Keck's Exclusives: Lucy and Desi's Children Celebrate Their Parents' Long lasting Musical Legacy

Desi Arnaz Junior. Lucie Arnaz Closing the centennial celebration of Lucille Ball's birthday and also the 60th Anniversary of I Really Like Lucy, Lucie and Desi Arnaz Junior. - the only real kids of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Sr., made among their rare public looks together Friday evening in the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hillsides. The big event, Tropicana Nights: A Salute towards the Music of I Really Like Lucy, featured a panel discussion focused mainly around the siblings' father, then musical performance with Desi, 58, on bongos and Lucie, 60, singing two amounts her father carried out around the 50's sitcom. Just before the big event, I sitting lower using the pair to go over the way they both recognition and safeguard their parents' legacy.Desi, we do not help you at many Lucy-related occasions. Why was this something you thought about being a part of?Desi: Well, My home is Boulder City, Nevada. But this can be a large deal. It is the 60th anniversary from the show and it is Mother's 100 birthday if she remained as around. And also the music is actually why I am here. Lucie and I've been focusing on a reveal that tributes Dad's music. We made it happen like a benefit after which carried out it as being a concert show known as Babalu. We are moved very deeply through the music, therefore we enjoy speaking to individuals about this side of I Really Like Lucy. Dad's contribution and also the music.What were the roots from the music of I Really Like Lucy?Desi: I Really Like Lucy was really produced from Dad's orchestral show. Mother and Father wanted to ascertain if people would accept them live, because CBS wasn't too sure it might work or otherwise. In individuals days they were not sure a redhead American should be also married to some Cuban. It had been very questionable. But the pair of them went along with dad's band and also the people loved it.Lucie: After Father died I discovered each one of these plans and tapes. Stuff we'd never heard before that inspired me to operate more about Latin music.What's the way forward for your Babalu show?Lucie: He does not wish to travel, so there's no future.Desi: [Laughs] Maybe we'll perform a run in Las vegas.Have you got a favorite song from I Really Like Lucy?Lucie: I actually do. It's in the Lucy/Desi Comedy Hour once they visited Havana for that flashback showing how Lucy and Ough met. The song is "Which Means I Really Like You" where he plays the Conga and she or he plays the table before her formed just like a Conga.Desi: That's a high quality one. I love the main one about me being born. "We are Getting an infant My Baby and Me."I imagine lots of marketing people want to turn your folks into Mickey and Minnie Mouse - with every imaginable type of retailing. How can you safeguard their legacy?Desi: You will find there's company known as Desilu Too where Lucie and that i police any merchandise. We have been doing the work given that they died. We make use of a company from Chicago known as Memorable Corporation. We required to have assistance to police and license the item. [Desi Sr. died in 1986 at 69 while Lucy died in 1989 at 77.]Lucie: Once someone famous dies, someone needs to run that estate forever.Any strange marketing pitches you heard that you simply declined?Desi: No images of Mother on toilet tissue.Lucie: Nobody would request for your!Desi: Somebody really did, and that we needed to say "no!"Lucie: It did not mean to become our life's work. We have got separate careers and families, but this factor has overtaken us such as the giant Godzilla monster. But you will find some perks into it to. We made the decision as we would spend X quantity of 100s of 1000's of dollars each year regulating what we should were not permitting, we may as well hire people to get it done right and transform it into a real business. Make real estate worth of Lucy and Desi stay as valuable because it was once they left us.Desi: It comes down to quality, not quantity. Let's say you sell everything out immediately then you do not have anything remaining. You do not sell the farm you let.Do both of you approve the I Really Like Lucy: Survive Stage show which has been playing to offered out audiences in La?Lucie: The I Really Like Lucy express is possessed by CBS. Anything that's in line with the scripts is controlled by CBS. The things they don't totally own may be the picture of Lucille Ball as Lucy Ricardo or Desi Aranz as Ough Ricardo. In some cases, as with the situation of dolls, you need to get permission from CBS as well as the estate of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.Desi: Like father was future thinking and stored their image and likeness privileges. Younger crowd set up half money for that pilot, so CBS wheeled and dealed with him within the discussions when it comes to who possessed what.What's next for you personally?Lucie: I come up with a hybrid version from the Babalu show having a 12-piece band in line with the Latin Roots Compact disc I launched. I discovered a method to do Babalu so that as a lot of Dad's plans that the lady can perform. It is extremely fun. And you will find there's wonderful one-lady show out I directed that people own a bit of known as A Night Time With Lucille Ball. Suzanne LaRusch may be the wonderful impressionist. There's nobody that can compare with her.Desi: I built the sets and that we released it inside my theater. It's Mother in her own late 50's, early 60's speaking to a lot of college kids about her existence.You've without doubt heard that William Frawley and Vivian Vance are now being awarded with a TV Academy Hall of Fame in a March 1 ceremony in Beverly Hillsides.Desi: I did not realize that!Lucie: Yes, finally! I recorded just a little video on their behalf today where I stated, "With respect to my mom and dad and also the I Really Like Lucy show, I wish to congratulate Vivian Vance and William Frawley for finally be awarded with a Hall of Fame like everybody else. Buddies and neighbors ought to be together. Now it's time."They didn't have children that belongs to them?Lucie: No, Vivian and Bill never did.Other things you want to tell TV Guide Magazine visitors?Desi: It is simply fun to become here with Lucie in La. I am feeling very nostalgic about our childhood. I passed mother's old house today and stated Lucy's room to my daughter.Lucie: And what's excellent is the fact that we are together honoring this music.Sign up for TV Guide Magazine now!