THE MAGIC CARPET is notorious for one thing only: it was the movie that divided Lucille Ball's acting career neatly in two, for from here on she would be pioneering the Age of Television as Lucy Ricardo in "I Love Lucy", a show which over half a century after its release has been seen in practically every country in the world and has garnered her more notoriety than any meaty role, and more satisfaction that winning that golden statuette. However, at the time, she was taking a major risk which could become a hit or backfire miserably and Ball wasn't a particularly optimistic person, having toiled hard to crack the ceiling of her B-movie status. Pushing forty, completely washed up as a film actress as her talents had been ignored from every major studio, pregnant with daughter Lucie, struggling to make her marriage to Desi Arnaz work, she had read the message on the wall. It was best to be done with this mess and move on. Move on she did, and once she completed this poor excuse of an Arabian adventure, her foundling of a show shot to the top of the Nielsen ratings and made television history.
Review of The Magic Carpet
