MovieChat Forums > I Love Lucy (1951) Discussion > If Arnaz Had Not Been Cast

If Arnaz Had Not Been Cast

posted 4 years ago by [email protected] (1732)
3 replies | jump to latest

As most fans already know, CBS initially refused to cast Arnaz as Lucy's spouse. The blonde,
handsome Richard Denning had played Lucy's significant other in the radio show, "My
Favorite Husband", which the ILL was based on. The network didn't think it would be believable
that Lucy Ricardo was happily married to a CUBAN bandleader. Lucy still insisted, but CBS balked. Ball and Arnaz went on a Vaudeville show, to prove they had chemistry and that Arnaz
could play comedy, mostly as a foil to Lucy. It worked, of course, and CBS caved in.

It's hard now, so many decades later, but I wonder about two things:

Would I Love Lucy have succeeded?

Would it be the legendary show it became?

I'll start by answering my second question first because it's so obvious: The show would NEVER
have become classic, despite Ball's profound talent. First, Desilu was formed, and Desi's
genius behind the scenes is so much of the reason the show is legendary. Then there's
the chemistry, as well as the blanket of comedy that came simply from cultural differences.
Arnaz really was TV's very first Latin TV star. And it's STILL refreshing to pick up on that
when watching the show.

As to my first question, that's much trickier. I believe the show might've ran for a few years,
but the lack of comedy without Arnaz would've really watered down the scripts. The
chemistry wouldn't have been there, and Lucy and Denning would've been just another '50's
TV couple.

I'm only slightly aware of Denning's work. His most famous film is "Creature From the
Black Lagoon." He also had a long and happy marriage to the gorgeous actress Evelyn
Ankers ("The Wolf Man"). I've only heard snippets of "My Favorite Husband", as those
radio shows don't hold my attention.

So...would ILL have been a minor hit...or a bomb had CBS gotten its way?

[–] [email protected] (5497) 4 years ago

Oh yes, I'll always remember the handsome Richard Denning as "the Governor" on the original Hawaii Five-O.

It's hard to picture him as Lucy's husband on the show. He certainly wouldn't have been "Ricky Ricardo". I don't know what kind of job his character would've held. If he wasn't playing a performer, all of the episodes where Lucy tries to get into the act at the Tropicana would never have been made.

The whole aspect of Lucy "wants to be in show business" would be lost. Of course they could have made his character the head of a talent agency or the owner of a nightclub like Mr. Littlefield. But I don't know if Richard Denning was a singer himself. All those episodes of sneaking into Ricky's act would be lost.

From a production angle, so many things would not have happened. Desi Arnaz changed the face of TV sitcoms with his innovations.

The show may have been a minor hit for a while. I imagined some episodes and how they'd be rewritten. For example, when Lucy writes a novel, her husband's backstory could've been changed to- His family came over on the Mayflower. They were so obnoxious, they were kicked out of Europe.
The Hollywood arc would never have happened unless they made the character a stage actor in New York. He could've been offered a role in a new version of Robin Hood.

I think the idea of the longevity of the series would've been a moot point anyway after Lucille Ball became pregnant. The network was dead set against showing her pregnancy and wanted to hide her behind furniture. It was Desi Arnaz who fought for it. Obviously Richard Denning wouldn't have fought with the same vigor because it wasn't his wife and child!

Also, some of the sting of an on-air pregnancy was "forgiven" because the two leads were actually married. And strangely enough, married people have babies. lol

I don't see ILL becoming the golden classic it has become. It would be no fault of Richard Denning. It's just Lucy/Desi were unique.

[–] [email protected] (1732) 4 years ago

Wow! Great observations, PJ! I agree wholeheartedly! ILL definitely would've been cancelled when Ball became
pregnant, or at least "hidden behind furniture." They would never have had a child on the show.

Side note: I have always loved the series "Dennis the Menace." In the show's second year, Gloria Henry became
pregnant, and the producers toyed with the idea of having "Alice" expecting another child. But cartoonist Hank
Ketchum had control over his characters and vetoed the idea. So, Gloria Henry suddenly was ironing BEHIND
the ironing board and clothes, wearing big BOWS around her waist (!), and then was shown in oversized robes.

To their credit, they pulled it off pretty well (in the end, you NEVER saw Henry standing in profile, or walking in or
out. She stood facing the camera, and it camouflaged her "baby bump" quite effectively).

[–] [email protected] (5497) 4 years ago

I suppose it worked with Gloria Henry since she wasn't the star of the show, Dennis was. But I doubt that it would've worked in Lucy's situation.

ON "Father Knows Best" that happened with Eleanor Donahue. I bought her cookbook and she filled it with a lot of trivia about her career. She said that she eloped young and got pregnant right away. She said that the show was furious with her because they weren't about to include a teen pregnancy for Betty Anderson! They had to find ways to hide her condition on the show.

Betty wasn't the main character so they could work around her. I don't know how they could've worked around Lucy. And she got pretty big! In the episode when Lucy goes to the hospital, I thought she was really at her due date. But at that point she was about six months along.