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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Being the Ricardos

Pop Culture Happy Hour

NPR

Books, Music, After Shows, Tv & Film, Film Reviews, News, Tv Reviews, Arts, Entertainment News, Music Commentary

4.510.6K Ratings

🗓️ 21 December 2021

⏱️ 16 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were the TV power couple. In the new film Being the Ricardos, we spend an eventful week with Lucy (played by Nicole Kidman) and Desi (played by Javier Bardem) as they try to get a show on the air. Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, the film showcases the complicated relationship and creative process of America's favorite couple.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Luceal Ball and Desi Arnez were not just a TV power couple, they were maybe the TV power

0:10.4

couple. In a new film written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, we spend a week with them.

0:16.3

And it's an eventful week. The Cole Kidman plays Lucy, she's accused of being a communist,

0:21.7

and Javier Bardem is Desi, and he's butting heads with the bosses of Isle of Lucy over

0:26.1

his wife's real life pregnancy.

0:28.5

I'm Aisha Harris, and I'm Linda Holmes, and today we're talking about being the Ricardo's

0:32.9

on pop culture happy hour from NPR.

0:35.5

It's just the two of us today, so let's get to it. So for this movie, Aaron Sorkin has taken

0:47.0

some real events and condensed them so that they're all happening in the same week, which

0:51.7

they fortunately did not in real life, that would be entirely too much.

0:55.0

Lucy's pregnant, she's called out as a communist and rumors of Desi's cheating have hit

0:59.9

the papers. As they spend this awful week trying to get a show on the air, we see their

1:05.2

complicated relationships. Some of that is in flashbacks as well as their creative process.

1:11.2

In addition to Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem, the cast includes J.K. Simmons and Nina

1:17.0

Arianda as Bill Frawley and Vivian Vance, the actors who played Fred and Ethel and I love

1:21.9

Lucy. There's also Alia Showcut as Madeline Pugh, one of the show's writers and Tony Hale

1:27.9

as Jess Oppenheimer, the show's producer and head writer. The movie is now in theaters

1:32.6

and streaming on Amazon Prime. Aisha, you are a I love Lucy person, is that right?

1:39.4

Yes, I guess that's that's an identity. So yeah, I would say I'm an I love Lucy person.

1:45.0

I own every season of the show on DVD. And that qualifies you as an I love Lucy.

1:51.2

Yeah, it does. I've watched it many times. I could probably reenact certain episodes from

1:57.3

memory if you needed me to ask me later, Linda. I'm happy to perform. I was going to say this

...

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