The Last Laugh: How Comedy Archives and Remixes HumanitiesMain MenuTaking Comedy Seriously...Introduction1930s: "Food Fighters" - Tomatos Another DayTomatos Another Day Page1940s: "The Dictator Has No Clothes" - Charlie ChaplinCharlie Chaplin - "The Great Dictator"1950s: "American Love Story" - Lucille Ball and Desi ArnazLucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Marriage1960s: "Jail Time for Stage Time" - Lenny BruceLenny Bruce Page1970s: "7 Deadly Words" - George CarlinGeorge Carlin Page1980s: "A Delirious Regression" - Eddie MurphyEddie Murphy Page1990s: "No Laughing Matter" - Sinead O'ConnorSinead O'Connor SNL Performance2000s: "Comedy is Tragedy" - Gilbert GottfriedComedy After 9/112010s: "Dressing Down the Status Quo" - Tig NotaroTig Notaro Page2020s: "Sticks and Stones May Break iPhones" - Dave ChappelleDave Chappelle Netflix ControversyLaughing in the Face of DeathClosing ThoughtsAnthony Torrecilla122b9f0bcaaec86c6e11e3aefe5e1384900bd50f
As Television began to beam into more American living rooms, the newest innovation in media and communications became a connection that millions of people had never experienced before. These connections that Desilu Productions archived for humanities changed culture, and pushed it towards the 21st century. During a time of immense segregation and discrimination against people of all color; millions of Americans were laughing and relating with an interracial couple on their television screens for the very first time.
Showcasing an interracial marriage on major network television, and being married in reality, exemplifies Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz's contributions to humanities as a whole, and their impact on the perspective of the "traditional" American family. I Love Lucy is a prime example of comedy used as a tool to help influence change in social issues.