Lucy And Desi: who were Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in Ricardos documentary, when is it on Amazon Prime Video?

A new documentary exploring the unlikely partnership and enduring legacy of one of the most prolific power couples in entertainment history is coming to Amazon Prime Video.

Lucy And Desi from director Amy Poehler is about the relationship between I Love Lucy stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

But who were the couple?

Who were Lucy and Desi Ricardo?

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were the stars of I Love Lucy, playing onscreen husband and wife Lucy and Ricky Ricardo – the sitcom is often called one of the most influential in television history.

Ball was a radio and motion-picture actress and longtime comedy star of American television.

During her career, she was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award and two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

She was the first woman to appear pregnant on one of the three major television networks.

The decision to acknowledge it on air was deemed controversial due to strict morality codes on television at the time.

Ball and Arnaz eventually compromised with executives by agreeing none of the characters would use the word “pregnant”, which was considered vulgar, and instead Lucy Ricardo was described as “expecting”.

Ball met Cuban conga drummer Desi on the set of the Broadway musical, Too Many Girls. The pair fell in love and eventually got married.

In 1950, Ball and her husband formed Desilu Productions, which launched the television comedy series I Love Lucy - based on the radio show My Favorite Husband.

When Ball was approached about moving her radio show to television, she fought for Arnaz to play her husband.

The show starred the couple in a comedy version of their real lives and was an instant hit. For six years, it remained at or near the top of the TV ratings.

Ball and Arnaz divorced in 1960, and two years later, she succeeded him as president of Desilu, becoming the only woman at that time to lead a major Hollywood production company.

Their legacy in the showbiz industry has influenced generations of comedians, and they now have a museum dedicated to them in Jamestown, New York.

What will the Amazon Prime documentary focus on?

The Amazon Prime documentary will tell the story of how Arnaz and Ball turned their sitcom into one of the most influential in television history.

It will also explore how Ball and Arnaz met, fell in love and created the company behind countless other popular shows, like Mission: Impossible and Star Trek.

Where can I watch Lucy and Desi and I Love Lucy?

The documentary premieres on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, March 4, 2022.

I Love Lucy is available in the US on Paramount+ and will be coming to the UK in early 2022.