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Coming from the director of The Trial of the Chicago 7, Aaron Sorkin, Being the Ricardos follows 1952’s famous Hollywood power couple, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. They face a series of personal and professional crises that threaten their careers and relationship.
Being the Ricardos has already hit theaters and will premiere on Amazon Prime on December 21. The highly anticipated biopic stars Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem in the leading roles.
The movie deals with numerous scandals and accusations that the couple faced.
Events that Aaron Sorkin charts out in Being the Ricardos
1) It explores an allegation that Lucille Ball faced
When political winds shifted between the 1930s and ’50s, Lucille Ball, the ditzy star of the CBS sitcom I Love Lucy, attracted gossip columnist Walter Winchell’s unwelcome attention. She was questioned by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) as part of its quest to root out communism in the entertainment industry.
Winchell took up this opportunity to offer up a scandalous headline about Ball, stating:
“The top television comedienne has been confronted with her membership in the Communist Party!”
Being the Ricardos attempts to shed more light on the supposed allegations.
2) The pregnancy controversy
In the 1950s, strict moral codes prohibited any sexually suggestive content on screen, including the feature of an expectant mother, which suggests sexual procreation. Thus, CBS was reluctant to acknowledge Ball’s pregnancy on-air, fearing that the show would be canceled.
But Desi Arnaz pushed back against this decision, and eventually, the showrunners agreed to incorporate the pregnancy into the show. But no characters were permitted to use the word “pregnant”. They were instructed to communicate the pregnancy via euphemisms like “expectant”.
3) Ball and Arnaz’s marriage
Being the Ricardos also explores Arnaz’s infidelity, as chronicled in the Hollywood tabloid Confidential. Ball confronted her husband with two stories headlined “Desi’s Wild Night Out” and “Does Desi Really Love Lucy?”
Though he initially denies the claims, Desi Arnaz eventually admits to the charges. The reports were filled with excruciating details of his purported extramarital encounters.
Being the Ricardos is now streaming in select theaters. The movie will be available to stream on Amazon Prime from December 21.
