December 25, 1955
By LOUELLA O. PARSONS ~ INS Motion Picture Editor, Hollywood
Merry Christmas! In the home of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz today as in homes all over the world the family is gathered around the Christmas tree. They, too, wish you a happy Yuletide with peace on earth good will toward men.
Lucy and Desi have hung up stockings in the traditional Santa Claus fashion for little Luci Desiree, age 4, and little Desiderio IV, age 2.
For weeks, Lucy and Desi, who sell America’s best known name brand — marriage — to millions of TV fans, have been shopping. Because at this season of the year they are so typical of family life, I did a combined interview with them.
Digressing from Christmas for a moment, I asked Lucille if she weren’t worn out doing a show every week.
“It would be harder if we weren’t just playing our-selves” she said. “So many of the incidents in our shows are things that have happened to us in real life.“
Last month Lucy and Desi celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary and I asked Desi to what he attributed their happiness.
He said “A sense of humor and the ability to laugh. Often when we’ve had words, one of us sees the absurdity of it and starts laughing, If people would laugh more marriages would last longer.“
“Lucy and I have been happy ever since we were remarried in the church” he continued. “You know as well as anyone that our first years of marriage were pretty stormy: in fact, so stormy that Lucy and I separated”
“Realizing how we have averted trouble in our private life with a sense of humor” said Lucy. “We know that a laughing audience Is a listening audience and that’s why we try to get all of this into our shows.”
“Like all married couples we have our disagreements but before we know it one of us will interrupt to say “What a perfect situation for ‘I Love Lucy’. That’s how so many of our marital problems have been incorporated on film.”
Recently a psychiatrist wrote the Amazes that a half hour of watching their show on TV often solves problems that ordinarily might require weeks of treatment.
“In our new picture ‘Forever Darling’ we use the device of a guardian angel (James Mason) to smooth out our marriage” said Desi. “It’s a marriage that started out at top speed but is gradually slowing down to a prosaic crawl.”
“Our angel spurs the wife on to develop an interest in her husband’s work — scientific research so we have her accompany him on a camping expedition Lucy in the woods! Need I say more?"
Then Desi went on to tell me “When we were first married Lucille and I actually did go on a camping trip I’ll never forget the first night Lucille wanted to leave the light in our tent on I said no The light went out.
“A half hour later Lucy let out an unearthly scream. Two yellow eyes were glaring at us. An owl had flown into our tent. We spent the rest of the night with the light on!”
The story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz is stranger than any fiction. Lucille, whose perfect timing has been a model for many other comediennes, was at a standstill career-wise when TV came into her life.
She started as a Goldwyn girl and made a few pictures but offers were not coming in as fast as Lucille wanted. I remember her carrot-y red hair, which has been toned down.
Desi was playing nightclubs and their constant separations were not the best thing in the world for their marriage. Besides, he was not having any luck In motion pictures either.
Then about five years ago they did their first "I Love Lucy” show on television and were an immediate success. Their Monday night show became a must in homes all over the country.
They formed the Desilu Company and started other TV shows until today the names of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz are household words. Their success has been sensational.
Newspapers who reprinted Parsons’ column were free to create their own headline, focusing on any aspect of the column they chose.
Papermoon Loves Lucy 
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