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Do you remember this Lucille Ball TV drama?
The comedian attempted to tackle something serious in the mid-80s.
By 1985, Lucille Ball had been internationally adored for decades. According to an article in The Abbotsford News, her show I Love Lucy was celebrated in more than 102 countries, each of which was home to a public that did, in fact, love Lucy.
But by that point, I Love Lucy was nearly 35 years old. While she'd been encased in amber on everyone's TV screens, Lucille Ball was still alive and restless. She'd used that first big platform to create a career for herself, most successfully as a producer. While she continued to entertain with plenty of other shows bearing her name, none of them would recapture the spirit and magic of I Love Lucy.
So, after decades of being globally famous, what was left for her to do? That year, in October of 1985, Lucy decided to star in a made-for-TV movie for CVS called Stone Pillow, a dramatic piece in which she portrayed a woman experiencing homelessness.
But, after all those years, why would she bother with something that could go wrong? Why not just cash in on her reputation and host another variety show, or guest star in some silly, light sitcom?
"I wanted to go back to work," Lucy told The Abbotsford News, "because I like to work. The old clan is gone— I can't ever top what I did— but I wanted to do something different."
Ball was right, she was the last of her kind. She'd already outlived former co-stars Vivian Vance and William Frawley. The following year, her former husband and I Love Lucy co-lead Desi Arnaz passed away as well.
"I had no idea what I wanted to do," she added, "until I saw my first shopping bag lady in New York. When I started passing her and not giving a second look, I got worried that something was wrong with me. The lady had become part of the scenery, and I wasn't caring. So when CBS called and asked me if I was interested in working, I suggested a film about one of those poor ladies."
It wasn't just her love of work that kept Lucille Ball going. She aimed to create a project that would better the world. She wanted Stone Pillow to force viewers to confront the plight of disadvantaged people all around them.
"Care for the homeless: That's what I want to get across," she said.
"People who thought they were set for life lose their apartments. They are forced onto the streets. And when you have no address, you might as well be dead."
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