Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio, Hey brain Stuff. Lauren Bogelbaum Here. The nineteen fifties most iconic television show may have centered around Loving Lucy, but the famous Redhead's ex husband, entertainment industry pioneer Desi Ernez, deserves a whole lot of love too. Born in Santiago, Cuba in nineteen seventeen, Arnez immigrated to the United States just before the Cuban Revolution and went on to change the landscape of TV as we know it. Arnez started
life in a somewhat privileged position. His great great grandfather, Don Manuel Arnez, made an early move to the US, buying up tons of land all over Los Angeles, including the area that would become Posh Beverly Hills. Arnez's father was the mayor of Santiago, his mother was the daughter of one of the Cardi Rum Company founders, and his grandpa had accompanied Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders at
the Battle of San Juan Hill. All in all, not a bad family treat to sprout from, But in ninety four, an uprising in Cuba landed Arnez's dad in jail. And once he was released, the family fled to Miami, Florida, rebuilding a much humbler life in the States. Two years later, Arnez, then a musically inclined high schooler, started playing guitar and
singing in a small raumba band. That's when famous band leader Xavier Kuga discovered him, swooped him into his band, and Arnez found enough success to branch out on his own. Ever heard of a congo line, Arnez is credited with introducing that dance party staple to Miami crowds. Gaining more and more popularity, Arnez and his band made the move to New York, started on Broadway in a musical called Too Many Girls, and then was asked to appear in the film adaptation of the play. On the set of
that nineteen thirty nine movie, he met Lucille Ball. The two fell in love, and six months later they eloped. Though they briefly separated in nineteen forty four, the pair reconciled and began dreaming up opportunities to collaborate again on screen. The magic moment came in nineteen fifty when Arnez and Ball pitched CBS on a sitcom that developed called I
Love Lucy. Network executives initially weren't sold on the Cuban born actor's accent, so the couple used their own money to produce a pilot and convinced the big bosses that ar Nez was more than fit to play the fictional Ricky Ricardo and that the show would be a hit. Not only was it a hit, it was the hit.
I Love Lucy was America's most popular TV show for four of its six prime time seasons between nineteen fifty one and nineteen fifty seven, and viewers fell in love with the couple's non traditional partnership that's now credited as a groundbreaking example of multi ethnic relationships, progressive Latino American masculinity, and gender dynamics. But Arnez wasn't just the on screen
straight man, two balls uproariously funny lead character. He was also heavily involved in every aspect of production, from coordinating taping in front of a live audience, a first for televised sitcoms, to figuring out how to simultaneously operate three cameras in real time. Filmmaker Penny Marshall once said, blessed Desi Arnaz for creating the three camera you could find out what's funny You're not With an audience, they're faster
than anything. Arnez and Ball formed the first ever independent television pction company, Desilu, in preparation for the show, and they convinced CBS to give them full ownership of their episodes. When arne Has later sold them back to CBS. He reportedly made millions and the show continues to live on thanks to his business savvy But Desi Luke Productions wasn't just responsible for I Love Lucy. The company also produced major projects like The Untouchables, Mission Impossible, and Star Trek.
Although Arnez and Ball eventually divorced in nineteen sixty, they remained close friends for the remainder of their lives. Arne has passed away from cancer in six at the age of sixty nine, but his legend indoors thanks to the immeasurable impact he had on the entertainment industry, his loved ones, and the communities that continue to draw inspiration from his immense contributions. Today's episode was written by Michelle Konstantinovski and produced by Tyler Clang for I Heeart media, and how
stuff Works. For more on this and lots of other topics, the Dosom's Plain and visit our home planet, how stuff Works dot com. Brain Stuff is production of I Heart Radio. For more tests from my heart Radio is the I heart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. H