So I was watching the "Truth Behind the Sitcoms" about The Jeffersons, and they were talking about how Tom and Helen Willis were the first interracial couple on television. While I do see that their relationship broke barriers, social taboos, and was ground breaking in itself, didn't Lucy and Rick technically have the first interracial marriage on TV??
It strikes me as odd that people don't consider this and that it often gets overlooked...
What do you think??

Yes, you've got a good point! :D

I never thought about that, but that's very possible! I guess when people think of "interracial" they think "black and white". That's the first thing I would think of.

Andrea

Yes, you've got a good point! :D

Ditto. Goood point PrettyIn Pink55!

I think they were the first, but thanx I have never thought about that before good point.

That's probably why CBS was against them working together, so to prove them wrong they took their act out on the road. It was a success so CBS relented and the rest is history.

Technically, weren't Lucy and Ricky the first interracial couple on TV?
I would say so. And speaking of people overlooking I Love Lucy recently, I'm sure I'm not the only one that's seen those commercials on TBS claiming that Tyler Perry's House of Payne is the #1 sitcom of all-time. According to who, exactly? :rolleyes:

I would say so. And speaking of people overlooking I Love Lucy recently, I'm sure I'm not the only one that's seen those commercials on TBS claiming that Tyler Perry's House of Payne is the #1 sitcom of all-time. According to who, exactly? :rolleyes:

It's probably #1 to the same person who voted for "Lawsuit" and "What's the Name?" for The Honeymooners!!!

It's probably #1 to the same person who voted for "Lawsuit" and "What's the Name?" for The Honeymooners!!!
Or whoever thought it would be a great idea to desecrate the Honeymooners by releasing that awful remake a few years ago!!! :eek: :mad:

What types of problems did they have with CBS?? I find the history of Lucy and Desi fascinating!!!

As for the Tyler Perry sitcom, that's just an injustice to ILL and all other classic sitcoms!!!
Poor advertising, because in my opinion, nothing comes close to the classsics...when/if I ever watch it, I'll always think of that label, and how the show can never possibly live up to it...just IMO...I'm sure it's funny, but hold the praises...

What types of problems did they have with CBS?? I find the history of Lucy and Desi fascinating!!!

As for the Tyler Perry sitcom, that's just an injustice to ILL and all other classic sitcoms!!!
Poor advertising, because in my opinion, nothing comes close to the classsics...when/if I ever watch it, I'll always think of that label, and how the show can never possibly live up to it...just IMO...I'm sure it's funny, but hold the praises...

CBS thought people would not believe a Redheaded American girl being married to a cuban would work. As for Tyler Perry, his sitcom couldn't even touch Family Matters or any other older black show.

yep, i always thought lucy & ricky were tv's first interracial couple as well. tyler perry's house is the #1 sitcom of all time? i'd like to know how they got that one. lol.

Lucy and Desi were no doubt the first interacial couple on TV. It could be that some people didn't consider Desi to be a different race because when most people speak of race, alot of people automatically think black and white and we all know that Desi was Cuban. Some people probably consider that a whole separate issue. But, think about it, back in the early 50's when "non-conformity" was definately looked down on, we know they had a much harder time dealing with the TV "experts" and I use that term loosly because it almost didn't happen and we would have been robbed of the best show in history because of their narrow-minds! By the time the Jeffersons came out in the 70's, society was more acceptable.

Desi Arnaz was a caucasian. A dark-skinned caucasian is no less caucasian than a light-skinned black is black. Lucy and Desi are not recognized as TV's first interracial couple for a very good reason: they're not.

Desi Arnaz was a caucasian. A dark-skinned caucasian is no less caucasian than a light-skinned black is black. Lucy and Desi are not recognized as TV's first interracial couple for a very good reason: they're not.

How about providing some proof to back up your claims, I can't find anything online that says Desi Arnaz was caucasian, Most every site I've checked says he was hispanic, not a dark-skinned caucasian and since Lucille Ball was obviously white that qualifies them as being an interracial couple and there are several sites that back this up.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=lucy+desi+interracial+&aq=f&oq=

Wasn't Desi born in Cuba?

Wasn't Desi born in Cuba?
Yes, Desi was a native of Santiago, Cuba.

Damn you've got perfect timing, I just wasted my time answering the question.
Well you know what they say Charles! Great minds think alike!

Well you know what they say Charles! Great minds think alike!

True but the same timestamp thing really gets on my nerves. I'll just delete my reply, No sense in 2 people answering the same question.

In U.S. census documents, the designation white overlaps, as do all other official racial categories, with the term Hispanic, which was introduced in the 1980 census as a category of ethnicity, separate and independent of race.

See it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_American

I'm happy to "back up my claim" but at the same time frankly somewhat appalled that it's even necessary for me to do so.

There are upright-walking beings who think Cuban is a race?? God save us.

See it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_American

I'm happy to "back up my claim" but at the same time frankly somewhat appalled that it's even necessary for me to do so.

I don't normally trust Wikipedia but you may have a valid point.

I would say that Ricky and Lucy were the first interracial couple. It was also about timing too. Had they did this show ten years later after Castro came into power into Cuba, they probably would have never gotten on the air.

Desi Arnaz was a Cuban which makes him Hispanic or Latino. Maybe things things are different now, but he was not seen as a white person by Hollywood and the general public in the 50s. He played Latin Lover types in movies.

Desi Arnaz was a Cuban which makes him Hispanic or Latino. Maybe things things are different now, but he was not seen as a white person by Hollywood and the general public in the 50s. He played Latin Lover types in movies.
I don't think anyone is questioning Desi's latin heritage. I think the real question here is whether or not latin is a race. My experience with Latin America is restricted to one two-week visit to Cuba in 1980. Because my Aunt and Uncle were missionaries there I had the opportunity to meet many Cuban people. Some were white, some were black, others were a mixture of both. Yet all of them were latino. So it seems to me the term latino is more related to language and culture than race.

Therefore Lucy and Desi were probably TV's first intercultural couple but not necessarily the first interracial couple.

Isn't the Hispanic race so similar to the Caucasian one that's this issue isn't really an issue? I think it was more just because he was a foreigner, and not a Western-European one at that. If Lucy had married a Brit, it may not have been as big a deal. But OMG...he speaks another language! That's frightening!!

I haven't researched Desi Arnaz, but I suspect he was of Creole background (like Castro), making him totally, 100% Caucasian. I looked up Creole, and the first definition given said that it was someone from the West Indies of European background (and in Desi Arnaz' case)--Spanish. I Love Lucy was definitely inter-ethnic, no question about it, but interracial? In my opinion at least, I'd say no. Even to be inter-ethnic in the 1950s was a pretty gutsy move, and one that paid off--in one of the greatest sitcoms of all time.

Isn't the Hispanic race so similar to the Caucasian one that's this issue isn't really an issue?

As others have already pointed out, the term "Hispanic" designates an ethnic group, not a race. Some Hispanics are black, some are white, some are mixed. Desi Arnaz was 100% white with his ancestry tracing to Europe (Spain), not Africa. So he and Lucille Ball were both of the same race, Caucasian, but they were from different ethic groups: Anglo-Saxon and French (Lucille) and Hispanic (Desi). They had a mixed heritage or inter-ethnic marriage, not an interracial one. The first interracial couple in a regular series on television were the Tom and Louise Willis on The Jeffersons.

Desi Arnaz was a caucasian. A dark-skinned caucasian is no less caucasian than a light-skinned black is black. Lucy and Desi are not recognized as TV's first interracial couple for a very good reason: they're not.

Desi Arnaz was CUBAN!! BORN IN CUBA!! They were considered an INTERACIAL COUPLE..that is why they had such a hard time getting CBS to buy the show at first! CBS said that people wouldn't believe that an American girl would marry a Cuban!! They even confirmed it in the 50th Anniversary Special that I have on tape!!

Cuban is a nationality not a race. So Lucy and Desi were TV's first international couple.

Desi Arnaz was CUBAN!! BORN IN CUBA!! They were considered an INTERACIAL COUPLE..that is why they had such a hard time getting CBS to buy the show at first! CBS said that people wouldn't believe that an American girl would marry a Cuban!! They even confirmed it in the 50th Anniversary Special that I have on tape!!

There's no need to yell. And as as been explained here ad nauseam, being from Cuba has nothing to do with Desi's race. He and Lucy were both Caucasian. You can't have an interracial marriage if both parties are of the same race, as they were. They were different ethnicities, but not different races. The controversy at that time was about that, and similar to the controversy years later on Bridget Loves Bernie, where the two main characters had different religious backgrounds, though they were still of the same race.

Cuban is a nationality not a race. So Lucy and Desi were TV's first international couple.
Yeah...I liked your term interethnic. That works here.

Desi Arnaz was CUBAN!! BORN IN CUBA!! They were considered an INTERACIAL COUPLE..that is why they had such a hard time getting CBS to buy the show at first! CBS said that people wouldn't believe that an American girl would marry a Cuban!! They even confirmed it in the 50th Anniversary Special that I have on tape!!
No, it was because he was not the stereotype of the "typical American male." He wasn't "white" (not like anyone could tell with a B&W set, but whatever), he didn't speak with an American accent...omg, he even had a foreign name. Etc, etc, etc. I don't think race was brought up.

And whatever "white" is anyway. I've seen white people who are darker than black people. But in the 50s, white was...idk, Gregory Peck.

As others have already pointed out, the term "Hispanic" designates an ethnic group, not a race. Some Hispanics are black, some are white, some are mixed. Desi Arnaz was 100% white with his ancestry tracing to Europe (Spain), not Africa. So he and Lucille Ball were both of the same race, Caucasian, but they were from different ethic groups: Anglo-Saxon and French (Lucille) and Hispanic (Desi). They had a mixed heritage or inter-ethnic marriage, not an interracial one. The first interracial couple in a regular series on television were the Tom and Louise Willis on The Jeffersons.
I know...I posted that before reading the whole thread.

CBS thought people would not believe a Redheaded American girl being married to a cuban would work. As for Tyler Perry, his sitcom couldn't even touch Family Matters or any other older black show.
also, Desi insisted on doing it on film instead of kinescope which was the norm. at the time. He also wanted them to do it in Calif. which was where the Arnezes lived; instead of New York which was also the norm. at the time because surveys showed that most people with TV sets at the time lived in the east coast.
Part of the reason they wanted to avoid film (besides the cost) was because they thought it wouldn't look good. But Desi pointed to the show "AMOS & ANDY" (which was also on CBS) which they were fiming, and said how good that looked.