileged bird’s eye view of the life of a real celebrity, a true star – very possibly the biggest television star of all time – and what it was really like to be with someone SO FAMOUS that she could never take a walk outside her Beverly Hills home. And, thirdly, this is also a story about their unlikely/likely friendship: Lee was a distant relation, and an avid ‘fan’ who later became her best friend and companion of choice, and what that friendship meant to the highly complex, immensely talented, and incredibly loyal Lucille Ball.

I LOVED LUCY recounts her last ten years. It vividly brings to life the fascinating story of how much America loved Lucy. Lucille Ball was showered with adoration from nearly every person that she came in contact with – a phenomenon even in our celebrity conscious times that was unprecedented, and, in today’s deconstructed times, now unmatchable. For many decades – long after her incredible comedic talent was showcased in a single 1950’s television series - Americans LOVED, LOVED Lucy. (And not only Americans – I remember reading a while back that the ‘sun never set on ‘I Love Lucy’ ‘ – that the original series is playing somewhere in the world, 24 hours a day. The world’s love affair with Lucy will most likely continue as long as the series keeps playing.)

This unique book brings to life what life as a real start is really like. It is riveting to hear how a star of such accomplishments had the same insecurities as we have, and what she really wore, and what she really thought. And, kudos to Lee for telling us so much unvarnished truth about her in a way which just adds onto, and never detracts, from our beloved memories of her.

Besides being an hilarious, and sometimes, poignant, account of her life, there is another equally intriguing story: the transformation of how the author, Lee Tannen, went from being a distant relation and ‘fan’ to becoming her best friend. Unusually witty and acerbic, and with an encyclopedic knowledge of all of Lucille Ball’s oeuvre, Lee endeared himself to Lucille Ball and he was able to play a unique role in her life. Imagine having a best friend who had memorized every episode you ever recorded, and could play back lines whenever life imitated art? Lee’s memory and wit must have added an extraordinarily gratifying dimension to Lucille Ball’s last ten years of life. Who would not want a companion who truly knew your career highlights, what you went through, was curious about what ‘really happened’ during that time, and who you could re-enjoy the best times of your life with? No one, not her family, not her husband, not her managers - only Lee. She had a true appreciator/foil/counterpoint in Lee, and he must have provided an unusually fulfilling relationship for her.

In this book, Desi Arnaz said of their eponymous series: ‘It was ALWAYS all about Lucy’. He, and Ethel and Fred were just the supporting characters to the star Lucy. Desi loved Lucy until the day he died. Lucy loved Desi also until the very end. This book makes that knowledge crystal clear and is every reader’s reward for reading this book.

Lee was lucky to have known Lucy, and Lucy was fortunate to have had Lee in her life when she did. Lee loved her - and this book reminds us of how much we all love her.

A TRUE FRIENDSHIP

I loved this book when I read it and I love it even more now that I heard it read by Mr. Tannen. I am a life long Lucille Ball, I Love Lucy fan. Mr. Tannen's book helped those of us who never had the opportunity to "know" Lucy to get a glimpse of the woman behind the character. The book is well written and Mr. Tannen's affection, his love for Lucy is apparent on every page.

This is my 4th time listening.

I purchased and listened a few years ago, but I definitely need this right now good comfort food for the ears minds and soul.

Insight Into a Legendary Star

Listening to Lee Tannen read "I Loved Lucy" was like sitting over coffee with an old friend hearing a great, great story. Lee does such a great job of conjuring his friendship with Lucille Ball that it almost feels like Lucy is sitting next to him elbowing him to get the facts right ("dammit!"). "I Loved Lucy" truly shows the surprising human side of this legendary performer who feels like part of the family and Lee's performance is that of someone who clearly relishes recounting these wonderful tales.

I Just Loved Lucy

I found this book so addictive, couldn't stop listening. Amazing insight into a wonderful star, she certainly wasn't who I thought she was. The narration was fabulous. Lucy was a mixture of an inconsiderate person and a wonderfully kind person. I would recommend this book to anyone who remembers Lucy and Ricky Ricardo.