Husband and wife team Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball co-starred in I Love Lucy from 1951 until 1957. AP
Fresh Air
Fresh Air Weekend: Desi Arnaz’s lasting impact on TV; Mark Hamill June 7, 20259:00 AM ET, Heard on Fresh Air, 48-Minute Listen
Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, as well as new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and it often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts.
With ‘I Love Lucy’ and beyond, Desi Arnaz helped shaped TV as we know it: The success of I Love Lucy is often credited to Lucille Ball’s comedic talent, but biographer Todd Purdum says Arnaz was more than just “second banana” to Lucy. He also helped shape the modern sitcom.
Paul Reubens steps out from behind his famous character in ‘Pee-wee as Himself’: Before his death in 2023, Reubens filmed an HBO documentary in which he explained why he refused to be seen or interviewed as himself for the whole time Pee-wee Herman was starring in TV and films.
