By Kathryn O’Kane
Most people are familiar with the extensive body of work that made Lucille Ball (1911 – 1989) famous. I Love Lucy is one of the most popular television shows of the 1950s, and she co-starred with her husband, Desi Arnaz, for 10 years. But did you know that Ball was also a savvy business woman?
After her marriage broke up, Ball eventually bought Arnaz’s shares in their company, Desilu Productions, making her the first woman to run a major television production company. Desilu developed and launched the beloved series franchises Star Trek and Mission Impossible before being bought by Gulf+Western for $14 million. It was rebranded as the television arm of Paramount Pictures.
(via biography.com)
Learn more about Lucille Ball as the original TV Boss Lady at The Heroine Collective.
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