Early Desi information

Young Desi Arnaz first started his 'rhumba band' when he came to America at a very young age. He became very attracted to the musical rhythms of his own nationality and decided he wanted to work in the nightclub business. Even though it eventually became a long running joke, Desi began a partial partnership with fellow bandleader Xavier Cugat and Cugat promised Desi that he would send him a few band members.

Instead of experienced Spanish musicians, Cugat sent band members alright,but each man came from a completely different background. Not one of them even knew any Latin songs, so Desi had to start from scratch and teach them. The men didn't get along very well at first, however, with some hard work their personalities melded and Desi would soon developed his own actual rhumba band.

NEW FALL CONTEST!!! I Love Lucy - The Complete Second Season from 1951

To wish my wonderful "Lucy" readers a Happy Fall season, I've decided to have another contest! Yes, that's right! This time, we'll be giving away the boxed set of I Love Lucy - The Complete Second Season (1951 on DVD.

All you have to do to enter is follow these two simple steps:

1. either subscribe to this blog OR become a follower of it. Either way, you'll receive automatic notifications of updates.

2. Leave a comment on this post telling us which one of the "supporting" cast of characters on the show was your favorite. For example; Mrs. Trumble, Freddie Filmore, Ernie Ford, Teensie or Weensie, Marion Strong, Caroline Appleby...or any of the many others.

That's it! That's all there is to it! The contest will run through Midnight of Friday November 27, 2009. After all of that Christmas shopping, some lucky reader will be getting a nice gift for themselves! The winner will be chosen at random. There will be only ONE winner and the contest is only for those in the Unites States.

So, tell your friends and REMEMBER....there's still time to enter our PAPER DOLLS contest. That one runs until Halloween so happy entering!

Lucy, Hollywood's Technicolor Tessie

Back in the day, according to LIFE magazine, Cameramen and technicians both referred to our lovely Lucy as "Technicolor Tessie" because she was so colorful and looked so beautiful on film. With her gorgeous hair that was described as every color from strawberry blond to apricot, her beautiful deep cornflower blue eyes and her famous red lips, Lucy was made for the camera.

Lucy's skin was so fair, she always looked natural in front of the camera, no matter what look the make-up artist was going for. For technicolor films, three times more light was needed than for black and white films. Makeup needed to be thinner and lighter in order for it not to look mask-like on camera. Lucy carried it off because of her beautiful, flawless skin.

These photographs are proof that Lucy deserves the title bestowed on her by the studios. They were taken by photographer Walt Sanders. She is wearing nothing more than everyday street makeup, and they were done with everyday lighting and not special effects.

These beautiful pics were originally shown in LIFE magazine, the August 9, 1943 issue

Old Suspense Radio Shows Starring Lucy and others!

PERFECT LUCY TIME FOR HALLOWEEN!

I've come across this wonderful website that I think you will love. It features wonderful stars from the "good old days" of Hollywood doing thriller/horror shows on radio in the 1940's. There are some from Lucy and other big names like Olivia DeHavilland, Orsen Wells, Susan Haywood,Vincent Price and tons more. Check!k it out. It's perfect for Halloween. Just click on the link, go down the list and open the file you want to listen to. Many thanks to the owner of this site for putting together such a gem!


obscurehorror.com

More I Love Lucy Trivia

From the comments I receive, I know you guys like trivia, so here you go. Comments are always welcome!

This tidbit makes me sad but it is interesting. Desi Arnaz had wanted Episode #153, Return Home From Europe to be the last episode of the series, but he was persuaded to stay on for another season. It's sad because even though the series went on, this episode has many lines that give a sense of closure and fans could sense the end was coming. Also of note, it was the last I Love Lucy episode that involved Jess Oppenheimer(Producer). Oppenheimer later went on to sue Desilu after the The Lucy Show came on the air saying that "Lucy Carmicheal" was really "Lucy Ricardo" with a different last name.

Episode #172, Lucy Does The Tango, has the longest laugh ever recorded in I Love Lucy history - sixty-five seconds long!

In Episode #4, The Diet, we have the first on-screen appearance by Marco Rizo, the accomplished pianist who was also Desi's long-time friend. We also hear the song "Cubn Pete/Sally Sweet" which was part of Lucy and Desi's 1950 vaudeville tour, which was, in part what helped convince CBS honchos to invest in I Love Lucy.

Jack Benny's Favorite Lucy Episode

Here's a little I love Lucy movie star trivia for you:

Did you know that Episode #114, L.A. At Last!, where Lucy sets her nose on fire in front of Bill Holden was Jack Benny's favorite episode?

In Episode #125, The Dancing Star,Ray Bolger (best known for playing the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz) was originally to have been "The Dancing Star," but couldn't make it due to other obligations, so Lucy's long time friend and fellow red head Van Johnson filled in for him.

And speaking of Van Johnson, in episode #122, The Star Upstairs, Van Johnson was originally going to play that part instead of Cornell Wilde but due to a sponsor conflict (I Love Lucy was sponsored by Philip Morris, Johnson was sponsoring Lucky Strike)was unable to do so. Only 28 days later, when his contract for Lucky Strike was completed he filmed the episode #125, "The Dancing Star."

I hope you enjoyed that little bit of trivia. Stay tuned for more, and don't forget it's not too late to enter our Paper Doll contest so tell your friends and spread the word.

Trivia Game

If you like trivia, and I know you do, I just found an actual I Love Lucy trivia game on Amazon. Check it out and see if you can pick one up for yourselves. Here's what it looks like.