10. Lucy Wanted Desi to Play Her Husband to Keep Him at Home
As a budding actress, Lucy usually had to be in makeup by four in the morning (sometimes sooner), about the same time that Desi returned home from band rehearsals. Their conflicting schedules, personality differences, and of course jealousy and affairs, nearly led to the marriage failing within a couple of months. Lucy said, “Friends gave our marriage six months; me, I gave it a week.” Perhaps the biggest reason why Lucy insisted on her Latino husband playing her stage husband in the show, in spite of how the mixed-race marriage might affect ratings, was to keep him at home and out of trouble with hookers and affairs.
Producers were concerned about Desi’s heavy accent and lack of proficiency in English, both detrimental to playing a lead role. Weiskopf said, “What the hell do we want with a Latin bandleader who can’t speak English?” In addition to being a risk for the network, the show was a risk for both Desi’s and Lucy’s separate careers. Desi would have to give up all of his band engagements and pour everything into the show. Lucy knew that if the show didn’t work out, she could kiss her film career goodbye. Fortunately, the show was a hit. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to save their marriage.