MovieChat Forums > I Love Lucy (1951) Discussion > The "tint" of Lucy's Hair

The "tint" of Lucy's Hair

posted 6 years ago by [email protected] (1732)
2 replies | jump to latest

I doubt anyone has ever taken notice of this, but I always note that by the fall of 1954,
with the Hollywood story arc, Lucy started dying her hair a "lighter" shade of red. Even
in black-and-white it is noticeable. For instance, if one watches, say, "Lucy and Ethel
Buy the Same Dress", Lucy's hair is notably "darker" than in season four's "Ricky's
Screen Test" (really noticeable in the opening scene where Lucy is playing with Little
Ricky). I far prefer the darker red than the lighter, which Lucy kept for the rest of
her TV/movie career.

This didn't just start at season four. Remember, they filmed about six episodes in the
spring of '54 that were "held over" until fall (eps like "The Business Manager", "Lucy
Cries Wolf"). When they returned to work after a summer break, and started the
Hollywood stuff, Lucy's hair is lighter.

I'm wondering if this was done in an effort to make Lucy look more youthful. She's
still beautiful, but I like her hair a shade darker.

Anyone else notice this?

[–] [email protected] (5501) 6 years ago

Actually that is something that I never really noticed. For me it was hard to notice in black and white. But I did notice in the later Lucy Show episodes that sometimes her hair almost looked pink!

Unusual observation about Lucy's red hair though. I have a friend who goes to a Fundamentalist church, real "bible thumpers." She invited me to her services and sometimes I would go with her. Her pastor was really big on conspiracy theories. Somehow we got to talking about old TV shows one day after church. I mentioned ILL. He thought Lucy was somehow "demonic" because of her red hair and how she never deferred to her husband!

I wanted to tell him "NO!" Lucy was a redhead because MGM dyed her hair that color and she liked it.

The guy saw evil in everything. For instance Bewitched was "demonic" because of Endora. In the Bible, Endor is a medium or a witch. I was dying to ask him why he named his own daughter Samantha! She was born after Bewitched aired on TV.

[–] [email protected] (1732) 6 years ago

This is easy to spot. Simply go to IMDB, click on number "4" for the fourth season, then scroll downward. On the
left side is a pic alongside each ep. The screen cap for "The Matchmaker" shows Lucy's hair much darker than the
screen cap for "Ricky's Screen Test." And, no, it isn't just because it's nighttime vs. daytime.