Published: March 20, 2025 – Source: People
At the Netflix premiere event for The Residence, actor Bronson Pinchot—known for his role in the 1980s sitcom Perfect Strangers—shared an emotional memory of his brief but unforgettable encounter with the late Lucille Ball.
💬 “She Called Me… Just to Say She Loved My Show”
Pinchot recalled a day in 1986 when he was just starting out in television. Perfect Strangers had only aired a few episodes when Lucille Ball, then nearly 75 years old, reached out with a surprise phone call:
“She told me she didn’t miss an episode and that we reminded her of her and Desi. I was stunned.”
But the most touching moment came shortly after Ball’s own final show, Life with Lucy, was canceled. The two met in person, and Ball grasped Pinchot’s hand and said:
“They don’t need me anymore, but they need you. You know what you’re doing—keep doing it.”
Pinchot added:
“She wasn’t just a star—she was passing the torch. I still tear up thinking about it.”
🌟 Lucille’s Legacy Lives On
This touching story is one of several tributes leading up to I Love Lucy’s 74th anniversary later this year. Netflix, in collaboration with the Museum of Television and Radio, is planning a special retrospective screening event titled “Lucy Lives On”, set for October 2025.
