I love this old Hollywood couple more than any other, period. Growing up, I would watch their television show on Nick At Nite each and every evening. When there was a marathon, I would beg my mom to let me stay up for the whole thing (or at least tape it, as we would do in the 90s). I loved the husband’s endless devotion to his wife and her antics and I loved the woman’s humor, cleverness and how classic her fashion sense was, though they were ahead of her time back then. She paved the way for so many who came after.

The one and only Lucille Ball! She was smart, hilarious and defied stereotypes of women in that era. Of course, there were plenty of stereotypes on the show, but it was overall a significantly more progressive one than most of its peers. It not only had a lead female character who wasn’t simply a demure, oblivious ingenue, it also had a white woman married to a Hispanic man; how many shows in the 1950s that actually had two people of different races in a relationship where it wasn’t merely used as a cheap plot device? She even became pregnant on the show, which was a big no-no back then (pregnancy = acknowledgment that sex exists, oh dear!).

She was married, both on television and in real life, to one of my other favorite entertainers of all time: Desi Arnaz. Though I’m admittedly a little biased towards mixed race couples, I already simply adored and idolized their love all growing up (I didn’t know they were divorced until much later when my parents felt I could handle it, ha). Their slapstick and situational humor would make me laugh until I cried; nowadays, when I see adorable photos of them, I get a little teary out of both happiness and, a little bit, of of jealousy.

Your heart just melted a little, admit it.

When it comes to Hollywood couples, both past and present, this one is always at the top of my list. They were sweet, romantic and a great power team of entertainment. They founded a film company together, one of the first co-founded by a woman. Desilu Productions — an adorable cross between their names — saw a lot of success and churned out such pop culture series later adapted into films such as Star Trek and Mission Impossible.

I Love Lucy ran for six seasons and can still be seen on television all over the world. It influenced so many people to see that women can indeed be funny and that diversity in entertainment is a wonderful thing. It also showed us that chocolate on a redhead is hilarious.

So, my dear Lovelies, I’ve included several photos of both Lucy & Desi as a couple as well as in their individual portraits. What is your favorite couple from the golden years of Hollywood? Who do you think will be “classic couples” from our era? (I’ve got my money on Brangelina…)

Photo Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11