Not only did Lucy break the TV mold technologically, becoming the first sitcom to tape using three cameras in front of a live audience (the multi-cam formula we're all familiar with today) there was nothing like it on television ever before—or since, really. Lucy and Ricky were actually hot for each other, in 1951 of all times, and the humor wasn't just slapstick, though the images of Lucy shoving candy in her mouth, getting drunk on Vitameatavegamin or cat-fighting in a vat of grapes endure for good reason.
But the show remains evergreen, albeit in black and white, because the delivery of all that humor was flawless. Ricky's expressions when Lucy got into a jam were made for GIFs, and Fred and Ethel easily had as many zingers as Lucy had pratfalls.
And while we'd happily gift-wrap the complete series for everyone who isn't intimately familiar with Lucy's nuances, here are nine moments (and a few life lessons) to savor in the meantime:
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