#I Married Joan

[papermoonloveslucy]

LUCY & THE JOANS!

Lucille Ball’s Collabs with Women Named Joan

A remarkable number of talented women named Joan - and even a few memorable characters - were part of the Lucyverse.

JOAN BANKS (1918-1989) 

Joan Banks’ only credit with Lucille Ball was in “Fan Magazine Interview” (1954) in which she played reporter Eleanor Harris, assigned to do a story on Ricky Ricardo’s wife aka Lucy Ricardo. Here character name was a tribute to real-life writer Eleanor Harris. 

JOAN BLONDELL (1906-1979)

Joan Blondell (sister of Gloria Blondell) was active as a performer concurrently with Lucille Ball. On “The Lucy Show,” she played Joan Brenner, a character intended to fill the gap after the departure of Vivian Vance. But she did not get along with Lucille Ball, and after a shouting match in front of the studio audience, Blondell was dismissed after just two episodes. 

JOAN CAREY (1921-2015) 

Joan Carey was born Joan Somerville Norbury on February 18, 1921 in Yorkshire, England. As a background performer and stand-in, she appeared on many episodes of “I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy Show,” generally uncredited. 

JOAN CAULFIELD (1922-1991)

Joan Caulfield played the role of Liz Cooper on the television adaptation of “My Favorite Husband” (1953-55). Lucille Ball played the role on radio, but chose instead to play Lucy Ricardo. Caulfield and Ball were later both guest stars on “Bob Hope’s Leading Ladies” in 1966.  

JOAN CRAWFORD (1905-1977)

Joan Crawford was born Lucille Fay LeSueur. The Oscar-winning actress was mentioned on several episodes of “I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy Show” before making a guest appearance in “Lucy and the Lost Star” in 1968. The episode was originally intended for Gloria Swanson, hence the non-specific title. The title “Lucy and Joan” had already been used when Joan Bennet guest-starred.  As with Bennett there was off-stage friction between Crawford and Ball. 

JOAN COLLINS (1933)

English-born actress Joan Collins hosted the “All Star Party for Lucille Ball” in 1984. She was also seen with Ball on “Bob Hope’s Leading Ladies” (1966), “Women I Love: Beautiful But Funny” (1982), “Night of 100 Stars II” (1985), and “Friar’s Club Tribute to Gene Kelly” (1985). 

JOAN CROSBY (1924-1992)

Joan Crosby was a journalist who wrote about Lucille Ball and was the one-time president of the Hollywood Women’s Press Club. As such, she played herself (above far right) in “Lucy Meets the Burtons” (1970). 

JOAN FONTAINE (1917-2013)

Born Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland in Tokyo, she was the sister of Olivia de Havilland. She appeared with Lucy (and two other Joans) in “Bob Hope’s Leading Ladies” (1966). In 1959 she appeared on an episode of “Westinghouse-Desilu Playhouse” hosted by Desi Arnaz. 

JOAN GRANT

Joan Grant is the character played by Lucille Ball in The Marines Fly High (1940). She runs a cocoa plantation in the South American jungle and allows a platoon of US Marines to stay there. Two of the Marines tussle over her affections. When she is kidnapped, the two Marines unite to save her.

JOAN RIVERS (1933-2014)

Joan Alexandra Molinsky was born in New York City and became one of the top female comedians of all time. She co-starred with Lucille Ball on “Here’s Lucy” in “Lucy and Joan Rivers Do Jury Duty” (1973) where Rivers played Joan Reynolds. She was the first female guest-host of "The Tonight Show”  interviewing Lucille Ball three times.

JOAN SWIFT (1933-2016) 

Joan Swift was a frequent background player who had a few lines on “The Lucy Show” and “Here’s Lucy.”  Three of her characters were also named Joan. Her final screen appearance was in “Lucy Gets Lucky” (1975). 

During her long career in Hollywood, Lucille Ball also worked with or employed Joan Benny (Jack’s daughter), Joan Marshall (”Star Trek”), Joan O’Brien (”Shower of Stars”), Joan Fairfax (”Tonight Show with Jack Paar”), Joan Staley (”The Untouchables”), and Joan Woodbury (”There Goes My Girl”). 

BONUS JOANS

JOAN OF ARC (1412-1431)

In “Lucy the Skydiver” (1970), Lucy Carter hears the voices of strong women like Florence Nightingale and Joan of Arc, the Americanized name of the French saint and warrior Jeanne d'Arc.

"I MARRIED JOAN” starring JOAN DAVIS

From 1952 to 1955 Joan Davis (1912-1961) starred in the sitcom “I Married Joan,” which was NBC’s answer to the popularity of “I Love Lucy.”  Comic actress Davis had appeared with Lucille Ball in the 1933 film Bunker Bean. Like Lucy, Davis used her own first name and was a scatterbrained housewife. Her husband (Jim Backus) was a judge. Both shows featured Mary Jane Croft, Bobby Jellison, Shirley Mitchell, Sandra Gould, Margie Liszt, Jerry Hausner, Elvia Allman, Myra Marsh, Phil Arnold, Dick Elliott, Robert Foulk, Joseph Kearns, Maxine Semon, Don Brodie, Hal March, Richard Reeves, Herb Vigran, Norman Varden, Harry Bartell, Kay Wiley, Charlotte Lawrence, Frank Nelson, Frank Gerstle, Vivvi Janis, George Neise, Ross Elliott, Verna Felton, Fritz Feld, Mabel Paige, Rolfe Sedan, Paul Dubov, Maurice Marsac, Peter Leeds, Shepard Menken, Strother Martin, Junie Ellis, Florence Bates, Sam Hearn, Mary Treen, and Hans Moebus. Like Lucille Ball, Joan Davis also served as Executive Producer of her series, which, like “I Love Lucy,” was filmed at General Service Studios. 

[perceptionculture]

🕸 visual from the video essay ‘what made the Addams Family creepy, kooky, mysterious, and spooky’ by PERCEPTION CULTURE

[queer-ragnelle]

contender for funniest chapter opening of any retelling. ever. step dad pelli takes a tumble. whoopsie. (the road to avalon by joan wolf)

[konstantintreplev]

So, you dancing? You asking? [she laughs] I'll get you another one.

joan thursday and endeavour morse in sway

[legendarydreamer4ever]

the longing looks...the fact he is not the "lucky" man **cries**

[victorzhuzhakin]

CLONE HIGH TRAILER IS OUT YOOOO

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

Harvey And Sabrina In Every Episode: 2x2

[wonder-worker]

people really do not know what they're talking about when it comes to Elizabeth Woodville's social status, huh?

[galacticforces]

[[ starter for @dccontramundum

In the months since their marriage had been officially recognized, Joan had recieved three calls asking her to come collect her husband for an injury. This was nothing like any of them. Drugged. And they'd said it so casually like it didn't even matter, but by the time she reached her husband's bedside, it was terribly obvious how much it mattered.

Her poor boy, who hadn't even drank until her father had gotten to him, who had never willingly altered his state of mind, who so desperately clung to his beautiful, rational mind as his primary worth... To see him in tears, writhing with discomfort from the enormous dose of some mystery drug, brought her swiftly to tears as well. "It's alright, darling. It's alright. I'm here." She stroked his cheek and then ran her hand through his hair, hoping the familiarity would be comforting. "I won't leave you alone, love. I promise."

[malkaleh]

JOAN.

Dauphine of France. Princess of Scotland. Princess of Albion. Queen Regnant of Scotland. Queen of England. The Half Breed Heathens Whore Of A Wife. My Darling Wise Thistle. Little Wise Eyed. Jeanne.

Though Joan’s father died not six months after her birth his love for her was remarked upon - indeed it was said that he could hardly bear to be apart from her. His death was something her mother Mary never recovered from despite two subsequent marriages and the reminder of him in her black haired and grey eyed daughter seems to have been a mixture of grief and solace to her. Joan proved to be a serious child - interested in books, archery and riding but with a keen talent for music she was included in and educated in rulership from a young age, particularly by her paternal grandmother who remarked that she saw ‘very much of Marguerite of Navarre in her’ she was excellent at politics, at rulership and in her concern and interest in the lives of all her people but she was not warm and nor did she have the charisma and ability to draw the eye of her mother, something that drew unfavourable comparisons. Her marriage was made out of pragmatism on her part and no one was more surprised than Joan when it turned into love.

(inspired in part by this edit by @emilykaldwen (ABBY MY BELOVED))

[cariciapadre]

close enough welcome back chappell roan good luck babe

[to-be-frank-i-dont-care]

Joan looking at Morse

(Morse looking at Joan)

[muwitch]

🐈‍⬛🕷️🦇 Earth 4260 inhabitants

[luxurypartystuffpack]

introducing mrs and mrs isley!

[vveirdvvitch]

14, 28, 29.

14. Current word count of all your main wips?

Meemaw is a little old school and starts in a notebook. I love y’all dearly but I’m not counting that. Probably 300 or do words in there and about 350 that have made it to a word doc. Work injury really slowed me down

28. Favourite songs at the moment?

29. What was your first fandom you were in? Did you make any art/fanfic for it?

Star Wars. I saw the special editions in the theater when was 11 or 12. I was hooked the moment I saw Luke Skywalker come into frame. Immediately began consuming Star Wars media. At one point I owned 50 of the expanded universe novels and had read even more.

I never made any official fanfiction or art. But my best friend and I created an entire AU to put our self inserts in. We probably spent 2 whole years reinforcing this fantasy between us.

[patrice-bergerons]

Morseverse is so afraid of women who don't need men to live fulfilling lives it's mind boggling sometimes.

If they are lucky enough to be main characters, these women are either eventually subdued (a la Joan into a traditional marriage) or at least romantically left paired off and pregnant with a good old man (Laura) and woe betide them if they are minor characters because then they get viciously punished for their sins (the prof from Lewis: generation of vipers) or turn out to be freaks driven to murder by their repressed desire for men all along (the prof from Lewis: old, unhappy, far off things).

Like it's a good thing this verse has such compelling relationships between the male leads because otherwise I'd be throwing hands on the regular (ง'̀-'́)ง