How Did Desi Arnaz Change Television?

Lucille Ball's ex-husband wasn't just her 'I Love Lucy' co-star and writing partner -- Desi Arnaz changed the way television is produced and watched. Learn about his contributions to the industry in this episode of BrainStuff.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works, Hey, brain Stuff,
Lauren Vogelbaum here. The nineteen fifties most iconic television show
may have centered around Loving Lucy, but the famous Redhead's
ex husband, entertainment industry pioneer Desi Ernez, deserves a whole
lot of love too. Born in Santiago, Cuba in nineteen seventeen,
Arnez immigrated to the United States just before the Cuban

(00:24):
Revolution and went on to change the landscape of TV
as we know it. Arnez started life in a somewhat
privileged position. His great great grandfather, Don Manuel Arnez, made
an early move to the US, buying up tons of
land all over Los Angeles, including the area that would
become Posh Beverly Hills. Arnez's father was the mayor of Santiago,
his mother was the daughter of one of the Cardi

(00:45):
Rum Company founders, and his grandpa had accompanied Theodore Roosevelt
and the Rough Riders at the Battle of San Juan Hill.
All in all, not a bad family treat to sprout from,
But in ninety four, an uprising in Cuba landed Arnez's
dad in jail and once he was released, The family
fled to Miami, Florida, rebuilding a much humbler life in
the States. Two years later, Arnez, then a musically inclined

(01:07):
high schooler, started playing guitar and singing in a small
raumba band. That's when famous band leader Xavier Kuga discovered him,
swooped him into his band, and Arnez found enough success
to branch out on his own. Ever heard of a
congo line, Arnez is credited with introducing that dance party
staple to Miami crowds. Gaining more and more popularity, Arnez
and his band made the move to New York, started

(01:29):
on Broadway in a musical called Too Many Girls, and
then was asked to appear in the film adaptation of
the play. On the set of that nineteen thirty nine movie,
he met Lucille Ball. The two fell in love, and
six months later they eloped. Though they briefly separated in
nineteen forty four, the pair reconciled and began dreaming up
opportunities to collaborate again on screen. The magic moment came

(01:50):
in nineteen fifty when Arnez and Ball pitched CBS on
a sitcom that developed called I Love Lucy. Network executives
initially weren't sold on the Cuban born actor's accent, so
the couple used their own money to produce a pilot
and convinced the big bosses that ar Neez was more
than fit to play the fictional Ricky Ricardo and that
the show would be a hit. Not only was it
a hit, it was the hit. I Love Lucy was

(02:12):
America's most popular TV show for four of its six
prime time seasons between nineteen fifty one and nineteen fifty seven,
and viewers fell in love with the couple's non traditional
partnership that's now credited as a groundbreaking example of multi
ethnic relationships, progressive Latino American masculinity, and gender dynamics. But
Arnez wasn't just the on screen straight man, two balls

(02:33):
uproariously funny lead character. He was also heavily involved in
every aspect of production, from coordinating taping in front of
a live audience a first for televised sitcoms, to figuring
out how to simultaneously operate three cameras in real time.
Filmmaker Penny Marshall once said, bless Desi Arnaz for creating
the three camera you could find out what's funny you're
not with an audience, they're faster than anything. Arnez and

(02:57):
Ball formed the first ever independent television pction company, Desilu,
in preparation for the show, and they convinced CBS to
give them full ownership of their episodes. When Arnez later
sold them back to CBS, he reportedly made millions and
the show continues to live on thanks to his business
savvy But Desi Luke Productions wasn't just responsible for I
Love Lucy. The company also produced major projects like The Untouchables,

(03:20):
Mission Impossible, and Star Trek. Although Arnez and Ball eventually
divorced in nineteen sixty, they remained close friends for the
remainder of their lives. Arne has passed away from cancer
in six at the age of sixty nine, but his
legend indoors thanks to the immeasurable impact he had on
the entertainment industry, his loved ones, and the communities that
continue to draw inspiration from his immense contributions. Today's episode

(03:47):
was written by Michelle Konstantinovski and produced by Tyler Clang
for iHeart Media and How Stuff Works. For more on
this and lots of other topics that dosoms plain, and
visit our home planet, how stuff Works dot com