The clown who laughs on the outside but cries on the inside is an image that appeals irresistibly to the biographers of comedians. Time and again, they portray those with a gift for humor as embittered souls behind the greasepaint. Fortunately, Kathleen Brady avoids this cliche in Lucille: The Life of Lucille Ball (Hyperion; 397 pages; $24.95). Without ignoring the darker aspect's of Ball's life, Brady, a former Time reporter whose previous biography was of pioneering muckraker Ida Tarbell, portrays a woman of impressive determination and resilience.
Brought up in Jamestown, New York, by a fun-loving mother and a dismissive stepfather,...
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