Page 18 - Boca Club News - March '22

Page 18, Boca Club News
Film Review: “Being the Ricardos”

By Nils A. Shapiro the real-life married couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. on the previous day only 29 million had tuned in to watch
As it turns out, it was an inspired decision, no doubt a President Eisenhower’s inauguration.
This one could take home surprise to most of us, to cast Nicole Kidman as Lucille Ball. • At the beginning of this film, Confidential Magazine—a
one or more Oscars. Javier Bardem does an admirable job as Desi. Kidman already real and very popular publication in its time---runs a front
won the Golden Globes award as Best Actress for her role in cover headline, “Does Desi Arnaz Really Love Lucille
Over the past several this film, and Bardem was nominated as Best Actor. Ball?” about its article claiming that Desi is hiding secret
months, this review column J.K. Simmons, one of Hollywood’s finest character romantic affairs from his wife. Throughout the film, Lucy
has strayed from my usual actors—whose face will be more familiar to you from his begins to suspect this may be the truth. In real life, Lucille
practice of discovering and TV insurance commercials—is a delight as William Frawley, Ball knew about Desi’s escapades long before the TV series
bringing to your attention whom we learned years later enjoyed his alcohol just a little was launched. Throughout the run of their TV show, Lucille
films that were released too much, sometimes causing scenes to be re-shot because Ball continued her movie career, which required her to be
a long time ago—often he would forget his lines playing Lucy and Desi’s friend, at the studio at 5 a.m., while Desi Arnaz continued leading
years or even decades in the Fred Mertz. The actress Vivian Vance, who played his wife, his popular Latin band almost every night at Hollywood’s
past—but which often, for Ethel, is portrayed here by Nina Arlanda. Trocadero night club, getting home at 4 a.m.--not the best
whatever reason, failed to While this new film professes to tell the behind-the-scenes formula for a happy marriage.
get the attention they deserved. Now, with free DVD library story of the most crisis-filled week in the five-year history For me, one of the most enjoyable scenes in the film was
rentals and such popular streaming services as Netflix, Amazon of the making of that show in the 1950s—its impact on the Javier Bardem’s terrific singing and bongo drum-playing
Prime, Hulu and others reviving films for today’s audiences, stars, crew, network executives and sponsor—a bit of research rendition of Desi Arnaz’s actual signature Latin rhythmic
they are once again available for you to enjoy and appreciate. reveals that “Being the Ricardos” director and screenwriter hit, “Babalu,” with his band at the Trocadero. Incredibly, for
But in the November and February issues of Boca Club Aaron Sorkin (himself a legend in Hollywood) has actually several minutes it brought me back to vividly recalling when,
News, and now in this month’s column, the films selected are taken three true crises that occurred over the course of several many years ago, as a teenager sitting in a movie theater, I
all new releases—and have been nominated in one or more years and combined them into a narrower time frame for the watched a black-and-white short film of Desi Arnaz perform
categories at various film festivals, including the upcoming purpose of this film. that very same song and bongo drum-playing “Babalu!” (Yes,
Academy Awards ceremony, • In the middle of the TV show’s great popularity, Walter those were the days when a movie theater ticket bought two
Regular readers of this column will recall my high praise Winchell in his syndicated newspaper column announced feature films, a newsreel, cartoon, and in that case an extra
for both “The Electrical Life of Henry Wain” in December that Lucille Ball was a member of the Communist Party. This short musical film.)
and “The Power of the Dog” in last month’s February issue. was in the 1950s, at the height of Senator Joe McCarthy’s “Being the Ricardos” is a good bet to earn Oscars for
Remarkably, Benedict Cumberbatch—the lead actor in both infamous Un-American Activities Committee that ruined so several of those associated with it, judging from the honors
films, which were released within just several weeks of one many people’s careers just by the mention of their names. and nominations it has already received from such other
another—delivered two brilliant performances portraying The report was highly overblown: Lucille Ball had checked organizations as the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards (Best
men who could not be more unalike in every possible way, a box on a form years earlier, when she was a young girl, just Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Screenplay); the
and he has already been nominated for the Oscar for one of to please her aging grandfather, but never attended a Party two Golden Globes wins; Hollywood Critics’ Association
these films, although he deserved it for either. meeting nor gave it another thought. (Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor and Best Screenplay);
This month’s movie, “Being the Ricardos,” is my third • At one point during the run of the show, Lucille Ball got Satellite Awards (Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor), and
consecutive newly released selection. Opening in theaters pregnant. As presented in this new film, Desi insists that the similar nominations by other major city film organizations.
on December 10th, no doubt in order to make it eligible public is ready to accept such a normal aspect of life as part In the end, the real key to “Being the Ricardos” is the
for Academy Awards consideration, the Amazon Studios of the show, but in an era when even married couples could message it delivers about the relative strengths of its main
production was quickly made available to its home streaming not be shown sleeping in the same bed, the film presents the characters in their real lives. If you think of Lucy as the ditzy
Prime-TV subscribers on December 21st. network executives and sponsor, Philip Morris tobacco, as redhead, think again.
For anyone reading this column, the name “Ricardos” being aghast and desperate to find ways to hide her pregnancy. That message strikes home at the very end when, after
should strike a familiar chord. The TV show, “I Love Lucy,” The actual audience reaction was that the episode in which the screen fades to black, a couple of important lines of text
about the fictional Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, was by far the Lucy gives birth to Little Ricky was seen by 44 million appear. Those few lines made an impact on me before I began
most wildly successful television series of the 1950s, starring viewers—72% of all TV homes that night! By comparison, to read the credits that started scrolling down the screen.

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