Doesn't Everyone Love Lucy?

My pal Dave Lavender files a great story here about Tuesday's Marshall Artist Series show that spotlights one of the funniest women in entertainment history - Lucille Ball.

Here's an excerpt:

Before Cher, Madonna and Oprah, there was a lady who for six decades was on a first-name basis with America -- Lucy.

A radio, movie and TV actress whose career spanned from the 1930s to the 1980s, Lucille Ball, was the first lady of television best known for her sweet and sassy character that held America spell-bound in three hit CBS TV shows, "I Love Lucy" (1951-1957), "The Lucy Show" (1962 to 1968) and "Here's Lucy" (1968 to 1974).

At 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23, the red-headed comedic fireball comes back to life during the one-woman play, An Evening with Lucille Ball: "Thank You for Asking," presented by the Marshall Artists Series at the historic Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center.

Adults tickets range from $45-$55 and youth may receive a 20 percent discount. Tickets can be purchased online at www.marshallartistsseries.org, or www.ticketmaster.com.

The funny and inspirational one-woman play is performed by actress and renowned impressionist, Suzanne LaRusch, and was written by LaRusch with Lucie Arnaz, the daughter of the famous couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

An Los Angeles-based actress who has been playing Lucille Ball since 1991, LaRusch said although Ball passed on in 1989, her clever but clean brand of comedy still speaks to generations who only know the legendary actress through late-night reruns.

"What she has to offer to today's generation is the point that comedy can be clever, and it can be clean," LaRusch said. "You don't have to go into the toilet, and you don't have to use bad language to get a good belly laugh. They see so much comedy that is trashy, but that kind of wholesome, everyday humor that was used in the 'I Love Lucy' show and subsequent shows, proves that you don't have to do that. One thing we mention in the show is that Lucille Ball credits her writers for all of her great success, and one of the things she admitted was that she didn't think she was funny, but that if her writers were funny and could write it down in detail she could do it."