Max Goes To Hollywood • Part 2
A Max Headline News Story Adventure
The following morning, I was woken by a loud banging on my door.
“Max, open up.”
Charlotte, naturally.
“What time is it?” I asked as I crawled out of bed and opened the door.
“Max! It’s 8:00. Come on. I want to get there early and see everything.”
“Alright. Jimmy Cricket. Give me a minute to get dressed.”
“Max, you haven’t even unpacked!”
“What do you mean? I put the suitcase on the stand and opened it. That’s how I unpack.”
“I am going to the hotel restaurant and order breakfast. Take a shower and put on something fresh. Then meet me at the restaurant,” Charlotte said and walked away.
I groaned and headed for the bathroom.
Charlotte and I arrived at General Service Studios at 9:30. We were escorted by a page to the dressing room of Desi Arnaz. Desi was one of the main characters in the television show I Love Lucy, along with his wife, Lucille Ball.
After introductions, Desi invited us to accompany him as he went about his business. In addition to being a star on the show, he was also its producer. I quickly discovered that both he and Lucy ran the show and wore many hats.
“Why is I Love Lucy based in Hollywood? Aren’t most television shows broadcast live from New York?” I asked Desi.
“That’s right. But we didn’t want to leave California, so we talked the studio into allowing us to film the show here and send them the finished product to broadcast.”
“That’s quite an undertaking.”
“You don’t know the half of it. Fortunately, there are many talented production people in Hollywood who saw the potential of television.”
“Isn’t producing a show on film expensive? You’re basically shooting a short movie every week.”
“You’re right, again. Although it is more like a play. We have an audience in the studio, which makes the show more exciting and captures the audience’s reactions. It was Lucy’s idea. She feeds off the audience’s energy. Lucy and I took pay cuts to cover the cost of the film. In exchange, we got 80% ownership of the show.”
“Smart. If the show stays popular, you could make a killing.”
“That’s the way I saw it, too, my good man. It was a show of faith on our part. But I believe it will be rewarded.”
“Well, it certainly is popular. I love the show,” Charlotte added.
“Thank you, darling. We are thrilled with the show’s success.” Desi replied.
It was obvious Charlotte found Desi Arnaz charming. Of course, a grizzled reporter like me wasn’t so easily charmed by a Hollywood pretty boy.
But, despite my previous objections, I was glad to have Charlotte along. I had never seen the show and didn’t own a television. It seemed silly to me. Staring at people in a box.
As we were talking, a woman with bright red hair walked up and smiled at us.
“Who have we here?” She asked Desi.
“This is Max and Charlotte. They are reporters for Big City News. This is Lucy, my wife, and the star of the show.”
“I am so pleased to meet you. You are so funny. And beautiful,” Charlotte said.
“Oh, thank you, dear. That is so sweet,” Lucy replied.
“Pleased to meet you,” I said, trying not to stare. Charlotte was right. Lucy was beautiful.
“Max and Charlotte are going to write a story on the show and plan on spending the week with us,” Desi said.
“Wonderful. Well, I have to get going, I have scriptwriting to oversee,” Lucy said, then she left.
We walked to the living room set. A stage designed to look like the inside of a New York apartment.”
“Why are there so many cameras?” I asked.
“We got the idea from Ralph Edwards of Truth Or Consequences. Using three cameras simultaneously enables us to capture all the necessary shots of the actors without requiring multiple takes. It saves time and makes the audience reactions continuous.”
“Ingenious,” I said.
“It works well. We rarely have to do retakes.”
To my surprise, I found the production of the show interesting. Desi seemed quite bright and a shrewd businessman.
Just then, I felt a punch to my arm. I looked at Charlotte.
“Jack Webb is walking this way,” Charlotte said.
“Who?”
“He plays Sergeant Joe Friday on Dragnet.”
“What?”
“Max. You need to pull your head out of the paper more.”
Jack Webb smiled and shook Desi’s hand. Desi sent a stagehand to get Lucy. Lucy showed up a couple of minutes later.
“Listen, you two, I know we are competitors, but I wanted to stop by and say how much I enjoy I Love Lucy. It cracks me up,” Jack said.
“Thank you, Jack, that is very big of you. I enjoy Dragnet also. It is so gritty. Not Hollywood at all. I love that.” Lucy replied. Desi agreed.
The love-fest went on for a few minutes, then Webb made his escape.
“Well, I really have to go. Location shots today,” Jack said.
“Thanks for stopping in, Jack,” Desi said as everyone added their own goodbyes.
That evening, Charlotte and I stopped at a popular restaurant for dinner.
“Wasn’t Desi smart and handsome?”
“He was brilliant. I wasn’t expecting that. I figured we would be interviewing some self-absorbed half-wit actors. Not just a couple of savvy businesspeople. And remember, he’s married.”
“Yeah, right. I saw the way you looked at Lucy.”
“What? I was just doing my job.”
“Well, bring a hanky tomorrow so you can wipe the drool off your chin.”
“Ha ha,” I said sarcastically.
Thanks for reading and responding. You make it fun.
Mark
1950s television royalty. (Desi and Lucy ultimately did well for themselves financially, BTW.)
You mean Lucy wasn't a ditsy housewife in real life. She was actually a shrewd businessperson. She was just acting. That is a blockbuster story. Way to go Max.