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Desi Arnaz explained how he and Lucille Ball created I Love Lucy
The series developed from the couple's desire to see a family on television.
Let's not mince words: A show like I Love Lucy is the best thing since sliced bread, maybe better. The invention of that series feels like a strike of lightning, a bright spot in television history, brought to you by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.
During an interview with the Clovis News-Journal, Arnaz revealed the only reason the series even began to take shape was because he and his wife were looking to do a comedy that viewers of every age could enjoy.
"Lucy and I got to the idea for the show," Arnaz said. "We wanted to do a family comedy series. We tried to make the show something the entire family would enjoy."
But in order to produce a lot of laughs, Arnaz and Ball had to put in a lot of effort, acting as captains at the helm of the series.
"It takes a lot of work to do the show," he said, "but as long as the public wants Lucy, we'll keep producing it."
While Arnaz was a businessman at heart, Ball originally pitched I Love Lucy as a way to spend more time together as a couple. The two worked together both on-screen and off.
"If I didn't like it I wouldn't be in it," said Arnaz. "Probably the toughest part of the business for Lucy and I is getting ideas for thirty-nine shows a year. But pity the scriptwriters, they have an even tougher time."
The effort, however, was well worth it to Arnaz, who considered it a joy to be able to make others laugh.
"In show business, you have a chance to create something that you hope others will enjoy," he said. "You can't just walk in and get a job or a top spot. It takes work and determination and often a lot of time. But most important you have to show people you have something."
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This wasn’t that unusual. Many early TV series were reworkings of radio series (Gunsmoke, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Father Knows Best, The Life of Riley, Our Miss Brooks, you get my point). In some cases, basically the entire cast transferred over (Our Miss Brooks). In others, it was a completely new cast (Gunsmoke). Many times, only the lead would transition to the small screen (Life of Riley-William Bendix, Father Knows Best-Robert Young, Ozzie & Harriet-Ozzie & Harriet Nelson, My Favorite Husband/I Love Lucy-Lucille Ball).
When they retooled”My Favorite Husband” for TV, Ball insisted that Arnaz play her husband. Network executives were hesitant. One said, “Who would believe that a red-blooded American girl like you was married to a Cuban band leader?” Ball replied, “Why not? I am.”
It did bring about some changes. On radio, Ball’s character was Liz Cooper. Her husband, played by Richard Denning, was named George. He was a bank Vice-President, not a band leader (and definitely not Cuban). On radio, the couple that would become the Mertzs, were the Adderberrys. They were the President of the bank George worked at and his wife. Ball had wanted to cast the actors in those roles as Fred & Ethel. Unfortunately, Gale Gordon & Bea Benaderet were already contracted to other series.
Desi Arnaz definitely contributed to the success of ILL, both in front of and behind the camera, in many ways. However, it would be an extreme stretch to say that he co-created it with Lucille Ball.
Totally useless trivia. “My Favorite Husband” was created for radio, based on a book titled “Meet the Cugats.” That was the couple’s last name in the first season. For legal reasons, the last name was changed to Cooper, beginning with the second season. There’s a funny nod to that in an episode of the TV series. Lucy is reading Ethel a letter from Lucy’s mother. “How are you? How is Xavier?” Ethel says, “Xavier?” Lucy replies, “Yes. My mother knows I’m married to a Cuban band leader. She just can’t remember which one.”
