I: “I Love Lucy” and the Appeal of Real Relationships

“The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.”

Lucille Ball

 

When you hear the words “classic television,” the I Love Lucy theme song should be one of the first to pop into your head. This American sitcom, which aired from 1951-1957, won five Emmy awards and has become a cultural icon.

My wife, Janelle, has fond memories of sneaking up late at night with her brother to watch old episodes of I Love Lucy, and I imagine she isn’t alone in this. We’ve even shown a few episodes to our kids, and it kept their attention!

The show was a perfect storm, which featured the hilarious antics of Lucille Ball, the exotic flair and musical talent of Desi Arnaz, and a snapshot of everyday life that was completely glamorous and completely normal, all at the same time.

It’s this last point, however, which is one of the show’s biggest secrets. With a top-notch cast, it highlights relationships that are so realistic, we can’t help but relate to them.

Lucy and Ricky are obviously madly in love, but they don’t always see eye to eye.   In fact, they almost never see eye to eye! Each new episode keeps us rolling in laughter as the couple bickers and go to incredible lengths to teach one another a lesson.

And then there are the friendships. Janelle and I have always dreamed of meeting our own “Fred and Ethel,” or the couple that become such good friends that they can walk into the house unannounced and be completely welcome. Such good friends that you share everything with them. Such good friends that you can fight like cats and dogs and still end up laughing at the end of the day.

These are the type of relationships that makes I Love Lucy shine. So incredibly fun, and so incredibly real. We all crave these type of relationships, don’t we?

Fortunately, the Bible gives us great insight into lasting relationships. Proverbs 18:24 says, “A man that has friends must show himself friendly, and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” We all hope to be this kind of friend, but of course, human relationships will always be flawed.

Christ, however, offers to be the Perfect Friend we’ve always longed for. No one can separate us from His love (Romans 8:35), He has promised never to leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), and to be with us even until the end of the world (Matthew 28:20). Jesus truly is the Friend that sticks closer than a brother, and our relationship with Him is so incredibly true, so incredibly real, that it even puts Lucy and Ricky to shame.

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Photo Credit:  “Face to Face,” from I Love Lucy, 1957.  Public Domain.

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This post was submitted as part of the A to Z Challenge, where participants agree to write an article that corresponds to each letter of the alphabet, posting every day of the month of April (except Sundays).

Here on The Artistic Christian,  my theme for the month is The Classics.  Each day I’ll examine a book, film, or work of art that has become a beloved classic and discuss what has made it such a success, and what eternal themes it contains that Christian artists can use as modern illustrations.

For daily reflections from my personal travels around the world, check out my companion blog, A Shepherd’s Reflections, where my theme for April is Reflections From Around the World.