5 Celebrities You Forgot Guest Starred On I Love Lucy

From 1951 to 1957, "I Love Lucy" was a massive hit. While it started off as a reboot of the radio sitcom "My Favorite Husband," the show took on a new cast (apart from Lucille Ball) and morphed into its own unique series. Ball's real-life husband, Desi Arnaz, overcame CBS' objections and starred as her on-screen spouse, Ricky Ricardo, and Vivian Vance and William Frawley co-starred as Ethel and Fred Mertz.

Although the action is primarily centered around the Ricardos and the Mertzes, there was plenty of room for guest stars. Given its status as the most-watched sitcom in the country for the majority of its run, "I Love Lucy" had no trouble harnessing major star power, like John Wayne and Orson Welles. On the flip side, it was also the perfect way to help launch the careers of up-and-comers.

While many other early shows faded into obscurity, "I Love Lucy" lives on, thanks to a groundbreaking three-film camera format that preserved the episodes, as well as decades and decades of syndication (an idea this series pioneered) and streaming. Even so, with 179 episodes, there's a lot of content to keep track of, so it's likely that even the most die-hard Lucy fans might not remember every episode. So let's take a look at some of the celebrities you may have forgotten about during this show's epic run.

Long before he became a renowned TV producer, Aaron Spelling started out as a theater director in Texas. Spelling's transition to acting was complete serendipity. "A man came up to me in the theater and said, 'You're a good director. Can you act?' 'Certainly,' I lied," Spelling recalled to emmy magazine in 1995 (via The Television Academy). That man just happened to be Jack Webb, and their encounter led to Spelling appearing on "Dragnet" in several small roles.

Two years after he started acting, Spelling landed a role on a 1955 episode of "I Love Lucy" called "Tennessee Bound." Spelling plays a man who lives in an abandoned gas station and gives directions to the Ricardos and Mertzes while they're lost on a road trip. While Spelling created a memorable character during the episode, it wasn't long before he decided to pivot from acting to writing, primarily at the behest of his then-wife, Carolyn Jones (who you may remember as Morticia on "The Addams Family").

Spelling and Ball's paths crossed a second time in 1986, when Spelling produced her final sitcom, "Life with Lucy." Despite his extensive resume, Spelling was astonished that Ball would request him, since he didn't have experience producing comedies. "I thought it was a joke," Spelling recalled to The Television Academy in 1999. Happily, when he contacted Ball, she was full of praise. Spelling reported that Ball simply said, "You're the best producer, and I love you."

Entertainment legend Bob Hope received top billing for his 1956 appearance on "I Love Lucy," in an episode called "Lucy and Bob Hope." Although Lucille Ball and Hope had already formed a strong professional bond working together in radio and films, this episode has Ball trying to get close to Hope by pretending to be a hot dog vendor at a baseball game. Ironically, another scene features Ball trying to convince Hope of her onstage talents. Of course, Hope knew her talents quite well. Years earlier, Hope proved how much he respected Ball when he agreed to forego a dialogue change he'd made for "Sorrowful Jones," keeping the scene sincere instead of comedic.

Not content to simply be a guest on "I Love Lucy," Hope did his own parody that same year. While Ball and Vivian Vance participated as their usual characters, Hope took over Desi Arnaz's role, and Arnaz played Fred Mertz instead of William Frawley (who plays a man named Captain Blystone). Lots of silly dialogue ensues, including a moment when Arnaz declares to Hope, "It could be worse. She could be my wife" (via Bob Hope and Clown Jewels).

Hope's friendship with Ball was lifelong. Besides working together after "I Love Lucy" ended, Hope hosted a special tribute to Ball after she died in 1989. After attesting that Ball's legacy would go on, he poignantly informed the audience, "Lucy handled the medium of television like she handled everything else: with grace and style."

Originally, Bea Benaderet was intended to have a much bigger role on "I Love Lucy" than just a guest spot. Benaderet was a prominent radio actor in the 1940s, starring in programs like "The Burns and Allen Show" and "My Favorite Husband." The birth of Lucille Ball's first child delayed "I Love Lucy," and Benaderet continued working with George Burns and Gracie Allen when they transitioned to TV. While multiple gigs were workable for radio, TV wasn't as flexible, and Ball was deeply disappointed when Benaderet couldn't play Ethel Mertz. "I cried," Ball informed Benaderet on her radio show, "Let's Talk to Lucy," in the 1960s. "Do you remember how I carried on?"

Fortunately, Benaderet had time in her schedule to guest star on the 1952 "I Love Lucy" episode "Lucy Plays Cupid." Benaderet had a reputation for being a shapeshifter in her roles, and this time she plays Miss Lewis, a character who's much older-looking than the then-45-year-old Benaderet (and with a style reminiscent of one of her other roles: Granny on "Looney Tunes"). Miss Lewis is secretly in love with the local grocer, and Lucy agrees to help kick-start their romance. The role offers plenty of comedic opportunities for Benaderet, particularly when Ball tries to instruct her in the art of romance.

Benaderet went on to star in "Petticoat Junction" (a somewhat forgotten hit TV show from the '60s) and voiced Betty Rubble on "The Flintstones." Although she and Ball didn't work together again, they had a lasting friendship until Benaderet died in 1968.

Although she's best known for her role in "The Bride of Frankenstein," Elsa Lanchester performed comedy acts decades before she guest-starred in "I Love Lucy." She also had quite a reputation for comedy, with one 1951 newsreel claiming Lanchester would be sought out anytime "a movie, television, or radio producer wants a guaranteed touch of comedy or unusual characterization in his show." During this same time, Lanchester also had a long-running comedic stage show. "Making a joke, especially impromptu, and getting a big laugh is just plain heaven," Lanchester wrote in her autobiography, "Elsa Lanchester, Herself."

Lanchester appeared in the 1956 "I Love Lucy" episode "Off to Florida," playing Mrs. Edna Grundy, a rather eccentric woman who drives from New York to Florida with Lucy (Lucille Ball) and Ethel (Vivian Vance). The comedy in this episode emanates primarily from a classic case of mistaken identity. Lucy and Ethel are convinced that Edna is a fugitive wanted for murder, while Edna suspects Lucy of being the escaped criminal.

Lanchester later guest-starred on another of Ball's series, "Here's Lucy" (a hit show from the '70s that's now largely forgotten). Ironically, that 1973 episode, "Lucy Goes to Prison," has similar themes. While we don't know how Lanchester felt about "I Love Lucy," she did give "Here's Lucy" a special shout-out in her autobiography, praising her role for being exceptionally well written.

Barbara Eden was at the beginning of her acting career when she appeared on the 1957 "I Love Lucy" episode, "Country Club Dance." Eden plays Diana Jordan, and she makes a dramatic entrance during an evening out. Fred Mertz (William Frawley), Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz), and Ralph Ramsey (Frank Nelson) all behave foolishly as they vie for the beautiful young Diana's attention.

Eden was a longtime fan of "I Love Lucy," and she happily accepted the role. While Lucy Ricardo, the character, is not a fan of Diana, off-screen, Lucille Ball and Eden developed a great rapport. Eden had been a little nervous, but Ball immediately set her at ease and personally added some extra embellishments to Eden's dress. In addition, Ball was so impressed with Eden's performance that she wanted to keep working with her. "She was so good to me," Eden recalled in a 2000 interview with The Television Academy. "Lucy had wanted to put me under contract because she thought I had good comedy timing." 

While Eden would have loved to continue working for Ball and Arnaz, their offer arrived just after she scored an opportunity from 20th Century Fox, so she decided to pursue film roles for a time. However, Ball's instincts about Eden's comedic abilities were spot-on, and by 1965, Eden found lasting fame starring on "I Dream of Jeannie."