Todd Purdum and Sam Wasson On Desi Arnaz's Legacy

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Desi Arnaz was unforgettable. He was Lucy's straight man, of course. He had a magnificent voice and led a terrific orchestra. And he had charm and charisma to spare. He was also an entrepreneurial genius who not only predicted but mapped out the way we watched - and still watch - television sitcoms.

Todd Purdum, the author of the terrific new biography, Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television, explores the complicated nature of Desi Arnaz, his rebelliousness, his resilience, his troubled marriage to Lucille Ball, and his uncanny business savvy in so many fields.

He changed the face of Los Angeles and Hollywood, when he insisted that I Love Lucy be filmed live, in Los Angeles. He changed the face of entertainment when he insisted on owning the rights to a show that after its first episode became the most popular in America, but became a phenomenon, a national institution. And at its heart, Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television, is a most moving and inspiring portrait of a profoundly brilliant, wounded, and inspiring entertainer. 

Sam Wasson knows his way around Hollywood visionaries. Francis Ford Coppola. Bob Fosse. Audrey Hepburn. The role of the film Chinatown in American culture. Sam's most recent book, The Path to Paradise: A Francis Ford Coppola Story, reveals the personality and drive of one of our most revered writer/directors. And, like Todd Purdum, Wasson is delightful, brilliant, and charming.

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