An Unconventional Duo
Lucille Ball met Desi Arnaz, five years her junior, in 1940 when they were both on the set of the film Too Many Girls. Desi had starred in the Broadway musical that the movie was based on, and, for the film, he was to be a bandleader. Lucille was already an experienced actress. The two quickly hit it off and married six months later. They eloped on November 30, 1940.
Ann Miller Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball Portrait For Too Many Girls (1940). Photo By Mediapunch/Shutterstock
According to their former co-star, Eddie Bracken, “It happened so fast that it seemed it wouldn’t last. Everybody on the set made bets about how long it would last.” Although the two were deeply in love for most of their lives, their relationship was always wild and chaotic. A major problem was the fact that they were both in show business.