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Lucy rumours & stories - true or false?


Caewi

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In his book Desi talks about one trip back in the early 40s. I’m not sure if he was in the Army yet or if it was pre-army, but I think it involved a trip to Guantanamo. While there he had someone fly him back to his hometown and he met up with some uncles, cousins, etc…

 

I once heard Lucie mention that for the ILL 50th anniversary special her and her brother were going to go to her dad’s hometown and feature it the same way they did Jamestown. She said they had the visas but then 9/11 happened and the trip got scrapped. I wonder now with the recent news of relaxed travel to the country if they would eventually make the trip.

Couldn't they just go through Canada as most people already do?

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About 20 years ago, Desi Jr. was invited to Cuba by Fidel Castro himself. Desi declined the invitation. He said he did not want to visit Cuba while Castro was still in power.

Well, good for him, for taking a stand.  Ma, you are a fountain of knowledge about anything Lucy, i say write a second book.

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Desi never wanted Lucy to do Mame.  Yes, Lucy did have SOME money invested in the film, but not that much considering it's cost.

When something fails (or fails to measure up to expectations), EVERYBODY comes out of the woodwork to say they warned them not to do it.  Mame had the look of a winner going in and probably would have been had it not been for the broken leg.  Yes, it was out of fashion but that didn't mean it couldn't succeed on a modest level.

The only people I've ever heard say she put her own money in Mame are the ones who don't like her in it and imply she bought the role; that would have gone to Angela had Lucy no bullied her way into it with money.   I don't know for sure that she did not invest in it, but I haven't read anything credible to suggest she did.  I don't think a project by Warners and ABC would need her money.  (And since ABC invested in it, how did it end up as an NBC Saturday Night Movie, first shown exactly 38 years ago as of last night?).

All you have to do is look at Lucy in 1971's "Goes Hawaiian" (which was about the time they were casting)  to see that Warners had every right to think she could pull it off..  In the  "Hawaiian" musical numbers, she's limber and has passable vocals, so who could blame them?

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My God, this Christy woman was catty!  "obvious false teeth" "runny nose"  "says 'what, darlin'? to perfectly audible questions" and when you think her blows couldn't get any lower, this one: "entourage of 4 hired to keep autograph seekers away....None appear."

I never put together that the first Mr. Edie, Clement Hersh had a racing stable AND a thriving dog food business.  Hmmmmm....

 

Thanks for the information Harry.  I thought it was then too.  The 2 newspapers articles I have come across make a passing reference to a divorce and so does the Desilu book.  Just speculating here as to health problems being the reported hospital stays or wondering if that alludes to addiction problems (not that the effects of that wasn’t causing the health issues).   I believe this first article clipping could be from around this time. Also there is the story that Lucy chartered a plane to fly from Snow Mass with her broken leg to keep him company in the hospital when Desi was in with a bad cold. 

 

I’m always fascinated with anything Edie.  Just got this (second clipping below) from1977 during the book tour.   A more detailed description of how they first met.  In the book article he says she was a cigarette girl and in his Another Book letter he says it was at Santa Anita 25 years before he married her.  I didn’t even know he was in CA in 1937.  

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I knew the dog food thing. But yeah what a crappy start to that article. Did reporters back then get off on tearing people down? Why so mean to such a nice guy? And those 4 guys were probably just from the publisher and where this signing took place. You need people who arranged the signing and interview to tell you where to go and when.

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It's strange but we (as a society, not here) love to rip celebrities apart for aging.  Look at the supermarket tabloids with their unflattering zoomed-in close ups of stars in swimsuits. And of course, Lucy in Mame.  I contend that if critics hadn't known her actual age, and the handful of overdone soft focus shots hadn't been inclujded (and really there are only 6 or so that are blatant), they wouldn't have thought she was "too old for the part".  But the myth persists as fact.  Even the CD liner notes, while relatively kind to the movie and Lucy, includes the word "aging" at least 3 times.

I knew the dog food thing. But yeah what a crappy start to that article. Did reporters back then get off on tearing people down? Why so mean to such a nice guy? And those 4 guys were probably just from the publisher and where this signing took place. You need people who arranged the signing and interview to tell you where to go and when.

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It's strange but we (as a society, not here) love to rip celebrities apart for aging.  Look at the supermarket tabloids with their unflattering zoomed-in close ups of stars in swimsuits. And of course, Lucy in Mame.  I contend that if critics hadn't known her actual age, and the handful of overdone soft focus shots hadn't been inclujded (and really there are only 6 or so that are blatant), they wouldn't have thought she was "too old for the part".  But the myth persists as fact.  Even the CD liner notes, while relatively kind to the movie and Lucy, includes the word "aging" at least 3 times.

I was thinking just today that if Lucy had not been MAME, i probably never would have watched the movie, i mean, Hello Dolly stank as a movie and that was directed by Gene Kelly.  The only thing no one can take away is that both movies had this ONE terrific number that just made the movie.  Oh and i LOVE your comment about Edie's first hubby having stables of horses and a dog food company, never thought of that myself, LOL!

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In this video (starting around 4:24) Lucie talks about the recent news about Cuba and the unbelievable place she was when she found out.

 

WOW, ABSOLUTELY SENSATIONAL INTERVIEW WITH LUCIE, just terrific.  Thanks Harry.  Anywhere where we can see Pippin musical numbers Shel?  You tube i guess.  Geez, is it my imagination, or did Lucie's voice get deeper and lower here, or is it the strain of the show?  She looks stunning though.  Always does.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Tell me about the time Lucille tried menthol cigarettes which were wrapped in pastel colored paper

Is that the time they were passing that ciggie around at some party she attended?  Well, got news for you Lucy, it was a Mary Jane, and not the one you worked with, not a menthol ciggie either.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just don't think Lucy smoked weed...if she did..good for her...but I don't think she knowingly did...I stillwanna know about those pastel cigarettes!

Of course not, i was only kidding.  But i'm sure she tried it at some point.  Isn't there a story that she saw them passing this doobie at some party and she tried it when it got to her?

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