November 12, 2025 • 33 mins
On a Malibu beach in 1940, Desi Arnaz meets Lucille Ball—and two months later they elope. As their fiery romance collides with wartime America, Desi’s accent keeps him boxed into stereotypes… until World War II reroutes his path: USO tours, a breakout turn in Bataan (1943), and a new reputation as more than a “Latin novelty.” Meanwhile, Lucy’s film career plateaus, pushing both toward the medium that will change everything. In a parallel thread, Wilmer Valderrama reveals how embracing his own accent birthed “Fez” on That ’70s Show—echoing Desi’s lesson that what sets you apart can make you a star. Love, reinvention, and the drumbeat toward television—right up to Lucy and Desi’s first divorce.
Featuring: Wilmer Valderrama (That ’70s Show, NCIS, Encanto)
Topics: Desi Arnaz, Lucille Ball, Too Many Girls, Malibu elopement, USO tours, Bataan (1943), WWII Hollywood, accent & representation, Wilmer’s “Fez” origin, road to television.
Starring: Desi Arnaz and Wilmer Valderrama is produced by WV Sound in partnership with iHeart’s My Cultura Podcast Network.
Starring: Desi Arnaz and Wilmer Valderrama is written by Erick Galindo and narrated by Wilmer Valderrama. It is produced by Sophie Spencer-Zavos and Leo Klemm, with special help from Angel Lopez Galindo.
Executive producers are Wilmer Valderrama and Erick Galindo.
This episode was edited and engineered by Sean Tracy and features original music by Halo Boy and Madison Davenport. Cover art illustration by Lindsey Mound.
Voice Acting by Eddie Mujica, Danielle Koenig, Asher Muldoon, Alejandro Maciel, Jose Leon, Lorena Russi, Jesus Hernandez Blanco, Andy Vargas, Christian Valderrama, and Miguel Salinas
Clips from Harold Lloyd Master Seminar with Lucille Ball © 1974, courtesy of the American Film Institute.
For more podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeartRadio app or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's full in Los Angeles, which means we have perfect
weather to go to the beach. And that's exactly where
I was in September of nineteen forty, outside Eddie Brackens's
house in Malibu. Eddie was my friend and the star
of Too Many Girls, a hit Broadway musical we both
(00:23):
performed in.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
I played a charming Cuban college student.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
The show was a smash, so naturally Hollywood wanted to
turn it into a movie, and they brought most of
the original cast out to California, including me and Eddie.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
To celebrate.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
I rented a big place in Malibu and invited the
whole cast out, and of course I took the first
love of my life, Freckles, with me. She had just
arrived by train a few days ago, and oh it
was quite a reunion, if you know what I mean. Hey,
I hadn't seen in weeks. But if I'm being honest,
(01:03):
I was a little distracted. I couldn't stop thinking about
the other night I had spent all night dancing with
this home of a woman. She was engaged. So I
took her home and I said good night. Oh funny stuff.
You know, I certainly learned my lesson about messing with
taking ladies. But I still couldn't get her out of
(01:25):
my head. So I tell Freckles, hey, I'm going for
a walk. You know, I'll be right back. I leave
her in Eddie's big house and stroll along the beach,
and that's when I hear her voice.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
How's my dance instructor, Lucille?
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Well, how the hell do you do? And I was
just thinking about you, and here you are.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
And I was just sitting here thinking, what's cuban for
your blocking my son? Sorry, I'm a kidder. The truth
is I had a lovely time at El Zarape last night.
It was like a great film. I almost wished it
wouldn't end.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Yeah, me too, Well how.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
About we make a sequel? Have a seat?
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Who And that was it. I never went back to Freckles.
Lucille Lucy, I mean I never liked that name.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Lucille.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
That's what her fiance and every man before me called her.
Lucy was mine. That night, after the beach she called
off her engagement, and just like that, we were off
to the races.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
Come on, Daisy, take me dancing dancing.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
No, we're not going dancing tonight, Oh, Lucy and I.
We fought over everything. She wanted the windows open and
I liked them closed. She wanted to spend time in Milwaukee.
I assumed she was sleeping with the mayor. Meanwhile, I
was on the road with the or for too many girls.
She assumed I was sleeping with too many girls.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
You're gonna be there, You're gonna be talking to some
girls sitting next to you.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
I know, I know what you girl.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
If another girl says hello, I have to say hello too.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
I'm not gonna be rude.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
I prefer you'd be a little more rude. I'll tell
you that much.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
And what, Lucy, You're gonna go to the club and
you're gonna dance, and some guy wants I'm not.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Going to the club without you. She's exactly why I
need you to come with me so I can have
a night, get my wiggles out.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Look, who's finally home? Man? You have your little meeting
with your director. What does this guy have that I
don't have?
Speaker 3 (03:35):
You assume the worst.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
I don't assume. I know. I know, Lucy, I know
what you can do.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Like you haven't done anything wrong.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Okay, I'm talking about you. And now you're bringing up
what I do.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
And then you are you are saying, oh, there.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
It is, you will say it. No, you've been waiting
to say that word for so long. Go ahead. What
else am I?
Speaker 3 (03:52):
It's scoundrels, are sitting as if you've never done anything.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
I don't say I do nothing wrong.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Just a dinner.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Yeah, I'm sure you both left satisfied from that dinner.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
I bet that we did.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
We left full and satisfying. Well, I'm not interested in
doing that.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
United to state what you shure. You don't want to
go get some dessert? Is that what you want?
Speaker 3 (04:10):
You know what? Leave me alone, don't talk to me.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
I'm sorry, Lucy, I just get so worked up.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
You know I can't stay mad at you.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Come here, let me give you a kiss. We argued,
made up, broke up, got back together.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
It was passionate, chaotic, and two months later, almost of
the day we met, we got married, a quickie wedding
by a judge in Connecticut. The only problem was I
had a show that night at the Roxy, so we
got a police escort to rush us back across the
state line to New York. Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like
(04:55):
you to meet my wife.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
As just hours ago.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Huh, I'd never gotten a reception like that. The club
management was aces really just ass They even gave everyone
in the audience rise. They gave the rice and they
cave through the rise. He came down on us like
the first snowfall of winter in the city.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
He was beautiful that night.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
That was the best thing to come out of my
too many girls Hollywood experience.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
You know, they don't get me wrong. And making the
film was a blast. But the movie is not as
good as the musical.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Still it taught me something very important about what it
takes to make a start. Van Johnson, he was just
a chorus boy in the Broadway show and again in
the film. But when we are screened the movie for
the test audience, they all wrote the same thing on
their little comment cards. Who's the tall redheaded guy? Van
(06:03):
was a star in the making And you can't fake that.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
If you can't force it.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Stars, you know, they jump out the screen and into
the audience's hard. Then he had that, and Lucy well
she was about to find out if she had it to.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
You're listening to starring the real life story of the
Latin immigrant who basically invented the modern Hollywood system, But
first the Japanese bomb Pearl.
Speaker 5 (06:42):
Harbor on December seventh, nineteen forty one. Japan, like its
infamous Access partners, struck first and declared war afterwards. Costly
to our navy it was the loss of war vessels, airplanes,
and equipment, But more costly to Japan was the effectiveness
of its attack and immediately unifying America in its determination
(07:03):
to fight and win the war thrust upon it, and
to win the peace that will follow.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
In this episode, we get into Dessi and Lucy's roller
coaster marriage and equally wild ride of a career as
they both tried to navigate a change in America on
the verge of World War two.
Speaker 6 (07:29):
That and more.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
After the break, I want to finish telling you about
(07:54):
my audition for Teenage Wasteline, and I'll tell you why
in a bit. So let's go to the spring of
nineteen ninety eight. My audition for Teenage Wasteline was off
to a weird start, to say the least. All right,
I was nervous, but in the zone until I saw
this young cocky actor come in and take a sip
of water. I nearly lost it because I know it
(08:18):
sounds crazy, but that's what auditioning us to you. Thankfully,
the actor would later become one of my greatest friends.
Speaker 6 (08:25):
But I didn't know that then.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
All I knew was that I wanted, no, actually, I
needed to land this role. My family was at financial
rock bottom, and it felt like a lot was writing
on me getting one of the leads on this pilot. Okay,
so here's how it works, and it's kind of crazy,
and you're going to think it's crazy when you hear it.
(08:49):
But before you audition for a TV pilot, they make
you sign the contract. You don't have the part, but
they make you sign the contract, which tells you exactly
how much you're potentially going to make if you're hired.
This contract said that I made fifteen thousand dollars for
the pilot. The pilot is a first episode of any show,
right they call it a pilot.
Speaker 6 (09:06):
If I got the role.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
I remember telling my father, Wow, you know this would
be crazy because they're also saying that I will make
ten thousand dollars per episode if he does move forward.
Speaker 6 (09:16):
Dad, could you imagine if I got.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
This part right now? I mean, like this would be
more money than we made in like a year without
missing a beat.
Speaker 6 (09:24):
He said in his low gravel voice.
Speaker 4 (09:27):
May oh, if you'll get it at the very good.
Speaker 6 (09:32):
If you don't get it at the very good, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:36):
My dad sounded like he was always drunk, but that
was at ten am. His message was clear and he
loved and supported me either way, and no matter what happened,
it's all good.
Speaker 6 (09:48):
But I still.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
Really really wanted to land this role. Fifteen thousand dollars
was more than Like I said, we made it a
whole year, So that's why I think I was sacking
a little crazy. And I saw this actor come in
drinking the water that he didn't even ask for. Like
I said before, it turns out that he had already
landed the part, in fact, one of the leading parts
(10:10):
in the pilot. I didn't know that at the time,
but I knew we weren't going up for the same part,
to say the least, so I decided to focus on
my own audition.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Please say your name and the role you're reading for.
Speaker 4 (10:31):
My name is women Rande Rama. For as you noticed,
my accdent was a lot stronger back then. The only
thing I knew going into the audition was that I'd
be playing a foreign exchange student who had just arrived
to the United States, and they didn't understand the culture.
I could relate in a big way. We both have
very similar dual tracks. At this point, the character didn't
(10:55):
have much of a backstory, not even a name or
an ethnicity, so I just used my regular voice in
the first audition.
Speaker 7 (11:06):
That was great, So I'm going to bring you back
for the producers tomorrow, but hey, try to have more
fun with the character next time.
Speaker 6 (11:14):
I nodded.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
That probably meant I played the character too on the nose,
meaning maybe a little too predictable.
Speaker 6 (11:22):
Nothing stood out about my performance.
Speaker 4 (11:26):
I didn't want to turn my back on them as
I was walking out the door, as sincerely thought that
might be, I don't know, disrespectful. So I literally backed
out of the room with my front facing them like
I was a peasant in Louis the fourteenth Court or something.
And finally I got some bigger laughs. Maybe the thought
(11:48):
I was still in character. Maybe they thought I was
just a weirdo. Either way, a few days later I
got a call back for a second audition. This time,
I decided to work on creating my own version of
the foreign exchange student instead, of seeing my accent as
a problem for landing roles, Could I use it for
my advantage for once? Okay, so I'm at home. I
(12:13):
started running through my lines again, you know, kind of
experimenting with different accents, trying to deepen these characters whole vibe.
I started with my own Venezuelan accent, added a touch
of my mom's Colombian accent, threw in some thick rolling
of the RS, and then I was like, what if
I just added the Spanish lisp. I came from a
(12:34):
pirate ship with no kitchen sinc. The character was kind
of strengthening right, like as you can hear, but something
still wasn't quite right. I decided to try a new
accent on my little sister, Stephanie.
Speaker 6 (12:49):
She didn't laugh at first.
Speaker 4 (12:50):
I rolled the RS, I played with the lisp, nothing,
But then something happened. All of a sudden, I made
this high pitch voice. As soon as the high pitch
voice went up, that accent came to life in a
completely different way, and.
Speaker 6 (13:07):
She started cracking up.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
I'm talking like, wait a second, peanut butter and a
yelly dude tastes good together. And all of a sudden,
nothing that came out of my mouth had to make
sense because it was just funny. The other thing that
the high pitch voice did was that it made the
voice sound disarment and naive. The character could be from anywhere, right,
(13:31):
So Stephanie laughed like it was the funniest thing in
the world, and I knew I was onto something.
Speaker 6 (13:42):
When I went in for another callback, it.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
Felt like there was but fifteen producers right, like co
creators were, you know, sitting around the table.
Speaker 6 (13:49):
I was, you know, alwaysly petrified.
Speaker 4 (13:50):
I was scared of my mind and running through my
head still was the big question. Should I use the
new voice? It was it was too cartoony Turias. Stephanie
really liked it, but you know, she was also a child,
so I thought maybe she would just laugh at anything.
But this room was full of professionals. I think this
is too much of a home Mary and I just
overshoot it. So I took a deep breath and I
(14:16):
launched into my first line, Oh I do must go
to the bathroom, Eddie, and they started laughing so hard,
and I was like, oh my god, they're laughing at me.
The laughing with me, I know. The Stephanie thought was hilarious.
But they think I was being ridiculous trying something like that.
But I got to say that was quite literally the
(14:39):
moment where Fess was born teenage Wasteland was later changed
to that seventies show. I remember that actor that I
told you about that just walked in and grabbed the
water like came on the place. Well, that's now my
friend Tilford Grace, who played the great Eric Foreman two
(15:00):
must go to the bathroom.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
Eric.
Speaker 4 (15:06):
It doesn't work that way with guys. Okay, So that
was a long detour, but it gets to the heart
of something Desi talks about in his memoir What Makes
a Star For Me? It was leaning into what many
people saw as a weakness, my accent for years that
closed the door on much of.
Speaker 6 (15:27):
My advancement in Hollywood. Be Fez was my big break.
Speaker 4 (15:32):
But it's different for everyone, right, Everyone has a different break.
And in nineteen forty two major things happened that would
put Desiernez on his path to major stardom, much bigger
than me, and on Broadway or leading the conga liance
in New York and Miami. One is obvious now he
married Lucy Oball. The other happened that same summer when
(15:55):
German forces stormed into Paris after a swift and devastated
battle through most of France.
Speaker 8 (16:09):
Under the Statue of Liberty, twelve hundred young Americans of
Objects the latest batch of recruits to the United States airposs.
Speaker 4 (16:16):
No Dessi also struggled to find his place in Hollywood
because of his accent. Back then, having a Latino in
Tinsiltown was so rare that even his own friends simply
just referred to him as the Cuban. But with the
rest of the world facing Nazi Germany and the United
States debating its role in a global society, change was
(16:37):
on the horizon. I mean, the very fact that an
immigrant from Cuba could marry in an All Americans celebrity
like Lucy of All was proof that America was beginning
to embrace its melting pot identity, even if reluctantly.
Speaker 6 (16:53):
That's after the break.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
By the early nineteen forties, Dasi and Nass and Lucy
Ball were still struggling to find their place in Hollywood.
Lucy wasn't the next Ginger Rogers, despite her dreams of
being a glamorous movie star. Instead, she was cast as
a quirky comedy character actress. By the time she met Deasi,
many in Hollywood thought she was nearing the end of
(17:50):
her shelf life as a leading lady. Deessi, meanwhile, was
stuck in stereotypical Latin roles. Hollywood loved his charm and
his music, but they didn't know what to do with
an actor who had an accident and didn't fit the
(18:12):
mold of a traditional leading man.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Yeah, I feel ah, memore, one look into your eyes
and the whole world just disappears.
Speaker 6 (18:28):
How DESI.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
Come with me to Havannah. Leave that gringo husband. I'll
teach you how to dance, how to live, how to love.
Speaker 4 (18:49):
That was how Hollywood saw Desieres, charming, musical foreign the
go to guy for America's one sis fits o land fantasy.
Speaker 6 (18:59):
And then everything changed.
Speaker 7 (19:03):
We have witnessed today from a distant view, the Battle
of Pearl Harbor and the severe bombing of Pearl Harbor
by enemy planes, undoubtedly Japanese.
Speaker 4 (19:13):
On December seven, nineteen forty one. The attack on Pearl
Harbor thrust the United States into World War II. Even
though Dessy was Latino and born in Cuba, he was
a proud American and wanted to serve his country.
Speaker 6 (19:36):
He wasn't loan.
Speaker 4 (19:37):
Over five hundred thousand Latinos served in the war, fighting
on the front lines, working in support roles, and contributing
to the war effort in countless ways. Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans,
Cuban Americans, and other Latino groups made up a significant
part of the military, often serving in segregated units. Despite
(20:00):
discrimination at home and in the armed forces, they were
among the most decorated soldiers in the war.
Speaker 7 (20:07):
Brave soldiers of all backgrounds unite to fight for freedom
and democracy.
Speaker 4 (20:14):
Desi was determined to fight on the front lines of
the war, bought. On his final day of basic training
for the US Army Infantry, he suffered a setback. The
last test of training involved a long hike with a
heavy pack, which Dessi completed but wound up aggravating an
all baseball injury. His knee was so bad the Army
(20:35):
decided he would be a liability on the battlefield. Instead,
he was assigned to the USO, where he used his
talents to entertain troops.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
They handed me a conga drum and said, hey make
them laugh.
Speaker 4 (20:52):
Dessi played down his service in interviews and even in
his memoir. But I know firsthand how powerful those USO
moss can be, a song, a laugh, You've been just
showing up.
Speaker 6 (21:04):
It matters.
Speaker 8 (21:09):
For those who serve in uniform. Sacrifice is part of
everyday life. For Wilmer, showing up for them has been
a big part of his.
Speaker 4 (21:21):
That's former USO CEO JD. Crouch in May of twenty
twenty five.
Speaker 8 (21:26):
Wilmer Valderrama is known to millions for his talent on
screen his leadership off screen, but here at the USO,
we know him for something even more powerful, his commitment
to our nation service members and their families. Wilmer has
traveled tens of thousands of miles, including I can tell
you some very remote and challenging locations to be there
(21:51):
in person for our troops. He's not there for a
photo op.
Speaker 9 (21:55):
Man.
Speaker 4 (21:55):
I love working with the USO. He's been one of
the great honors of my life. But for Dessi, it
wasn't your service, it was survival, it was reinvention. Those
whistle tours gave Dessi a stage when Hollywood wasn't calling.
(22:19):
He performed for troops on the brink of battle. Many
who wouldn't make it home, and Dessie gave them everything
he had, music, joy and escape.
Speaker 9 (22:38):
Bobs Well used Bob Talks to him, and again we
bring you the available report, all of them from German
sources on what the Berlin radio called the invasion.
Speaker 4 (22:50):
Dessi was desperate to serve, but the front lines weren't
an option, so he found another way.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
I really wanted to be out there with the you know,
but my leg would have only put someone else out
there at a risk.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
So I did what I could. I picked up a
guitar and I played.
Speaker 4 (23:24):
There's something powerful about choosing joy in the middle of war.
That's what Desi did with the USO. He showed up
with music and charm, with heart. He reminded soldiers, especially
Latino soldiers, that they mattered, that someone like them could
be seen and heard even in Hollywood. That kind of
(23:46):
service you don't forget. It was during this time that
Desi began robing elbows with Hollywood's elite directors, producers, and
stars who saw him perform. One night, after a show,
a producer who knew him from his USO work approached
Dessie with a script.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
Your good art, that's really good. I got a picture
for you. You think you can handle it if it's better
than cleaning canary cages.
Speaker 4 (24:14):
I mean that film was Baton, a World War two
drama where Dessi played Private Felis Ramidez in a memorable
death scene where Ramidez is dying from malaria.
Speaker 10 (24:30):
Take it easy, sailor relax. You need a little rest, dirty, dirty,
dirty dirty. He's talking Spanish, talking of his mother, jitterbug kid,
shaking himself to death.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
Sargeant, Sergeant, I'm solid.
Speaker 6 (24:51):
Sorry, Lay still, boy, lay still, I'm solid.
Speaker 4 (24:55):
Such Honestly, it was a small but powerful role, earning
Dessi a lot of acclaim and allowing him to break
away from the stereotypes he had been cast in before.
Speaker 6 (25:13):
Dessi was really proud of the role.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
When it came to shooting the death scene, I really
wanted to die in a way that gave my character
some deep levels. You know, everyone in the film was dying,
and we all wanted to die our own way.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
Those days.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
I really admired the way James Cagney really ate up
his death scenes. So as I was about to die
on a screen, I remembered my days in Catholic school.
I asked the director Tay Garnett, if I could recite
a Latin prayer padre nostro. That's a fine idea, Dessi,
he said, And that was the way Private Felix Pramirees
(25:51):
met his makers.
Speaker 11 (25:58):
Hopes frightally, have your babies question. I confess that I've
seen exceedingly, he thought, he were. Indeed, through my fault,
through my fault, my most grievous fault.
Speaker 4 (26:28):
Dessie's performance in Baton was a breakthrough, quiet, emotional, powerful.
It showed Hollywood that a Latino actor could carry more
than a tune or a punchline. He could carry real weight,
real sacrifice. While Dessie was finding his footing in Hollywood,
(26:57):
Los's career was hitting a plateau. It was definitely landing
movie roles and was respected as an actress, but studios
began to see her as too old to compete with
younger starlets for leading roles.
Speaker 3 (27:09):
Oh sure, I'll just magically become twenty three again. Let
me know when you invent time travel.
Speaker 6 (27:17):
Very funny, Lucy. Don't get me wrong, Lucy was working.
Never stop working.
Speaker 10 (27:24):
I don't just mean a script about your dog Dian
or having being seen in the nightclub with the meat
Paul King.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
But a story that will get you on the front page.
Speaker 10 (27:30):
And this is it, schoolboy invited screen start to seeing
you from the line in the mouse.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
It's a great angle.
Speaker 3 (27:36):
You make all the papers I better, or you'll be
selling them.
Speaker 4 (27:41):
That's from the nineteen forty three film Best Foot Forward,
based on a successful Broadway musical, where Lucy plays a
fictionalized version of herself. Her character is even named Lucy Hobo.
The plat centers on a high school boy who invites
her to his prim as a publicity is done, which
she accepts because her career is.
Speaker 6 (28:01):
In a rut.
Speaker 10 (28:03):
The boy is real, the school is real, and who
knows your option hasn't been picked up?
Speaker 3 (28:07):
Oh, no one except the whole studio.
Speaker 4 (28:14):
The film was a modest success for MGM, but he
was far from what Lucy had envisioned for her film career.
She had a long aspired to be a glamorous leading
lady in the vein of stars like Ginger Rogers and
Katherine Hepburn. Here's Lucy talking about the ups and downs
of her career during a special appearance at the American
(28:36):
Film Institute years after she was retired from acting.
Speaker 12 (28:42):
I was a model for some time, and I was
a starlet, and then I was a B picture girl.
I made a lot of B pictures, like five at
the same time.
Speaker 4 (28:52):
By the time Best Foot Forward came along in nineteen
forty three, Lucy was being cast as a Hollywood personality
rather than a multifaceted actress. Though she brought sparkle and
professionalism into every role, these films didn't showcase the depth
she'd hoped to bring to the screen.
Speaker 12 (29:09):
Seven eight years. It became important to me only to
become a part of the business.
Speaker 6 (29:15):
I loved it that much.
Speaker 12 (29:17):
And there are a lot of good things that come
up that perhaps are not as great as what you did,
and the money isn't as great, and it's not all
a big build up and all that. Nevertheless, you'll be
learning something, You'll be working with people, You'll be meeting someone,
maybe out of the thirty forty people meeting one person.
Speaker 4 (29:33):
When the war ended in the fall of nineteen forty five,
Dancy and Lucy's careers were at a crossroads. Hollywood hadn't
given either of them their big break, and the war
had turned everything upside down.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
Had they made a film in almost two years now,
and I came back to MGM hoping to land a
nice part in a big movie with a Latin lead,
only to discover that a new Latin guy was all
at time was he talking about? Yeah, this guy regarded
the Multaban. He's a Mexican actor who lets a face.
It didn't have as big an accent as me. So
(30:09):
I was a bit heartbroken. That's why I went to
MGM to ask them to let me out of my contract.
I wasn't just gonna sit around and be Loosey's husband,
you know. And so I got the band back together.
Speaker 4 (30:36):
Getting the band back together was a stroke of genius
for Desi. Not only did he get back to playing
sold out shows in New York's famous Copa nightclub, he
also sold out giant shows in Los Angeles and theaters
all across the country, even in the Midwest.
Speaker 1 (30:52):
Well, to be honest, I was a little nervous about
our Midwest tour. I remember thinking, I mean, what are
they going to think in Nebraska and Helen about this
Cuban guy singing Baba Lou?
Speaker 4 (31:02):
You know?
Speaker 2 (31:03):
But they went crazy for us in a good way.
I mean, the whole country.
Speaker 4 (31:07):
Did, but with Desi on the road and Lucy continuing
to work in the business in any way she could,
their relationship suffered a lot.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Look, maybe you could just go move with me back
to New York. You know, you could just do Broadway.
Speaker 3 (31:23):
No, Hollywood is where the magic happens. I just haven't
found my spell yet. You need to just stay home.
What's out there but a bunch of girls for you
to screw in every town?
Speaker 9 (31:34):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (31:35):
Now, wait, just for that minute. You know I would
never sleep with someone I work with.
Speaker 3 (31:39):
Oh, then how do you explain screwing me on the
set of Too Many Girls?
Speaker 5 (31:43):
Ough?
Speaker 3 (31:43):
Too Many Girls should be the title of your life story.
Speaker 4 (31:52):
But they didn't know was that their big break wasn't
gonna come from Broadway or another movie studio. It would
come from a complete new medium, television.
Speaker 6 (32:02):
But first they had to survive their first divorce.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
My professional life was starting to really take off and
getting better all the time, but my personal life wasn't
doing so good.
Speaker 4 (32:15):
And that's on the next episode of starring starring Desi
r Nas and Wilmer Valderama is produced by WV Sound
in partnership with Iheartsmichael Duda Podcast Network starring Desi r.
Nas and wilmerval Durama. Is written by Eric Galindo and
narrated by me Wilmer Valderama. It is produced by Sophie
(32:39):
Spencer Savos and Leo Klem, with special help from Anhel
Lopez Galindo. Our executive producers are myself and Eric Galindo.
This episode was edited and engineered by Sean Tracy and
features original music by Halo Boy and Madison Devenport. Our
cover art illustration is by Lindsey Mount. For more partcas
(33:00):
As from iHeart, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
It's full in Los Angeles, which means we have perfect
weather to go to the beach. And that's exactly where
I was in September of nineteen forty, outside Eddie Brackens's
house in Malibu. Eddie was my friend and the star
of Too Many Girls, a hit Broadway musical we both
(00:23):
performed in.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
I played a charming Cuban college student.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
The show was a smash, so naturally Hollywood wanted to
turn it into a movie, and they brought most of
the original cast out to California, including me and Eddie.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
To celebrate.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
I rented a big place in Malibu and invited the
whole cast out, and of course I took the first
love of my life, Freckles, with me. She had just
arrived by train a few days ago, and oh it
was quite a reunion, if you know what I mean. Hey,
I hadn't seen in weeks. But if I'm being honest,
(01:03):
I was a little distracted. I couldn't stop thinking about
the other night I had spent all night dancing with
this home of a woman. She was engaged. So I
took her home and I said good night. Oh funny stuff.
You know, I certainly learned my lesson about messing with
taking ladies. But I still couldn't get her out of
(01:25):
my head. So I tell Freckles, hey, I'm going for
a walk. You know, I'll be right back. I leave
her in Eddie's big house and stroll along the beach,
and that's when I hear her voice.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
How's my dance instructor, Lucille?
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Well, how the hell do you do? And I was
just thinking about you, and here you are.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
And I was just sitting here thinking, what's cuban for
your blocking my son? Sorry, I'm a kidder. The truth
is I had a lovely time at El Zarape last night.
It was like a great film. I almost wished it
wouldn't end.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Yeah, me too, Well how.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
About we make a sequel? Have a seat?
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Who And that was it. I never went back to Freckles.
Lucille Lucy, I mean I never liked that name.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Lucille.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
That's what her fiance and every man before me called her.
Lucy was mine. That night, after the beach she called
off her engagement, and just like that, we were off
to the races.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
Come on, Daisy, take me dancing dancing.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
No, we're not going dancing tonight, Oh, Lucy and I.
We fought over everything. She wanted the windows open and
I liked them closed. She wanted to spend time in Milwaukee.
I assumed she was sleeping with the mayor. Meanwhile, I
was on the road with the or for too many girls.
She assumed I was sleeping with too many girls.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
You're gonna be there, You're gonna be talking to some
girls sitting next to you.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
I know, I know what you girl.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
If another girl says hello, I have to say hello too.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
I'm not gonna be rude.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
I prefer you'd be a little more rude. I'll tell
you that much.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
And what, Lucy, You're gonna go to the club and
you're gonna dance, and some guy wants I'm not.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Going to the club without you. She's exactly why I
need you to come with me so I can have
a night, get my wiggles out.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Look, who's finally home? Man? You have your little meeting
with your director. What does this guy have that I
don't have?
Speaker 3 (03:35):
You assume the worst.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
I don't assume. I know. I know, Lucy, I know
what you can do.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Like you haven't done anything wrong.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Okay, I'm talking about you. And now you're bringing up
what I do.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
And then you are you are saying, oh, there.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
It is, you will say it. No, you've been waiting
to say that word for so long. Go ahead. What
else am I?
Speaker 3 (03:52):
It's scoundrels, are sitting as if you've never done anything.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
I don't say I do nothing wrong.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Just a dinner.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Yeah, I'm sure you both left satisfied from that dinner.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
I bet that we did.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
We left full and satisfying. Well, I'm not interested in
doing that.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
United to state what you shure. You don't want to
go get some dessert? Is that what you want?
Speaker 3 (04:10):
You know what? Leave me alone, don't talk to me.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
I'm sorry, Lucy, I just get so worked up.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
You know I can't stay mad at you.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Come here, let me give you a kiss. We argued,
made up, broke up, got back together.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
It was passionate, chaotic, and two months later, almost of
the day we met, we got married, a quickie wedding
by a judge in Connecticut. The only problem was I
had a show that night at the Roxy, so we
got a police escort to rush us back across the
state line to New York. Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like
(04:55):
you to meet my wife.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
As just hours ago.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Huh, I'd never gotten a reception like that. The club
management was aces really just ass They even gave everyone
in the audience rise. They gave the rice and they
cave through the rise. He came down on us like
the first snowfall of winter in the city.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
He was beautiful that night.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
That was the best thing to come out of my
too many girls Hollywood experience.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
You know, they don't get me wrong. And making the
film was a blast. But the movie is not as
good as the musical.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Still it taught me something very important about what it
takes to make a start. Van Johnson, he was just
a chorus boy in the Broadway show and again in
the film. But when we are screened the movie for
the test audience, they all wrote the same thing on
their little comment cards. Who's the tall redheaded guy? Van
(06:03):
was a star in the making And you can't fake that.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
If you can't force it.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Stars, you know, they jump out the screen and into
the audience's hard. Then he had that, and Lucy well
she was about to find out if she had it to.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
You're listening to starring the real life story of the
Latin immigrant who basically invented the modern Hollywood system, But
first the Japanese bomb Pearl.
Speaker 5 (06:42):
Harbor on December seventh, nineteen forty one. Japan, like its
infamous Access partners, struck first and declared war afterwards. Costly
to our navy it was the loss of war vessels, airplanes,
and equipment, But more costly to Japan was the effectiveness
of its attack and immediately unifying America in its determination
(07:03):
to fight and win the war thrust upon it, and
to win the peace that will follow.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
In this episode, we get into Dessi and Lucy's roller
coaster marriage and equally wild ride of a career as
they both tried to navigate a change in America on
the verge of World War two.
Speaker 6 (07:29):
That and more.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
After the break, I want to finish telling you about
(07:54):
my audition for Teenage Wasteline, and I'll tell you why
in a bit. So let's go to the spring of
nineteen ninety eight. My audition for Teenage Wasteline was off
to a weird start, to say the least. All right,
I was nervous, but in the zone until I saw
this young cocky actor come in and take a sip
of water. I nearly lost it because I know it
(08:18):
sounds crazy, but that's what auditioning us to you. Thankfully,
the actor would later become one of my greatest friends.
Speaker 6 (08:25):
But I didn't know that then.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
All I knew was that I wanted, no, actually, I
needed to land this role. My family was at financial
rock bottom, and it felt like a lot was writing
on me getting one of the leads on this pilot. Okay,
so here's how it works, and it's kind of crazy,
and you're going to think it's crazy when you hear it.
(08:49):
But before you audition for a TV pilot, they make
you sign the contract. You don't have the part, but
they make you sign the contract, which tells you exactly
how much you're potentially going to make if you're hired.
This contract said that I made fifteen thousand dollars for
the pilot. The pilot is a first episode of any show,
right they call it a pilot.
Speaker 6 (09:06):
If I got the role.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
I remember telling my father, Wow, you know this would
be crazy because they're also saying that I will make
ten thousand dollars per episode if he does move forward.
Speaker 6 (09:16):
Dad, could you imagine if I got.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
This part right now? I mean, like this would be
more money than we made in like a year without
missing a beat.
Speaker 6 (09:24):
He said in his low gravel voice.
Speaker 4 (09:27):
May oh, if you'll get it at the very good.
Speaker 6 (09:32):
If you don't get it at the very good, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:36):
My dad sounded like he was always drunk, but that
was at ten am. His message was clear and he
loved and supported me either way, and no matter what happened,
it's all good.
Speaker 6 (09:48):
But I still.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
Really really wanted to land this role. Fifteen thousand dollars
was more than Like I said, we made it a
whole year, So that's why I think I was sacking
a little crazy. And I saw this actor come in
drinking the water that he didn't even ask for. Like
I said before, it turns out that he had already
landed the part, in fact, one of the leading parts
(10:10):
in the pilot. I didn't know that at the time,
but I knew we weren't going up for the same part,
to say the least, so I decided to focus on
my own audition.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Please say your name and the role you're reading for.
Speaker 4 (10:31):
My name is women Rande Rama. For as you noticed,
my accdent was a lot stronger back then. The only
thing I knew going into the audition was that I'd
be playing a foreign exchange student who had just arrived
to the United States, and they didn't understand the culture.
I could relate in a big way. We both have
very similar dual tracks. At this point, the character didn't
(10:55):
have much of a backstory, not even a name or
an ethnicity, so I just used my regular voice in
the first audition.
Speaker 7 (11:06):
That was great, So I'm going to bring you back
for the producers tomorrow, but hey, try to have more
fun with the character next time.
Speaker 6 (11:14):
I nodded.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
That probably meant I played the character too on the nose,
meaning maybe a little too predictable.
Speaker 6 (11:22):
Nothing stood out about my performance.
Speaker 4 (11:26):
I didn't want to turn my back on them as
I was walking out the door, as sincerely thought that
might be, I don't know, disrespectful. So I literally backed
out of the room with my front facing them like
I was a peasant in Louis the fourteenth Court or something.
And finally I got some bigger laughs. Maybe the thought
(11:48):
I was still in character. Maybe they thought I was
just a weirdo. Either way, a few days later I
got a call back for a second audition. This time,
I decided to work on creating my own version of
the foreign exchange student instead, of seeing my accent as
a problem for landing roles, Could I use it for
my advantage for once? Okay, so I'm at home. I
(12:13):
started running through my lines again, you know, kind of
experimenting with different accents, trying to deepen these characters whole vibe.
I started with my own Venezuelan accent, added a touch
of my mom's Colombian accent, threw in some thick rolling
of the RS, and then I was like, what if
I just added the Spanish lisp. I came from a
(12:34):
pirate ship with no kitchen sinc. The character was kind
of strengthening right, like as you can hear, but something
still wasn't quite right. I decided to try a new
accent on my little sister, Stephanie.
Speaker 6 (12:49):
She didn't laugh at first.
Speaker 4 (12:50):
I rolled the RS, I played with the lisp, nothing,
But then something happened. All of a sudden, I made
this high pitch voice. As soon as the high pitch
voice went up, that accent came to life in a
completely different way, and.
Speaker 6 (13:07):
She started cracking up.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
I'm talking like, wait a second, peanut butter and a
yelly dude tastes good together. And all of a sudden,
nothing that came out of my mouth had to make
sense because it was just funny. The other thing that
the high pitch voice did was that it made the
voice sound disarment and naive. The character could be from anywhere, right,
(13:31):
So Stephanie laughed like it was the funniest thing in
the world, and I knew I was onto something.
Speaker 6 (13:42):
When I went in for another callback, it.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
Felt like there was but fifteen producers right, like co
creators were, you know, sitting around the table.
Speaker 6 (13:49):
I was, you know, alwaysly petrified.
Speaker 4 (13:50):
I was scared of my mind and running through my
head still was the big question. Should I use the
new voice? It was it was too cartoony Turias. Stephanie
really liked it, but you know, she was also a child,
so I thought maybe she would just laugh at anything.
But this room was full of professionals. I think this
is too much of a home Mary and I just
overshoot it. So I took a deep breath and I
(14:16):
launched into my first line, Oh I do must go
to the bathroom, Eddie, and they started laughing so hard,
and I was like, oh my god, they're laughing at me.
The laughing with me, I know. The Stephanie thought was hilarious.
But they think I was being ridiculous trying something like that.
But I got to say that was quite literally the
(14:39):
moment where Fess was born teenage Wasteland was later changed
to that seventies show. I remember that actor that I
told you about that just walked in and grabbed the
water like came on the place. Well, that's now my
friend Tilford Grace, who played the great Eric Foreman two
(15:00):
must go to the bathroom.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
Eric.
Speaker 4 (15:06):
It doesn't work that way with guys. Okay, So that
was a long detour, but it gets to the heart
of something Desi talks about in his memoir What Makes
a Star For Me? It was leaning into what many
people saw as a weakness, my accent for years that
closed the door on much of.
Speaker 6 (15:27):
My advancement in Hollywood. Be Fez was my big break.
Speaker 4 (15:32):
But it's different for everyone, right, Everyone has a different break.
And in nineteen forty two major things happened that would
put Desiernez on his path to major stardom, much bigger
than me, and on Broadway or leading the conga liance
in New York and Miami. One is obvious now he
married Lucy Oball. The other happened that same summer when
(15:55):
German forces stormed into Paris after a swift and devastated
battle through most of France.
Speaker 8 (16:09):
Under the Statue of Liberty, twelve hundred young Americans of
Objects the latest batch of recruits to the United States airposs.
Speaker 4 (16:16):
No Dessi also struggled to find his place in Hollywood
because of his accent. Back then, having a Latino in
Tinsiltown was so rare that even his own friends simply
just referred to him as the Cuban. But with the
rest of the world facing Nazi Germany and the United
States debating its role in a global society, change was
(16:37):
on the horizon. I mean, the very fact that an
immigrant from Cuba could marry in an All Americans celebrity
like Lucy of All was proof that America was beginning
to embrace its melting pot identity, even if reluctantly.
Speaker 6 (16:53):
That's after the break.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
By the early nineteen forties, Dasi and Nass and Lucy
Ball were still struggling to find their place in Hollywood.
Lucy wasn't the next Ginger Rogers, despite her dreams of
being a glamorous movie star. Instead, she was cast as
a quirky comedy character actress. By the time she met Deasi,
many in Hollywood thought she was nearing the end of
(17:50):
her shelf life as a leading lady. Deessi, meanwhile, was
stuck in stereotypical Latin roles. Hollywood loved his charm and
his music, but they didn't know what to do with
an actor who had an accident and didn't fit the
(18:12):
mold of a traditional leading man.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Yeah, I feel ah, memore, one look into your eyes
and the whole world just disappears.
Speaker 6 (18:28):
How DESI.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
Come with me to Havannah. Leave that gringo husband. I'll
teach you how to dance, how to live, how to love.
Speaker 4 (18:49):
That was how Hollywood saw Desieres, charming, musical foreign the
go to guy for America's one sis fits o land fantasy.
Speaker 6 (18:59):
And then everything changed.
Speaker 7 (19:03):
We have witnessed today from a distant view, the Battle
of Pearl Harbor and the severe bombing of Pearl Harbor
by enemy planes, undoubtedly Japanese.
Speaker 4 (19:13):
On December seven, nineteen forty one. The attack on Pearl
Harbor thrust the United States into World War II. Even
though Dessy was Latino and born in Cuba, he was
a proud American and wanted to serve his country.
Speaker 6 (19:36):
He wasn't loan.
Speaker 4 (19:37):
Over five hundred thousand Latinos served in the war, fighting
on the front lines, working in support roles, and contributing
to the war effort in countless ways. Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans,
Cuban Americans, and other Latino groups made up a significant
part of the military, often serving in segregated units. Despite
(20:00):
discrimination at home and in the armed forces, they were
among the most decorated soldiers in the war.
Speaker 7 (20:07):
Brave soldiers of all backgrounds unite to fight for freedom
and democracy.
Speaker 4 (20:14):
Desi was determined to fight on the front lines of
the war, bought. On his final day of basic training
for the US Army Infantry, he suffered a setback. The
last test of training involved a long hike with a
heavy pack, which Dessi completed but wound up aggravating an
all baseball injury. His knee was so bad the Army
(20:35):
decided he would be a liability on the battlefield. Instead,
he was assigned to the USO, where he used his
talents to entertain troops.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
They handed me a conga drum and said, hey make
them laugh.
Speaker 4 (20:52):
Dessi played down his service in interviews and even in
his memoir. But I know firsthand how powerful those USO
moss can be, a song, a laugh, You've been just
showing up.
Speaker 6 (21:04):
It matters.
Speaker 8 (21:09):
For those who serve in uniform. Sacrifice is part of
everyday life. For Wilmer, showing up for them has been
a big part of his.
Speaker 4 (21:21):
That's former USO CEO JD. Crouch in May of twenty
twenty five.
Speaker 8 (21:26):
Wilmer Valderrama is known to millions for his talent on
screen his leadership off screen, but here at the USO,
we know him for something even more powerful, his commitment
to our nation service members and their families. Wilmer has
traveled tens of thousands of miles, including I can tell
you some very remote and challenging locations to be there
(21:51):
in person for our troops. He's not there for a
photo op.
Speaker 9 (21:55):
Man.
Speaker 4 (21:55):
I love working with the USO. He's been one of
the great honors of my life. But for Dessi, it
wasn't your service, it was survival, it was reinvention. Those
whistle tours gave Dessi a stage when Hollywood wasn't calling.
(22:19):
He performed for troops on the brink of battle. Many
who wouldn't make it home, and Dessie gave them everything
he had, music, joy and escape.
Speaker 9 (22:38):
Bobs Well used Bob Talks to him, and again we
bring you the available report, all of them from German
sources on what the Berlin radio called the invasion.
Speaker 4 (22:50):
Dessi was desperate to serve, but the front lines weren't
an option, so he found another way.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
I really wanted to be out there with the you know,
but my leg would have only put someone else out
there at a risk.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
So I did what I could. I picked up a
guitar and I played.
Speaker 4 (23:24):
There's something powerful about choosing joy in the middle of war.
That's what Desi did with the USO. He showed up
with music and charm, with heart. He reminded soldiers, especially
Latino soldiers, that they mattered, that someone like them could
be seen and heard even in Hollywood. That kind of
(23:46):
service you don't forget. It was during this time that
Desi began robing elbows with Hollywood's elite directors, producers, and
stars who saw him perform. One night, after a show,
a producer who knew him from his USO work approached
Dessie with a script.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
Your good art, that's really good. I got a picture
for you. You think you can handle it if it's better
than cleaning canary cages.
Speaker 4 (24:14):
I mean that film was Baton, a World War two
drama where Dessi played Private Felis Ramidez in a memorable
death scene where Ramidez is dying from malaria.
Speaker 10 (24:30):
Take it easy, sailor relax. You need a little rest, dirty, dirty,
dirty dirty. He's talking Spanish, talking of his mother, jitterbug kid,
shaking himself to death.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
Sargeant, Sergeant, I'm solid.
Speaker 6 (24:51):
Sorry, Lay still, boy, lay still, I'm solid.
Speaker 4 (24:55):
Such Honestly, it was a small but powerful role, earning
Dessi a lot of acclaim and allowing him to break
away from the stereotypes he had been cast in before.
Speaker 6 (25:13):
Dessi was really proud of the role.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
When it came to shooting the death scene, I really
wanted to die in a way that gave my character
some deep levels. You know, everyone in the film was dying,
and we all wanted to die our own way.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
Those days.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
I really admired the way James Cagney really ate up
his death scenes. So as I was about to die
on a screen, I remembered my days in Catholic school.
I asked the director Tay Garnett, if I could recite
a Latin prayer padre nostro. That's a fine idea, Dessi,
he said, And that was the way Private Felix Pramirees
(25:51):
met his makers.
Speaker 11 (25:58):
Hopes frightally, have your babies question. I confess that I've
seen exceedingly, he thought, he were. Indeed, through my fault,
through my fault, my most grievous fault.
Speaker 4 (26:28):
Dessie's performance in Baton was a breakthrough, quiet, emotional, powerful.
It showed Hollywood that a Latino actor could carry more
than a tune or a punchline. He could carry real weight,
real sacrifice. While Dessie was finding his footing in Hollywood,
(26:57):
Los's career was hitting a plateau. It was definitely landing
movie roles and was respected as an actress, but studios
began to see her as too old to compete with
younger starlets for leading roles.
Speaker 3 (27:09):
Oh sure, I'll just magically become twenty three again. Let
me know when you invent time travel.
Speaker 6 (27:17):
Very funny, Lucy. Don't get me wrong, Lucy was working.
Never stop working.
Speaker 10 (27:24):
I don't just mean a script about your dog Dian
or having being seen in the nightclub with the meat
Paul King.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
But a story that will get you on the front page.
Speaker 10 (27:30):
And this is it, schoolboy invited screen start to seeing
you from the line in the mouse.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
It's a great angle.
Speaker 3 (27:36):
You make all the papers I better, or you'll be
selling them.
Speaker 4 (27:41):
That's from the nineteen forty three film Best Foot Forward,
based on a successful Broadway musical, where Lucy plays a
fictionalized version of herself. Her character is even named Lucy Hobo.
The plat centers on a high school boy who invites
her to his prim as a publicity is done, which
she accepts because her career is.
Speaker 6 (28:01):
In a rut.
Speaker 10 (28:03):
The boy is real, the school is real, and who
knows your option hasn't been picked up?
Speaker 3 (28:07):
Oh, no one except the whole studio.
Speaker 4 (28:14):
The film was a modest success for MGM, but he
was far from what Lucy had envisioned for her film career.
She had a long aspired to be a glamorous leading
lady in the vein of stars like Ginger Rogers and
Katherine Hepburn. Here's Lucy talking about the ups and downs
of her career during a special appearance at the American
(28:36):
Film Institute years after she was retired from acting.
Speaker 12 (28:42):
I was a model for some time, and I was
a starlet, and then I was a B picture girl.
I made a lot of B pictures, like five at
the same time.
Speaker 4 (28:52):
By the time Best Foot Forward came along in nineteen
forty three, Lucy was being cast as a Hollywood personality
rather than a multifaceted actress. Though she brought sparkle and
professionalism into every role, these films didn't showcase the depth
she'd hoped to bring to the screen.
Speaker 12 (29:09):
Seven eight years. It became important to me only to
become a part of the business.
Speaker 6 (29:15):
I loved it that much.
Speaker 12 (29:17):
And there are a lot of good things that come
up that perhaps are not as great as what you did,
and the money isn't as great, and it's not all
a big build up and all that. Nevertheless, you'll be
learning something, You'll be working with people, You'll be meeting someone,
maybe out of the thirty forty people meeting one person.
Speaker 4 (29:33):
When the war ended in the fall of nineteen forty five,
Dancy and Lucy's careers were at a crossroads. Hollywood hadn't
given either of them their big break, and the war
had turned everything upside down.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
Had they made a film in almost two years now,
and I came back to MGM hoping to land a
nice part in a big movie with a Latin lead,
only to discover that a new Latin guy was all
at time was he talking about? Yeah, this guy regarded
the Multaban. He's a Mexican actor who lets a face.
It didn't have as big an accent as me. So
(30:09):
I was a bit heartbroken. That's why I went to
MGM to ask them to let me out of my contract.
I wasn't just gonna sit around and be Loosey's husband,
you know. And so I got the band back together.
Speaker 4 (30:36):
Getting the band back together was a stroke of genius
for Desi. Not only did he get back to playing
sold out shows in New York's famous Copa nightclub, he
also sold out giant shows in Los Angeles and theaters
all across the country, even in the Midwest.
Speaker 1 (30:52):
Well, to be honest, I was a little nervous about
our Midwest tour. I remember thinking, I mean, what are
they going to think in Nebraska and Helen about this
Cuban guy singing Baba Lou?
Speaker 4 (31:02):
You know?
Speaker 2 (31:03):
But they went crazy for us in a good way.
I mean, the whole country.
Speaker 4 (31:07):
Did, but with Desi on the road and Lucy continuing
to work in the business in any way she could,
their relationship suffered a lot.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Look, maybe you could just go move with me back
to New York. You know, you could just do Broadway.
Speaker 3 (31:23):
No, Hollywood is where the magic happens. I just haven't
found my spell yet. You need to just stay home.
What's out there but a bunch of girls for you
to screw in every town?
Speaker 9 (31:34):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (31:35):
Now, wait, just for that minute. You know I would
never sleep with someone I work with.
Speaker 3 (31:39):
Oh, then how do you explain screwing me on the
set of Too Many Girls?
Speaker 5 (31:43):
Ough?
Speaker 3 (31:43):
Too Many Girls should be the title of your life story.
Speaker 4 (31:52):
But they didn't know was that their big break wasn't
gonna come from Broadway or another movie studio. It would
come from a complete new medium, television.
Speaker 6 (32:02):
But first they had to survive their first divorce.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
My professional life was starting to really take off and
getting better all the time, but my personal life wasn't
doing so good.
Speaker 4 (32:15):
And that's on the next episode of starring starring Desi
r Nas and Wilmer Valderama is produced by WV Sound
in partnership with Iheartsmichael Duda Podcast Network starring Desi r.
Nas and wilmerval Durama. Is written by Eric Galindo and
narrated by me Wilmer Valderama. It is produced by Sophie
(32:39):
Spencer Savos and Leo Klem, with special help from Anhel
Lopez Galindo. Our executive producers are myself and Eric Galindo.
This episode was edited and engineered by Sean Tracy and
features original music by Halo Boy and Madison Devenport. Our
cover art illustration is by Lindsey Mount. For more partcas
(33:00):
As from iHeart, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
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