Sixty years ago, film and radio star Lucille Ball and Cuban-born actor
and musician Desi Arnaz first stole our hearts as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo
in arguably the most successful television show of all time,
I Love Lucy.
Always a showcase for the brilliant comedic talents of its legendary
cast, the series possessed equally sparkling musical moments. From the
fiery excitement of “Babalu” and “El Cumbanchero,” to the touching and
sentimental “We’re Having a Baby (My Baby and Me)” and Tin Pan Alley–era
tunes including “By the Light of the Silvery Moon,”
I Love Lucy’s diverse and potent musical blend further helped to cement the series’ enduring appeal and influence.
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| Desi Arnaz Jr. and Lucie Arnaz |
The Paley Center presented an evening celebrating the musical legacy of
I Love Lucy on December 9th. This special program was joined by Lucie Arnaz and Desi
Arnaz. Jr., the only children of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Sr., and two gifted actors and musicians who proudly carry on their
family’s musical tradition, recently celebrated in the acclaimed musical
revue
Babalu! and in Ms. Arnaz current album release
Latin Roots.
They were joined by the award-winning composer and arranger Ron Abel
and others for an illuminating conversation filled with classic clips
and special musical performances.
The event,
Tropicana Nights: A Salute to the Music of I Love Lucy,
featured a panel discussion focused primarily on the siblings' father,
followed by musical performance with Desi, 58, on bongos and Lucie, 60,
singing two numbers her father performed on the 1950's sitcom. Prior to
the event, they were asked how they both honor and
protect their parents' legacy.
Desi, we don't see you at many Lucy-related events. Why was this something you wanted to be part of?Desi:
Well, I live in Boulder City, Nevada. But this is a big deal. It's the
60th anniversary of the show and it's Mom's 100 birthday if she were
still with us. And the music is really why I'm here. Lucie and I have
been working on a show that tributes Dad's music. We did it as a benefit
and then performed it as a concert show called
Babalu. We're moved very deeply by the music, so we enjoy talking to people about that side of
I Love Lucy. Dad's contribution and the music.
What were the origins of the music of I Love Lucy?Desi: I Love Lucy
was actually created out of Dad's orchestral show. Mom and Dad wanted
to see if people would accept them live, because CBS wasn't too sure it
would work or not. In those days they weren't sure a redhead American
should even be married to a Cuban. It was very controversial. But the
two of them went out together with dad's band and the people loved it.
Lucie:
After Dad died I found all these arrangements and tapes. Stuff we had
never heard before that inspired me to work more on Latin music.
What's the future of your Babalu show?Lucie: He doesn't want to travel, so there is no future.
Desi: [
Laughs] Maybe we'll do a run in Vegas.
Do you have a favorite song from I Love Lucy?Lucie: I do. It's from the
Lucy/Desi Comedy Hour
when they went to Havana for the flashback showing how Lucy and Ricky
met. The song is "That Means I Love You" where he plays the Conga and
she plays the table in front of her shaped like a Conga.
Desi: That's a good one. I like the one about me being born. "We're Having a Baby; My Baby and Me."
I
imagine a lot of marketing people would like to turn your parents into
Mickey and Minnie Mouse — with every conceivable form of merchandising.
How do you protect their legacy?Desi: We
have a company called Desilu Too where Lucie and I police any
merchandise. We've been doing it since they passed away. We work with a
company out of Chicago called Unforgettable Inc. We needed to have help
to police and license the merchandise. [
Desi Sr. passed away in 1986 at age 69 while Lucy died in 1989 at age 77.]
Lucie: Once someone famous dies, someone has to run that estate forever.
Any strange marketing pitches you heard that you rejected?
Desi: No images of Mom on toilet paper.
Lucie: Nobody would ask for that!
Desi: Somebody actually did, and we had to say "no!"
Lucie:
It didn't mean to be our life's work. We've got separate careers and
families, but this thing has overtaken us like the giant Godzilla
monster. But there are some perks to it to. We decided if we were going
to spend X number of hundreds of thousands of dollars every year
policing what we weren't allowing, we might as well hire people to do it
right and turn it into a real business. Make the real estate value of
Lucy and Desi stay as valuable as it was when they left us.
Desi:
It's about quality, not quantity. If you sell everything out right away
then you don't have anything left over. You don't sell the farm; you
rent it out.
Did you both approve the I Love Lucy: Live on Stage show that's been playing to sold out audiences in Los Angeles?Lucie: The
I Love Lucy
show itself is owned by CBS. Anything that is based on the scripts is
controlled by CBS. What they don't totally own is the image of Lucille
Ball as Lucy Ricardo or Desi Aranz as Ricky Ricardo. In certain cases,
like in the case of dolls, you have to get permission from CBS and also
the estate of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.
Desi:
That's because dad was future thinking and kept their image and likeness
rights. He also put up half money for the pilot, so CBS wheeled and
dealed with him in the negotiations in terms of who owned what.
What's next for you?Lucie: I put together a hybrid version of the
Babalu show with a 12-piece band based on the
Latin Roots CD I released. I found a way to do
Babalu
and as many of Dad's arrangements that a woman can do. It's very fun.
And we have a wonderful one-woman show out I directed that we own a
piece of called
An Evening With Lucille Ball. Suzanne LaRusch is the wonderful impressionist. There is nobody quite like her.
Desi:
I built the sets and we launched it at my theater. It's Mom in her late
50's, early 60's talking to a bunch of college kids about her life.
You've no doubt heard that William Frawley and Vivian Vance are being inducted into the TV Academy Hall of Fame at a March 1 ceremony in Beverly Hills.Desi: I didn't know that!
Lucie: Yes, finally! I recorded a little video for them today where I said, "On behalf of my mother and father and the
I Love Lucy
show, I want to congratulate Vivian Vance and William Frawley for
finally be inducted into the Hall of Fame like everyone else. Friends
and neighbors should be together. It's about time."
They never had children of their own?Lucie: No, Vivian and Bill never did.
Anything else you'd like to tell TV Guide Magazine readers?Desi:
It's just fun to be here with Lucie in Los Angeles. I'm feeling very
nostalgic about our childhood. I went by mom's old house today and
pointed out Lucy's room to my daughter.
Lucie: And what's really great is that we're together celebrating this music.
and it shows a release date of February 28th, and a cost of $20.99.
I Love Lucy® Live on Stage has been the “must-see” musical comedy in Los Angeles since it opened on October 1 to rave reviews. Audiences travel back to the 1950s and the Desilu Studios to watch the “filming” of two episodes of the iconic and beloved sitcom, complete with a television studio host, vintage-style live musical commercials, and The Ricky Ricardo Orchestra playing live from the “Tropicana Nightclub.”