Desi Arnaz
The Man Who Invented Television
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
An illuminating biography of Desi Arnaz, the visionary, trailblazing Cuban American who revolutionized television and brought laughter to millions as Lucille Ball’s beloved husband on I Love Lucy, leaving a remarkable legacy that continues to influence American culture today.
Desi Arnaz is a name that resonates with fans of classic television, but few understand the depth of his contributions to the entertainment industry. In Desi Arnaz, Todd S. Purdum offers a captivating biography that dives into the groundbreaking Latino artist and businessman known to millions as Ricky Ricardo from I Love Lucy. Beyond his iconic role, Arnaz was a pioneering entrepreneur who fundamentally transformed the television landscape.
His journey from Cuban aristocracy to world-class entertainer is remarkable. After losing everything during the 1933 Cuban revolution, Arnaz reinvented himself in pre-World War II Miami, tapping into the rising demand for Latin music. By twenty, he had formed his own band and sparked the conga dance craze in America. Behind the scenes, he revolutionized television production by filming I Love Lucy before a live studio audience with synchronized cameras, a model that remains a sitcom gold standard today.
Despite being underestimated due to his accent and origins, Arnaz’s legacy is monumental. Purdum’s biography, enriched with unpublished materials and interviews, reveals the man behind the legend and highlights his enduring contributions to pop culture and television. This book is a must-read biography about innovation, resilience and the relentless drive of a man who changed TV forever.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Journalist Purdum follows up Something Wonderful with a scintillating biography of I Love Lucy costar Desi Arnaz (1917–1986). The future TV impresario grew up in Santiago, Cuba, where his father served as mayor before being exiled from the country over his connections to ousted president Gerardo Machado in the mid 1930s. Arnaz joined his father in Miami soon after and worked menial jobs before trying his hand as a bandleader, kick-starting a conga craze in Miami and New York clubs. He parlayed that success into a role in the 1940 film Too Many Girls, where he met his future wife and creative partner, Lucille Ball. Offering a heartbreaking account of their collaboration on I Love Lucy, Purdum explains that the show was conceived as a way to salvage their faltering marriage, which had been beset by Arnaz's workaholism and infidelity, but succeeded only in exacerbating both problems; the pair divorced in 1960. Purdum celebrates Arnaz's considerable achievements—which include pioneering the three-camera setup for sitcoms, filming in front of studio audiences, and syndicated reruns—without shortchanging his personal flaws. (In 1962, Arnaz's debt and alcohol problems grew so severe he was effectively pushed out of the production studio he founded with Ball.) A vividly rendered tale of a TV tycoon's spectacular rise and ignominious fall, this impresses.
