As a fan of early television history, I’m very excited about this one. Deadline reported yesterday that Amazon Studios is developing a film called Lucy and Desi. Written by Aaron Sorkin and starring Cate Blanchett, the film will focus on the often volatile relationship between the two stars of one of the most successful series in television history.
This is a fine idea, indeed, though one wonders if Sorkin will be able to dial back the monologues a bit. I don’t know who the perfect screenwriter for a project like this would be, but it strikes me that Sorkin probably isn’t that person.
Lucille Ball had a fascinating life by anyone’s standard. After years of struggling in Hollywood B-movies, she starred in a successful radio series called My Favorite Husband. When CBS asked her to develop that series for television, she insisted that her real-life husband Desi Arnaz co-star. The studio was at first quite reluctant to put an interracial marriage on television, but eventually relented.
Because of the success of I Love Lucy, Ball was able to start her own production company, Desilu, making her one of, if not the most, powerful women in television. Desilu would go on to develop Star Trek and other iconic early television series.
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