Actor MARTIN SHORT was once involved in a mid-air argument with LUCILLE BALL, after the legendary actress accused him of repeatedly kicking her seat.
Short and his friend were amazed when Ball and her manager sat in front of them in first class on a flight between New York and Los Angeles in the mid-1980s.
But Short, who starred on U.S. television show SCTV Network at the time, was shocked when Ball started to complain about his behaviour, resulting in his being asked to move to business class.
He says, "About 20 minutes into the flight she gets up - I’m sat behind her and turns around and says, ‘Excuse me.’ And I’m thinking, ‘Oh my God, Lucille Ball’s recognised me.’ She goes, ‘You’ve kicked the back of my seat about three times. Will you stop doing that. Thanks.’ "So I don’t get it. Then about 15 minutes later she gets up and says, ‘Look.
I asked you nice before and I’m going to ask you again - stop kicking the back of my seat.’ "I’ve done nothing. I didn’t know what was going on. About 15 minutes later after that, the stewardess comes up and says, ‘I’ve been asked by someone on the plane if you two (Short and his friend) would keep it down a little bit.’ "So I, trying to make my point, say, ‘I know where that’s coming from, it’s coming from the couple in front and they’ve been obnoxious since the start of this flight.’ "At which point Lucille gets up again and says, ‘Look, you kicked the back of my chair 15 times…’ And I was scared; this is not the Lucille I knew.
"So I said, pointing at her, ‘You’re a sick lady,’ or something like that.
She looked at me and went, ‘Barry!’ And the guy with her came up and said, ‘What are you pointing at little boy?’ And he grabbed at my finger.
"The stewardess came up and suggested - it was a packed first class - that we move into business." Ball died in 1989 aged 77.
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