Lucille Ball: What’s So Funny?: Lesson Overview

Introduction

Lucille Ball was a great comic actress. After starring in more
than 60 movies and being known as the “Queen of the B-movie”,
she found her identity as a clown on the long running TV series
I Love Lucy. In this lesson plan, students study images of
women in movies and television, contrasting the ideal of physical
beauty with the risks an actress takes to be funny. They also learn
about physical comedy, discuss what makes clowning funny, and get
to try it themselves.

Grade Levels

5-6

Subject Areas

History, Drama

Objectives

Students will:

• learn about images of women in Hollywood cinema, in the 40s and
  50s and today
• participate in a warm-up and comedy improv exercise

Materials

• Video of episode(s) of I Love Lucy (or you can use video
  clips from the web — see Selected Websites, below.
• Optional: A videotape of American Masters: Lucille Ball
• VCR and monitor
• Internet-connected computers in the classroom for student research.
  Alternatively, you can print materials from the web for handouts
  – see Selected Websites, below.
• For the improv exercise, it will help to have a list of emotional
  states written up in advance. See the improv exercise for some ideas.

Selected Websites

Bookmark or print pictures of female actresses from
these sites. The goal is to contrast pictures of glamourous actresses
of the 30s and 40s and 50s with pictures of Lucille Ball, as a comic
actress. This will be part of a discussion activity.

I
Love Lucy still pictures

I
Love Lucy video clips

I
Love Lucy episode guide: with stills and video clips

Lucy
video clips

Internet movie database
(IMDB): search for Judy Garland, Lucille Ball and others to find
movie stills.

Jean
Harlow: click on Photos

Ingrid
Bergman

Reel
Classics: Classic Actresses

Standards

Historical Understanding:

Understands
the context in which theatre, film, television, and electronic media
are performed today as well as in the past.

• Understands the knowledge, skills, and discipline needed to pursue
  careers and avocational opportunities in theatre, film, television,
  and electronic media
• Understands the emotional and social impact of dramatic performances
  in one’s own life, in the community, and in other cultures
• Knows ways in which theatre reflects a culture
• Knows how culture affects the content and production values of
  dramatic performances
• Understands how social concepts such as cooperation, communication,
  collaboration, consensus, self-esteem, risk taking, sympathy, and
  empathy apply in theatre

Understands
the historical perspective

• Knows how to view the past in terms of the norms and values of
  the time