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Reason
Reason
Steven Kurtz

Desi Arnaz's Revolution Was Televised

Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television, by Todd S. Purdum, Simon & Schuster, 368 pages, $29.99

There's been plenty written about I Love Lucy, but mostly about Lucy. What about I?

Desi Arnaz—the man who played Lucille Ball's husband on the show, and was married to her in real life too—was not just spectacularly successful; he was a revolutionary who changed TV in ways we feel to this day. But his fame has faded: I Love Lucy reruns used to be omnipresent, but if you see one now, it's likely to be on a channel with lots of ads for catheters.

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