On a Malibu beach in 1940, Desi Arnaz meets Lucille Ball—and two months later they elope. As their fiery romance collides with wartime America, Desi’s accent keeps him boxed into stereotypes… until World War II reroutes his path: USO tours, a breakout turn in Bataan (1943), and a new reputation as more than a “Latin novelty.” Meanwhile, Lucy’s film career plateaus, pushing both toward the medium that will change everything. In a parallel thread, Wilmer Valderrama reveals how embracing his own accent birthed “Fez” on That ’70s Show—echoing Desi’s lesson that what sets you apart can make you a star. Love, reinvention, and the drumbeat toward television—right up to Lucy and Desi’s first divorce.

Featuring: Wilmer Valderrama (That ’70s Show, NCIS, Encanto)
Topics: Desi Arnaz, Lucille Ball, Too Many Girls, Malibu elopement, USO tours, Bataan (1943), WWII Hollywood, accent & representation, Wilmer’s “Fez” origin, road to television.

Starring: Desi Arnaz and Wilmer Valderrama is produced by WV Sound in partnership with iHeart’s My Cultura Podcast Network.
Starring: Desi Arnaz and Wilmer Valderrama is written by Erick Galindo and narrated by Wilmer Valderrama. It is produced by Sophie Spencer-Zavos and Leo Klemm, with special help from Angel Lopez Galindo.

Executive producers are Wilmer Valderrama and Erick Galindo.

This episode was edited and engineered by Sean Tracy and features original music by Halo Boy and Madison Davenport. Cover art illustration by Lindsey Mound.

Voice Acting by Eddie Mujica, Danielle Koenig, Asher Muldoon, Alejandro Maciel, Jose Leon, Lorena Russi, Jesus Hernandez Blanco, Andy Vargas, Christian Valderrama, and Miguel Salinas

Clips from Harold Lloyd Master Seminar with Lucille Ball © 1974, courtesy of the American Film Institute.

For more podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeartRadio app or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

On a Malibu beach in 1940, Desi Arnaz meets Lucille Ball&mdash;and two months later they elope. As their fiery romance collides with wartime America, Desi&rsquo;s accent keeps him boxed into stereotypes&hellip; until World War II reroutes his path: USO tours, a breakout turn in Bataan (1943), and a new reputation as more than a &ldquo;Latin novelty.&rdquo; Meanwhile, Lucy&rsquo;s film career plateaus, pushing both toward the medium that will change everything. In a parallel thread, Wilmer Valderrama reveals how embracing his own accent birthed &ldquo;Fez&rdquo; on That &rsquo;70s Show&mdash;echoing Desi&rsquo;s lesson that what sets you apart can make you a star. Love, reinvention, and the drumbeat toward television&mdash;right up to Lucy and Desi&rsquo;s first divorce.
Featuring: Wilmer Valderrama (That &rsquo;70s Show, NCIS, Encanto) Topics: Desi Arnaz, Lucille Ball, Too Many Girls, Malibu elopement, USO tours, Bataan (1943), WWII Hollywood, accent &amp; representation, Wilmer&rsquo;s &ldquo;Fez&rdquo; origin, road to television.
Starring: Desi Arnaz and Wilmer Valderrama is produced by WV Sound in partnership with iHeart&rsquo;s My Cultura Podcast Network. Starring: Desi Arnaz and Wilmer Valderrama is written by Erick Galindo and narrated by Wilmer Valderrama. It is produced by Sophie Spencer-Zavos and Leo Klemm, with special help from Angel Lopez Galindo.
Executive producers are Wilmer Valderrama and Erick Galindo.
This episode was edited and engineered by Sean Tracy and features original music by Halo Boy and Madison Davenport. Cover art illustration by Lindsey Mound.
Voice Acting by Eddie Mujica, Danielle Koenig, Asher Muldoon, Alejandro Maciel, Jose Leon, Lorena Russi, Jesus Hernandez Blanco, Andy Vargas, Christian Valderrama, and Miguel Salinas
Clips from Harold Lloyd Master Seminar with Lucille Ball &copy; 1974, courtesy of the American Film Institute.
For more podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeartRadio app or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

Hollywood has always been aspirational, standing in for the general U.S. population’s values and dreams as radio entertainment led the way to television becoming the dominant media source for families by the 1950’s. Beautiful faces, perfect bodies, glamorous lifestyles, and to no surprise, the folx in the spotlight were white. People of color were represented on screen as highly stereotyped, caricatured versions of white people’s ideas about people of color. So what happened when, in 1951, a hit sitcom revolutionized television? In 1951, “I Love Lucy” premiered and featured a Latino actor - Desi Arnaz - as one of the main characters. How did Desi Arnaz land a role on primetime television? What was the political climate during his rise to fame? And how did Desi pave the way for the future generations of Latinx/e actors and influence the perception of Cubans in America?

 

On “Starring: Desi Arnaz & Wilmer Valderrama,” Wilmer guides listeners through the life of Desi Arnaz, his personal and professional career and his impact on television, culture and the legacy Desi left for Wilmer and many others. Wilmer has credited Desi with inspiring him as an actor and has seen parallels between their careers. Wilmer narrates this weekly 10-episode story of Desi Arnaz all the while weaving his own personal journey throughout. Listen as we explore parallels between the two and come to understand how the subject’s influence propelled the narrator and our culture alike.

Hollywood has always been aspirational, standing in for the general U.S. population&rsquo;s values and dreams as radio entertainment led the way to television becoming the dominant media source for families by the 1950&rsquo;s. Beautiful faces, perfect bodies, glamorous lifestyles, and to no surprise, the folx in the spotlight were white. People of color were represented on screen as highly stereotyped, caricatured versions of white people&rsquo;s ideas about people of color. So what happened when, in 1951, a hit sitcom revolutionized television? In 1951, &ldquo;I Love Lucy&rdquo; premiered and featured a Latino actor - Desi Arnaz - as one of the main characters. How did Desi Arnaz land a role on primetime television? What was the political climate during his rise to fame? And how did Desi pave the way for the future generations of Latinx/e actors and influence the perception of Cubans in America?
&nbsp;
On &ldquo;Starring: Desi Arnaz &amp; Wilmer Valderrama,&rdquo; Wilmer guides listeners through the life of Desi Arnaz, his personal and professional career and his impact on television, culture and the legacy Desi left for Wilmer and many others. Wilmer has credited Desi with inspiring him as an actor and has seen parallels between their careers. Wilmer narrates this weekly 10-episode story of Desi Arnaz all the while weaving his own personal journey throughout. Listen as we explore parallels between the two and come to understand how the subject&rsquo;s influence propelled the narrator and our culture alike.

Starring: Desi Arnaz & Wilmer Valderrama

Episode 7: The Redhead On The Beach

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/512a0be4-0447-41e6-a6c3-b3920184f6ad/transcript