UGA Public Relations professor and television scholar Dr. Carolina Acosta-Alzuru recently discussed her reactions to the iconic I Love Lucy show featuring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Her remarks were delivered Friday, January 29, 2011, at a Willson Center-sponsored TV roundtable."Personally, I do love Lucy," says Acosta-Alzuru. "I love her and the show despite my feminism and my chronic allergy to stereotypes. Maybe it is that deep down I think that it's a 50s show and a reflection of that time in the US."
"But," she continues, "I suspect that the real answer is that there's something about I Love Lucy that disarms me and lowers my critical radar. And I think it's her: Lucille Ball and the candor she transmits."
A noted telenovela scholar, Dr. Acosta-Alzuru has written extensively about love in popular television. I Love Lucy debuted in 1951, and was the most watched show in America four of its first six seasons.
