BELATED HONEYMOONERS IN DETROIT

February 7, 1941

BY FRANK P. GILL 

A handsome young Cuban troubadour, who owes his start in show business to his country’s predilection for revolutions and cuartelazos (army rebellions), and a pretty and popular film star, who has time on her hands between pictures, popped into Detroit Thursday with a sigh of relief. 

The troubadour, Desi Arnaz, has come to the Motor City for a definite purpose: to carol the canciones of his native land nightly in the Terrace Room of the Hotel Statler, with Fausto Curbelo’s band. The film star, Lucille Ball, just came along for the ride. 

Actually this trip is part of a belated honeymoon for these two, who were marked between shows at the Roxy Theater in New York last November. They’ve been trying to have a honeymoon ever since, but Desi’s night club commitments and Miss Ball’s film work have proved serious handicaps at times. 

Detroit Last Stop 

“Our things aren’t even unpacked,” Miss Ball said, wryly, shortly after they arrived in town. “We’re now In the third phase of our honeymoon. Thank goodness! Detroit’s the last stop before we go back to California to settle down.” This doesn’t mean, of course, that either of them is quitting show business. Miss Ball recently finished “A Girl, a Guy and a Gob,” Harold Lloyd’s initial directing effort for RKO-Radio Pictures. Plans are afoot, she told us, to co-star her with her groom In “Havana,” a Latin musical. (**)

But, to the honeymooners. Miami was their last stopping place, where, while Desi sang nightly at the Rhumba Casino, Miss Ball vacationed. They were both bursting to talk about the Florida resort when they arrived; Desi because that city was his first show home, Miss Ball because she went fishing, a favorite sport with her, and caught a shark. 

Revolution In Cuba 

In 1933, the young singer explained, during the revolution against Machado, his father, a congressman, was jailed by the revolutionists. Six months later he was released and was “told to take a trip." 

"We came to Miami,” Desi said. “I had to leave school, where I was getting ready to study law. We had no money, so I decided I had to make some, fast. The only thing I could do was to sing songs with a guitar to please my father. I started out to get job and finally landed one in a hotel, where they paid me $5 a night to sing. I thought it was robbery,” he added, laughing, “to pay me for what I liked to do for amusement.” 

Later Xavier Cugat heard him and gave him a job as a vocalist. Later he formed his own band, and still later went into the cast of “Too Many Girls,“ which brought him, eventually, to Hollywood, where he met hit bride In pictures.

** = “Havana” was filmed by Columbia in 1949 as ‘Holiday in Havana’.  Although Desi Arnaz played the leading role, the part of his love interest was not played by Lucille Ball, but by Mary Hatcher. 

During Desi’s engagement, a fan wrote to Lucy and Desi asking if she could introduce herself.  Naturally, the Arnaz’s agreed. The signed letter sold at auction in 2004 for $400! 

Detroit’s Hotel Statler was built in 1914. In 1974, the structure was renamed the Detroit Heritage Hotel until it was abandoned in 1975 and demolished in 2005.