The only time Lucy and Desi ever wrote love letters was during their separation when Desi fought in World War II.
Lucy, sweetheart.
You have no idea how happy you’ve made me. Really and fully happy. You’re a wonderful baby and I adore you. I always trust you, baby. But I am jealous. I can’t deny that. - Desi.
My baby,
You called about an hour or so ago. I’m kind of lonesome tonight. Kinda lost again. Desi, darling, please, don’t worry about me. Believe me, I wouldn’t do anything to make you unhappy. If you’re going to do the right thing, (…), we have nothing to worry about. Please believe that.
This is from A Home Movie, by Lucie Arnaz. Marcella Rabwin had been a close family friend.
"He would sit with me and cry. He would actually cry sometimes.
Talking about how much he loved her,and how terrible it was that they
were divorced and he loved her to his dying day.” - Marcella Rabwin
It is impossible not to see how much they loved each other.
They look like they had never filed for divorce, that they were still in love and happily married. I guess that the divorce was necessary because it was the only way they could still love each other just as much, before things could turn even uglier and irreconcilable.
Do follow me on Instagram, my user name is @welovelucilleball!
Here's Lucille in a publicity shot for the movie The Big Street.
According to Desi Arnaz, The Big Street was the movie he had seen Lucille reluctant to take up. Lucile had never failed to take up any challenge in her career, and of course, she played the meanest bitch in The Big Street and honestly, I feel that this was her best acting! Do watch it if you can.
Here's young Lucy. She was still a strawberry blonde then.
Here's young Desi and Lucille working hard on their farm. This was the period when both were idle due to lack of assignments, and they had the rare chance to really do things together.
Here's young Lucille and Desi, barely a few hours after eloping. The optimism about the love and the marriage was so obvious here. Maybe the marriage went sour, but their love never ever did. If there was one thing wrong with the marriage, it was too much passion.
According to the Triangular Theory of Love, in a romantic relationship, 3 components are essential: passion, commitment and intimacy.
1. Desi and Lucille had passion. No arguments about that.
2. Desi was emotionally committed. Lucille but never physically so, and that was one of the main problems. He remained emotionally committed to her till his dying breath though, so whatever is there to argue about the controversy between Cuban men's perception of love and sex and American women's perception of love and sex?
3. They always had intimacy. Even after the divorce, Desi and Lucy remained the best of friends. They spoke to each other almost nightly.
According to Vivian Vance in an interview, she actually felt that 3 out of the 4 cast members of I Love Lucy were miscast. Vivian Vance had always played the other woman in Broadway shows, William Frawley was a vaudevillian, Desi Arnaz was an orchestra leader.
However, that was what made the situational comedy so fantastic. The three of them were the few people who could handle Miss Ball. Bill had never tried to please anyone and in fact he had been known to be extremely ornery at times; Desi had a special knack of treating his wife, and he would give her tasks that others would never dare to, and Lucy had trusted his judgment wholeheartedly. And Viv, I love her! Viv had always been a forthright person who spoke her mind, and with a sardonic sense of humor at that. She had been known to be just as blunt to Lucy as Lucy did with her.
Viv's husband had always abused her emotionally and physically. Once, he taunted her with gossips about Lucy and Viv being lesbians, and she had been so emotionally affected that she almost experienced a breakdown. However, strong as she was, and with the mental support, when Vivian Vance accepted her Emmy award, she said in her thanks "I would like to thank Miss Lucille Ball, the greatest straight woman in the world!" and that clarified things. Imagine addressing this sensitive issue back in the 1950s, on television!Viv could actually represent the modern woman!
I suppose these tough people really made Lucy respect them. She respected people who had spunk and not cower in fear when they had to work with her.
"I'm going to learn to love that bitch!" -Vivian Vance.
Of course, Vivian and Lucille had clashes, but they adored each other like sisters. I mean, think about it: people who don't have clashes with others are great hypocrites. The more you love another individual, the more occasions there will be where you just have to fight with him or her.
There was a long time ago when I thought that Vivian Vance's contract had stated that she had to gain a substantial amount of weight in order to look fatter on television. I was quite disturbed by it because it's inherently wrong, but thankfully, I delved more into this gigantic rumor by reading books, autobiographies and watching those television shows that sparked off this rumor. Today, I find it sad it that many people think members of the Desilu Productions would be so nasty enough to force Vivian Vance to gain 20 pounds of weight. I've read several books and autobiographies and it confirmed that THIS IS NOT TRUE at all. It is simply a huge misconception and once and for all, I would like to clear it.
There are many ways to make a person look fat and frumpy on television. Vivian was forced to wear bras of smaller cup sizes, tighter skirts and girdles, and to dye her hair a dishwater blonde and to style it unfashionably, but she was never ever forced to gain weight. You know how nasty gossips can fuel and go down in history books as "facts". Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball themselves have disproved this piece of gossip. The only thing they ever did was to give her a gag gift at a party. Desi and Lucy both knew the emotional insecurities Viv had and wanted to help her, and Viv herself, just like Lucy, like to encourage certain gossips. Later on, during a television talk show, Vivian brought the fake contract gag gift and read it out loud but had clarified that it was a joke. However, since then, people misunderstood about it.
Here's an immediate proof, from IMDb. I mean, IMDb won't publish things that don't ring true, would it? Legend has it that a clause in her television contract required her to
stay 10 pounds heavier than costar/producer Lucille Ball. Actually, this
contract never existed, at least not in legal, binding form. It was a
mock contract given to Vance by Ball as a gag gift sparking the legend
it was a real contract.
http://m.imdb.com/name/nm0888573/trivia
The second evidence is an excerpt from a book, Lucy A to Z: The Lucille Ball Encyclopedia. The author, Michael Karol had no reason to lie. He had spoken to people who had been present at the party when the gag gift was given, and he had viewed the TV show when the contract was read out.
Lastly, I would like to point out that even the "girl writer", Madelyn Pugh Davis, never believed that Vivian Vance was forced to gorge herself with food to look fatter. She is the best source because she had a longstanding professional relationship with the big stars and she knew their tendency to exaggerate things was phenomenal.
If you still aren't convinced by me, I can present more evidences.
No one ever pointed out to Viv that she had been lying, because of the personal relationship that the cast and crew members had shared. People knew about her frequent emotional breakdowns. Playing Ethel Mertz, the second banana to Lucy Ricardo wasn't easy. On top of it, she had been romantically linked to Fred Mertz, a man much older than herself. She felt that it was unglamorous and she disliked it.Vivian had lied that she was younger than Lucille, but in fact, she was 3 years older.
I feel that there's nothing wrong with lying about all of these. These are all harmless gossips, not slandering or hurtful. After all, big celebrities faced (and still face) astounding levels of stress that you and I will never fathom. It also goes to show that they're only human.
If you're interested in knowing about this wonderful actress who loved Lucille Ball, take a look at the trivia: http://www.whosdatedwho.com/tpx_30094/vivian-vance/trivia
Ahem... a little dirty joke, yet appropriate still! I must hand it to her.
Lucille and Desi Arnaz appeared as guest stars in I've Got a Secret. Catch them in action out of the script of I Love Lucy, you'll love them!
I love it that Lucy was one of the few people who could pronounce her husband's name correctly. It's De-Si, not De-Zi.
Many of the fans of Desi/Lucy have been wondering how life was after their divorce. I've seen claims from romantic people that they had never stopped loving each other, but a cynical side of me sometimes questions the verity. Thankfully, people who had been around these two lovely people had bore witness to the love that had been eternal. Here's what I found: An interview excerpt from Candy Moore, who played Lucille Carmichael's daughter in The Lucy Show.
When rehearsals for the first episode of The Lucy Show
commenced on July 12, Desi presented Lucille with a kiss and a good-luck
emblem of a tiny four-leaf clover crafted from antique emerald jade.
“It was a fabulous piece of jewelry,” recalls Candy Moore. “But
that wasn’t the point. The point was that he adored her to the extent
that he was thoughtful enough to give her such a smashing gift. She
cried. They had a lot of tenderness and love between them.”
Desi
climbed a soundstage catwalk and watched Lucy rehearse a scene,
prompting him to break into tears. Vivian went to him and the two
embraced. “Oh, Desi,” she sobbed, “it isn’t the same, is it?”
If you really think of it, the fundamental reason for the separation of the two lovebirds is actually because of the traumatic childhoods they had suffered.
Desi had been born a prince, but his worldly belongings and privileged way of life have all been immorally snatched from him when he was still too young to comprehend what revolution is. All he knew was that his father had been a great political leader who had fought relentlessly for his people. Now, it is damaging for a kid because I'm sure you all know how children stand up for justice when they are young. When Desi finally had success as the president of Desilu Productions, he aimed for more and more, probably to compensate all that he hadn't have when he was young, probably to let his wife and children enjoy abundance of wealth, probably to reassure himself of his manliness, capability and standing in Hollywood, but was constantly outshone by his wife's success. It's not easy for a Cuban man, any man in fact to take this. Imagine the constant struggle to come to terms with it, to shrug off the devil because of his passion for his wife.
Desi had been taunted while serving his country during World War II. He had been called Mr Ball too many times, I suppose his ego was permanently damaged. No one back then ever credited him for the success of I Love Lucy. In fact, I'm sure that not a lot of people know that he was essentially the brains behind the top comedy ever made. He was the the executive producer who okayed every major and minor decision, the talent who could read the scripts once through and be able to memorize them. He was the one who played Ricky Ricardo such that Lucy Ricardo had room to shine. He helped to pioneer the 3-camera technique which became today's format for any situational comedy.
I suppose the complications and pressures drove him to forms of escapism. What else but whores and alcohol?
Lucille Ball had a beautiful childhood of 3 years before it changed overnight and became a complete nightmare. Her kind and loving father died suddenly, and after her mother remarried, young Lucy was forced to live with her stepfather's parents who in short, forever damaged her psychologically. Lucy became a perfectionist who felt that no matter what she did, she did not deserve the success and this trait worsened when she aged. When poor Lucy finally came back to live with her mother and family, she found herself barely the age of 10 but the head of the family. Moreover, similar to Desi Arnaz, Lucy had witnessed the evil deeds human beings could exhibit. As her grandfather was being accused of negligent shooting of a young boy, the whole town watched on and thrived on the tragical event. Overnight, angels turned into devils. The law never protected her family, but made a happy old man turn depressed overnight with the ugly accusations, with the confiscation of every single penny he ever earned. As a teenager, Lucy was a rebellious girl and had an extremely ill reputation in Jamestown, but most of the onlookers never understood her need to release her pent up anger, mainly her anger at the unfairness of the world.
Lucy was fiercely independent and self-sufficient. She practically rose to become a millionaire from being a penniless girl. I've never known of anyone else to have worked as diligently as she did, and selfless at that, because she supported her entire family once she started working. She supported her family her entire life. She was filial, loyal and level headed, and she had to fall in love with the man who was as different from her as the sun from moon. This fatal attraction made her both the happiest and saddest woman on earth.
No other person has ever loved anyone the way Lucy loved Desi. Imagine the constant conflicting values that troubled her for almost two decades. She loved Desi Arnaz, put up with the humiliation and never gave up on him, but his faults (alcoholism and philandering) drove her so crazy that she became more blunt and cold. Nearing the end of their marriage, the only common ground that she shared with Desi was I Love Lucy. For half an hour a week, she was able to pretend marital bliss with the great love of her life, and therefore, she was fiercely protective of the sitcom. She would not allow any actor to louse it up.
I've always thought that love would conquer all. I realize that I've been naive. It takes more than love to maintain marital bliss. One would say that if we love a person enough, we would change for him or her. Is it really possible to change the traits that you have formed at a young age? Is it really possible to undo the damages that were done on you when you were an impressionable kid? Is it really possible to change what society has taught you?
I'm very sure that in spite of the separation, Desi and Lucy loved none else but each other. People marry for all sorts of reasons. Lucy admitted that she liked Gary and was looking for family stability. Desi had always admitted freely to anyone who had the guts to ask him if he was still in love with Lucy, years after the painful divorce. Desi and Lucy corresponded on the phone almost every night since the divorce.
2 days before Desi's death, Lucy finally removed her defensive shield and said to Desi "I love you, I love you, Desi, I love you", and Desi said his "I love you too, honey", his tone full of love, regret and sorrow, and imagine how he felt: he knew he was on his way to the other side of the world and he had to leave the love of his life behind forever. He spoke to Lucy and no one else, and who else would he think of in his deathbed? Lucy.
Lucy lived another 2 years, but she hadn't wanted to live after Desi's death. Following his death, her emotional and physical health. In medical terms, she died of heart failure. In my opinion, she died of a broken heart.
For two people who have brought the world such profound happiness, they sure led tragic lives.
Thank you TV Guide, for remembering the Queen of Comedy, Lucille Ball. I'm so touched!
No one can outshine Lucy. As I've commented on the YouTube video, Lucille Ball had everything: looks, grace, charm, physical antics, facial expressions, body language, voice changes, voice intonations, disguise, deadpan, vaudeville, gay 90s revue, different characters, slapstick, clowning, Chaplin's silent comedy... Most important, she had class. She didn't use racial jokes, sex, drugs or alcohol, and she didn't hurt anyone's feelings or put anyone down throughout her reign on TV. I think she paved the way for future comedic actresses.
Most important, like what Desi Arnaz said, Lucy could have her face full of pie and a man would still want to go to bed with her.
A comedic actress should never lose her feminine appeal when she's funny.
I feel so happy that Lucy has this wonderful official label of being the funniest woman on TV. I mean, the most recognized people of Old Hollywood were Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland and Audrey Hepburn Hepburn. I'm sorry but I feel that many of these actresses were overrated, especially Marilyn. There were wonderful actresses such as Katharine Hepburn, Carole Lombard Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Vivien Leigh, Betty Grable, Grace Kelly, Ginger Rogers, Esther Williams, Elizabeth Taylor, Debbie Reynolds, Bette Davis, Lauren Bacall, Rita Hayworth, Ava Gardner, Lucille Ball, AND MANY MORE.
So why just Marilyn? Why just Judy? Why just Audrey? Watch AFI's top actress of all time, Katharine Hepburn act in a movie and you'll never see her the same way again. Watch Lucille Ball in The Big Street and Lured and you'll never see her as just a clown again. Watch Ginger Rogers dance with Fred Astaire and you'll never forget her.
Here are some of my favorite pictures of Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, and some of their fans have been requesting for these pictures, so there you go!
My personal favorite: Young Desi and Lucy, so obviously in love with each other and their adorable dogs.
I suppose taking pictures during World War II was very important, because the wife would never know if her husband would ever return home. This picture is so poignant in a way, and endearing. It's also one of my personal favorites. The way Desi looks at Lucy... aw.
Lucy looking fabulous in her 50s!
Desilu Productions, with the president and vice president working with MGM to produce some awesome technicolor movies. Desi must have been so proud of Desilu Productions. For once, Desi's name came first, and Lucy didn't mind that at all. If you have noticed, I try my best to put Desi's name first when I discuss the both of them. No one gives him credit, and no one knows about it, but Desi Arnaz was really an intelligent man. He was great in business, scripts, everything!
Don't ever say that Desi and Lucille's kids are untalented.
In fact, I think they are more talented than their parents. I mean, even Desi Sr and Lucille admitted that.
Look at how talented Desi Jr. is with the percussion and all. And look at the way Lucie sings and dances. Wow!
She'd put cabbage on the rice...
And the pickled dill.
Ha ha!
Cuban Pete, Sally Sweet! This is from the cover of a magazine. Do you know which magazine it is? The magazine also appeared as a prop. The Ricardos and Mertzes had a fight and Ricky and Lucy were about to move out of the house. Fred and Ethel come into their apartment to give them back their stuff, and if you notice hard enough, you'll notice the magazine on the coffee table!
Always elegant!
This is one of my favorite pictures of Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. So Old Hollywood, so romantic, so nightclub-ish...
This is a publicity picture for the movie Lured (wonderful movie, trust me, Lucy was PERFECT!), and has been requested by one of my @welovelucilleball followers on Instagram. Sorry for the long wait, here you go!
Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball on the set of The Long, Long Trailer, eating watermelons during a break. If you're familiar in Liza Minnelli who appeared in Sex and the City 2 and sang Single Ladies, you'll be interested to know that her father, Vincente Minnelli was the director of the movie!
This is the saddest picture I've ever seen, taken the first time they worked together on Here's Lucy, the first time since they filed for divorce. The agony, regret and miss from both their faces just broke my heart. Why must people do things and regret later.
This is the most beautiful picture of them. Sure, they looked old and wrinkled and shriveled up, but the love that shone through till they grew old...
