Two movies came out recently that tell the life and career of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, one in December 2021, Being the Ricardos, a feature film with Nicole Kidman, and the other in January of 2022, a documentary directed by Amy Poehler entitled Lucy and Desi. We recommend the latter.

This is an exceptionally well-done documentary based on special access to Ball’s family archive, a series of cassettes and old footage of interviews with the famous actors, provided by their daughter, Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill.

With I love Lucy, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz revolutionized how TV was made, essentially introducing elements that haven’t changed to this day. Arnaz was the first to introduce a live audience to the set and used a three-camera set-up. He basically invented the “rerun” and was one of the first to “edit on the fly”. Lucy, meanwhile, had the “balls” in the 1950s to flip gender roles, becoming the first woman to lead a major television studio that produced such famous and memorable TV series as, for example, Star Trek.

The success that both created, even though it seemed to come to them naturally, effortlessly, and almost humorously, really stemmed from very hard work and a commitment to their productions, as well as the ability and courage to take risks and try new things never applied before.

The bio-documentary puts its greatest focus on Lucy and Desi’s marriage and its difficulties, showing how despite the stresses their public life as well as personalities put on it, they continued to work with mutual respect and belief in each other. Their friendship lasted until the end.

If you love Lucy, this is a must-watch!

We typically do not refer subscribers to Amazon, but the film only streams on Amazon Prime.

Related:

Lucille Ball on Wikipedia

Desi Arnaz on Wikipedia

Interview with director Amy Poehler for the Sundance 2022 Festival