Author (with Jess Oppenheimer), Laughs, Luck…and Lucy: How I Came to Create the Most Popular Sitcom of All Time
This week, Ira spoke with Gregg Oppenheimer, son of “I Love Lucy” creator-producer-head writer Jess Oppenheimer, and coauthor of his late father’s humorous memoir, Laughs, Luck…and Lucy: How I Came to Create the Most Popular Sitcom of All Time. In this “Splain that if you can” episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Gregg talks about why he left his law firm to finish his father’s memoirs; his close relationship with his father; how people came together from live television, radio, and film to create the sitcom, which resulted in new techniques adopted by the industry; how Jess Oppenheimer had the good business sense to negotiate to own twenty percent of the show; how Lucy and Jess formed a working relationship after a rocky start; Gregg’s father appearing in a “Hitchcock” cameo on a “Lucy” episode; and the moment Gregg realized how his father created what became the defining character for Lucy.
Gregg Oppenheimer, son of “I Love Lucy” creator-producer-head writer Jess Oppenheimer, got his start in comedy at the tender age of four, when his dad introduced him to Lucille Ball on the set of I Love Lucy. Kneeling down, a smiling Lucy asked Gregg, “Where did you get those big brown eyes?” Gregg's deadpan reply: “They came with the face.” Lucy nearly fell over laughing.
In 1996, he left a successful law career to finish his late father's humorous memoir, Laughs, Luck…and Lucy: How I Came to Create the Most Popular Sitcom of All Time. The book’s success led to Gregg's 2018 hit comedy play, “I Love Lucy: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Sitcom,” starring Sarah Drew (Grey’s Anatomy) and Oscar Nuñez (The Office) as Lucy and Desi.
Gregg also produced the multi-award-winning “I Love Lucy” DVDs for CBS. He has lectured on broadcasting history at the University of Southern California, Brown University, Hofstra University, Northwestern University, and the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago.
Gregg’s Facebook page and YouTube channel feature many of his own unique “Online Radio Theatre” video productions, including a Burns & Allen show starring Rich Little as Jack Benny, and “Playing Both Sides: Jack Benny vs. Fred Allen,” written by Gregg and featuring his father’s 1930s comedy routines.
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