Desi Arnaz, Jr.

Do anything with his life?

He is one of only two heirs to the Desilu fortune?

Why would he do anything?

Desiderio Alberto Arnaz IV (born January 19, 1953), 69, known professionally as Desi Arnaz Jr., is an American actor and musician. He is the son of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

He did what he wanted because he could. Good for him.

He is friends with Dino and Billy.

He was very handsome just like his father but he aged like milk. He looked like shit before he hit 30. Even in that interview he doesn’t even look like an actor! He looks like he should be selling used cars.

The dirty secret about the "genius" of Desi Sr. and Lucy buying RKO is never talked about.

Desi needed to put his hands on $5 million, a serious amount of cash in 1957, so he sold the "I Love Lucy" films to CBS for about that amount. After a couple years attempting to keep the studios running with hit tv shows, Desilu started just renting out the facility as a studio-for-hire, as being a producer on that level was beyond his and Lucy's experience.

With much pressuring Lucy forced Desi to sell his share to her and she helped get the original Star Trek on NBC, but it was hugely expensive and after three years they were in trouble financially, so Gulf + Western/Paramount bought Lucy out. I think for $14 million.

Desi Arnaz Jr. and his sister Lucie would be rolling in dough today if their parents had simply retained the rights to ILL and continued licensing them for the next sixty years. Their RKO studio purchase was a bomb and they lost the show to do it.

"[Lucy] helped get the original Star Trek on NBC, but it was hugely expensive and after three years they were in trouble financially"

They must have spent it all on wigs and makeup because Star Trek looked cheap as shit.

Desi Arnaz, Jr,

Sigh.

He's dreamy.

With the purchase of RKO in 1957, Desilu owned a total of 33 soundstages between its three facilities -- Culver City, Cahuenga Boulevard and Gower Street. that was the most of any studio at the time. The next closest was MGM with 29 soundstages.

Many shows used the soundstages since they were rent for hire. Andy Griffith Show. Gomer Pyle, Dick Van Dyke, Make Room for Daddy, Hogans Heroes and That Girl all shot at Cahuenga Blvd (later known as Ren-Mar Studios, now Red Studios).

Star Trek and Mission Impossible both shot at Gower Street (now part of the Paramount lot).

And most of these shows shot exteriors on the back lot at Culver City (now Culver Studios). The Mayberry exteriors were all at Culver City. The marine corps base in Gomer Pyle was on the back lot. So was the Hogans Heroes POW camp.

Four episodes of the first season of the original Star Trek shot there, including City on the Edge of Forever. In fact, watch closely in the City on the Edge of Forever episode and you'll see Joan Collins and William Shatner walking down the sidewalk past Floyd's Barber Shop from Mayberry.