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Desi Arnaz (born Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III) (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986) was a Cuban American musician, actor and television producer.-1... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar (see: 1917 Julian calendar). ... Santiago de Cuba is the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island nation of Cuba, some 540 miles (869 km) east south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana. ... is the 336th day of the year (337th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... Del Mar is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Year 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an iconic American comedienne, film, television, stage and radio actress, glamour girl and star of the landmark sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show and Heres Lucy. ... -1... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar (see: 1917 Julian calendar). ... is the 336th day of the year (337th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... A Cuban-American is an immigrant to the United States from Cuba. ... For the popular-music magazine, see Musician (magazine). ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... The primary role of a television producer is to coordinate and control all aspects of production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking. ...

[edit] Early life

Desi Arnaz was born to a wealthy family in Santiago de Cuba. His ancestors had been among the original recipients of Spanish land grants in the eighteenth century. His father, Desiderio Alberto Arnaz (March 8, 1894 - May 31, 1973) was Santiago's youngest mayor and then served in the Cuban House of Representatives. The 1933 revolution, led by Fulgencio Batista, overthrew the American-backed President Gerardo Machado, landed his father in jail for six months, and stripped his family of its wealth and power. Arnaz's father was released when U.S. officials, who believed him to be neutral during the revolt, intervened on his behalf. Arnaz and his parents then fled to Miami, Florida. Santiago de Cuba is the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island nation of Cuba, some 540 miles (869 km) east south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana. ... is the 67th day of the year (68th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... is the 151st day of the year (152nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... General Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar (pronounced ; January 16, 1901 – August 6, 1973) was a Cuban military officer, dictator and politician. ... Gerardo Machado, Time, 1933 Gerardo Machado (y Morales) (28 September 1871, Camajani – 29 March 1939, Miami Beach, Florida) was a Cuban general of Cuban War of Independence and the 5th president of Cuba. ... Miami redirects here. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Florida. ...

[edit] Film career

In 1939, he starred on Broadway in the successful musical Too Many Girls. He then went to Hollywood to appear in the 1940 movie version at RKO, which starred actress and comedienne Lucille Ball. At the time, he also played guitar for Xavier Cugat ^[1] For other uses of Broadway, see Broadway. ... The Black Crook (1866), considered by some historians to be the first musical[1] Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining music, songs, spoken dialogue and dance. ... Too Many Girls is a Broadway musical comedy that opened October 18, 1939, with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart and book by George Marion, Jr. ... Hollywood redirects here. ... The year 1940 in film involved some significant events. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... RKO redirects here. ... Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an iconic American comedienne, film, television, stage and radio actress, glamour girl and star of the landmark sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show and Heres Lucy. ... Xavier Cugat and his Orchestra 1952 Film featurette - Universal Studios Francesc dAsís Xavier Cugat Mingall de Bru i Deulofeu (1 January 1900 – 27 October 1990) was a Catalan-Cuban bandleader whom many consider to have had more to do with the infusion of Latin music into United States...

Arnaz appeared in several movies in the 1940s, most notably Bataan (1943). Shortly after he received his draft notice, but before he was actually inducted, he injured his knee. Although he made it through boot camp, he was eventually classified for limited service, and ended up directing United Service Organization (U.S.O.) programs at a military hospital in the San Fernando Valley. In his memoirs, he recalled discovering that the first thing soldiers requested was almost invariably a glass of cold milk, so he arranged for beautiful starlets to greet the wounded soldiers as they disembarked and pour milk for them. After leaving the Army, he formed another orchestra, which was successful in live appearances and recordings. After he became engaged in television, he kept the orchestra on his payroll throughout the period he remained an active producer. The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949. ... Bataan is a 1943 propaganda film about the defense of the Bataan Peninsula, made by MGM. It was directed by Tay Garnett and produced by Irving Starr with Dore Schary as executive producer. ... The year 1943 in film involved some significant events. ... Conscription in the United States has been employed several times, usually during war but also during the nominal peace of the Cold War. ... Boot Camp is a software assistant made available by Apple Inc. ... In the United States, the United Service Organizations (USO) was established to provide support to U.S. military personnel around the world. ... San Fernando Valley from its southwestern edge. ...

[edit] I Love Lucy

Desi produced and starred in I Love Lucy, in which he played a fictitious version of himself, Cuban orchestra leader Enrique "Ricky" Ricardo. His co-star was his real-life wife, Lucille Ball, who played Ricky's wife, Lucy. Television executives had been pursuing Ball to adapt her very popular radio series My Favorite Husband for television. Ball insisted on Arnaz playing her on-air spouse so the two would be able to spend more time together. The original premise was for the couple to portray Lucy and Larry Lopez, a successful show business couple (he a band leader, she an actress) whose glamorous careers interfered with their efforts to maintain a normal marriage. Market research indicated, however, that this scenario would not be popular, so Arnaz changed it to make Ricky a struggling young orchestra leader and Lucy an ordinary housewife who had show business fantasies but no talent. Desi would often appear at, and later own, the Tropicana Club which, under his ownership, he renamed Club Babalu. Initially, the idea of having Ball and the distinctly Latino Arnaz portray a married couple encountered resistance as they were told that Desi's Cuban accent and Latin style would not be agreeable to American viewers. The couple overcame these objections, however, by touring together in a live vaudeville act they developed with the help of Spanish clown, Pepito Pérez, together with Ball's radio show writers. Much of the material from their vaudeville act was used in the original "I Love Lucy" pilot, including Lucy's memorable seal routine. (The pilot originally ran as the sixth episode of the show's first season.) I Love Lucy is a popular American situation comedy, starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawley. ... Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an iconic American comedienne, film, television, stage and radio actress, glamour girl and star of the landmark sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show and Heres Lucy. ... My Favorite Husband was a radio program on CBS Radio. ... Show business is a vernacular term for the business of entertainment. ... This article is about the musical variety theatre. ...

[edit] Desilu Productions

With Ball, he founded Desilu Productions. At this time, most television programs were broadcast live and, as the largest markets were in New York, the rest of the country received only kinescope images. Karl Freund, Arnaz's cameraman, developed the multiple-camera setup production style using adjacent sets that became the standard for all subsequent situation comedies to this day. The use of film enabled every station around the country to broadcast high-quality images of the show. Arnaz was told that it would be impossible to allow an audience onto a sound stage, but he worked with Freund to design a set that would accommodate an audience, allow filming, and also adhere to fire and safety codes. The Desilu logo, used in the 1960s. ... A television program (US), television programme (UK) or simply television show is a segment of programming in television broadcasting. ... Kinescope (IPA: ) originally referred to the cathode ray tube used in television monitors. ... Karl W. Freund (January 16, 1890-May 3, 1969) was a German cinematographer who worked on over 100 films, including Metropolis (1927), Dracula (1931), and Key Largo (1948). ... The multiple-camera setup (aka, multiple-camera mode of production) is a method of shooting films and television programs. ... This article is about a genre of comedy. ...

Network executives considered the use of film an unnecessary extravagance. Arnaz convinced them to allow Desilu to cover all additional costs associated with the filming process, under the stipulation that Desilu owned and controlled all rights to the film. Arnaz's unprecedented arrangement is widely considered to be one of the shrewdest deals in television history. As a result of his foresight, Desilu reaped the profits from all reruns of the series. A television network is a distribution network for television content whereby a central operation provides programming for many television stations. ...

Arnaz also pushed the network to allow them to show Lucille Ball while she was pregnant. According to Arnaz, the CBS network told him, "You cannot show a pregnant woman on television." Arnaz consulted a priest, a rabbi, and a minister, all of whom told him that there would be nothing wrong with showing a pregnant Lucy or with using the word pregnant. The network finally relented and let Arnaz and Ball weave the pregnancy into the story line, but remained adamant about eschewing use of pregnant, so Arnaz substituted expecting, pronouncing it 'spectin' in his Cuban accent. Oddly, the official title of the episode announcing the pregnancy was "Lucy Is Enceinte," employing the French word for pregnant. This article is about human pregnancy in biological females. ... This article is about the broadcast network. ... This article is about religious workers. ... For the town in Italy, see Rabbi, Italy. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      For other types of...

In addition to I Love Lucy, he produced December Bride, The Mothers-in-Law, The Lucy Show, Those Whiting Girls, Our Miss Brooks, The Danny Thomas Show, The Andy Griffith Show, and The Untouchables, all Top Ten shows in their time, and the 1956 feature film Forever, Darling, in which he and Ball starred. His foresight in filming and retaining post-broadcast ownership of shows had a huge impact on the future of television syndication (reruns). For the 1990 Irish film, see December Bride (film). ... The Mothers-In-Law was produced by Desi Arnaz after the dissolution of both his marriage to Lucille Ball and Desilu Productions, which may explain why Ball made some catty remarks about Arden. ... This article is about the television series. ... Our Miss Brooks, an American situation comedy, began as a radio hit in 1948 and migrated to television in 1952, becoming one of the earlier hits of the so-called Golden Age of Television, and making a star out of Eve Arden as comely, wisecracking, but humane high school English... The Danny Thomas Show (known as Make Room for Daddy during the first four seasons ) was a sitcom which ran from 1953 to 1957 on ABC and from 1957 to 1964 on CBS. // Danny Thomas played Danny Williams, a successful comedian and nightclub entertainer. ... The Andy Griffith Show is an American television series that aired on CBS from October 3rd, 1960 to April 1st, 1968. ... The Untouchables is the name of a television series that ran from 1959 to 1963 on the American Broadcasting Company. ... A reel of film, which predates digital cinematography. ... Rerun van Pelt is the name of Linus and Lucys younger brother in the comic strip Peanuts. ...

[edit] Beliefs

Arnaz and Ball avoided racial or ethnic jokes. Arnaz recalled that the only exception consisted of making fun of Ricky Ricardo's accent, and noted that even these jokes worked only when Lucy, as his wife, did the mimicking. "When Fred and Ethel made fun of Ricky's accent, they didn't get a laugh".^{[citation needed]} A joke is a short story or short series of words spoken or communicated with the intent of being laughed at or found humorous by the listener or reader. ... William Clement Frawley (February 26, 1887 – March 3, 1966) began in vaudeville and as a screen actor, with well over a hundred films to his credit, but gained greater fame as Fred Mertz on I Love Lucy. ... Vivian Roberta Jones (July 26, 1909 – August 17, 1979), known professionally as Vivian Vance, was an Emmy Award-winning American television actress, theater actress, and singer. ...

Arnaz was patriotic; in his memoirs, the first object of thanks is the United States itself: "I know of no other country in the world", he wrote, in which "a sixteen-year-old kid, broke and unable to speak the language" could reach the success he had. Over the show's six-year run, the fortunes of the Ricardos mirror that of the archetypal 1950s American Dream: At first, they live in a tiny brownstone apartment; Ricky's fortunes continue to improve, and they move into a slightly larger one with a view after Little Ricky is born. Later, Ricky gets his big break and goes to Hollywood; shortly after returning to New York, all of them have the chance to travel through Europe. Finally, Lucy and Ricky head for a house in the country. For other uses, see American Dream (disambiguation). ... This article is about the building material and the dwelling. ... ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ...

[edit] Marriages

Arnaz married Lucille Ball on November 30, 1940 and initiated divorce proceedings in 1944, but reconciled before the interlocutory decree became final. He and Ball are the parents of actress Lucie Arnaz (born 1951) and actor Desi Arnaz, Jr. (born 1953). Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an iconic American comedienne, film, television, stage and radio actress, glamour girl and star of the landmark sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show and Heres Lucy. ... is the 334th day of the year (335th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... An order, sentence, decree, or judgment, given in an intermediate stage between the commencement and termination of a cause, is called interlocutory (1913 Webster). ... Lucie Arnaz (born Lucie Desiree Arnaz on July 17, 1951) is an American actress. ... Desi Arnaz, Jr. ...

Arnaz's marriage with Ball began to collapse under the strain of his serious problems with alcohol, drugs, and womanizing. According to his memoir, the combined pressures of managing the production company as well as supervising its day-to-day operations had greatly worsened as it grew much larger. Arnaz was also suffering from diverticulitis. He and Ball divorced in 1960; she was 48 and he was 43. When Ball returned to weekly television, she and Arnaz worked out an agreement regarding Desilu, wherein she bought him out. Diverticulitis is a common digestive disorder particularly found in the large intestine. ...

Arnaz married his second wife, Edith Mack Hirsch, on March 2, 1963, and greatly reduced his show business activities. He served as executive producer of The Mothers-in-Law, and during its two-year run, made four guest appearances as a Spanish matador, Señor Delgado.-1... For other uses, see 1963 (disambiguation). ... The Mothers-In-Law was produced by Desi Arnaz after the dissolution of both his marriage to Lucille Ball and Desilu Productions, which may explain why Ball made some catty remarks about Arden. ... Matador Antonio Barrera (matador) in the capote de paseo (dress cape) before a bullfight during the 2003 Aste Nagusia festival in Bilbao, Spain For other uses, see Matador (disambiguation). ...

Although Arnaz remarried after his divorce from Ball in 1960, they remained friends. Family home movies later aired on television showed Ball and Arnaz playing together with their mutual grandson, Simon (or "Simón", if Arnaz's mock protests are to be believed), shortly before Arnaz's death.

[edit] Later life

In the 1970s, Arnaz co-hosted a week of shows with daytime TV host/producer Mike Douglas. Vivian Vance appeared as a guest. Arnaz also headlined a Kraft Music Hall special on NBC that featured his two children, with a brief appearance by Vance. To promote his autobiography, A Book, Arnaz, on February 21, 1976, served as a guest host on Saturday Night Live, with his son, Desi, Jr., also appearing. The program contained spoofs of I Love Lucy and The Untouchables. He also read Lewis Carroll's poem "Jabberwocky" in a heavy Cuban accent (he pronounced it "Habberwocky"). Arnaz, Jr. played the drums and, supported by the SNL band, Desi sang both "Babalu" and another favorite from his dance band days, "Cuban Pete"; the arrangements similar to the ones used on I Love Lucy. He ended the broadcast by leading the entire cast in a raucous conga line through the SNL studio. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Vivian Roberta Jones (July 26, 1909 – August 17, 1979), known professionally as Vivian Vance, was an Emmy Award-winning American television actress, theater actress, and singer. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... This article is about the television network. ... SNL redirects here. ... I Love Lucy is a popular American situation comedy, starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawley. ... The Untouchables is the name of a television series that ran from 1959 to 1963 on the American Broadcasting Company. ... The Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (IPA: ) (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by the pen name Lewis Carroll (), was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican clergyman and photographer. ... For other uses, see Jabberwocky (disambiguation). ... Cuban Pete may refer to one of the following. ...

Arnaz and his wife eventually moved to Del Mar, California, where he lived the rest of his life in semi-retirement. He owned a 45-acre (18 ha) horse breeding farm in Corona, California and raced thoroughbreds. He contributed to charitable and non-profit organizations, including San Diego State University. Arnaz would make a guest appearance on the TV series Alice, starring Linda Lavin and produced by I Love Lucy co-creators Madelyn Pugh (Madelyn Davis) and Bob Carroll, Jr. Del Mar is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. ... Mares and foals Horse breeding refers to reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. ... For other uses, see Farm (disambiguation). ... Nickname: Coordinates: , Country United States State California County Riverside Government  - Mayor Eugene Montanez Area  - City  35. ... For the processor with the same codename , see Athlon. ... This article is about charitable organizations. ... A non-profit organization (abbreviated NPO, or non-profit or not-for-profit) is an organization whose primary objective is to support an issue or matter of private interest or public concern for non-commercial purposes, without concern for monetary profit. ... San Diego State University (SDSU), founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area (generally the City and County of San Diego), and is part of the California State University system. ... Alice is a top-rated American television sitcom series which ran from August 31, 1976 to July 2, 1985 on CBS. The series was based on the 1974 film, Alice Doesnt Live Here Anymore. ... Linda Lavin as Alice Hyatt on Alice. ... Madelyn Pugh was a television writer from the 1950s who helped create several of televisions most famous situations as a writer on I Love Lucy. ... Robert Gordon Bob Carroll Jr. ...

[edit] Death

Arnaz, a lifelong smoker, was diagnosed with lung cancer in early 1986. He died several months later on December 2, 1986, at age 69. Two days earlier, on what would have been his and Lucille's 46th wedding anniversary (November 30), she telephoned him. They shared a few words, mostly "I love you's." She said "All right, honey. I'll talk to you later." She was, in fact, the last person to ever speak with Desi Arnaz.^[2] His death came just five days before Lucille Ball received the Kennedy Center Honors. Actor Robert Stack read a written statement prepared by Arnaz days before which ended with the line, "I Love Lucy was never just a little title...."^{[citation needed]} Arnaz's body was cremated and his ashes were scattered.^{[citation needed]} Lung cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. ... is the 336th day of the year (337th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Robert Langford Modini Stack (January 13, 1919 – May 14, 2003) was an American stage and movie actor. ...

[edit] Legacy

Desi Arnaz has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one at 6327 Hollywood Boulevard for contributions to motion pictures, and one at 6220 Hollywood Boulevard for television. Buskers perform on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. ...

[edit] Filmography

• Too Many Girls (1940)
• Father Takes a Wife (1941)
• Four Jacks and a Jill (1942)
• The Navy Comes Through (1942)
• Bataan (1943)
• Screen Snapshots: Hollywood in Uniform (1943) (short subject)
• Cuban Pete (1946)
• Desi Arnaz and His Orchestra (1946) (short subject)
• Jitterumba (1947) (short subject)
• Holiday in Havana (1949)
• I Love Lucy (1953) (unreleased compilation film of episodes from the show).
• The Long, Long Trailer (1954)
• Forever Darling (1956)
• Salsa (1976) (documentary)
• The Escape Artist (1982)

Four Jacks and a Jill was a folk rock ensemble from South Africa. ... Bataan is a 1943 propaganda film about the defense of the Bataan Peninsula, made by MGM. It was directed by Tay Garnett and produced by Irving Starr with Dore Schary as executive producer. ... Cuban Pete was a 1946 black-and-white musical film released in the United States. ... I Love Lucy was a 1953 feature film spin-off of the immensely popular sitcom I Love Lucy. ... 1954 ad for New Moon Mobile Home Company, promoting both their trailers and the film The Long, Long Trailer was a novel by Clinton Twiss from the 1950s about a couple who buy a new travel trailer home and spend a year traveling the United States. ...

[edit] Biography

• A Book (1976) (autobiography up to 1960)
• Another Book (1960 onward -- never completed beyond outline)^{[citation needed]}
• Desilu: The Story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz By Coyne Stephen Sanders and Tom Gilbert (author) (Whole life, and focuses prominently on the Business affairs of Desilu Productions)

The Desilu logo, used in the 1960s. ...

[edit] See also

• List of Cuban Americans

This is a list of notable Cuban Americans. ...

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Desi Arnaz at the Internet Movie Database
• Desi Arnaz at the Internet Broadway Database
• Desi Arnaz at Allmovie
• Desi Arnaz on TVLand.com
• The Museum of Broadcast Communications: "Arnaz, Desi - U.S. Actor/Media Executive", by B.R. Smith
• Hispanic (month n.a., 2001): "Luuu-cy! Fifty years later, America still loves Lucy and Ricky", by Gigi Anders (magazine article reprinted at Lucyfan.com)