‘Lucy and Desi’ Frames Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz’s Romance While Avoiding Its Rougher Edges

Alci Rengifo

If you know very little about the life and times of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, then the Amazon documentary “Lucy and Desi” is the perfect introduction. Longtime fans might enjoy the rhythm of the editing and narration, but for them this will be a surface-level presentation covering all the familiar beats. But what a stirring true story this is. Ball and Arnaz continue to fascinate because their romance encompasses so many themes still relevant to the general American experience. In this love story you can find connections to our national roots as immigrants, the gender wars and how our collective memories are defined by the shows and art of the times.

Fittingly, the director is Amy Poehler, an actor who can be said to be a direct example of the comedic legacy Ball left in her wake. She uses talking heads and excerpts from recorded audio of Ball and Arnaz from interviews for other media outlets. They both fell into fame almost by accident. Ball recalls leaving her more rural home and economic hardships to be a showgirl in New York City in 1928. After becoming a model she was by chance cast in the film “Roman Scandals” and from there began a career first in B films and slapstick comedy. By her own admission, Ball was so entranced by the fun of Hollywood that she easily got work because she was willing to do anything. Arnaz’s own story begins in Cuba, where after graduating from high school he forms a band, goes to Miami before making conga lines popular in New York City. After being cast in the Broadway musical “Too Many Girls,” Arnez then lands a role in the film adaptation by RKO Pictures. That’s where he meets and falls in love with Ball. 

It is cliché the rest is history but that’s precisely the case here. Poehler breathlessly rushes through the narrative of Ball and Arnaz’s relationship. The early years of their marriage were somewhat strained by Ball’s work in Hollywood while Arnaz would tour as a musician. After being relegated mostly to being a B-movie actor, Ball found success in radio with a show called “My Favorite Husband.” When CBS decided to turn the premise into a TV show, Ball agreed as long as Arnaz could play her husband. The resulting show, “I Love Lucy,” is of course an eternal TV standard and quite groundbreaking for its time with the leads being a white housewife, Lucy (Ball) and her Cuban husband Ricky (Arnaz). “Lucy and Desi” explores the importance of such representation at a time when Latino characters were not seen as sophisticated. Singer-actor Charo and Eduardo Machado, a respected Cuban-American playwright, are the main commentators on Arnaz’s impact as a Latino icon. A fascinating side note for pop culture aficionados: We also have “I Love Lucy” to thank for television starting to do reruns. 

For pop culture buffs there’s plenty of breezy, quick bits of fascination all around, like Carol Burnett and Bette Midler discussing Ball’s influence and comedic gifts. The surviving offspring of “I Love Lucy” writers and directors share memories of all the hard work that went into making the show high quality. Arnaz demanded the show be shot on film, a rarity at the time, which explains why watching clips remastered in HD reveals their lasting texture. Where Poehler does skip around carefully are the rougher edges of the marriage. Recently Amazon’s “Being the Ricardos” took a more upfront approach and by comparison Poehler’s documentary is a light companion. What is more explored is how Arnaz’s ambition to buy RKO and turn it into the Desilu Productions studio is where the true strains on the bond began. Simply put, running a studio is hard work and it weighs heavy on a couple where both are also continuing to be screen stars. They juggled creative drive with wanting to raise a family as well. A revealing audio clip of Arnaz has him confessing that he never learned moderation. Daughter Lucie Arnaz offers some insights along with others on how Arnaz also seemed to be eternally reaching out for a home he could never find, or never recover as an eternal Cuban exile. Under Arnaz’s watch Desilu produced quite a lot of iconic TV shows like “The Untouchables” and “Mission: Impossible.” 

The even more difficult angles of the marriage, such as Arnaz’s infidelities or Ball’s brush with the Hollywood blacklist during the McCarthy years, are also quickly rushed by as mere side notes to the bigger picture. It’s all so evocatively edited and energetic that it’s easy to still be swept up in this story. What is never in doubt is that Ball and Arnaz formed a true bond that went beyond ethnic labels or even gender roles. Arnaz always respected Ball, even when their marriage couldn’t make it through and they eventually divorced. Even then, they would still work together and Lucie Arnaz remembers with powerful memories Ball visiting a sick Arnaz on his deathbed in the 1980s. They were one of a kind in an industry full of so many lurid romances, here is one that wasn’t paradise, yet retains an endearing image. For those who don’t know the history this will be a stirring introduction, while for those who do, it still works like revisiting a photo album with special memories.

“Lucy and Desi” begins streaming March 4 on Amazon Prime Video.