Miss Grant Takes Richmond

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Miss Grant Takes Richmond (1949) is a comedy starring Lucille Ball and William Holden, directed by Lloyd Bacon and released by Columbia Pictures. This light comedy centers around a bogus real estate company that serves as a front for a bookie operation.

Filmed two years before Lucille Ball's superstardom on television in I Love Lucy, this film offers her a chance to showcase her comedic talents. Ball and Holden have terrific on screen chemistry, and Miss Grant Takes Richmond was well received by critics and movie-goers in 1949.

William Holden's career, like Lucy's, would mushroom in the 1950's. He was just a year away from filming the blockbuster Sunset Boulevard, and Lucy was at the peak of her pre-television movie career. In the late 1940's, Lucy had a string of hit comedies such as Sorrowful Jones with Bob Hope and The Fuller Brush Girl (1950) with Eddie Albert, her first major release showcasing her talents for physical comedy.

Miss Grant Takes Richmond co-starred Buster Keaton, the great comedian from the silent films. Keaton and Ball had a lengthy history together including a number of comedy workshops. Keaton is credited with mentoring Lucille, including teaching her how to use props successfully in comedy.