WEBVTT - How Did Desi Arnaz Change Television?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works, Hey, brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Vogelbaum here. The nineteen fifties most iconic television show

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<v Speaker 1>may have centered around Loving Lucy, but the famous Redhead's

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<v Speaker 1>ex husband, entertainment industry pioneer Desi Ernez, deserves a whole

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<v Speaker 1>lot of love too. Born in Santiago, Cuba in nineteen seventeen,

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<v Speaker 1>Arnez immigrated to the United States just before the Cuban

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<v Speaker 1>Revolution and went on to change the landscape of TV

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<v Speaker 1>as we know it. Arnez started life in a somewhat

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<v Speaker 1>privileged position. His great great grandfather, Don Manuel Arnez, made

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<v Speaker 1>an early move to the US, buying up tons of

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<v Speaker 1>land all over Los Angeles, including the area that would

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<v Speaker 1>become Posh Beverly Hills. Arnez's father was the mayor of Santiago,

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<v Speaker 1>his mother was the daughter of one of the Cardi

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<v Speaker 1>Rum Company founders, and his grandpa had accompanied Theodore Roosevelt

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<v Speaker 1>and the Rough Riders at the Battle of San Juan Hill.

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<v Speaker 1>All in all, not a bad family treat to sprout from,

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<v Speaker 1>But in ninety four, an uprising in Cuba landed Arnez's

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<v Speaker 1>dad in jail and once he was released, The family

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<v Speaker 1>fled to Miami, Florida, rebuilding a much humbler life in

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<v Speaker 1>the States. Two years later, Arnez, then a musically inclined

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<v Speaker 1>high schooler, started playing guitar and singing in a small

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<v Speaker 1>raumba band. That's when famous band leader Xavier Kuga discovered him,

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<v Speaker 1>swooped him into his band, and Arnez found enough success

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<v Speaker 1>to branch out on his own. Ever heard of a

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<v Speaker 1>congo line, Arnez is credited with introducing that dance party

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<v Speaker 1>staple to Miami crowds. Gaining more and more popularity, Arnez

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<v Speaker 1>and his band made the move to New York, started

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<v Speaker 1>on Broadway in a musical called Too Many Girls, and

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<v Speaker 1>then was asked to appear in the film adaptation of

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<v Speaker 1>the play. On the set of that nineteen thirty nine movie,

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<v Speaker 1>he met Lucille Ball. The two fell in love, and

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<v Speaker 1>six months later they eloped. Though they briefly separated in

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen forty four, the pair reconciled and began dreaming up

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<v Speaker 1>opportunities to collaborate again on screen. The magic moment came

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<v Speaker 1>in nineteen fifty when Arnez and Ball pitched CBS on

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<v Speaker 1>a sitcom that developed called I Love Lucy. Network executives

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<v Speaker 1>initially weren't sold on the Cuban born actor's accent, so

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<v Speaker 1>the couple used their own money to produce a pilot

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<v Speaker 1>and convinced the big bosses that ar Neez was more

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<v Speaker 1>than fit to play the fictional Ricky Ricardo and that

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<v Speaker 1>the show would be a hit. Not only was it

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<v Speaker 1>a hit, it was the hit. I Love Lucy was

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<v Speaker 1>America's most popular TV show for four of its six

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<v Speaker 1>prime time seasons between nineteen fifty one and nineteen fifty seven,

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<v Speaker 1>and viewers fell in love with the couple's non traditional

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<v Speaker 1>partnership that's now credited as a groundbreaking example of multi

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<v Speaker 1>ethnic relationships, progressive Latino American masculinity, and gender dynamics. But

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<v Speaker 1>Arnez wasn't just the on screen straight man, two balls

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<v Speaker 1>uproariously funny lead character. He was also heavily involved in

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<v Speaker 1>every aspect of production, from coordinating taping in front of

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<v Speaker 1>a live audience a first for televised sitcoms, to figuring

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<v Speaker 1>out how to simultaneously operate three cameras in real time.

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<v Speaker 1>Filmmaker Penny Marshall once said, bless Desi Arnaz for creating

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<v Speaker 1>the three camera you could find out what's funny you're

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<v Speaker 1>not with an audience, they're faster than anything. Arnez and

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<v Speaker 1>Ball formed the first ever independent television pction company, Desilu,

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<v Speaker 1>in preparation for the show, and they convinced CBS to

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<v Speaker 1>give them full ownership of their episodes. When Arnez later

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<v Speaker 1>sold them back to CBS, he reportedly made millions and

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<v Speaker 1>the show continues to live on thanks to his business

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<v Speaker 1>savvy But Desi Luke Productions wasn't just responsible for I

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<v Speaker 1>Love Lucy. The company also produced major projects like The Untouchables,

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<v Speaker 1>Mission Impossible, and Star Trek. Although Arnez and Ball eventually

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<v Speaker 1>divorced in nineteen sixty, they remained close friends for the

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<v Speaker 1>remainder of their lives. Arne has passed away from cancer

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<v Speaker 1>in six at the age of sixty nine, but his

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<v Speaker 1>legend indoors thanks to the immeasurable impact he had on

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<v Speaker 1>the entertainment industry, his loved ones, and the communities that

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<v Speaker 1>continue to draw inspiration from his immense contributions. Today's episode

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<v Speaker 1>was written by Michelle Konstantinovski and produced by Tyler Clang

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<v Speaker 1>for iHeart Media and How Stuff Works. For more on

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<v Speaker 1>this and lots of other topics that dosoms plain, and

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<v Speaker 1>visit our home planet, how stuff Works dot com