welcome back to the ancestral findings podcast Desi Arnaz is best known for playing Ricky
Ricardo on the Beloved TV sitcom I Love Lucy he was also a Pioneer in the TV industry in many
aspects inventing innovations that are still in use today he also had a privileged life in
Cuba before the country's Revolution which turned his family's lives upside down this is his story
[Music]
Des Arnaz was a cuban-born Entertainer musician and producer who became one of the most successful
figures in the history of American television he is best known for his role as Ricky Ricardo in the
classic sitcom I Love Lucy which he co-created with his wife Lucille Ball arnez's impact on
the entertainment industry is immeasurable and his legacy continues to influence television and music
to this day born desiderio Alberto Arnez ideaka III on March 2nd 1917 in Santiago de Cuba Cuba
Desi came from a wealthy family he was the son of desiderio Arnaz a wealthy landowner and his wife
Dolores dayaka who came from a prominent family in Spain Desi's father was mayor of Santiago de
Cuba the youngest mayor of the Town had had at that time and also served in the Cuban House of
Representatives his maternal grandfather was an executive at the rum company Bacardi Desi grew up
in a privileged environment but his early life was marked by political upheaval and social change the
Cuban Revolution in 1933 brought revolutionaries to his home where violent mobs of people destroyed
his family's houses property and even livestock Desi narrowly escaped the mob himself jumping in a
car and driving away just in the nick of time his father on the other hand was arrested and spent
six months in jail before he was released with the assistance of his brother-in-law's intervention
on his behalf Desi and his family emigrated to Miami after his father was released from jail
they came with no money none of the wealth they were used to living on in Cuba they had to live in
a rat infested garage apartment where they resided while Desi attended the local high school in 1934
he attended Saint Leo prep close to Tampa in order to improve his English does he obtain jobs working
at Woolworths and in cleaning Canary cages as a teenager later he went into the tile business with
his dad then eventually went into Show Business this became his full-time career Desi loved it
and obviously had an aptitude for it Desi and his family settled in Miami Florida where he began to
pursue his dream of becoming a musician he had learned to play the guitar and Bongos as a child
and he had a natural talent for music in Miami he played in local bands and worked as a gigolo
to support himself in 1939 Desi was discovered by bandleader Xavier Cugat who was impressed by
his musical abilities he joined kugat's band as a vocalist and soon became one of the most popular
members of the group Desi's Charisma and Stage presence made him a hit with audiences and he
was soon in demand as a solo artist in 1940 does he moved to Hollywood to pursue a career in Show
Business he landed a role in the MGM musical too many girls which was directed by George Abbott
and produced by RKO pictures it was on the set of too many girls that Desi met Lucille Ball who
was also starring in the film The two fell in love and were married in November of that year
after too many girls does he continue to work in Hollywood as an actor and musician he appeared in
a number of films including Bataan and the Navy comes through and he continued to perform with
his own band in the early 1950s Desi and Lucy decided to create their own television show
they formed their own production company desilu Productions and pitched the show to CBS
the network was initially hesitant to take a chance on a sitcom starring a Cuban American and
a woman believing the nation would never accept a mixed nationality couple on their TVs in their
homes the network wanted to keep Desi behind the scenes as a creative force on the show but
cast a man of Lucy's own ethnic background as her husband the network wanted Lucy as a star in her
own show and she refused to do the show without Desi playing her husband the network resisted at
first but Lucy was firm eventually CBS gave in to her demands and she and Desi were given the
green light to create their television program it was the best decision the network ever made
Desi and Lucy's show I Love Lucy premiered on CBS in 1951 and it was an instant hit the show starred
Lucy as Lucy Ricardo a housewife who always managed to get herself into hilarious predicaments
Desi also starred playing her husband Ricky who was a Cuban bandleader the show was an immediate
success and it soon became one of the most popular shows on television Desi's contributions to I Love
Lucy went far beyond his on-screen performance he was a co-creator of the show and he served as its
executive producer he was also responsible for developing the show's unique filming style which
used multiple cameras to capture the action on set this technique allowed the show to be
filmed in front of a live audience an Innovative technique at the time that became a standard
practice in the television industry after I Love Lucy ended its run in 1957 Arnez continued to work
in television and music he produced a number of successful shows including the Anne Southern show
and those Whiting girls and was involved behind the scenes and a number of other television shows
Desi and Lucy who had always had a tumultuous relationship including Lucy filing for divorce
early on but then reconciling with Desi finally divorced in 1960 after nearly two decades of
marriage and two children together they worked together on desilu Productions until 1962 when
Lucy bought out Desi's share of the company Desi formed his own company Desi Arnez Productions
which continued to produce TV Productions often in partnership with well-known actors and actresses
though they both went on to marry other people Disney and Lucy stayed good friends with each
other there is a home movie of the two of them playing with their grandson shortly before Desi
crossed to the other side Lucy was devastated when he did a lifelong smoker he was diagnosed
with lung cancer in his 60s underwent treatment and eventually crossed in 1986.
Lucy visited him in the hospital before this and they watched VHS episodes of I Love Lucy together
a couple of days before he crossed he and Lucy spoke on the phone telling each other I love
you before hanging up Desi was cremated and his ashes scattered according to his wishes
his mother outlived him by two years and Lucy by three his second wife Edith had crossed the year
prior to him his two children Desi Jr and Lucy plus his grandchildren survived him along with
beloved and treasured Legacy and with his fans friends and the American TV landscape [Music]
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