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Desi Arnaz was a talented musician and comic performer, and he was also one of television's pioneering producers. Desi not only starred in "I Love Lucy', he was also the Executive Producer for that show and others produced under the Desilu banner. 'The Untouchables', 'Desilu Playhouse' and 'Our Miss Brooks' were just some of the shows he helmed as Desilu president.
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He succeeded in that, but the production never caught on in a big way with audiences.
Thinking that it might help the ratings, Desi Arnaz guest-starred on a few episodes of 'The Mothers-in-Law' as bullfighter Raphael Del Gado. It was a rare oppotunity for the TV audience to see Desi in COLOR! The first appearance of the eccentric character came when Kaye and Eve lock themselves in a store after-hours and only have enough money between them for one phone call. The call accidently reaches the sleeping bullfighter who doesn't speak much English and has hilarious trouble relaying their message. The 'Mothers-In-Law' was cancelled after the second season. As it turns out these were Desi's last sitcom appearances until he turned up ten years later in 1978 on 'Alice' (his last network guest-shot). His only other major television gigs after Lucy were on episodes of 'The Men from Shiloh', 'Bonanza', a pilot that ran as part of the 'Perry Mason' series, another failed pilot that ran as an episode of another Raymond Burr series "Ironside' (Arnaz played 'Dr. Domingo'), a guest-hosting stint on Saturday Night Live in 1975 (singing and doing a take-off on his 'Untouchable' series) and a brief appearance on a Bob Hope all-star special in 1976.
Desi Arnaz died of cancer on December 2, 1986. He was 69. |
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Desi
as an actor 
When Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz
ended 'I Love Lucy',
a series of one-hour monthly specials featuring the 'I Love Lucy' gang
were aired from 1957-1960. After
Lucille
Ball was hesitant to go back into series television without her (now
ex) husband, so Desi produced the first season of Lucy's 'solo' series,
and his guidance led to some strong scripts and genuinely funny situations
for Lucy and her pal Vivian.
After leaving ' The Lucy Show', Desi
sold a series to NBC called 
'The
Mothers-in-Law' starred Kaye Ballard as Kay Buell and Eve Arden as Eve
Hubbard, combative next-door neighbors who become in-laws when their
kids marry. Roger Carmel co-starred as Kay's husband Roger and Herbert
Rudley played Eve's husband Herb.
The
scripts were above average sitcom fare, but the sponsor complained about
them being "old-hat" - which they were.
It's
a great tragedy that this gifted comedian and performer never got the
chance to star in another television series.
