Lucy and Desi – The Enduring Love Story Behind TV’s Comedy Hit

In the 1950s, we all loved Lucy. The redhaired comedian and the Cuban band leader made an unlikely pair. But together Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz created one of TV’s most popular comedies and, eventually, Desilu, a successful production studio whose shows also included StarTrek, Mission Impossible, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Hogan’s Heroes, and The Untouchables. Their storybook marriage landed them on the covers of newspapers and magazines. And when Lucy became pregnant with their second child, her pregnancy was written into the show’s second season, a groundbreaking move at that time.

Lucy and Desi are back in the spotlight. Being the Ricardos, starting Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem, is nominated for several Academy Awards, while a documentary, Lucy and Desi, directed by Amy Poehler, is now available on Amazon Prime. Both productions put aside the comedy to delve into the personal lives and careers of the talented couple. While Being the Ricardos is well done and entertaining, Poehler’s documentary allows us to hear directly from Lucy and Desi thanks to dozens of audio tapes they recorded over the years that were made available to the production by their daughter, Lucie Arnaz.  Along the way we hear from stars Lucy mentored, including Carol Burnett and Bette Midler, as well as the descendants of those who worked on I Love Lucy.

A young Lucille Ball (Photo Credit: Courtesy of George Rinhart / Getty Images)

Lucy was born in Jamestown, New York, and, after her father died, was raised by her mother and grandfather. After a rifle accident on their property, the family lost everything and was forced to relocate. Lucy’s grandfather had been in vaudeville and sparked Lucy’s interest in performing. When she was a teen, she moved to New York and found work as a model. She was cast as a showgirl (replacing another woman who dropped out), and went to California where she filmed The Goldwyn Girls, starring Eddie Cantor. She never looked back.

Desi Arnaz (Photo Credit: Courtesy of Desilu)

Desi was raised by a wealthy family in Santiago de Cuba. His father was the city’s mayor, his uncle the chief of police. The family hoped that Desi would become a lawyer or doctor. In 1933, when he was 14, the Cuban revolution drove his family from power and he landed in Miami with nothing in his pocket. He earned $15 a week cleaning canary cages. He was inspired by another Cuban, Xavier Cugat, and was soon playing in the older man’s band. After learning everything he could from Cugat, he started his own band and began to tour.

Lucy and Desi met while filming the 1940 RKO musical comedy Too Many Girls and were married six months later. But over the next nine years, they spent little time together since Lucy was busy in Hollywood and Desi was on the road with his band. 

Lucy and Desi (Photo credit: Courtesy of Desilu)

In 1948, CBS, finally being made aware of Lucy’s comedic talents, put her on the radio in the series, My Favorite Husband. It was a hit and CBS decided to bring the program to TV. While CBS wanted to to showcase an all-American couple, Lucy’s influence was felt when she won her battle to have Desi cast as her husband. She also began a long business relationship with the producer, Jess Oppenheimer, often credited with being the “brains” behind I Love Lucy.

Knowing that Lucy was at her best when performing live, Desi convinced CBS to record the show in front of an audience. Before each episode was filmed, Desi and Lucy would come out and talk to the audience, a treat certainly enjoyed by those sitting in the bleachers. 

While Being the Ricardos suggests there was tension between Lucy and Vivian Vance who played Ethel, the documentary gives no traction to that narrative, but does say that Vance never liked William Frawley, who played Fred. More than 22 years younger than Frawley, Vance objected to his being cast as her husband.

Filming before a live audience (Photo credit: Courtesy of Bettman/Getty Images)

Like so many Hollywood stars in the 1950s, Lucy was accused of being a Communist. Her explanation that she signed up to please her grandfather was eventually accepted and she was cleared by none other than J. Edgar Hoover. Desi, in particular, was offended by the charge after what he and his family went through in Cuba. He said: “The only thing red about her is her hair, and even that isn’t legitimate.” At the same time, he often talked about how he could go from cleaning canary cages to being a force in Hollywood. “I don’t think there are any other countries in the world that can give you that opportunity. Thank you America,” he said when receiving an award.

The fairytale marriage began to fall apart and after filming the last episode of I Love Lucy, the couple divorced. Lucy went on to star in The Lucy Show, while Desi ran Desilu productions. While each remarried, Lucy to Gary Morton, and Desi to Edith Hirsch, they continued to work together, perhaps even better than when they were married. And when Desi was nearing death, Lucie held the phone so her mother could say goodbye. Lucie said she heard, “I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.” He responded, “I love you, too.”

On December 7, 1986, Lucy was a Kennedy Centers Honors recipient. Desi was supposed to introduce her award, but had died three days earlier. In his place, Robert Stack, who had starred in The Untouchables, took his place and quoted Desi as saying, “I Love Lucy was never just a title.” 

Top photo: Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz At home in Chatsworth, CA. 1942. Photo credit: Courtesy of Gabi Rona/Ruth Orkin/ Sid Avery/mptvimages.com