‘60s Classic TV Star Recalls the Sweet Lucille Ball Moment That Shut Down Filming
Lucille Ball was known for her no-nonsense approach to television production. The I Love Lucy star was the driving force behind Desilu, the production company she co-founded with her then-husband Desi Arnaz. In addition to I Love Lucy, Desilu produced iconic series such as Mannix, Mission: Impossible, and Star Trek.
In a June 2026 interview with CBS Sunday Morning, former child star Bill Mumy (Lost In Space) recalled working with Ball on another Desilu series-The Greatest Show on Earth. The actor admitted that while he was initially "nervous" around Ball, he saw a sweet, motherly side of her on the set of the 1963 ABC drama series.
"Walt Disney and Lucille Ball were the two that made me nervous because I was very much aware of who they were," Mumy, 72, recalled of his days as a child star. "Everybody saw Lucy on TV all the time."
"I did an hour-long dramatic episode with Lucy, which was her dramatic television debut," he continued. "It was an episode of a series she produced called The Greatest Show on Earth, Jack Palance. It was a circus show. And I remember that she and I were in every scene. It was kind of about me. And I was intimidated to work with Lucy. She was a very powerful presence on the set. She was the boss."
"But I'll tell you the best thing about working with Lucy," Mumy shared, before getting emotional. "We were filming on Halloween, and at about 4:00 in the afternoon, she said to the whole crew, she said, ‘You know, it's Halloween, and my kids want to go trick-or-treating and I'll bet you Billy wants to go trick-or-treating, so we're going to wrap now.' And that was so great, right? I mean, that was really great. … It was very sweet of her."
Mumy was just nine years old when he appeared in the 1963 Greatest Show on Earth episode "Lady in Limbo," playing Jeff, an animal trailer's orphaned son, opposite Ball's motherly character Kate Reynolds.
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Mumy is not the only child actor who has fond memories of working with Ball. Actor Patrick Labyorteaux (Little House on the Prairie) recently recalled playing Ball's grand-nephew, Peter, in the film Mame.
In a video posted to his Patrick Labyorsheaux YouTube channel, Labyorteaux, 60, remembered Ball as a loving presence on the set of the film, despite the older actors being intimidated by her.
"It was a huge, wonderful experience for me because even though I was very young, I think I was like seven or eight, all of my scenes were with Lucille Ball and she was amazing," he said. "She was super protective. She always held my hand. We were in all the scenes together. I was always right next to her, and she just really took care of me."
Labyorteaux added that Ball stood up for him when he had to film under extremely bright and hot lights. "She really fought for me," he said. "She was a sweetheart."
The actor also shared that the I Love Lucy legend gave him a special gift when the film wrapped.
"At the end of production, she gave me this Mickey Mouse watch, which I still have today," Labyorteaux said. "She was truly a sweetheart to me, even though I know she could be threatening to other people, but she was very protective, very sweet."
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This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 3:04 AM.