Chapter 1: Desiluland - How Desi Arnaz Saved Desilu Productions

Against mounting financial pressure, television producer Desi Arnaz gambles on a Prohibition-era cops-and-robbers drama for his struggling Desilu Playhouse program. After facing down Al Capone's son, he gathers a talented assortment of Hollywood creatives to produce The Untouchables, but with principal photography only hours away, Arnaz still has yet to secure an actor for the role of Eliot Ness.

Learn more about the making of The Untouchables and explore our episode reviews and breakdowns at http://www.theuntouchablespodcast.com as we celebrate the program's cultural impact and its 60th Anniversary.

EXCERPT
On May 6th, 1957, the most-watched television show in the United States came to an end.

Throughout 180 episodes and six seasons, I Love Lucy had forged the template for the modern American sitcom.

Starring the husband-wife team of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz as a hapless married couple, the program paved the way for a new era in television production in a country that had long favored the movie theater.

In addition to making Lucy and Desi millionaires and temporarily saving their marriage, I Love Lucy left within Desi Arnaz a hunger to continue revolutionizing the entertainment industry under the banner of Desilu Productions.

In the years preceding, Arnaz popularized the three-camera sitcom set up, conceived the idea to shoot I Love Lucy on high-quality 35mm film instead of primitive and cheap-looking videotape, and would indirectly invent the concept of residuals and re-runs as a result.

Arnaz was determined to prove himself an actor and producer, and sidestep the assumption that he was merely the comedic foil playing second fiddle to Lucy.

ABOUT THE UNTOUCHABLES RETROSPECTIVE
Praised for its quality and famous for its drama, The Untouchables television show (1959-1963) roared like the decade it portrayed in grand, theatrical style. A controversial and Emmy award-winning series, its legacy in film and television has been felt from The Simpsons to The Sopranos. In recognition of the program's 60th Anniversary, The Untouchables Retrospective is a detailed and nostalgic account of American television's finest film noir. Learn more at http://theuntouchables.co.

From 1959-1963, the series brought to life the nightly wars between good and evil in the streets of Prohibition Chicago. With legendary lawman Eliot Ness (Robert Stack) and his band of incorruptible agents leading the way for justice, famed reporter Walter Winchell providing staccato narration and guest stars breathing life into colorful underworld characters, the true story of The Untouchables became legend in a film noir mix of true history and Emmy award-winning fiction.

Pick up your copy of The Untouchables: The Complete Series at http://cbshe.com/UntCS.

FAIR USE DISCLAIMER
The Untouchables is a trademark of Paramount Pictures Corporation and copyright CBS Television and all related works used here fall under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976 fair use doctrine for purposes of criticism, comment, teaching, and research.

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