Lucille Desiree Ball's beginnings in Hollywood was inauspicious to say the least. Her first appearance in movies, in December 1933's "Roman Scandals" with Eddie Cantor, was brief that came with a major incident, yet it was a start. Fatherless at the age of four, Lucille caught the acting bug in her late teens when she was part of a Shriner's chorus line, receiving praise for her performance she never had growing up. Attending the John Murray Anderson School for Dramatic Arts in New York City with Bette Davis in 1926, she left early because her instructor told her she was too shy. But Ball persisted, and landed a number of small showgirl roles before she hopped on a train to Hollywood.
Lucille Ball made it known she would do anything, including having mud thrown in her face, during the production of "Roman Scandals." She's seen in the film's opening and the closing as an uncredited 'Shantytown resident,' saying her first line on film. During one provocative dancing sequence, she's a chained slave with very long blonde hair with no clothes on. Ball later said of her appearance, "I was classified with the scenery." In the Busby Berkeley number "No More Love," she and the other 'slave girls' are shackled high on a circular platform. To insure there was privacy for the women because of their nakedness, the production was scheduled at night in a closed set with a skeleton film crew. Several takes and retakes under the hot lights while the chorus girls had to stand between each shoot became an ordeal for Lucy, who became faint on the pedestal. Her fake chains broke loose and she fell. An extra playing a slave driver had the strength to catch her before she severely injured herself.
Singer/actor Eddie Cantor was consistently Hollywood's top box office draw since the introduction of talkies. "Roman Scandals" became the number one film for ticket receipts in 1933. One of Winston Churchill's most beloved songs was introduced in this movie, "Keep Young and Beautiful." Film reviewer Derik Winnert's assessment on Cantor's acting was "The star appears at his most engaging, exuberant and typical in a dynamic, winning performance."
Cantor plays Eddie, a delivery boy who stumbles upon members of a city graft operation, discovering residents of an entire neighborhood being kicked out to build a needless jail. Passionate with the history of ancient Rome, Eddie finds himself in that time period after a blow to his head. He soon discovers the emperor of Rome, Valerius (Edward Arnold), is just as crooked as the politicians back home. He spots a captured princess, Sylvia (Gloria Stuart), and sets out to free her. Stuart, who played Old Rose in 1997's "Titanic," received the role of the princess without taking a screen test because producer Samuel Goldwyn personally saw she got the part. Stuart met her future husband, Arthur Sheekman, a dialogue writer for "Roman Scandals," on the set and soon married him. They named their daughter Sylvia for the character Gloria played.
Even though for the next few years Lucille Ball was unable to capitalize on her innate talents, "Roman Scandals" did begin a lifelong friendship between her and Eddie Cantor. The two crossed paths a number of times, including on the radio, in fundraisers and appearing in television skits together. "Roman Scandals" was nominated as one of 500 motion pictures to be considered for the American Film Institute's Top 100 Funniest Movies.
Lucille Ball made it known she would do anything, including having mud thrown in her face, during the production of "Roman Scandals." She's seen in the film's opening and the closing as an uncredited 'Shantytown resident,' saying her first line on film. During one provocative dancing sequence, she's a chained slave with very long blonde hair with no clothes on. Ball later said of her appearance, "I was classified with the scenery." In the Busby Berkeley number "No More Love," she and the other 'slave girls' are shackled high on a circular platform. To insure there was privacy for the women because of their nakedness, the production was scheduled at night in a closed set with a skeleton film crew. Several takes and retakes under the hot lights while the chorus girls had to stand between each shoot became an ordeal for Lucy, who became faint on the pedestal. Her fake chains broke loose and she fell. An extra playing a slave driver had the strength to catch her before she severely injured herself.
Singer/actor Eddie Cantor was consistently Hollywood's top box office draw since the introduction of talkies. "Roman Scandals" became the number one film for ticket receipts in 1933. One of Winston Churchill's most beloved songs was introduced in this movie, "Keep Young and Beautiful." Film reviewer Derik Winnert's assessment on Cantor's acting was "The star appears at his most engaging, exuberant and typical in a dynamic, winning performance."
Cantor plays Eddie, a delivery boy who stumbles upon members of a city graft operation, discovering residents of an entire neighborhood being kicked out to build a needless jail. Passionate with the history of ancient Rome, Eddie finds himself in that time period after a blow to his head. He soon discovers the emperor of Rome, Valerius (Edward Arnold), is just as crooked as the politicians back home. He spots a captured princess, Sylvia (Gloria Stuart), and sets out to free her. Stuart, who played Old Rose in 1997's "Titanic," received the role of the princess without taking a screen test because producer Samuel Goldwyn personally saw she got the part. Stuart met her future husband, Arthur Sheekman, a dialogue writer for "Roman Scandals," on the set and soon married him. They named their daughter Sylvia for the character Gloria played.
Even though for the next few years Lucille Ball was unable to capitalize on her innate talents, "Roman Scandals" did begin a lifelong friendship between her and Eddie Cantor. The two crossed paths a number of times, including on the radio, in fundraisers and appearing in television skits together. "Roman Scandals" was nominated as one of 500 motion pictures to be considered for the American Film Institute's Top 100 Funniest Movies.