Lucille Ball Produced One of Tom Cruise’s Movies
Lucille Ball had many achievements during her entertainment career. The I Love Lucy star is known not only for starring in successful television shows and films, but also producing them. One thing you might not know is that Ball produced one of Tom Cruise’s films. Can you guess which one?
From Desilu Productions to Lucille Ball Productions
Ball was approached by television executives to turn her radio show, “My Favorite Husband,” into a television show. Ball said in her book, Love, Lucy, she wanted to work with her husband, Desi Arnaz, more, so she asked network executives if they would add Arnaz as her TV husband.
Ball and Arnaz formed Desilu Productions in 1950. Their first production was the pilot for I Love Lucy. In 1962, roughly two years after the couple divorced, Ball purchased Desilu Productions from Arnaz for $3 million. The studio went on to produce the popular shows Star Trek and Mission: Impossible. Ball later sold Desilu Productions and started her own production company, Lucille Ball Productions.
The Tom Cruise movie Lucille Ball produced
One of the movies produced by Lucille Ball Productions was a film Tom Cruise starred in. Ball was listed as a co-executive producer of Cruise’s 1983 movie All the Right Moves. Her second husband, Gary Morton, was also a producer, in addition to Phillip Goldfarb and Stephen Deutsch.
All the Right Moves is about a high school football player (Tom Cruise) vying for a scholarship so he can attend college. His goal is to avoid ending up like his father and brother, who worked for steel mills. The movie also stars Lea Thompson, Craig T. Nelson, Charles Cioffi, and Gary Graham.
‘All the Right Moves’ helped a struggling Pennsylvania town
All the Right Moves was filmed in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. At the time, the area was struggling because of job losses in steel mills and coal mines, reports The New York Times. The unemployment rate was 24.8%. However, the movie production provided jobs for residents (through work as extras) and injected money into the economy.
Tom Cruise’s movies
Cruise made his acting debut in the 1981 film Endless Love. He played the role of Billy. That same year, he appeared in the movie Taps. Cruise’s career took off with the 1983 film Risky Business.
Cruise had his next hit when he took on the role of fighter pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in the 1986 film Top Gun. He’s also known for his appearances in The Outsiders, Born on the Fourth of July, A Few Good Men, and the Mission: Impossible movie franchise.
What’s next for Tom Cruise
Cruise will be quite busy this year and beyond. He is set to reprise his Top Gun role in the sequel Top Gun: Maverick. This year, he is also expected to star in Mission Impossible: 7, Mission Impossible: 8, Live Die Repeat and Repeat, and Luna Park.
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