MGS 7/11: Lucie/Desi Jr. on Careers, Independnce, Work w/Mom

[coltmanm]

lucys voice had gotten really deep, its weird to think if she was alive she would be 100

[blueticecho]

Lucie and Desi jr. = ZERO TALENT..

[stargate121]

Lucy wouldn't pay for his college???? Jeez...

[1212matt]

LOL I love this thanks.

[esmeisme79]

Desi looks fine. That's just the way they all talked to each other. Big deal.

[margannaful]

Desi looks painfully uncomfortable and his mom and sister seem to be talking down to him and interrupting him constantly :(

[Shakeshack78]

Lucie Arnaz could have been the movie version of Rizzo from Grease.............but Lucille Ball insisted that Lucie not have to do a screen test.............and Lucie lost the role to Stockard Channing.

[JudgeJulieLit]

I love Lucy (and she's my mom's double 8th cousin), but I'm sorry ... when her son Desi Jr. came of college age, for rich mom Lucy (and rich? dad Desi) NOT to help him pay to get his all important four-year bachelors degree--INVEST in her own son--is not nice, not maternally loving, not okay, not at all the broader cultural or familial norm. And Desi Jr. here is clearly exceptionally handsome, smart, nice, personable and articulate ... but without a degree, she doomed, limited him to show biz.

[JudgeJulieLit]

(cont.) And though Lucy more broadly was a shrewd businessperson, yet in not investing in paying tuition for her son (and daughter), both clearly with much of their parents' smarts and talents, was a shortsighted DUMB business decision. After college graduation, in a few short years Desi Jr. could have fully repaid his mom his college tuition ... and enjoyed a career and lifetime of exponentially higher income. Here, Lucy's thinking was myopic ... and overboard in not spoiling them.

[JudgeJulieLit]

(cont. 2) And had Desi Jr. applied for tuition financial aid, he'd not have gotten it, as first question is parents' financial status. No aid for higher (much less, highest) income families.

[Beejjjjjj]

@JudgeJulieLit ,oh please, what a ridiculous waste of space here. Desi Jr. spent three PAID years working on his mother's show, and by the time he decided to go to college, he had been starring in a number of movies. He had PLENTY of money, money he would not earned had he not been Lucy and Desi's son, and had he not had the acting experience his mother provided him by giving him a co-starring role on her show (risking her own career in doing so).

[dramaticguy]

What a great rapport between Lucy and her two kids.

[kathycuddles1]

it is hard to see lucy with anyone but desi they will always be a classic

[bvg83]

desi was like wow! so hot

[MrJimmyfinlayson]

Does anyone else think that Desi's mannerisms and especially his voice bring to mind Johnny Depp??

[lapetiteombre]

@MrJimmyfinlayson His voice, you're right! Never would have pegged that myself.

[stullyo2003]

Lucie looks HOT!!!!

[bluebeatlesboy]

He is so handsome

[ferngullyful]

mmmm....that boy was foine!!! yum!

[normanhays64]

A mi me valen madre...

[voyagerfanatic]

WOW. At 0:25 .... Desi looks so much like his dad. It's almost frightening, Lol! :-) He was so cute....! :)

[mayo15]

@voyagerfanatic omg you're right!! :P

[LordSolaris]

Cute kids...Well, I guess they're adults now!

[Ronbo710]

Two Hollywood kids you don't really hear alot of bad things about. God bless them both!!

[froggyleap86]

I don't think Lucy was a diva or a bitch, just a perfectionist who sought refuge in her work. I also think she took great pleasure in making people laugh, which probably helped to fill a void in her own life as well. Celebrities are human just like us, full of demons and complexities. Who are we to judge?...Ok, just felt compelled to say that in response to a few "my best friend's neighbor's mom told me Lucy was a bitch in real life" comments i've seen here and there. lol

[cestlaverite]

@Pegbur , well they inherited almost all of their mother's millions of dollars, which has allowed them the luxury of working only if they want to, so I wouldn't worry too much about them. But they were hardly poor kids then. Desi Jr. was making movies and getting paid big bucks.

[jocelyn0745]

I don't understand why they named both of their kids after them...Totally narcissistic move on their part! Anyway, I like them all except for lil Lucie. She was getting on my nerves when she kept trying to dominate the convo. I agree with others in that she does look alot like her mom and her brother looks more like their dad, except I do think their dad was cuter than his son back in his heyday. Maybe I'm just more partial to the Cuban accent and darker features though.

[cestlaverite]

@jocelyn0745 , wow! I never heard that passing on a family name is narcisistic. I'm named after my dad and my sister has my mother's and grandmother's name. Does that make my parents and grandmother narcisistic? It was common practice then for parents to pass on their names. Desi Jr. is the fourth generation named Desi; he's Desi Arnaz IV. Lucy wanted to name her daughter Susan, but Desi insisted she should have her mother's name. Lucy only agreed if Lucie had a different spelling.

[jocelyn0745]

@cestlaverite: Sorry to offend, but I still see it that way...I mean, I understand naming your child after your grandparent or someone in the family that meant a lot to you, but after yourself?? It just seems kind of conceited to me.

[cestlaverite]

@jocelyn0745 , my parents are not conceited!

[colibri1]

@cestlaverite Yes they are!

[cestlaverite]

@colibri1 , you're an ass. Our names have been passed through several generations. My father was named after two uncles and those names passed to me. My sister was named for her mother, who was named for her mother, who was named for her mother. Same thing with Lucie and Desi Jr. Desi Jr. is the fourth generation Desi. Lucy wanted to name her daughter Susan, but Desi wanted her named after her mom. But Lucy insisted they at least change the spelling, so instead of Lucille, she was named Lucie

[waiter1971]

its like they all were ganging up on desi jr.

[Crys24]

HE IS SO HOT

[shnooger]

desi jr and his mom have smokers' coughs.

[amberlovesapplepie09]

@lindawatcher WTF? that's rediculous I can notttt believe you said Lucy is in hell. that's bull, you shouldn't say stuff like that.

[xRockaJoJox]

Aww Gary Morton seemed such a real nice guy!

[doetim]

@bernardo7092 So liking someone makes one a perv?

[mintchocolate2791]

BIG LUCY! LOL

[linda1067]

Those two never learned to speak spanish, even thou their father spoke it, why didn't they?

[mayo15]

@linda1067 Being bi-racial wasn't too hot

back in that time....my dad and uncles/aunts

never learned Panjubi even though my grandfather

was Indian...they all regret it now, but at the time

they just never thought about it...assimilation was key

back then ;) >.<

[GAP4EVER]

@mayo15 Lucie and Desi Jr. are NOT bi-racial. Desi Arnaz Sr. was Cuban of 100% Spanish blood and, therefore, a white man; so his kids are 100% white as well, not bi-racial.

[LadyCadbury]

@GAP4EVER: Actually, all natives of Latin/Hispanic nations are not fully Spanish since the Spaniards that initially settled there intermarried with the indigenous populations. The African slaves that were brought to the varied Hispanic countries also intermingled with the Spaniards. Most if not all Cubans have native Taino blood in them. Spanish are ethnic European. There is no such thing as a "White" race.

[mayo15]

@GAP4EVER Well maybe 'bi-racial' was the wrong word, but they are half Cuban/ had a foreign father and back then, even that (especially with America's relations with Cuba - during that time and now) was frowned upon. They didn't even want to make Desi play Lucy's husband in I Love Lucy b/c of his Cuban heritage. People thought strangely back then...

[v19d]

I guess he didn't get sued for breach of Contract.

[storybellz]

Lucie Arnaz is one hot cookie!!

[143AC]

Lucy Ball was never abusive to her kids. She was always working and not always able to spend quality

time..with her kids.But..she was not abusive.

[armenianchik]

desi jr sure was cute at the time;) yummy and cute sense of humor on top of that!

[supervirtuouswoman]

She looks like her mother but with black hair.

[KarolineKayySaysHeyy]

at 0:25 desi looks exacly like his father, Desi

[calalilygirl]

@KarolineKayySaysHeyy Agree....he's even cuter.

[elisaalbelo]

@KarolineKayySaysHeyy I KNOW RIGHT!

[TIPTON340]

It always seemed to me that the kids and the husband and everyone else were props in Lucy's life. Everything evolved

around her.

[gcharlottefan1]

...you can tell that Desi jr isn't very into being in the public eye and he looks uncomfortable too, i guess that it just wasnt for him...and he sorta had to get into it because his family is...but i wonder what he did later on...?

[Lainer1]

Desi kind of reminds me of Johnny Depp. He sounds like him too.

[wuzup36i3]

He So, Cute !

Actually he is Very Handsome.

And in Personality is interesting - sort

like L&D.

Love,

TV

[TFrOcks25]

oh yest they're still alive!!!!!

[KarolineKayySaysHeyy]

i LOVE THEM. aND ESP. AT THE BEGINNING DESI JR. LOOKS JUST LIKE HIS DAD.

[uhjigali]

I dont think either one of them look like Lucy. Desi Sr had to have alot more kids than just them two ,as much as he got around. Lucy seemed bitter in her old age. Did she leave them anything?

[vieetverite]

She left them most of her estate. Don't worry about Lucie and Desi Jr., they're very wealthy now and get to do all the things they want to do. They even own the right to their mother's image, so any Lucy doll, picture or whatever that's sold, they get a piece of the pie. And there's a helluva lot of that stuff on the market! Right now they're also releasing DVDs of Lucy's final CBS series, Here's Lucy (which they own), and their father's Mothers-In-Law series, which they also own.

[doetim]

@vieetverite Yeah even their kids and their kids' kids won't have to lift a finger if the estate is managed in the right way. Owning the rights to the I Love Lucy episodes (do they?) and their mother's image is like having a goldmine that will never stop producing money!

[rachelazw]

@doetim , Lucie and Desi Jr. don't own the rights to I LOVE LUCY. Lucy sold the rights to that series to CBS back in the '50s. But that sale enabled them to purchase RKO Studios so they could expand Desilu. And the expansion of Desilu, in turn, increased the value of the company exponentially and made Lucy one of the wealthiest people in Hollywood when she finally sold it in 1967. So while Lucie and Desi Jr. don't own I LOVE LUCY, they inherited the wealth created by the sale of the show.

[rachelazw]

Correction: I mean to say Lucy AND DESI sold the rights to I LOVE LUCY to CBS.

[doetim]

@rachelazw Wow, thanks for the info. Very interesting.

[Khultan]

I don't know what makes the daughter stand out, but I just found out recently that Desi Jr. was actually in a band several years before and was pretty good-gave that up for acting?!? Bad decision....

[Frank33314]

The children are still alive and both born in the 1950's.

[cookiedough30]

desi jr. looks just like his dad.

[TFrOcks25]

oh yes and they're still alive...not sure what they're up to. but they're still around.

[mcquakkers]

I love the reaction Lucy gives when her daughter says "We have a trust fund?"

[s7ightly4ltered]

desi jr its the spitting image of his dad

[XximwishinxX]

Lucie looks just like Desi SR.

and Desi looks like both of 'em.

[143AC]

The real reason Mr.Arnaz Jr. left "Here's Lucy"was because

of a drug addiction problem.

[sarahluvshollywood]

Desi JR is so cute...better looking than his dad

[calalilygirl]

He was cute--no plastic surgery needed here

[hz11287]

I think he resembled David Essex so much, since I'm 11 yrs. younger than both of them I thought they were related back in the 70's.

[mkbell2003]

Lucille Ball was a control freak. She tried to keep her kids in line by keeping them on set with her on "Here's Lucy". Desi Jr still became a dope head. Mom left alot of loot when she died, so no "Mommie Dearest" -like book from them.

[vieetverite]

Lucie and Desi Jr. were never forced to do Here's Lucy. Lucy offered them the opportunity and gave them several months to decide whether they wanted to do it and ultimately they accepted. Lucy didn't try to keep them there. In fact, Desi Jr. left the show before he turned 18. Lucie and Desi Jr. were very independent and were out living on their own while still in their teens. You might be interested to know, Lucy wasn't their only parent. They also had a father.

[mkbell2003]

Yeah right! "Mom left alot of loot when she died, so no "Mommie Dearest" -like book from them"

[RememberingLucy]

That's a ridiculous comment. Whether or not she made her kids do "Here's Lucy" (and she didn't), what does it matter? My dad made me get a job when I was 15. I know lots of kids whose parents made them go to work for the family business when they became teenagers. You think that's abusive? I call it teaching kids responsibility. "Mommie Dearest" was about a violent and abusive mother. To equate Lucille Ball to that for employing her kids on her show is absurd and irresponsible.

[mkbell2003]

Ball was a control freak. Not the sweet "Lucy" dumb character many confused her with. "Money was her GOD!" (quote from Lucille Ball's former hair dresser, Irma Kusely)

[RememberingLucy]

Nobody here is claiming she was the "dumb character," so that's a moot point. And exactly where did you get that quote from Irma Kusely and what was the context in which it was said. I've met Irma Kusely. She adored Lucille Ball.

[LordBicen]

@RememberingLucy Damned right. good work ethics start at home.

[RememberingLucy]

And equally absurd is your assumption that the reason Lucie and Desi Jr. haven't written a memoir like Mommie Dearest is because of their huge inheritance. Lucille Ball is dead, they've already got the money, so what's to stop them from writing a book that would get them even more money? Lucie has already addressed her relationship with her mother thoughtfully, warts and all, and in context, e.g., with her Emmy-winning "Home Movies" documentary. She obviously thinks there's nothing more to say.

[mkbell2003]

The jury is still out if they'll write a tell-all book.

[RememberingLucy]

Desi Jr. clearly has no intention of writing a book and has nothing negative to say anyway. Lucie has already been very candid and open and long ago expressed a desire to move on. It's been 20 friggin' years already. If they were going to write a book, they would have done it years ago. The jury is not out on this.

[calalilygirl]

@RememberingLucy They were left MILLIONS....they won't write a thing.

[Lindawatcher]

Well Lucy is in Hell now- so it doesn't matter.

[jlamo1]

god....why is everybody so judgemental? I think they seem very normal, they laugh, argue....remind me of myself, my mom & dad, brother and sis...maybe my family is f**ked up but jeeze get a life, and look at your own before you judge!!!

[wealthylesbian]

Desi Arnaz Jr.?what a WEAK uninteresting Guy!

[rachelazw]

I'm guessing by your screen name that you're a lesbian. So maybe it escapes you that Desi Jr. was a sizzling hot good looking guy. I, like Marcia Brady and many others at the time, had a huge crush on him. He had NO problem attracting female attention.

[jlamo1]

he was 20!!!! he conducted himself so well for a person of his age!

[vieetverite]

How is it being cruel to let Desi Jr. explain why he left the show? As he states, he left to do a movie, and his mother allowed him to leave before his contract was even up. She obviously supported his decision. At the time of this interview, Desi Jr. was a busy actor and his mother was obviously proud. That's why she made the comment, because she was proud. As for Lucie Arnaz, keep in mind she was only 22, and having to live in the shadow of her mother. I find her very funny and engaging here.

[TFrOcks25]

he really is good looking!!

[Cherstars]

gorgeous he was looks like David Essex

[balderas49]

i don't really know how i feel about gary actin like he's their father they've had desi sr.

[lilacmagnolia]

i thought desi jr had dark brown hair

[Richii2]

I think it was lightened here for a role he was playing in a movie at the time ("Marco Polo," I think).

[bobbysevensevenseven]

Ever since I was a young boy, I thought Desi, Jr. was hot! Now I understand why!!!

[richie649]

if anybody has the episode of buddy rich giving desi jr a drum lesson can you please post it.

[TIPTON340]

If you want to know the true background of the Lucy-Desi marriage/divorce/ making of I

love Lucy/ Lucy's marrage to Morton read Desilu. It's a biography on the whole thing.

[mkrobinson95]

It is an excellent book ... I've read it several times!

[Evlprincesssara]

I hate how they always try to make Lucy,the kids,and Gary look like this happy family, and now that their parents have passed away, they act like they resent their mother, but loved Desi Sr more. It's like they were worried about being left out of Lucy's will. I wish that Lucie, Desi Jr, and Lucy would have done some interviews with Desi. It has always seemed odd to me that they never ever mention Desi. Like he's some taboo subject. But Desi was a huge part of making Lucy the star that she was.

[b1mfua33]

i totally agree!!

[funnysilent0g]

@Evlprincesssara

true

[amberlovesapplepie09]

@Evlprincesssara i'm sure it probably hurt lucy to talk about desi....

[coffield26]

It seems to me as if they have no connection with lucy, it dosn't seem real. sorry.

[rachelazw]

Well, everyone has a right to their opinion. I'm just not seeing any of that, but okay.

[coffield26]

Sorry, but I do.

[coffield26]

How would I know, but how will you? But Lucille is a Queen!

[davidesk]

It is painful to watch this -- everyone is so tense and ill at ease talking about their lives together. Only Lucie and Desi Jr. show warmth for each other.

[rachelazw]

Huh??? I'm not seeing that at all. Where specifically do you detect any tension? The entire clip they're all speaking very positively about one another.

[Crys24]

they are both so good looking!!!!!!!!

i love her turquoise dress!!! gorgeous!!!

[mollypie10]

wow he looks like his father so much!

[tygersflowerz]

And it's weird how Lucie looks like her mom (in the face) and Desi looks just like his dad.

It's weird to see Desi Arnaz talking in an American accent. haha

[chinchillaqueen13]

the older man isn't desi arnaz sr. I think that's Lucy's 2nd husband after Desi Arnaz and her divorced. :)

[tygersflowerz]

I know, Chinchilla. That is Gary Morton, Lucy's second husband.

What I meant by my comment was that Desi Jr. talking sounds and looks as if Desi Arnaz Sr. is talking with an American accent.

It was my way of saying how similar they are. :-)

[The1ByTheSea]

What I meant by my comment was that Desi Jr. talking sounds and looks as if Desi Arnaz Sr. is talking with an American accent.

It was my way of saying how similar they are. :-)

well as they say like father like son

and on this note they are more alike than you think ;) haha...;)

[12coomerhb]

I swear I think Gary Morton looks like the Mad Hatter off of alice in wonderland because of his white hair and his side burns.

[pooftaboy73]

"Do we have a TRUST FUND???!" LOL Lucy's reaction is priceless!!

[livelifefreeforever]

1:40

[daris89]

i agree LMAO

[zzzzz87]

i love how she set aside money for them (good) but didn't pay for them to go to college (?) (bad).

[ckri2]

Well that money she left them allowed Lucie recently to purchase a multi-million dollar condo in Manhattan (paid for by the Lucille Ball Estate) and Desi Jr. to build his mansion in Nevada and other homes. And they only work by choice, not because they need to. So I wouldn't feel too sorry for them.

[TRESBELA]

@pooftaboy73 not only are the kids set for life but their great great grandkids are too

[ilovdesilu]

gary is wack

[dalxzzx]

do you think it might of been a little awkward that they didn't mention Desi Sr. and not saying his name..

but when they talk to Desi Jr. they are still saying 'Desi' specially when Lucille repeats his name a few time. i felt that they might of felt weird that they know that he wasn't gonna be there.

[daris89]

it probably wasn't weird for them callin him desi i mean they have been callin him that all his life lol i guess it was a very delicate topic to talk about for them, Gary was there too so it isn't appropriate to talk to lucy about her ex right in front of him.

[daris89]

Desi JR is identical to Desi SR and Lucie JR looks alot like Desi SR's mother. The kids look nothing like Lucy.

[livelifefreeforever]

Desi Jr. has the same natural hair color as lucy and lucie has the same high cheek bones as lucy

~sarah~

[TRESBELA]

@daris89 i agree