The Remarkable History of Desilu Productions
Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball built an entertainment empire
The renewed interest in Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball is not surprising. These two legendary co-stars of their own 1950s television series were married and then divorced, becoming fodder for Hollywood gossip columnists. They were immortalized in the 2021 film, “Being the Ricardos,” and in the 2022 documentary, “Lucy and Desi.”
What is less known about this TV couple is the incredibly successful business they built behind the scenes called Desilu Productions.
From radio to television
The early days of television depended in large part on adapting shows that were first heard on radio.
While Desi Arnaz was touring with his band, Lucille Ball found a role on the CBS radio network in a show called My Favorite Husband, co-starring Lucille Ball and Richard Denning. When CBS wanted to transition the show to television in 1951, Lucy was willing on one condition: She insisted that Desi, her husband in real life, play the husband on the show.
CBS balked — they didn’t think audiences would accept an American wife married to a Cuban born husband who spoke heavily accented English. In a clever move, Desi and Lucy decided to go on tour together…
