Being the Ricardos is the behind-the-scenes story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz during the I Love Lucy era of their careers. It presents a happy exterior to their lives while hinting at some darker elements like the Hollywood blacklist and the political threats of McCarthyism. The film attempts to tell these events historically accurately, but what does it get right, and what came from the writer’s room? Keep reading to discover which aspects of the film are fact and fiction.
What Is Verified True
When it comes to events and details that happened, Behind the Ricardos does an excellent job of keeping true to the facts. For example, Lucille Ball did have to deal with hiding her pregnancy in the film for a while until it was eventually worked into the plot. Ball was also accused of being a communist sympathizer, which would have the consequence of ending her marriage and destroying both Ball’s and Arnaz’s careers in television.
Another detail that the film gets right is that she demanded to have her husband be on I Love Lucy as a condition for joining the film. CBS executives were hesitant to display an interracial marriage, which was controversial at the time. Many network executives and sponsors catered to concerns that the public perception of the film would be because of that before ultimately reversing their position.
The film also correctly portrays that it was one of the very first films that were shot in Los Angles, which was responsible for starting the Hollywood trend, where television programs were mostly filmed in New York before this point. I Love Lucy was also the first ensemble cast on television when it aired in 1951.
The Mostly True Things
Some aspects of the film are primarily true but are portrayed differently to keep the show interesting. For example, while she was called to the House Un-American Activities Committee, it played out differently in real life, with several meetings over a span of years. Another aspect of the movie that is primarily true is Amaz’s affair life. Though he admits to it in the film, he denies it for a while before the truth of Amaz’s affairs is eventually revealed in a People article. His admitting it in the film acknowledges the facts later found out. We as the audience get the benefit of knowing things that happened later in Ball and Arnaz’s life.
Aspects Stretched For Dramatic Effect
One aspect that the film stretches for dramatic effect is the timeline. It combines several events into the span of one week that happened at entirely different times, although they did happen. The Committee hearing did not happen in the same week as the second pregnancy or the story about Amaz’s infidelity.
The film centers around filming a singular I Love Lucy episode, profiling the Monday table read and Friday show taping while taking some liberties with some interviews throughout these events. These talking head interviews were written for the movie by writer Aaron Sorkin and were inserted to add context.
Many of the events in the film did happen, but they did not happen in the same way or during the same period that the film was set in. While this creates a good source of conflict and tension in the film, it is not strictly accurate. The film’s writer, Andrew Sorkin, was permitted to write the characters with “gloves off.” He used Anraz’s autobiography and some home videos that his daughter provided as source material. His intention in condensing the timeline was to create a variety of situations to display their unique traits as people and make their characters more complex.
Fictional Elements Written For the Film
The film takes a few liberties with the facts sometimes during the film. An example of this is when the film claims that J. Edgar Hoover personally used the FBI to clear Lucille Ball’s name in front of a live studio audience. Not only did this event not happen, but it was later confirmed not even to be remotely accurate. In fact, Hoover actually tried to collect evidence on Ball, and the FBI denied any official investigation. This element also loses a few points for being the climax of the film. It isn’t a minor detail of the movie, but something the plot builds up to.
How Accurate Is the Film Overall?
Overall, the film accurately portrays the events in Ball and Arnaz’s lives. A few notable hiccups, like the condensed timeline and the fictional film climax, hold it back from being entirely accurate. Some may forgive these flaws for the sake of telling a story. Still, it is definitely worth noting before going into watching the film. If you are going into the film without knowing anything about the personal lives of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, then you will find it does a mostly good job of sticking to the facts while using dramatic elements to spice up the story.
