The Lucy and Desi documentary outlines what is a true story between a loving couple, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, who created a TV show so they can work together, as they wished to raise a family. Their story is remarkable as it highlights the trials and tribulations of the entertainment industry, especially the hurdles a working actress and a Cuban immigrant experience trying to do whatever they can to stay together.
The world seems to be a flutter with the life of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Lucille Ball a strong as nails woman who had a hit with I Love Lucy and eventually became the first woman to run a Hollywood studio and is the brains behind such iconic television series including Star Trek, Mission Impossible and The Untouchable, but none of this would have been possible without the enduring love and support from her husband, Desi Arnaz.
Now this story cannot be told without mentioning Desi Arnaz, while a lot of his earlier work was performing. Once this husband and wife duo created Desilu Studios, Desi became the President of the studio and with the help of his wife he overcome an incredible history. Desi Arnaz fled civil war torn Cuba as a kid, worked as a musician to support his family as a teenager and became an outstanding musical talent in New York that caught the eye of Hollywood in the 1940s. He met a determined red head on the RKO backlot and the rest is history.
Amy Poehler has produced a raw documentary that has accessed audio recordings from Lucy and Desi explaining their early life together, also incorporating home video footage recorded by Lucy and Desi and interviewing Lucie Arnaz, the daughter of Lucy and Desi.
The main reason Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz created Desilu and the I Love Lucy series was they desperately wanted to have a family and Lucie Arnaz and her brother, Desi Arnaz Jr. are the direct result of this famous collaboration. You can see how proud both children are of their parents and their ongoing legacy.
What is enjoyable about this documentary is that is goes in search of the real story behind Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. It uncovers a remarkable history that demonstrates both were determined individuals with a very strong connection for family. Lucille Ball relocating her entire family to Hollywood once she had some success as a contract player and Desi Arnaz becoming a musician and traveling the country as a means to support his mother as they both were refugees from a revolutionary Cuba. Family is very much a driving force behind both of these Hollywood legends.
But like all good things, the story of Lucy and Desi did come to an end, when they filed for divorce at the end of the Lucy Show series. After almost two decades of marriage and the successes of I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show and the insurmountable success of Desilu Studios, it all became too much and something had to break. But the love between the two never ended and it burned bright until the very end.
Lucy and Desi is a touching documentary that highlights the life of the famed couple but it does it in a way that is emotional, raw and genuine thanks to the incredible audio and footage provided by Lucie Arnaz. This documentary preserves the remarkable history of an incredible comedy duo, that for a long time has been overlooked.
