The Desilu Old Hollywood Effect: Desi Arnaz Was The Man Who Made Television What Know It To Be Today In the 21st Century – And Lucille Ball Was The Woman Who Redefined Femininity And Motherhood In The 1950’s
When talking about Patty Duke and her life, Lucille Ball will always at least be mentioned. Duke was, after all, in a relationship with her son, Desi Jr., and for a very long time, it was believed that he’d fathered her son, Sean Astin. That ended up not being the case, but nevertheless, the Astin and Arnaz have maintained a close bond. Here, we break down Desi Jr.’s parents’ entire marriage and eventual divorce. We explain how Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball changed everything about television and femininity, particularly during their days on I Love Lucy. At the time, and by at the time I mean in the 50’s, when the idea for I Love Lucy was pitched, executives only wanted Ball on board, leaving Arnaz behind; mostly because he was Cuban. They wanted a white man to play the part of her on-screen husband. In turn, Ball said she’d only be a part of the show if Arnaz was hired to play her on-screen husband, Ricky. They agreed And we explore how Lucille Ball failed as a mother in her career accomplishments. In her own words, Lucie Arnaz, her daughter, said, ‘I think because she was a working mom in the 50s, there probably was a lot of guilt involved in not being home with the kids.’ Let’s discuss…