MovieChat Forums > I Love Lucy (1951) Discussion > Desi's Musical Numbers

Desi's Musical Numbers



As time goes on, I'm finding myself more and more impressed with the musical numbers
Desi performed as Ricky. When I was a kid, and watched the show on regular broadcast
TV, they often cut his numbers out to fit in more commercials. Also, I didn't really pay
attention to how good he was/wasn't.

Since owning the DVDS, with the shows nicely cleaned up and uncut, I realize now what
a great performer Arnaz was. No, he didn't possess a technically great voice, but he did
sing/entertain beautifully, especially in those early years at the club.

In the first year, Ricky would sometimes start a beautiful ballad, and then Lucy would
come on, and the scene would seamlessly melt into the comedy. Pretty effective.

Two of the numbers that come to mind are "Martha' and "Jezebel." Both are hauntingly
performed, the latter sort of turning into a bossa nova with the show girls walking right
into the camera. Then Lucy suddenly appears in that horrid black wig, scratching herself
while trying to screw up Rosemary's routine (and does she fight back - yanking Lucy off
of that platform twice!).

I remember an episode of "The Golden Girls" where Blanche and Rose watch a marathon
of the show. Sophia has the line, "I never cared for that show". She then laments
that "His act stank!" I realize it's just a show, and the writers weren't easy on a lot of
famous people, but I never liked that piece of dialogue, as I found it so disrespectful to
the most influential TV comedy of all time.

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When i watched these episodes as a child, I sometimes waited impatiently for Ricky's "number" to end so they could get on with the comedy.

Now some of the songs have become favorites of mine. Jezebel is a great number and yes, it "seamlessly melts" into comedy when Lucy gets into the act. Some of my other favorites are Guadalajara and Si Mi Lo. I used to prefer the fast tempo numbers, but I've come to appreciate the slow ballads.

For whatever abilities that Desi Arnaz didn't possess vocally, he made up for it by being a great, spirited performer who could really sell a song. I know he was nowhere as technically brilliant as Judy Garland, but when he performed a number he seemed to have the same"feel" for the lyrics that she did. He made you feel that he wasn't just singing impersonal lyrics but that they had real meaning for him.

As for Sophia's comment in "The Golden Girls", well...the character did have a stroke and the premise behind the character's comments was that she was given to many outrageous statements. She used to insult Dorothy with reckless abandon. She was rude to Blanche and Rose, calling the former a slut every chance she got and the latter a moron. I'm not surprised that Ricky Ricardo didn't escape the wrath of Sophie.

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Yes, Si Mi Lo is wonderful. I believe that's from "Cuban Pals." I love when Lucy rushes out, thinking - once again -
they're doing one dance - this time, a rumba - and then learns - the hard way - that it's the African Wedding Dance.
This sequence is one of my faves, as Lucy looks sooo scared. I love the way she grasped at anything (grabbing a
violin and smacking it on the dancer's head!) to escape him before fainting into Ricky's arms.

I also love two of Ricky's at-home performances. In "The Benefit", he beautifully sings that German ballad, while
Lucy barks like a fish! The other at-home performance that's so touching is "There's a Brand New Baby at Our
House."

If I had to pick one Lucy/Desi duet as my fave, it's definitely "Cuban Pete." Yes, Lucy's costume is AWFUL, but
Arnaz is so young and handsome, and the way they play off of each other is a far cry from their final dance -
the tango in "Lucy Does the Tango."

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