This film will explore the rise of comedian icon Lucille Ball, her relationship with Desi Arnaz, and how their groundbreaking sitcom I Love Lucy forever changed Hollywood, cementing her legacy long after her death in 1989.
On the heels of “Being the Ricardos,” released in 2021, also by Amazon Studios, comes “Lucy and Desi,” this time starring the real-life title characters using archival footage. While the fictionalized version was a superb recreation of the lives of one of the most famous couples in television history – also sporting three Academy Award acting nominations from a phenomenal cast – the documentary directed by Amy Poehler might be even better. The film not only chronicles the obvious success of “I Love Lucy,” it similarly lends insight to the early careers of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, as well as their significant work years after the iconic sitcom.
The “I Love Lucy” series benefitted from the constant give-and-take between Lucy and Desi, which mirrored so many aspects of their actual life and remains a timeless element of the show’s remarkable history. Indeed, the relatively brief run of six seasons still appears in syndication in dozens of languages around the world decades past the debut.
Much of the appeal of the two celebrated protagonists in “I Love Lucy” is that they could not have been more different. Desi came from a monied background in Cuba but lost it all as an exile. After arriving in the United States, he transformed himself into a well-regarded band leader, and later a successful television producer and innovator. Lucille climbed her way up in the entertainment industry ladder starting as a model, then a chorus girl, eventually to regular work as an actor in the studio system taking on both leading and supporting roles. However, beginning with radio comedy, she came into her own. As the old joke goes, it took her twenty years to become an overnight success.
Casting the Cuban-American Desi as the lead in “I Love Lucy,” along with his real-life Anglo-American wife, was controversial, but enormously successful, despite studio concerns. The pair were among the first power couples in show business, not only on-screen but off-screen as well. Together they formed Desilu Productions, responsible for such hits as “The Andy Griffith Show,” “My Three Sons,” “Mission: Impossible,” “The Untouchables” and “Star Trek.” The entire library is now owned by ViacomCBS through subsidiaries. Before Ball sold the company for a sizeable sum, she was the first woman ever to run a television production company.
“Lucy and Desi” boasts an array of candid interviews that include Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill, Bette Midler, Carol Burnett, Laura LaPlaca, Eduardo Machado, Charo, Journey Gunderson, Gregg Oppenheimer, David Daniels, Norman Lear, and Desi Arnaz, Jr. The rich and varied perspectives add life and substance to the core narrative centering on Ball and Arnaz. Produced by Michael Rosenberg, Justin Wilkes, Jeanne Elfant Festa, Nigel Sinclair, Mark Monroe, and Amy Poehler, the documentary moves briskly across its subject matter, never flagging for a moment.
Although Ball and Arnaz divorced in 1960, they remained friends until Desi’s death in 1986. Over the course of her career, Ball received numerous awards, accolades, and honors, including five Emmys for “I Love Lucy.” “Lucy and Desi” offers a fitting tribute to two of television’s most recognizable stars. Their work and industry prominence blazed a trail for both women and people of color that endures to this day.
Premiering exclusively on Amazon Prime Video Friday, March 4th
