On a huge Hollywood sound stage one night last week, after the day's work was done, TV's most popular comedienne stood before a twelve-layer cake and read the words on the icing: "The first 100 shows are the hardest." But for Lucille Ball and Husband Desi Arnaz, the first 100 shows have also been rewarding: approximately 50 million people—one out of every three Americans—tune in to I Love Lucy every Monday night (CBS, 9 p.m.). No other regular TV show has ever claimed such an audience.
Most of Lucy's fans think it is only the wacky, wide-eyed clowning of Lucy herself that...