The first time Larry met Lucy and Gary

[Luvsbway]

From the Yours, Mine, Ours screening this week, here's Larry talking about the first time he met Lucy and Gary. Love his observation on Lucy.

 

[JessiLu]

Very insightful comments about Lucy -- especially Larry's observation that anything new in Lucy's life had to be challenged, and that she was a sentry of her own life. 

It seems like Lucy regularly enlisted Gary to help her in that "sentry" role -- almost like a gatekeeper. In this case, she called to Gary immediately when she felt uncomfortable and it was him who first suggested they go to a restaurant. Kinda like how she used a particular yiddish word with Gary at parties when she was ready to go home, so that he'd help her make excuses for leaving.

For me, this story was a reminder that the husband and wife dynamic between the Mortons was very different from that of the Arnazes. By all accounts Lucy was content to be in the background and let Desi lead. It makes me wonder how small interactions like this would have been different if Lucy and Desi had stayed together. If Desi was there, I'll bet they would have stayed and ate dinner in that apartment. Obviously we're talking about two men who had two very different personalities, but I believe Lucy's personality changed over the years to a certain degree, too. Maybe it was fame, maybe it was the divorce, maybe it was Gary -- or all of those things. 

In any case, Larry's monologue provided a very interesting character study on Lucy! 

P.S. I hope this memoir Larry speaks of gets published. Can't wait to read it! 

[Luvsbway]

I think her personality did change over time and I think part of that was due to age. She's done everything and seen everything by the time she's with Gary. And also she was at a very different level of fame when she got together with him. She didn't have time for bullshit in her life. Gary as Lucy often described him was essentially a laid back guy. In this sense I feel like Lucy was the leader in that relationship. She was the Hollywood vet and knew how to play the game, so she led. And she had a very dominate personality. So a husband who is laid back does not like a wife who could at any moment constantly blow her top over something or at him. So he does his best to main the status quo. Keep her happy, keep the change to a minimum, keep the overzealous fans away, and in personal outings solve or prevent any problems before they get to her. Do all of that and day to day life is easier.

And when you go back and look at the letters she writes him, she never mentions him doing these things, maybe she is not aware of what he is actually doing. All she sees is a calm guy, who doesn't explode at every problem and makes her happy. All the while he's just trying to avert the disasters that could set her off.