Lucille Ball, the iconic queen of comedy, left an indelible mark on Hollywood that extended far beyond her unforgettable laughter and groundbreaking television shows.

Yet behind the charm, wit, and bright red hair, Ball was also a keen observer of human nature, particularly the darker sides of the entertainment world.

Through interviews, private conversations, and countless behind-the-scenes moments, she quietly exposed some of the most notorious personalities in Hollywood—actresses whose public grace masked a ruthless, sometimes cruel, reality.

While the world adored them on screen, Lucille saw the truth behind the smiles: ambition, manipulation, and in some cases, cruelty.

Today, her candid assessments of seven actresses reveal a side of classic Hollywood rarely discussed.

Ava Gardner: The Beauty That Bit

Among the women Ball quietly criticized, Ava Gardner stood out.

Gardner, known for her breathtaking beauty and magnetic screen presence, also displayed a sharp, almost predatory cruelty.

Lucille remembered an incident during an MGM wardrobe fitting in the mid-1960s where a young assistant presented Ava with a dress that had a minor flaw.

Ava’s reaction was chilling: she dismissed the girl with a cold, cutting remark, “Don’t bother fixing it.

You can’t fix incompetence with more incompetence.

” The room fell silent, and the girl froze in humiliation.

To Ball, this wasn’t typical diva behavior—it was intentional, the taking of pleasure in another’s discomfort.

The cruelty didn’t end there.

At a cocktail party shortly afterward, Gardner publicly derided Ball herself, calling her “the washed-up clown” in a deliberate, humiliating jab.

Lucille Ball believed Ava Gardner’s beauty blinded others to the malice beneath, remarking privately, “If she hadn’t been beautiful, no one would have tolerated who she really was.

” While Gardner’s allure endured as a Hollywood legend, Ball’s personal memory of her remained one of contempt.

Judy Garland: Genius and Chaos

Judy Garland’s story is more complex.

Widely celebrated as one of Hollywood’s brightest stars, Garland’s immense talent came paired with instability that often caused collateral damage.

Ball acknowledged Garland’s brilliance but privately criticized the havoc she left behind.

Chronic tardiness, missed performances, and unpredictability cost crew members their jobs and disrupted productions.

One notorious incident involved a crew waiting from dawn until mid-afternoon for Garland to arrive, only for her to perform briefly and then declare herself too exhausted to continue.

Production delays meant cost overruns, and others had to bear the consequences.

Ball’s critique wasn’t rooted in a lack of empathy; she understood the pressures Garland faced and the toll of the studio system.

However, she firmly believed talent did not justify harming others, emphasizing, “Talent doesn’t give you the right to destroy other people’s careers.

” In Ball’s eyes, Garland’s life was both a triumph of artistry and a cautionary tale of unchecked genius.

Zsa Zsa Gabor: Charm as a Weapon

Zsa Zsa Gabor represented a different type of danger—one masked in charm.

Ball saw through the public persona to a woman who weaponized elegance and sweetness to intimidate and manipulate.

An incident at a charity event in the 1960s exemplified this: when a volunteer accidentally brushed against Gabor’s coat, she whispered a threat that was sugar-coated but clearly menacing, warning the girl she would ruin her career if it happened again.

For Lucille, this performative cruelty was worse than overt anger—it disarmed people, fooled the world, and disguised malice as sophistication.

She remarked, “Nothing about her is real.

Not the accent, not the elegance, not even the kindness.

” To Ball, Gabor’s duplicity made her particularly insidious, and she never forgave the actress for it.

Bette Davis: Talent Tempered with Ferocity

Bette Davis was renowned for her talent and intense on-screen presence, yet Ball recognized a side of Davis that was unrelenting and cruel off-camera.

At industry events, Davis often belittled staff and colleagues, turning minor mistakes into public humiliations.

Ball, who valued professionalism and integrity, found this behavior unacceptable.

What disturbed Ball most was the combination of extraordinary talent with unkindness.

In her view, someone as gifted as Davis had a responsibility to uplift others rather than tear them down.

Lucille’s observation of Davis revealed a philosophy she held close throughout her career: greatness should be paired with compassion, and cruelty is never excusable, no matter how brilliant the individual.

Joan Crawford: Glamour Concealing Ice

Joan Crawford, the epitome of old Hollywood glamour, left a lasting impression on Lucille Ball—but not a positive one.

Ball described Crawford as elegance masking a cold, calculating heart.

A famous encounter on the set of Here’s Lucy solidified this opinion.

When a young wardrobe assistant presented Crawford with a dress showing a minor flaw, Crawford verbally assaulted the girl, calling her “a useless little nothing” and demanding her dismissal.

Ball refused, but the episode left a lasting mark.

To Ball, Crawford’s treatment of those without power revealed her true nature.

Underneath the dazzling exterior was a woman who performed humanity rather than living it—a performance that Ball found unforgivable.

Crawford’s combination of style and cruelty made her, in Ball’s eyes, uniquely chilling.

Shelley Winters: The Unpredictable Storm

Shelley Winters’s brilliance as an actress was undeniable, but her off-camera behavior was volatile and unpredictable.

Ball described Winters as “a storm in a dress,” capable of sudden outbursts that left people fearful.

Whether at public events or private meetings, Winters could erupt in anger over perceived slights, from script suggestions to minor recognition issues.

Ball observed that Winters’s behavior often seemed strategic, designed to manipulate situations through intimidation.

While Winters’s talent was unquestioned, Ball saw her unpredictability as dangerous—a lesson in how unchecked temper and ego could disrupt both careers and lives.

Vivian Vance: From Rivalry to Loyalty

Perhaps the most surprising name on Ball’s list was Vivian Vance, her co-star and eventual close friend.

The early years of I Love Lucy were fraught with tension.

Ball, concerned that Vance was too attractive to play the older, dowdier Ethel, insisted on contractual stipulations about her weight—a demand Vance found humiliating.

The actresses clashed frequently, with accusations and resentment on both sides.

Yet over time, their relationship transformed.

Mutual respect and understanding replaced early antagonism, and Vance became one of Ball’s closest allies until her death in 1979.

This evolution demonstrated Ball’s nuanced perspective: she recognized that relationships in Hollywood could be complicated and that even friction could evolve into loyalty and deep friendship.

Lucille Ball: The Woman Who Saw It All

Lucille Ball herself was a force of innovation, professionalism, and comedic genius.

Her career spanned decades and mediums, from early modeling and Broadway to iconic film roles and television triumphs.

She broke barriers as a female studio head, leading Desilu Productions and producing legendary shows such as Mission: Impossible and Star Trek.

With thirteen Primetime Emmy nominations, five wins, two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and countless other awards, Ball’s influence is immeasurable.

Her personal life was equally rich and complex.

She navigated marriage to Desi Arnaz, balancing love, infidelity, and family, and later found stability with comedian Gary Morton.

Through all of it, she maintained a remarkable professionalism and resilience that guided her through the highs and lows of Hollywood.

Ball’s passing in 1989 marked the end of an era, but her legacy endures through awards, tributes, museums, and public admiration.

She was a pioneer for women in entertainment, a master of comedy, and a shrewd observer of human nature.

Her candid observations about Ava Gardner, Judy Garland, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Shelley Winters, and even early conflicts with Vivian Vance reveal a woman who understood the difference between public persona and private character.

She saw talent, ambition, and beauty—but she also saw the ways these qualities could be wielded destructively.

In reflecting on Lucille Ball’s life and insights, one can appreciate not only her immense contributions to television and film but also her enduring wisdom about human behavior.

Hollywood may have been glittering on the surface, but Ball never hesitated to look beneath, recognizing the power dynamics, cruelty, and manipulation that shaped the industry.

Her revelations offer a timeless lesson: charisma and talent may dazzle, but true character is revealed in how one treats those who have no power to fight back.

Lucille Ball’s life and legacy remind us that behind every laugh, every glamorous smile, and every iconic performance lies a story of resilience, integrity, and unflinching honesty.

She celebrated talent, but she never romanticized cruelty.

In her eyes, Hollywood was both a playground of dreams and a stage for testing human character—and she navigated it with brilliance, courage, and a moral compass that continues to inspire generations.