Although Desi Arnaz is best known for the role of
beloved entertainer Ricky Ricardo on the long running I Love Lucy TV series as
well as spin-offs, it's sometimes easy to forget that the long time Del Mar
resident really was a world famous Cuban band leader and really did have a hit
record called 'Babalu.'
Arnaz
was born in Santiago, Cuba on March 2, 1917, and eventually took up music,
mentored by and singing with the Xavier Cugat Orchestra, beginning in 1935.
This early stint with Cugat would be the basis of a running gag in the sitcom
later on. By 1939, his suave style led him to Broadway where he starred in the
Rodgers and Hammerstein production of Too Many Girls. When it was made into a
film, he reprised his role and was on his way to Hollywood, though first on a
radio show, My Favorite Husband, with his new bride, Lucille Ball. Throughout
this period he continued to record, now as highly acclaimed leader of his own orchestra.
His biggest chart success was for the Victor label, racking up numerous hits
from 1946-1949, including such classics as 'Babalu' and 'Cuban Pete.'
He
would go on to own several other homes as business (Beverly Hills) or hobby
(Corona Breeding Farm) dictated but his first love and main residence was Del
Mar. Not long after marrying Lucy in 1941 Arnaz became a fixture at the Del Mar
Racetrack and soon bought a home for the couple at 1920 Ocean Front. Even after
the two split and Arnaz remarried in 1963, he and his new wife, Edith,
remained. Arnaz loved the local scenery and was also a major race and horse
enthusiast, becoming involved in various aspects of the business. He could be
found in the terrace at the race track most of the summer. But it was
encounters with Arnaz and his family outside of the race track that delighted
local residents the most. Natives still speak of the star-studded parties at
the home with reverence, and stories of shocked customers, running into Lucy
and Desi at the local grocery store or gas station abound.
San
Diego played a key role in the I Love Lucy (1951-1957) TV show as well. It was
at an early 1951 La Jolla Playhouse production of The Voices of a Turtle that
the pair discovered Vivienne Vance, who would be immortalized on numerous TV
series as Ethel Mertz, Lucy's best friend. There's even an episode of The
Lucy-Desi Show (1957-1960) that takes place here. Episode number six in that
series, which aired October 6, 1958, is titled 'Lucy Goes To Mexico,' with the
broadcast's premise finding Ricky heading to San Diego to rehearse for a 
USO show with Maurice 'Thank Heaven For Little Girls'
Chevalier, scheduled to take place on an aircraft carrier. Lucy and Ethel
decide to go shopping in Tijuana, with Fred as chaperone. Needless to say much
confusion ensues and Lucy ends up dressed as a Matador fighting a bull at the
local bull ring! And let's not forget the pair's wonderful 1954 film The Long,
Long Trailer, part of which was shot at the Anza Borrego State Park, the infamous
Banner grade to be specific.
Of
course Arnaz was much more than just the I Love Lucy show. It was while living
in Del Mar that he and Lucy founded Desi-Lu Productions. Though the company
would be known for such hit TV programs as The Untouchables, The Dick Van Dyke
Show and Star Trek, it was, in fact, originally formed to manage Arnaz's band.
There
was also a pair of movies alongside his wife. An 80-minute I Love Lucy movie
pulled from theatre distribution in 1953 when The Long, Long Trailer's backers
wanted the pair to concentrate on that film instead and Forever Darling, a
light romantic comedy released in 1956.
Selling
his half of Desi-Lu to Lucy in 1962, he had formed Desi Arnaz Productions Inc.
by 1965. While it didn't quite scale the same height of Desi-Lu, he did score a
hit with The Mothers-in-Law, which ran for three seasons on NBC (1967-1969) and
featured Arnaz, who produced as well as appeared in four episodes as Se?or
Raphael Delgado. Classic TV fans should also keep an eye out for a mid-1960s
appearance of a slightly out-of-place Arnaz on an episode of Bonanza.
He also hosted his own series, Desi
Arnaz Theatre, but by the 1970s he semi-retired to spend time with his family
and, of course, his horses. He did mange to make a few prime time appearances,
showing up in episodes of Alice (1978), Ironsides, and Perry Mason, with his
final on screen appearance in the 1983 film The Escape Artist, although none
topped his appearance as guest host on the first season of NBC-TV's Saturday
Night Live. A perennial in reruns, it's clear from the footage, especially when
he leads the band during a musical segment, that Arnaz is thrilled to be in
front of an audience again. It's a shame he didn't pursue more music later in
life.
Not
to say that he wasn't busy. He was appointed Ambassador to Latin America under
President Richard Nixon. He wrote an autobiography, A Book, which was published
in 1976 and became a New York Times best seller. A second planned book never
got past the outline stage. He also bred horses both at a breeding facility in
Corona and a ranch in Baja California.
In
1971 Arnaz crossed over into academia. When an SDSU student working on a thesis
on The Mothers-in-Law TV show contacted him, he decided to donate materials
related to the show to the school. Those materials form the basis for SDSU's
extensive Desi Arnaz Collection, with the last sizeable contribution coming
from his daughter Lucie Arnaz in 1987. Available for scholarly study, the 13.5
linear feet of research materials are a pop culture treasure trove, consisting
of home movies, correspondence, scripts, and behind the scenes footage of
various productions among the available items. Following a reception held on
the SDSU campus in 1972, Arnaz was asked to return as a professor and soon
taught classes on TV production as well as acting. The school became part of
the Arnaz family life with his son Desi Arnaz Jr., of the hit sixties group
Dino, Desi & Billy (remember the 1965 top 20 hit 'I'm A Fool'?) enrolled as
a student there. It was here that the younger Arnaz met his wife, a member of
the San Diego Ballet.
Sadly,
Desi Sr. passed away from lung cancer at his Del Mar home on December 2, 1986.
It's safe to say that Arnaz introduced Latin music to mainstream America, a
world music pioneer in the pre-digital, pre-stereo age. There are many
compilations of his wonderful tunes available - Cocktail Hour (2000) and Desi
Arnaz: The Mambo King (1996) are particularly recommended, but he is really
never farther away than the TV set. The next time you catch an episode of that
classic sitcom, just remember how much Desi loved Del Mar. It'll make a great
show even better.
Babaluuuuuuuuuuuuu!