Irene Kampen Tripp Posted June 7, 2011 Report Share Posted June 7, 2011 Hey everyone.. I would like to know.. why do most of you hate GARY MORTON?? What specifically motitivates your attitude toward him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor Posted June 7, 2011 Report Share Posted June 7, 2011 I don't hate him. I just think he could've made better decisions for Lucy at the end of her life/career. It seemed like he was only motivated by money when it came to those kinds of decisions (like "Life With Lucy"). Other than that, he was good to her and good to the kids and made her happy. He was just kind of an arrogant little schlub at times lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy's Aussie Fan Posted June 7, 2011 Report Share Posted June 7, 2011 Well put Taylor. Another reason people didnt warm to him was that they were so used to Desi being by Lucy's side that any other man just didnt cut it. Lucy and Desi will forever be known as the lovable couple from I Love Lucy, Gary had to work hard to top that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 I don't hate him. I just think he could've made better decisions for Lucy at the end of her life/career. It seemed like he was only motivated by money when it came to those kinds of decisions (like "Life With Lucy"). Other than that, he was good to her and good to the kids and made her happy. He was just kind of an arrogant little schlub at times lol. Excellent points. I don't hate him either but, let's face it, Lucy should have left the business decisions up to the professionals. I find it telling that Lucie and Desi haven't had one bad word to say about him in all the years -- and opportunities -- that have come up. Very few people who worked with him professionally have spoken publically about him in a negative light. The only one I have personally heard share a negative view point about him was Carole Cook at her most recent Jamestown appearance when she spoke about how she felt Gary was (paraphrasing here) trying to freeze her (and many of Lucy's Desi-era friends) out out Lucy's life after HL. She also said she was one of the few people who joined Lucie at Forest Lawn when they removed Lucy and Dede's ashes to take to Jamestown. She remarked that she was glad Gary would now be "alone" at the cemetery. Howard Rayfiel also presents several anti-Gary anecdotes in his book "Where The Hell Is Desilu?" In light of Claude's reply below (Post #5) I should clarify about books. Brochu and Tannen were negative as well, but I felt that was mostly innuendo rather than giving any outright examples. Rayfiel handled that in his book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Hey everyone.. I would like to know.. why do most of you hate GARY MORTON?? What specifically motitivates your attitude toward him? Read the books and draw your own conclusions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuttyNose Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 I've never understood why people blame Gary for Lucy's "decisions"? Lucy was an EXECUTIVE, a task-master, a no-nonsense person who drove her own bus. She was married to a Latino man who cheated on her and drank and for the most part she STILL held her own. When all that mess was over she met a nice Jewish guy who played golf and made her laugh. I don't think she married Gary and suddenly became powerless in her career choices. No one can tell me she allowed Gary or anyone to boss her around and make decisions for her. I met Gary at Lucy's "Stone Pillow" wrap party and he seemed like a nice, happy guy. Someone with whom Lucy enjoyed a nice, easy relationship. As a woman, I can say once you've had "The Great Love Of Your Life" another marriage that attempts to fill those former shoes isn't something to be taken lightly. I KNOW she loved Gary Morton. The thing that makes people really dislike Gary is that...he wasn't DESI. That magic "couple" was no more. But...seeing how Desi ended up treating Lucy...is that such a BAD THING?? I'd rather see Lucy married to Gary than Lucy in married misery with Desi. No matter how dearly I loved them as a couple. Think about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 I've never understood why people blame Gary for Lucy's "decisions"? Lucy was an EXECUTIVE, a task-master, a no-nonsense person who drove her own bus. She was married to a Latino man who cheated on her and drank and for the most part she STILL held her own. When all that mess was over she met a nice Jewish guy who played golf and made her laugh. I don't think she married Gary and suddenly became powerless in her career choices. No one can tell me she allowed Gary or anyone to boss her around and make decisions for her. I met Gary at Lucy's "Stone Pillow" wrap party and he seemed like a nice, happy guy. Someone with whom Lucy enjoyed a nice, easy relationship. As a woman, I can say once you've had "The Great Love Of Your Life" another marriage that attempts to fill those former shoes isn't something to be taken lightly. I KNOW she loved Gary Morton. The thing that makes people really dislike Gary is that...he wasn't DESI. That magic "couple" was no more. But...seeing how Desi ended up treating Lucy...is that such a BAD THING?? I'd rather see Lucy married to Gary than Lucy in married misery with Desi. No matter how dearly I loved them as a couple. Think about it. Very well said. I think people's dislike of him started the very first time we saw him on The Sullivan show, how could he possibly live up to our image of Lucy and Desi happy together forever, he shattered all that, poor schlubb. If you recall, i was one of the fans who thought he would have been great as her boyfriend on The Lucy show, he did a few but i wanted him on as a regular, but it seems the rest of her public, who was watching ILL every day and still had that IMAGE to look at, could not stand Lucy with anyone but Desi. Dick Martin could have been her beau also. Yes, he did make her happy, she allowed him to be his own person and he deferred to HER on any major decision. Where it gets a mite sticky is when he had to executive produce her shows as HIS talent was nowhere near HERS. He was cheap but so was she. She was set in her ways and could not have been easy to live with and he protected her and held her hand and this is where it gets good for her, she could walk into any event in town with him by her side and that's where she topped Davis and Hepburn and Crawford and all the other Hollywood top women, she had a successful and very happy marriage, peace of mind after all those years of scandal and shame married to womanizing drunk gambler who had an instinct for tearing down anything he built up. He was a great stepfather to her kids. BUT, he was not the best manager of her career, some examples would be the Stone Pillow shoot, she was keen on doing it on Broadway, but he could not take a snowy NY winter and losing his golf so he got her a TV movie version of SP instead and it almost killed her. He got all the OLD people together for a return to TV called Life with Lucy, he envisionned a lucrative paycheck for him, play or pay they call it and all he was concerned about was his million dollar payoff, not the fact that the show was badly done, too fast and her rep wiped out in one fell swoop. She never recovered from that one either. Read Howard Rafayel's book and find a dozen other examples that showed gary was in way over his head, did not have Desi's great knack for knowing how to present her. Had terrible taste in projects, did not push her to do some great ones and forced her to do some beneath her by being cheap with writers and not actively looking for better projects for her in her twilight years. Lucy sure would have benefited from having Betty White's agent instead of the old second string comic who at least got class from being with her. But class is more than nice suits and collecting watches or even cars. And it sure must have been nice for him the last ten years of his life to finally being able to do what he wanted when he wanted as Lucy was now gone, she got him everything he had but he was now free to enjoy it any way he wanted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikidiki Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 I don't dislike him but I appreciate reading everyone's views on Gary. Lucy loved Gary dearly but it pains me to say this but I think Gary made himself numero uno in the last few years of Lucy's life because he knew her health was declining. He seemed like a nice enough guy, I can't say, I never met him, I can't put an opinion on him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 I don't dislike him but I appreciate reading everyone's views on Gary. Lucy loved Gary dearly but it pains me to say this but I think Gary made himself numero uno in the last few years of Lucy's life because he knew her health was declining. He seemed like a nice enough guy, I can't say, I never met him, I can't put an opinion on him. A typical story on him from Rafayel's book goes like this . . . he and Raf were in London and got a call from one of those sluts who almost brought down the government there at the time. Raf wanted to accept their dinner invitation but gary feared Lucy would find out so he said can't they just give us blow jobs or something. My own fave story is when Lucy died, gary moved on to many other women and one of them was Lauren Bacall. I figured he thought he'd save money by giving HER some of Lucy's monogrammed things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikidiki Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 A typical story on him from Rafayel's book goes like this . . . he and Raf were in London and got a call from one of those sluts who almost brought down the government there at the time. Raf wanted to accept their dinner invitation but gary feared Lucy would find out so he said can't they just give us blow jobs or something. My own fave story is when Lucy died, gary moved on to many other women and one of them was Lauren Bacall. I figured he thought he'd save money by giving HER some of Lucy's monogrammed things. Sad, very sad. Do you believe that Lucy loved someone whom she really DIDN'T know? Do you think the love was one sided? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Do you think the love was one sided? I don't know if you're just asking Claude, but I think it is pretty evident in their joint appearances -- including, and particularly at Lucy's introduction to the Television Hall of Fame -- that their love was mutual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikidiki Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 I don't know if you're just asking Claude, but I think it is pretty evident in their joint appearances -- including, and particularly at Lucy's introduction to the Television Hall of Fame -- that their love was mutual. That's what I thought, it never seemed like their were ever any marital difficulties which were evident in her relationship with Desi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 That's what I thought, it never seemed like their were ever any marital difficulties which were evident in her relationship with Desi. Paula Stewart was quoted in a famous magazine article saying Lucy was having lots of trouble with gary at the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 I don't know if you're just asking Claude, but I think it is pretty evident in their joint appearances -- including, and particularly at Lucy's introduction to the Television Hall of Fame -- that their love was mutual. Funny you should bring that up, ever hear her thank HIM in any way when she received accolades or tributes or awards? But they were lovey dovey at the Variety Clubs tribute to her though. Turning the end of it into a celebration of their 23rd wedding anniversary. And him giving her that Olympic medal for being such a great wife. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Hepburn Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 A typical story on him from Rafayel's book goes like this . . . he and Raf were in London and got a call from one of those sluts who almost brought down the government there at the time. Raf wanted to accept their dinner invitation but gary feared Lucy would find out so he said can't they just give us blow jobs or something. My own fave story is when Lucy died, gary moved on to many other women and one of them was Lauren Bacall. I figured he thought he'd save money by giving HER some of Lucy's monogrammed things. Wait...what's this about Gary and Lauren? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Gary did the best he could in a no win situation. Until he came along the public had hope for a Lucy-Desi reconciliation. And being thrust into executive status at Desilu must have rankled those who had worked their way up. Despite this (and he must have known) he carried himself with as much dignity as he could..and wasn't really an embarrassment to Lucy. Depending on who's doing the recounting their relationship was one of stability and mutual respect; or on the other end, Lucy would scream at him to shut up if she ventured an idea. Had LWL been even a moderate success, no one would be blaming anybody. I don't buy the idea that Lucy did not want to do it at all. And who's idea was it to bring back all the old staff? Sounds like something Lucy would have wanted to be comfortable. So little is known about his life before Lucy, I've always been curious. Lucy always said that he didn't really know who she was or the extent of her fame before they met, because he was always working. As Seth Myers would say "Oh, REALLY?". Where does a third-string comic work EVERY Monday night? And being in show business, he had to have at least been AWARE she was the hottest thing in the 50s. Where was he living and what was his economic status when he met Lucy? When they went out, could he afford to pay? And what about this annulled marriage in his early 30s? I'm sure there were plenty of clubs in the 50s where someone like him could work, but I never got the idea he was ever a headliner (probably opened for Ruta Lee). Little has been said about all of this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryCarter Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Funny you should bring that up, ever hear her thank HIM in any way when she received accolades or tributes or awards? I cannot think of her ever thanking anyone by name when she received any type of award or tribute (the exception being the Variety Clubs tribute and a few times early on, like when she and Desi accepted the Emmy for I Love Lucy in 1954 and their Toast of the Town Tribute). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 I cannot think of her ever thanking anyone by name when she received any type of award or tribute (the exception being the Variety Clubs tribute and a few times early on, like when she and Desi accepted the Emmy for I Love Lucy in 1954 and their Toast of the Town Tribute). At the TV Hall of Fame, she said . . . we all know we never do anything alone, i wish some of those people were here tonight . . .or words to that effect. For the Kennedy Center Honors, she said behind the scenes that it should have been for both her and Desi. And God knows she thanked her writers her entire career as well as her constant praise for all of her co stars but notably Viv and Gale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Gary did the best he could in a no win situation. Until he came along the public had hope for a Lucy-Desi reconciliation. And being thrust into executive status at Desilu must have rankled those who had worked their way up. Despite this (and he must have known) he carried himself with as much dignity as he could..and wasn't really an embarrassment to Lucy. Depending on who's doing the recounting their relationship was one of stability and mutual respect; or on the other end, Lucy would scream at him to shut up if she ventured an idea. Had LWL been even a moderate success, no one would be blaming anybody. I don't buy the idea that Lucy did not want to do it at all. And who's idea was it to bring back all the old staff? Sounds like something Lucy would have wanted to be comfortable. So little is known about his life before Lucy, I've always been curious. Lucy always said that he didn't really know who she was or the extent of her fame before they met, because he was always working. As Seth Myers would say "Oh, REALLY?". Where does a third-string comic work EVERY Monday night? And being in show business, he had to have at least been AWARE she was the hottest thing in the 50s. Where was he living and what was his economic status when he met Lucy? When they went out, could he afford to pay? And what about this annulled marriage in his early 30s? I'm sure there were plenty of clubs in the 50s where someone like him could work, but I never got the idea he was ever a headliner (probably opened for Ruta Lee). Little has been said about all of this. All true, uphill battle indeed. Replacing Desi when the public DID expect a reconciliation being your most valid point. And apparently it came close to happening a few times. And even Lucie said it after gary died, that Lucy and Desi's love for one another had never ended. Even gary calling Desi his husband in law as he was always calling, coming to the house and discussing career matters with Lucy. The story of gary not knowing Lucy's stature is just nonsense and has been debunked over the years. The one thing i will say for the Borcht belt comic was that Lucy claimed he knew more people than she did in the business AND being Jewish, he befriended many contacts in the Hollywood establishment like Marvin Davis who put Lucy on his 20th Century Fox board of directors. Got her in at Universal when she left Paramount, Universal being owned by the then most powerful man in Hollywood, the famed Lew Wasserman. I am intrigued by your mention of gary's first wife. Wasn't she the sister of the lady who slept with both President Kennedy and Mafia leader Sam Giancanna? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Wait...what's this about Gary and Lauren? Gary dated a few Hollywood ladies after Lucy passed on, notably Lauren Bacall and Eva Gabor. He had to settle for Eva as Zsa Zsa already had a leach after HER money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryCarter Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 At the TV Hall of Fame, she said . . . we all know we never do anything alone, i wish some of those people were here tonight . . .or words to that effect. Exactly. That's not thanking people by name. She always gave credit to others in her speech, but did not say who those people were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 Exactly. That's not thanking people by name. She always gave credit to others in her speech, but did not say who those people were. Well, for cornsakes, THEY knew who THEY were! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irene Kampen Tripp Posted June 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2011 Thanks guys for responding.. I want to get that book.. Where the Hell is Desilu?? might be just what I need to read.. and let me say something... this is in reguards to Desi Arnaz... sometimes.. NOT everytime.. but sometimes.. men are "drivin" to outside sex and other woman...we don't know the beginning reasons.. just the outcomes.. I am not justifying infildelity... I am just saying.. bsides.. didn't Miss Ball have a "thing" with George Sanders??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted June 15, 2011 Report Share Posted June 15, 2011 Thanks guys for responding.. I want to get that book.. Where the Hell is Desilu?? might be just what I need to read.. and let me say something... this is in reguards to Desi Arnaz... sometimes.. NOT everytime.. but sometimes.. men are "drivin" to outside sex and other woman...we don't know the beginning reasons.. just the outcomes.. I am not justifying infildelity... I am just saying.. bsides.. didn't Miss Ball have a "thing" with George Sanders??? OMG are you trying to EXCUSE mr Arnaz' constant philandering??? He was a rich spoiled little brat who was brought to a brothel very young and never stopped indulging in his womanizing ways all through his life. He thought, as his culture had destined, that if you did it with prostitutes it did not dinminish your married life in any way. Lucy found it demeaning and traumatizing to constantly be humiliated by these actions, everybody knew he slept with anything in a skirt and even a guy in a suit one time, LOL! Or at least that's what Cesar Romero said. But maybe Lucy did it also with Audrey meadows, so who knows? Yes, she fooled around also, and you all know how i feel about that, if your husband does it with every young woman he encounters, why shouldn't she do the same? And getting it back on the original topic, i've always suspected that the person Desi caught her having an affair with with an address in NY was gary anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy's Aussie Fan Posted June 16, 2011 Report Share Posted June 16, 2011 Yes, Desi was a womanizer. He knew he could get anything and everything because of his charm and self-confidence. I have nothing against Desi, I think he did truly make Lucy happy for many years and was an amazing father to their children, but deep down he was a boy at heart and wanted to run wild. Gambling, drinking, and, womanizing included. I felt very sorry for Lucy as she put up with it for years, and if being with Gary made her happy, then thats all we need to know. There may be more to it behind the scenes that we may never know about. But im sure Lucy, being the powerful business woman she was, would not let anyone walk all over her; Desi nor Gary did not control her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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