HUSBAND & WIFE OF THE YEAR

June 15, 1953

Desi Arnaz and his wife Lucille Ball have, as if by national acclamation, been chosen the “Husband and Wife of the Year.“ In making this known at its award luncheon at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on May 28th, Alvin Austin, director of the National Father’s Day Committee, said that this was the only choice the committee could have made without bringing the wrath of the whole country upon its head. 

For Lucy and Desi belong to America today. Their comic antics in their TV hit show “I Love Lucy” have not only endeared them to the nation as actors, but their private lives, the birth of their new baby on Jan. 19, 1953, their every move, are front-page news thruout the United States. 

No other American father and mother in memory (excepting in the White House itself) have ever been spotlighted to the public to the extent and degree that have the beloved Desi & Lucy and their new-born youngster, Desiderio junior. 

The committee stated that it is happy to bestow this honor upon a naturalized American (Desi was born in Cuba in 1917 and fled to America with his family when 16 years old during, the Cuban revolution of 1933) and a lovely native-born American girl (Lucy was born in Montana). (1)

Mr. and Mrs. Arnaz were deeply touched when they heard they won this award. They said that since the National Father’s Day Committee awards are designed to stress the American ideals of democracy and freedom, they were proud to play some part in this program by receiving this high honor. “We hope we shall always be worthy of your faith and your respect" they informed the committee.

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FOOTNOTES FROM THE FUTURE

(1) The myth that Lucille Ball was born in Montana, started by Lucille herself, still persists halfway through 1953.  It is difficult to determine if the media are relying on outdated background information or if Lucille Ball had begun to admit that she made up being born in Butte. 

Although he did not ‘invent’ Father’s Day (that distinction is usually given to Sonora Smart Dodd in 1910), Alvin Austin, an advertising executive, is credited with bringing the celebration into the forefront, starting about 1938.  Austin was determined to make sure that amongst the commercial opportunities, there was a social conscience, celebrating fatherhood. 

Lucy and Desi were not the only ones cited by the Father’s Day Committee in 1953.   

The article mentions that ceremonies were held at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. In 1954′s “Lucy is Envious” (ILL S3;E23), wealthy socialite Cynthia Harcourt (Mary Jane Croft) took digs at the Waldorf-Astoria while canvassing for donations.  Lucy also took a room at the Waldorf, a popular hotel for visiting dignitaries, when she pretended to be the Maharincess of Franistan in 1952′s “The Publicity Agent” (ILL S1;E31).

Meanwhile, on the same day, it seems that Robert Sylvester’s “Dream Street” was becoming a nightmare from too much Lucy & Desi!  Ouch!