Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television by Todd S. Purdum

 

Title:  Desi Arnaz:  The Man Who Invented Television

Author:  Todd S. Purdum

Narrated by:  Todd S. Purdum

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 9 hours and 24 minutes

Source: Thank you #DesiArnazBook #HistoryBuffsBookClub @History_In_Five for the physical book review copy.  I purchased the audiobook copy on Audible.

Do you enjoy classic television shows?  If so, what are some of your favorites?  One of my favorite classic TV shows is I Love Lucy.  I watched the reruns a lot while I was growing up.

Desi Arnaz:  The Man Who Invented Television by Todd S. Purdum is a riveting biography that tells the story of Desi Arnaz from his childhood as a Cuban aristocrat to his groundbreaking artistic and business drive that made I Love Lucy a success, to his downfall.

My thoughts on this book:

·       Desi was raised in a wealthy and elite family in Santiago, Cuba.  After a revolution, his family fled to Miami and lived in fair different circumstances.

·       It seemed like Desi had a great personality and got along with a lot of people.

·       Desi faced racism that kept his career down.  He kept being called the “Mexican,” even though he was Cuban.

·       Ricardo Montalban arrived in Hollywood during Desi’s time as a young actor and received the types of roles that Desi really wanted.

·       Desi was the behind-the-scenes force who got the I Love Lucy show off the ground.

·       He was the first Latino to star in Network primetime TV.  He is also still the only Latino to be a studio head still sixty years later. 

·       He rose to great heights in the entertainment world and with his skill was able to diffuse the “Lucy is red” problem.

·       This biography was interesting and sad.  I teared up a few times while listening to the audiobook.

·       It was excellent on audiobook and kept me riveted while doing chores.  I liked that the author narrated the book.

·       Great research was involved in putting this book together.  The author used unpublished interviews, letters, journals, and other materials.  The Arnaz kids provided access to a lot of material.

·       Desi Arnaz was always underestimated due to his accent and being from Cuba, but he had a great sense for what the public wanted to see on television.

·       It was interested that he couldn’t read music, but he made it as a musician!

·       I was sad that Desi’s demons tore apart his relationship with Lucy.  It’s sad to love a real-life married couple on TV and find out that the husband was a serial cheater.

Overall, Desi Arnaz:  The Man Who Invented Television by Todd S. Purdum is a fascinating look into the life of Desi Arnaz and the many ways that he created the items we take for granted as a part of television today.

Pour One Out: Cocktail Odes to TV’s Most Dearly Departed by Chris Vola

Looking for a fun book that mixes new cocktail ideas with fun descriptions of characters from some of your favorite shows?  Pour One Out is the book for you!

My husband Ben and I enjoyed reading the book and trying out the various cocktails.  As described in the introduction, the golden age of TV started in 1999 with the Sopranos and TV viewing change for the better in this new era.  At the same time “New York Spirits Professionals” began to make “long-forgotten drinks and fresh ingredients.”  This book combines the best of shows deaths with the best of drinks to make to toast their demise.

Reading the character descriptions was highly entertaining.  My favorite description was on the dearly departed Tasha Yar from Star Trek:  The Next Generation. “For one intrepid explorer, space really was the final frontier - twice. . . So whenever you’re feeling down about your tactical officer always getting the short end of the futuristic stick, just teleport to your local watering hold for a different kind of subtly strong blond-hued beauty that will still be sipped long after we conquer warp speed.”

 Just the names of the some of the drink parings made me laugh out loud such as the drink “Dead Bastard” for Ramsay Bolton from Game of Thrones and “Puritan” for Maude Flanders from The Simpsons.  Our favorite drink so far is the Jack Rose for Margaery Tyrell from Game of Thrones.  “Tart, mildly sweet, and packing a 100-proof punch, the Jack Rose is the ideal companion to a woman whose three reigns though short, were nothing shy of impressive.”  We have plenty more beverages to try out!

Overall, Pour One Out is a fun book to read and to try out the beverages.  It will make a fun party book to discuss.