I DIG DESILU HISTORY

Behold a nifty little mini-doc (under ten minutes) about the history of Desilu Studios. Directed and edited by an admirable TV historian named William French, it answers a number of questions I’ve always had about the pioneering TV studio/production company, including what back lots they owned and how much land they acquired in the years of their growth. There’s a lot of fun things to unpack here: did you know that the original title sequences of ‘I Love Lucy’ were animations and not the heart-shaped logo/intro/music that we all grew up watching in reruns? It turns out they haven’t been seen on TV since 1956–until, I guess, Mr. French unearthed them. There are also some amazingly cool ‘backstage’ shots of the I.L.L. set with the multiple film cameras and stadium-seated audience. It’s footage I’d never seen and given that the iconic Ricardo apartment is visible it has a curiously ‘meta’ effect–it’s as if the camera’s and crew had invaded Lucy and Ricky’s little brownstone domicile. Enjoy…

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