In “Lucy and Desi,” Lucille Ball reveals that during the first eight and a half years of their nine-year marriage, she and Desi Arnaz were rarely together. While Desi joined the Army and toured with his band, loneliness and detachment defined their relationship until the creation of “I Love Lucy.” But despite spending lots of time together while pouring themselves into every aspect of the production, it brought a new set of challenges.
Lucy and Desi formed Desilu, which quickly became one of the top independent television production companies in the world. As the pressures of being President mounted, Desi Arnaz turned to alcohol and infidelity. E! News calls him a chronic cheater who constantly appeared in the tabloids questioning the veracity of his love for Lucy.
In “Lucy and Desi,” Lucy observes that as Desi took on more Desliu responsibilities, the more he escaped through activities like sailing, golf, or going to the racetrack — thereby leading to their past routine of constant separation. Even when they were together, there were always conflicts. “They were fighting all the time when we were growing up. There was a lot of anger and screaming,” their daughter Lucie Arnaz recalls in Closer Weekly.
Aaron Sorkin’s “Being the Ricardos” offers insight into how Lucy and Desi’s marriage was a tangled web of egos and artistic passion. The film explores how these marital tensions spilled onto the set of “I Love Lucy.” Their relationship oscillated between the extremes of barely spending time together to becoming incredibly close when collaborating on artistic and business endeavors.
Their marriage began at the start of “I Love Lucy” and concluded in 1960 with the final episodes of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.” Despite how turbulent it was, they remained friends and professional partners.