Desi and the "Dizziness of freedom"

Desi Arnaz is a great businessman, but he also succeeded in showmanship, acting, singing, managing an orchestra and innovating TV! 

Yet his most dear and near to his roots is the Prince of business end of all that, and don't forget he bought the biggest production cinematic studio at this time RKO!

But we cannot forget in all this the fact that he was a multitasking person.

Samual Johnson a writer, biographer, editor, translator, etc who lived in the 1700s was another multitasking person, who also had a photographic memory and a genius in all he did, and a passion and force of life that get him to the extremes of every task and emotion in his life!

David Brooks called Samual Johnson in his book (Road to character) as having the "Dizziness of freedom", he excelled in everything he did and had the freedom to do multiple things in the first place, but this multitasking prohibited his identifying with one thing, so he went on trying various things and succeeding but never labeled as one thing or the other.

I think this is the best way to describe Desi, his success was in multitasking, and he did everything with a force of nature and enthusiasm that sometimes went beyond his own abilities and excelled!

He started with a musical career with a guitar in his hand when he couldn’t read music, later he conducted (after learning musical sheets by himself Of course) his own Orchestra of 22 pieces!

He started as a singer with a good yet weak voice (see too many girls Spick N' Spanish song), and reached by training operatic tenor voice in Granada! Rubbing shoulders with Pavarotti and other tenors!

He started acting by just smiling and delivering lines he couldnt even understand their comic meaning, see in "Too many girls" movie, to later being the most sought after person to tell the writers what works and what does not", see Madlyn letter to Desi at the end of his life, and all those biographies who admitted to him having a genuine meaning of what works and what doesn’t in a script from the first glance!. As an actor he was the greatest straight man in show business, and he was given solo time on screen he was even funnier than Lucy! but he wasn’t given a lot mostly so he could let Lucy shine!

He started Desilu production, one of the first if not the first independent production company in America and grew to owning the biggest studio in the whole world with production of large number of TV shows and movies!

He started production of ILL with learning and asking questions, but generated the most ingenious idea that changed the course of history of television, the three moving cameras and the studio with audience!!

He married Lucille Ball the queen of B's, whom the audience had always find it hard to remember her name or her face in movies in every poll RKO or MGM made, to this number one comedian and star by making her the face of "I Love Lucy" taking backstage position on and off screen, and letting her be huge under the spotlight, and stating even after their divorce that she deserved 90% of the credit for ILL! and he was just the "I" in "I love Lucy"!!!

He loved his children dearly and balanced their fame struck life, they are the most level headed children of huge stars you know in Hollywood! by backing them up and befriending them and alwasy supporting what they do without forcing anything , just giving good advice (as the ones Lucie Arnaz always mentions in her interveiws). Even with Lucy as a mother who derived them crazy by her controlling manner and lack of affection (as proved by their family members interviews and even her own children's interviews about their relationship)!

He learned fishing when he was young, but he continued it as a hobby and later you can see a 250 pound marlin fish he caught! started a breeding ranch that lasted for 10 years and was impressive by all in that business, built his own resort when they refused to admit him in the golf club because he was Latin. He built everything he lived in, every house he resided was his by his own hands, he built swim pool, barbecue stand, bath house, dog house, guest house, even his ranch house (which was later moved 6 miles by the new owner to preserve and now is opening to the public as "Desi House"!!!).

And last but not least, actually it is what makes our knowledge of the rest of his multitasking more clear is writing. Deficient in English language pronunciation but in not in words or explanation! He who was joked all the time on ILL for his English, wrote the most remarkable book, full of fun facts and explanation of how he came from riches to poor and back again through his own design. What is remarkable about the book is its frank declarations yet the ability to laugh at self, no egotism which is found in most star biographies, yet with confidence and some self regret! And to top it all he called it simply "A book"!