I was recently looking in an old book on Broadway musical comedy and found two separate pictures, one of Lucy in "Wildcat" and one of Desi in the stage version of "Too Many Girls". I thought I'd scan them and post them up here. In the picture of Desi, you can see Van Johnson in the background.

Aw, doesn't he look sweet! Van Johnson definitely there in the background, although I don't think he was in the film? Can't remember him in it anyway.

That shot is from a tremendous performance, which was legendary during the show's stage run, and looks pretty impressive in the filmed version as well. Quite why the heroine would chose the boring all-American football star instead of the guy bouncing about behind her playing a Conga drum by firelight is one of theatre and cinemas great unanswered questions!

:wave:

Wasn't it in a production of "Too Many Girls" when Desi met Lucy?

So the story goes. Apparently they had actually met earlier, presumably when Desi was playing at his club, but meeting on the set of the film makes a better story I suppose. 1940? Sometime around then.

In Lucy's autobiography, she said that before she went to see "Too Many Girls" on Broadway, she kept hearing from all of her friends about this guy named Desi Arnaz who stole the show each night. So when she went to see the show, she was amused by his accent and let out a big laugh. She also thought he was cute and wanted to meet him, so she decided to go to La Conga where he was supposed to be playing after the show. It was his night off, so she didn't get to meet him that night. It wasn't until he got out to California to make the movie version that they finally met. She was in stage makeup because she had just finished filming a catfight scene for the movie "Dance, Girl Dance" (see Desi's autobiography for a funny description of how she looked!!). Later on, she was out of her costume and he actually had to be re-introduced to her because he didn't recognize her. Then he asked her if she would like to learn to rhumba, and the rest is history.

I actually never knew that - he went on to play at La Conga after Too Many Girls?! As a regular gig? Wow. It's a wonder he made it through the forties in one piece!

:wave:

Catch him as the host on Saturday Night Live to see the toll in took on him later on. Yes, Van Johnson was in the film also, Desi said in his book that the audience wrote all over the cards that they wanted to see more of that kid. Thanks for the pictures, i never saw them before, which is something i dun't say very often!