Remembering Debbie Reynolds (1932-2016) on what would have been her 91st birthday. In late 1969 through early 1970 Debbie Reynolds starred in 'The Debbie Reynolds Show'. The show lasted only one season. During the shows' run, a tabloid manufactured "feud" between Lucy and Debbie also made it's run. Fueled mostly by reviews calling Debbie's new show "a pale imitation of I Love Lucy" or more personal criticisms like, "a second rate Lucille Ball", Debbie was hurt by the insinuation that she had ripped Lucy off. What reviewers and tabloids failed to report was that the primary reason for the similarities between 'I Love Lucy' and 'The Debbie Reynolds Show' was that the show was created and produced by Jess Oppenheimer with writing contributions from Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll, Jr.. But yet, Debbie bore the brunt of the blame. One entertainment news article from that period seemed to come to Debbie's defense, but still omitted the obvious: 'The last thing Debbie Reynolds expected from the critics when she started her new Fall TV show was that they would say it was a pale imitation of early Lucille Ball! The truth is...if there is a similarity between the two actresses it is because they both have a lot of the same sense of fun, the ridiculous, the zaniness. The plots in Debbie's show were about a married couple with two adult friends and that in itself would make for familiar situations in many of the old Lucy and Desi shows. Since when has anyone on TV not set out to copy a successful show!' —article, 1969. #lucilleball #debbiereynolds #tabloids #fued #imitation #critics #reviews #happybirthday #ilovelucy #desiarnaz #classichollywoodactress #classichollywood #similarities #copycat #waynelvslcy https://www.instagram.com/p/Cqf2NfPu7OR/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
