Interview with Lucie Arnaz

Arlene Herson's interview with Lucie Arnaz.

Arlene's interview with Lucie Arnaz is in four segments. Each segment discusses a different topic.

Part 1

ARLENE:: LUCIE ARNAZ, HELLO.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: HI ARLENE, GOOD TO TALK TO YOU.
ARLENE:: IT IS SO GOOD TO TALK TO YOU. YOU HAVE SUCH AN AMAZING CAREER, I JUST WANT TO MENTION SOME OF THE THINGS. YOU ARE AN ACTRESS, A SINGER, A DANCER, A BUSINESS EXECUTIVE, A PRODUCER, A DIRECTOR, A BROADWAY STAR, MY GOODNESS YOU HAVE DONE FILMS. YOU HAVE DONE TELEVISION. YOU HAVE A NIGHTCLUB ACT. YOU ARE AN INCREDIBLE WOMAN!
LUCIE ARNAZ:: MAKES ME WANT TO TAKE A NAP WHEN YOU READ THAT LIST.
ARLENE:: WELL YOU KNOW, THIS IS RADIO....I WISH PEOPLE COULD SEE YOU BECAUSE NOT ONLY ARE YOU SO TALENTED, BUT YOU ARE GORGEOUS!
LUCIE ARNAZ:: THANK YOU.
ARLENE:: WITH A BEAUTIFUL FIGURE AND ALWAYS DOING SOMETHING NEW.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: WELL, I MOVE AROUND A LOT. I AM PRETTY VARIED IN MY TASTES AND LIFE IS SHORT, YOU KNOW AND YOU TRY NEW THINGS AND KEEP ON MOVING.
ARLENE:: WELL, YOU ARE DOING IT ALL AND YOU ARE DOING IT SO WELL. I WANT TO TALK ABOUT SOMETHING NEW THAT YOU ARE DOING RIGHT NOW BECAUSE I MENTIONED EARLIER, JUST A FEW MINUTES AGO, ABOUT HOW BEAUTIFUL YOU ARE. YOU HAVE A GREAT FIGURE, BEAUTIFUL FACE, WONDERFUL PRESENCE, YOU ARE CURRENTLY IN A PLAY AT THE COCONUT PLAYHOUSE CALLED "A PICASSO" ...
LUCIE ARNAZ:: CORRECT.
ARLENE:: ...AND WHEN YOU CAME ON STAGE I DIDN'T RECOGNIZE YOU.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: THAT'S GOOD.
ARLENE:: SO TELL US ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER IN THIS PLAY.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: WELL SHE IS FIRST OF ALL A BLONDE, ARYAN GERMAN WORKING FOR THE THIRD REICH IN 1941 DURING THE NAZI OCCUPATION IN PARIS...WAY DIFFERENT FROM ANYONE I REALLY AM. I HAVE AN ACCENT AND I LOOK DIFFERENT AND I STAND DIFFERENT AND I HAVE HAD A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT LIFE THEN THAT OF LUCIE ARNAZ.
ARLENE:: YES, WELL I WOULD THINK SO. THIS WOMAN THAT YOU PLAY IS ACTUALLY THERE TO INTERROGATE THE WORLD FAMOUS ARTIST, PICASSO.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: RIGHT.
ARLENE:: SO WHY IS SHE INTERROGATING HIM?
LUCIE ARNAZ:: WELL THEY HAVE SOME PAINTINGS OF HIS THAT THEY ARE GOING TO EXHIBIT AS DEGENERATE ART AND SHE HAS TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE AUTHENTIC PICASSOS BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF FORGERIES GOING AROUND AND THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE NOT PUTTING UP SOMETHING THAT IS A FAKE. SO IT SOUNDS SIMPLE, BUT IF I TELL YOU ANY MORE OF THE PLOT THEN I SPOIL THE PLAY.
ARLENE:: RIGHT.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: IT IS A LITTLE MORE COMPLICATED THEN THAT.
ARLENE:: OK. WELL YOU KNOW, WHAT DOES GET COMPLICATED IN THE PLAY IS THE RELATIONSHIP YOU HAVE AS A FICTIONAL WOMAN WITH A NONFICTIONAL PERSON, PICASSO AND THERE ARE SOME INNUENDOS THERE. DID YOU DO A LOT OF RESEARCH BEFORE HAND?
LUCIE ARNAZ:: YES, I DID. I RESEARCHED ACTUALLY THE WHOLE NAZI REGIME AND THE 40'S IN GERMAN AND PARIS AND I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT PICASSO BECAUSE MY CHARACTER NEEDS TO KNOW CERTAIN THINGS AND I WANTED TO KNOW HOW SHE FELT ABOUT THAT, BUT THE HARDEST THING WAS THERE WASN'T ANYTHING TO RESEARCH BASICALLY ON MY CHARACTER PER SAY, BECAUSE SHE WAS SO SLIGHTLY WRITTEN. YOU HAVE TO INVENT A LOT OF HER AND SO I HAD TO FIND OUT ABOUT PEOPLE WHO DEAL WITH ART CRITICISM IN 1941 AND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE THIRD REICH AND WHAT THEY DID TO PEOPLE IN THAT TIME AND HOW THEY TOOK AWAY ALL OF THEIR RIGHTS AND TOLD THEM WHAT THEY COULD LIKE AND TALK ABOUT AND WRITE ABOUT AND WHAT YOU AREN'T ALLOWED TO WRITE ABOUT AND TALK ABOUT AND SO I KIND OF FOUND A WOMAN THAT HAS BEEN MUZZLED FOR A VERY LONG TIME AND HER PASSION HAS BEEN CLOSETED FOR YEARS AND THAT IS WHAT THEY DID. THAT IS HOW THEY CONTROLLED YOU AND IF YOU WANTED TO SURVIVE, YOU BETTER JUST TOW THE LINE.
ARLENE:: YES, IT WAS A TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE TIME.....THAT IT EXISTED IN OUR LIFE TIME IS JUST AMAZING.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: YES
ARLENE:: I DID A LITTLE RESEARCH ON PICASSO AS WELL AND LEARNED THAT PICASSO'S FATHER WAS AN ART TEACHER.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: YES HE WAS AN ARTIST HIMSELF AND A CLASSICALLY TRAINED ARTIST AND HE DID TEACH PICASSO TO PAINT AND GOT HIM INTO HIS FIRST ART SCHOOL WITH FAVORS, PAYING WITH MONEY HE DIDN'T EVEN REALLY HAVE AND HE DID ANYTHING HE COULD TO MAKE HIS SON'S LIFE HAPPEN FOR HIM. HE GAVE UP...HE SAID HIS SON WAS SO GOOD, SO GIFTED THAT HE HIMSELF, COULD NOT PAINT ANY MORE BECAUSE HE COULDN'T IMAGINE EVER DOING ANYTHING AS WELL AS PICASSO. SO HE STOPPED PAINTING AND KIND OF TURNED HIS LIFE INTO SHEPARDING HIS SON INTO THE WORLD OF ART AND PABLO ENDED UP HATING HIS FATHER FOR DOING THAT AND CRITIQUING HIS ART AND SAYING THAT HE WAS A CLASSICAL PAINTER, YOU KNOW, DEAD AS MARBLE BECAUSE HE FELT SO GUILTY THAT HIS FATHER HAD GIVEN UP PAINTING AND SAYING YOU CAN ONLY BE THE FAMOUS PAINTER IN THE FAMILY.
ARLENE:: INTERESTING HOW MUCH A PARENT HAS AN INFLUENCE ON OUR LIVES.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: EXACTLY A PARENT.....HOW YOU CAN END UP FEELING GUILTY FOR SOMETHING THAT THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE DOING AS A FAVOR, YOU KNOW.
ARLENE:: OK, YOUR MOTHER, AS WE ALL KNOW, WAS LUCILLE BALL, WHO WAS OBVIOUSLY LOVED BY ALL, A FABULOUS ENTERTAINER. HOW MUCH OF AN INFLUENCE DID SHE HAVE ON YOU GOING INTO SHOW BUSINESS?
LUCIE ARNAZ:: YOU MEAN ON THE SAME WAY THAT HIS FATHER HAD ON HIM?
ARLENE:: NO, NO...
LUCIE ARNAZ:: IT STARTED PLENTY....MY MOTHER.... IF IT WASN'T FOR HER I SUPPOSE I WOULD HAVE GONE THE REGULAR ROUTE AND GONE TO COLLEGE AND STUDIED THEATRE AND GO OUT AND GET AUDITIONS OR NOT WHATEVER, BUT I WAS LUCKY TO AN EXTENT BECAUSE MY MOTHER HAD A STORE I COULD WORK IN! SHE HAD A SHOW AND YOU COULD GET LITTLE PARTS AND LEARN BY DOING AND THEN EVENTUALLY SHE CHANGED HER FORMAT ASKED MY BROTHER AND I TO PLAY THE CHILDREN ON THE SHOW AND THAT WAS A HUGH BIG STEP AND A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE TO KNOW THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO SAY, "WELL DUH, THAT IS HOW YOU GOT THE PART. YOUR MOTHER WAS THE STAR OF THE SHOW, " AND THERE WAS NO ARGUING WITH THAT....THAT IS EXACTLY RIGHT! YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANT TO BE A PLUMMER AND YOUR FATHER HAS A PLUMBING BUSINESS AND HE SAYS COME TO WORK FOR ME, THAT IS NOT SOMETHING YOU ARE GOING TO TURN DOWN RIGHT? BUT THEN YOU HAVE TO GO BACK AND KIND OF PROVE YOURSELF BY GETTING THE RIGHT EDUCATION AND EVERYTHING ELSE AND IT IS TWICE AS HARD BECAUSE YOU ARE SOMEONE'S DAUGHTER THAT DIDN'T GO TO SCHOOL, BUT WENT UP THROUGH THE RANKS, SO IT HAS ITS PROS AND CONS.
ARLENE:: INTERESTING HAVING A FAMOUS PARENT WHETHER IT IS YOUR MOTHER OR FATHER TO OPEN THE DOORS FOR YOU. FOR YOU .IT WAS LUCILLE BALL, BUT YOU HAVE TO STAND ON YOUR OWN. THEY CAN OPEN THE DOORS AND MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT EASIER....YOU WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ON THE SHOW IF IT WASN'T FOR HER, BUT IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE THE TALENT YOURSELF, YOU NEVER WOULD HAVE STAYED.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: MY MOTHER IS NOT AN IDIOT YOU KNOW! SHE IS GOING TO LET HER TWO KIDS PLAY HER KIDS ON THE #1 SHOW AND HAVE THEM BE STUPIDLY BAD AND HAVE EVERYONE SAY, " WHAT ARE YOU CRAZY!?" I MEAN SHE IS NOT STUPID, SHE KNEW WE HAD TALENT, SHE JUST WASN'T SURE IF IT WAS THE RIGHT MOVE FOR US RIGHT THERE AT THAT PARTICULAR MOMENT, YOU KNOW AND I THINK IT WAS VERY GOOD EXPERIENCE. I THINK THAT IT PROBABLY WAS NOT NECESSARILY THE BEST TRAINING I COULD HAVE HAD IN SOME WAYS, BUT IT WAS TRAINING I COULDN'T HAVE PAID FOR IN OTHERS.
ARLENE:: TRUE. I HEARD WHEN YOU WERE THREE YEARS OLD THAT YOU WOULD PUT ON SHOW IN YOUR GARAGE.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: WELL, DID YOU SAY THREE?
ARLENE:: WELL, THAT I READ.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: NO, I WASN'T THREE, I WAS 7-8-9-10, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
ARLENE:: OH OK. WELL YOU DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING THAT YOU READ.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: YES, I HAD A NICE LITTLE GARAGE SET UP IN THE BACKYARD AND I WOULD GET MY GIRLFRIENDS TOGETHER AND WE WOULD LIPSINC TOGETHER TO "BYE, BYE BIRDIE" AND MUSIC MAN AND OTHER WONDERFUL MUSICALS AND WRITE OUR OWN PLAYS AND THEN PRODUCE THEM AND THEN INVITE THE NEIGHBORS OVER AND YOU KNOW, THAT WAS GREAT FUN. I AM SURE THAT I WAS NOT THE ONLY KID TO DO THAT.
ARLENE:: BUT OBVIOUSLY IT WAS SOMETHING YOU LIKED TO DO FROM EARLY ON.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: YES, I HAVE ALWAYS KIND OF ADMIRED THE GET UP ON THE STAGE PART AS MY BROTHER WAS ALWAYS SORT OF THE MUSICAL AND I WAS A LIVE STAGE PERFORMER FROM A VERY YOUNG AGE, IT'S TRUE.
ARLENE:: AND HOW ABOUT YOUR CHILDREN... WOULD YOU ENCOURAGE THEM TO GO INTO SHOW BUSINESS?
LUCIE ARNAZ:: NO I HAVE NEVER ENCOURAGED THEM TO GO INTO SHOW BUSINESS OR ANY OTHER BUSINESS. I THINK THEY WILL FIND, WHERE THEIR BLISS IS AND WHERE THEIR PASSIONS LIE AND THEN YOU ENCOURAGE THEM TO FOLLOW THAT, WHAT EVER THAT IS.

I HAVE A SON WHO'S PASSION IS GUITAR....HE JUST LIVES TO PLAY THE GUITAR AND I WILL HELP HIM IN ANY WAY I CAN, TO SEE THAT HE GETS A GREAT EDUCATION AND LEARNS HOW TO REAL PLAY WELL SO THAT IF HE WANTS TO MAKE A LIVING OUT OF IT, HE CAN READ ANY PIECE OF MUSIC AND GO TO WORK IN A RECORDING STUDIO IF HE WANTS TO OR WHATEVER. HE SEEMS TO BE HEADING IN THAT DIRECTION.

MY DAUGHTER SEEMS TO BE INTERESTED. AS FAR AS BEING IN THE BUSINESS, I HAVE REALLY TRIED TO SHOW THEM BY EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW. THEY WATCHED THEIR MOM AND DAD BE IN SHOW BUSINESS AND IT'S NOT EASY. YOU WORK SOMETIMES AND MAKE A LOT OF MONEY AND YOU ARE WORKING AND YOUR NAME IS ABOVE THE TITLE AND IT IS VERY GLAMOROUS AND THEN MONTHS AND MONTHS AND MONTHS OUT OF THE YEAR, YOU ARE NOT DOING ANYTHING OR YOU GO UP FOR SOMETHING AND YOU DON'T GET IT AND YOU DEAL WITH A LOT OF REJECTION. THERE ISN'T A LOT OF MONEY IN THE THEATRE BUSINESS LIKE THERE MIGHT BE IN THE MOVIE BUSINESS....SO THEY HAVE SEEN HOW HARD IT IS, I WILL SUPPORT THEM RATHER THEN ENCOURAGE THEM IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.
ARLENE:: I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU MEAN, BUT UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE TO TELL YOU .THAT WE HAVE TO CLOSE FOR NOW, BUT I WANT TO TALK MORE ABOUT THE FAMILY AND THE CHILDREN AND YOUR HUSBAND AND YOUR LIFE TODAY, THE NEXT TIME WE TALK.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: I WOULD LOVE THAT.
ARLENE:: OK, WELL TALK TO YOU SOON.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: OK, GREAT.
ARLENE:: BYE FOR NOW....BYE.

Part 2

ARLENE:: LUCIE ARNAZ HELLO.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: HI ARLENE, HI.
ARLENE:: YOU HAVE SUCH AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE. GROWING UP WITH PARENTS LIKE LUCILLE BALL AND DESI ARNAZ AND LIVING IN CALIFORNIA. GROWING UP AS THE CHILD OF SUCH SUPERSTARS. WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR YOU AS A CHILD IN THIS ATMOSPHERE?
LUCIE ARNAZ:: UM, WELL IF YOU CAN THINK OF ANY TWO PEOPLE WHO ARE AT THE TOP OF THEIR PROFESSION WHETHER THEY BE BANKERS, REAL ESTATE PEOPLE, PEOPLE IN THE MOVIES OR SHOW BUSINESS PEOPLE, ANYTHING THAT YOU CAN IMAGINE. IF THEY ARE AT THE TOP OF THEIR PROFESSION AND HAD TO WORK 23 ½ HOURS A DAY TO GET THERE AND THEN THEY OWE A LOT OF TIME TO THE PEOPLE THAT GOT THEM THERE.

WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE THE DAUGHTER OF FAMOUS PEOPLE IS WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE THE DAUGHTER OR SON OF TWO BUSY PEOPLE, TWO WORKING PARENTS THAT ARE NOT HOME A LOT. SO THAT IS THE DOWN SIDE. THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT THE ENTIRE WORLD OWNED PART OF THEM TOO AND IN ORDER TO GET WHERE THEY WERE, TO STAY WHERE THEY WANTED TO STAY, ON TOP, AND DO ALL THOSE THINGS REQUIRED OF THEM, MADE IT VERY DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO TAKE THE TIME THAT IT TAKES TO ENJOY THE FAMILY THAT THEY HAD. WE WERE ALONE WITHOUT THEM. WE WERE WITH GREAT PEOPLE THAT LOVED US...HOUSEKEEPERS AND MY GRANDMOTHER DIDI, BUT IT WAS TOUGH, LOOKING BACK ON IT, IT WAS VERY, VERY TOUGH TO MAKE THE CONNECTION THAT YOU WANT TO MAKE WITH YOUR MOM AND YOUR DAD, WHEN YOU HAVE TO MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS WITH OTHER PEOPLE. IT TAKES THE REST OF YOUR LIFE TO FIGURE THAT RELATION OUT AND IT MAKES IT A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR OWN CHILDREN TO KNOW HOW TO PARENT THEM PROPERLY AND THAT IS THE TRUTH OF IT. THE PERKS ARE EVERYONE LOVES YOUR FOLKS AND YOU GET TO GO AROUND ON THE MATTERHORN TWICE AND SKIP THE LINES SOMETIMES, BUT SOMETIMES ALL OF THAT ISN'T AS FUN AS HAVING DAD IN THE GARAGE.
ARLENE:: INTERESTING POINT THAT I THINK THAT A LOT OF US HAVEN'T HEARD BEFORE, BUT ANY SUCCESSFUL PARENT...NOT JUST IN SHOW BUSINESS....
LUCIE ARNAZ:: IT ISN'T ABOUT BEING A MOVIE STAR, IT IS ABOUT BEING TOO BUSY.
ARLENE:: OK, BUT YOUR PARENTS WERE MOVIE STARS. TELL US HOW YOU VIEWED LUCILLE BALL, YOUR MOTHER, THE MOVIE STAR.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: I DON'T KNOW....I DON'T COMPREHEND IT REALLY. YOU KNOW, SHE WAS JUST MY MOTHER.....SHE WAS A BUSY WOMAN THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE LOVED. I THINK I BASICALLY JUST SAID WHAT I SAID WAS THE TRUTH, I MEAN I VIEWED HER AS MY MOTHER. IF I HAD BEEN ADOPTED AT A LATER AGE, YOU KNOW AT EIGHT YEARS OLD AND FOUND MYSELF IN THIS FAMILY, I MAY HAVE SOMETHING TO COMPARE IT TO, BUT IT WAS MY FAMILY.
ARLENE:: INTERESTING.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: SHE WORKED REALLY, REALLY HARD. SHE WAS A PERFECTIONIST AT WHAT SHE DID. SHE WAS VERY GOOD AT WHAT SHE DID. MY FATHER WAS BRILLIANT. NO ONE KNEW HOW TO RUN A COMPANY AND MAKE BETTER DECISIONS THEN DESI ARNAZ.
ARLENE:: WELL, I ...
LUCIE ARNAZ:: ANYONE WOULD BE FORTUNATE TO HAVE THAT MAN MAKE DECISIONS FOR THEM AND CREATE THINGS....WHETHER IT BE A HOUSE OR A STUDIO OR A COUNTRY. HE SHOULD BE RUNNING CUBA, YOU KNOW, HE WAS A GENIUS! THEY BOTH WERE JUST THE BEST AT WHAT THEY DID ALWAYS.
ARLENE:: I HEAR THAT DESI ARNAZ WAS ALSO A GREAT COOK.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: MY FATHER WAS A SENSATIONAL COOK AND HE NEVER USED A RECIPE.
ARLENE:: OH...
LUCIE ARNAZ:: HE TAUGHT ME HOW TO COOK, YOU KNOW BECAUSE HE WAS BALLSY, YOU KNOW, HE HAD GREAT SENSE OF WHAT SMELLED GOOD TOGETHER AND YOU WATCHED HIM COOK WITH SUCH ABANDONMENT AND AMAZEMENT....HE WAS SO GOOD AT WHAT HE DID.
ARLENE:: I ALSO HEARD THAT AT HOME, BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS, AND ALL HOLIDAYS. .THAT YOU HAVE YOUR OWN FAMILY TRADITIONS. THAT YOU LOVE TO HAVE ALL OF YOUR FAMILY EVENTS WHETHER IT BE THANKSGIVING OR NEW YEARS OR BIRTHDAYS AT HOME AND THAT YOU DO SPECIAL THINGS.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: JUST LIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE, THAT WAS ONE THING THAT WE WERE VERY MUCH LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, THERE WAS ONE TIME WHEN MY PARENTS WERE NOT WORKING, WOULD BE THE TRADITIONAL...I MEAN THEY WOULD ALWAYS GET TIME OFF FOR THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS AND WE WOULD GATHER THE WHOLE ENTIRE CLAN TOGETHER AND WE WOULD HAVE HUGE CHRISTMASES AND HUGE THANKSGIVINGS WITH ALL OF HER BROTHERS AND SISTERS AND THEIR WIVES AND CHILDREN.

MY FATHER DIDN'T HAVE ANY BROTHERS OR SISTERS OR COUSINS SO HE WAS THE PROVERBIAL HOST THROUGH THIS ENTIRE BALL FAMILY, AND THEY DID THAT VERY WELL.
ARLENE:: ....NOW YOU HAVE FIVE CHILDREN, SO BRIEFLY LET'S JUST TALK ABOUT THEM...YOU HAVE THREE CHILDREN WITH YOUR HUSBAND NOW...
LUCIE ARNAZ:: THREE CHILDREN OF MY OWN, SIMON, JOE AND KATE AND TWO STEPSONS, NICK AND DEB.
ARLENE:: OK AND YOUR HUSBAND.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: MY HUSBAND, LARRY LUCKINBILL, WHO IS AN ACTOR AND PRODUCER AND WONDERFUL WRITER.
ARLENE:: AND WONDERFUL TO YOU AND I HAVE MET HIM WITH YOU AND VERY DEVOTED TOGETHER. I HEARD THAT WHEN YOU HAVE BIRTHDAYS THAT EACH ONE OF YOU GETS YOUR OWN CANDLE AND THAT YOU DO SOMETHING SPECIAL.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: AWE....THAT IS SWEET. WHO EVEN WROTE THAT DOWN? I AM SURPRISED THAT ANYBODY EVEN KNOWS THAT.
ARLENE:: TELL US.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: WELL WE DO IT IN DIFFERENT WAYS. IT IS NOT ALWAYS WITH A CANDLE, SOMETIMES IT IS WITH SOMETHING ELSE, BUT IF THERE IS A SPECIAL EVENT FOR SOMEONE THEN WE TRY TO DO A THING....WE DO IT AT THANKSGIVING ALSO...WHERE WE GO AROUND THE TABLE AND EVERYBODY GETS TO SAY SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT SOMEONE...

FOR EXAMPLE IF IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY, EVERYONE WOULD HAVE TO GO AROUND THE TABLE AND SAY SOMETHING THAT THEY APPRECIATE ABOUT THIS PERSON. THE REASON THEY ARE GLAD THAT THIS PERSON IS ON THE PLANET. I THINK IT IS PARTICULARLY USEFUL FOR SIBLINGS BECAUSE THEY SPEND A LOT OF TIME ARGUING TOGETHER AND FINDING ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE WRONG WITH ONE ANOTHER AND WHEN PUSH COMES TO SHOVE AND THEY HAVE TO JUST COME UP WITH SOMETHING GOOD IT'S PRETTY GOOD AND THEY ALWAYS DO. IT'S NICE AND IT BRINGS TEARS TO YOUR EYES TO SEE WHAT THEY REALLY THINK OF THEIR BROTHERS AND SISTERS.
ARLENE:: WELL I COULD CERTAINLY SAY A LOT OF NICE THINGS ABOUT YOU IN ADDITION TO THE FACT, I AM A JULY BABY ALSO.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: THAT'S NICE.
ARLENE:: AND WE DON'T HAVE TO TALK ABOUT AGE, BUT YOUR BIRTHDAY IS JULY 17TH AND MINE IS...JULY 12TH
LUCIE ARNAZ:: CANCERS ARE VERY BUSY LITTLE NEST MAKERS, YOU KNOW, WE LOVE TO MAKE OUR HOMES HAPPY AND TAKE CARE OF OUR FAMILY AND I AM A TYPICAL CANCER.
ARLENE:: ME TOO AND IT IS WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL TALKING TO YOU AND IF I WAS GOING TO SAY SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT YOU I CAN'T THINK ABOUT ONE THING SPECIAL, BUT I WILL TELL YOU ARE ELEGANT, YOU ARE TALENTED, YOU ARE WONDERFUL COMPANY, YOU ARE A FABULOUS SINGER AND A WONDERFUL ENTERTAINER, I LOVE TALKING TO YOU AND WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO FINISH THIS CONVERSATION AT ANOTHER TIME BECAUSE WE HAVE TO GO NOW.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: LET'S DO THAT.
ARLENE:: SO I HAVE TO SAY GOOD-BYE FOR NOW LUCIE ARNAZ.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: ALRIGHT, BYE FOR NOW THEN.
ARLENE:: BYE.

Part 3

ARLENE:: LUCIE ARNAZ HELLO.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: HI THERE.
ARLENE:: HI, IT IS GOOD TO TALK TO YOU. I KNOW THAT YOU ARE TRAVELING RIGHT NOW AND THAT YOU ARE ON A CELL PHONE AND WHEREVER YOU ARE...
LUCIE ARNAZ:: I AM SORRY ABOUT THAT ARLENE...A LITTLE TINNY SOUND TODAY, BUT IT IS THE ONLY WAY WE COULD GET TOGETHER AND DO THIS.
ARLENE:: NO PROBLEM BECAUSE I LOVE TALKING TO YOU AND WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT FAMILY AND I WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DOING IN SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS...I HAVE SEEN YOU PERFORM ON STAGE AND THERE IS LUCIE ARNAZ, NIGHT CLUB ACT, THEATRES, MOVIES, TELEVISION...WHICH MEDIUM IS THE ONE THAT YOU LOVE THE BEST?
LUCIE ARNAZ:: USUALLY THE ONE THAT I AM DOING!
ARLENE:: OH I LIKE THAT.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: I HAD SUCH A GOOD TIME DOING THE CLUB ACT FOR THREE WEEKS IN FLORIDA, GETTING THREE WEEKS IN A ROW NIGHT AFTER NIGHT TO DO YOUR STUFF TO REALLY GET A ROLE ON, WHERE IT REALLY STARTS TO COOK. IT DOESN'T HAPPEN ANYMORE! THERE USED TO BE TIMES YOU COULD GO TO LAS VEGAS AND PLAY 8 SHOWS .....2 SHOWS A NIGHT, 7 DAYS A WEEK FOR 2-3 WEEKS IN A ROW. IT IS GREAT FUN AND THEY JUST DON'T DO THAT ANYMORE EVEN THE PEOPLE WHO ARE THE BIG STARS COME IN ONLY FOR A WEEKEND, YOU KNOW AND THE CLUBS ARE .....THEY SHUT DOWN ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AND SO TO COME DOWN TO SOUTH FLORIDA AND BOOK 23 DIFFERENT NIGHT CLUB GIGS IN A ROW WAS A THRILL FOR ME, I LOVE DOING THAT

I GUESS WHEN I AM IN A PLAY THAT IS WHERE MY MIND IS AT AND I COMPLETELY PUT THE OTHER STUFF OUT OF MY HEAD AND I'M ONLY...I AM A THEATRE PERSON, I AM IN MY CHARACTER DOING MY PART AND THAT'S MY FAVORITE THING BECAUSE NIGHT CLUBS ARE FABULOUS AND BEING ON STAGE WITH A LIVE AUDIENCE ANYWHERE IS FABULOUS, WHETHER IT IS A PLAY OR MUSIC, I DON'T THINK THAT MOVIES ARE AS MUCH FUN. THEY ARE KIND OF LONG AND TEDIOUS WORK, BUT THEN THERE IS THE UP SIDE THAT YOU HAVE THIS THING ON FILM FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE TO KEEP, SO THAT IS PRETTY COOL.
ARLENE:: THAT IS TRUE...
LUCIE ARNAZ:: A LITTLE DIFFERENT YOU KNOW? ALL IN THE SAME BUSINESS BUT EACH PART OF IT IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, IT'S LIKE SAYING WHERE ARE YOUR FAVORITE PARTS OF THE WORLD TO VISIT? THERE IS PARIS AND THEN THERE IS HAWAII AND THEN THERE IS THE CARRIBEAN.
ARLENE:: OH YES. IT ALL SOUNDS GOOD!
LUCIE ARNAZ:: YEAH!
ARLENE:: I WANT TO READ A COUPLE OF THE REVIEWS ON YOUR NIGHTCLUB AND STAGE ACTS WHEN YOU WERE IN NEW YORK

FROM THE NEW YORK POST, "FABULOUS SALOON SINGER!"
THE DAILY NEWS SAID, "DELICIOUS SENSE OF HUMOR!"
THE NEW YORK TIMES SAID "HAS A TALENT FOR SHOW STOPPING COMEDY"

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF, WHEN THEY SAY COMEDY, DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A COMEDIAN WHEN YOU ARE ON STAGE AS WELL AS A SINGER?
LUCIE ARNAZ:: WELL, YOU KNOW, SINGING IS THE SAME AS ACTING. WHEN I AM ACTING I CAN BE IN COMEDIES LIKE "THEY ARE PLAYING OUR SONG," IT WAS A MUSICAL BUT IT WAS A NEIL SIMON COMEDY.

"LOST IN YONKERS" ONE OF THE FUNNIEST PLAYS I HAVE EVER DONE, BUT IT WAS DRAMA AND IT HAD SOME OF THE DARKEST, SADDEST SCENES I HAVE EVER PLAYED.

SINGING IS THE SAME WAY. SOMETIMES YOU DO FUNNY STUFF AND YOU TALK TO THE AUDIENCE AND SOMETIMES WHAT YOU SAY IS AMUSING AND FUNNY. LEAD INS ARE FUNNY BUT THEN THERE ARE THE BALLADS AND THE DRAMATIC AND SPOTLIGHT NUMBERS THAT YOU DO, SO IT IS ALL PART OF THE SAME ANIMAL I GUESS, YOU KNOW?
ARLENE:: WELL..
LUCIE ARNAZ:: SINGING, TO ME, IS TELLING GOOD STORIES THROUGH SONG AND GOOD STORIES CAN BE FUNNY STORIES OR SAD, ROMANTIC ONES.
ARLENE:: WELL ONE OF MY FAVORITE, FAVORITE SONGS OF ALL TIME WAS "THEY ARE PLAYING OUR SONG".
LUCIE ARNAZ:: YEAH THAT WAS A TERRIFIC SHOW....IT WAS A WONDERFUL VEHICLE FOR ME AND GREAT FIRST BROADWAY SHOW TO BE IN, THAT IS FOR SURE.
ARLENE:: AND YOU WON MANY AWARDS FOR THAT SHOW.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: WELLLL....I GOT A FEW.
ARLENE:: PEOPLE HAVE SAID THAT YOU HAVE BROKEN THE STEREOTYPE OF THE SPOILED HOLLYWOOD TYPE, HAVING GROWN UP WITH PARENTS LIKE LUCILLE BALL AND DESI ARNAZ THAT YOU HAVE BUILT A CAREER ON...I AM GOING TO QUOTE THIS, "ON TALENT, CHARM, BEAUTY AND DRIVE, " BUT YOU ARE ALSO A PRODUCER. YOU ALSO HAVE PRODUCED EVENTS THAT HAVE WON EMMYS. YOU PRODUCED THE LIFE STORY THAT YOU WANTED TO SEE OF YOUR MOTHER AND YOUR FATHER.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: YEAH....WELL IT WAS CALLED "LUCY AND DESI: A HOME MOVIE" AND IT WAS A DOCUMENTARY...NOT A FILM, FILM WITH ACTORS WHERE I INTERVIEWED WITH PEOPLE THAT GREW UP WITH THEM, THAT KNEW THEM AND WORKED WITH THEM OVER THE YEARS. I COMBINED IT WITH HOME MOVIES THAT THEY TOOK OF EACH OTHER OVER THE YEARS AND PHOTOGRAPHS, THINGS IN OUR SCRAPBOOKS AND JUST TRIED TO EXPLAIN WHO THESE TWO PEOPLE WERE TO MYSELF IF TO NOBODY ELSE. THEY HAD AS MUCH AS THEY DID, LOVED EACH OTHER AS MUCH AS THEY DID AND YET COULDN'T MAKE THEIR MARRIAGE WORK AND WHY THEY WERE AS SUCCESSFUL AS THEY WERE AND WHEN THEY GOT LATER INTO THEIR LIVES, I DID NOT SEE TWO PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T SEEM TO THRILL WITH WHAT THEY HAD LEFT BEHIND BECAUSE THEY WERE VERY SAD AND AT TIMES VERY LONELY AND THAT IS CURIOUS TO ME. SO THE SHOW WAS REALLY KIND OF A ...I DON'T KNOW, A DISCOVERY PROCESS FOR ME, VERY CATHARTIC JOURNEY DOWN THAT TRIP TO SEE WHAT MY PARENTS HAD GONE THROUGH AND IF I WALKED A MILE IN THEIR SHOES, WHAT WOULD I HAVE DONE....UNDER THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCES AND WHAT I FOUND OUT ABOUT THEIR LIVES, BUT IT REALLY CAME DOWN TO BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR BECAUSE YOU MIGHT GET IT AND IT MIGHT BE SOMETHING QUITE DIFFERENT THEN WHAT YOU ARE EXPECTING.
ARLENE:: INTERESTING BECAUSE I KNOW THERE WAS A DOCUMENTARY, OR A MOVIE.....YOURS WAS A DOCUMENTARY...THAT WAS VERY, VERY UNFAIR ON THE LIFE OF LUCILLE BALL AND DESI ARNAZ.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: THERE HAS BEEN TWO OF THEM ACTUALLY. BOTH DONE BY CBS. FIRST ONE WAS REALLY HORRIBLE! HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE. THE SECOND ONE WAS A LITTLE LESS STUPID, BUT STILL SORT OF A TABLOID KIND OF INANE PIECE, BUT YOU KNOW THAT IS WHAT PEOPLE LIKE. THAT IS WHAT SELLS PAPERS, THAT IS WHAT GETS PEOPLE TO TUNE IN WHEN THEY THINK SOMEBODY IS GOING TO BE TRASHY AND IT IS GOING TO BE A TABLOID TYPE STORY NOT JUST AN EXPOSE.
ARLENE:: WELL WE DON'T WANT TO SEE THE TABLOIDS ONES. OR AT LEAST I DON'T. I WANT TO SEE THE REAL LIFE AND THE WAY YOU DEPICTED YOUR PARENTS.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: I DIDN'T WANT TO DO A TRIBUTE PIECE AND I DIDN'T WANT TO DO A TABLOID PIECE, I WANTED TO BE OBJECTIVE AND FIND OUT WHAT MADE THEM TICK AND WHY THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO HAVE THE KIND OF SUCCESS THAT EVERYBODY THOUGHT THAT THEY HAD AND I THINK I DID FIND THAT OUT IF YOU SEE THE FILM, I THINK IT DOES EXPLAIN THAT.
ARLENE:: WELL THEY CERTAINLY HAD SUCCESS IN RAISING THEIR CHILDREN, WHEN IT COMES TO YOU.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: WELL, YES AND NO. WE SURVIVED, BUT THERE WERE SOME VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY DIFFICULT TIMES ALONG THE WAY. MY BROTHER ALMOST DIED, YOU KNOW.....DRUGS AND ALCOHOL...HE WAS A MESS FOR A VERY, VERY, VERY LONG TIME. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN SAY IF THAT WAS THERE FAULT, BUT HE WAS ALONE FOR A LONG TIME. I HAD A LOT OF TROUBLE IN MY LIFE WITH RELATIONSHIPS AND COMMITMENT AND BEHAVIOR AND A LOT OF THINGS THAT I CAN CONTRIBUTE TO CONFUSION IN MY LIFE. JUST BECAUSE I SURVIVED IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT WAS A PIECE OF CAKE WE HAVE DONE OUR HOMEWORK. WE HAVE DONE OUR WORK ON OURSELVES DESI AND ME AND WE ARE STILL STANDING, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT WAS EASY.
ARLENE:: INTERESTING SO WHAT IS DESI ARNAZ JUNIOR DOING NOW?
LUCIE ARNAZ:: LIVING A SOBER AND SANE LIFE IN NEVADA WITH HIS LOVELY WIFE OF ABOUT TEN YEARS OR SO.. THEY RUN A BALLET COMPANY FOR CHILDREN. HE HAS RENOVATED A THEATRE WHERE HE LIVES AND HE WRITES MUSIC AND HE PERFORMS WITH A BAND. HE IS TAKING GOOD CARE OF HIMSELF.
ARLENE:: AND LUCIE ARNAZ TAKING GOOD CARE OF HERSELF TOO?
LUCIE ARNAZ:: INDEED. DOING THE BEST THAT I CAN AT THAT.
ARLENE:: ABSOLUTELY AND I LOVE TALKING TO YOU, BUT WE HAVE TO GO FOR NOW, BUT I WANT TO CONTINUE THIS CONVERSATION BECAUSE YOU HAVE JUST LEFT ME HANGING WITH A COUPLE OF THINGS AND WE ARE OUT OF TIME, SO I WILL TALK TO YOU AGAIN VERY SOON.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: LET'S DO IT.
ARLENE:: BYE FOR NOW.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: BYE.
ARLENE:: BYE.

Part 4

ARLENE:: LUCIE ARNAZ HELLO.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: HELLO, HELLO.
ARLENE:: GOOD TO TALK TO YOU. I KNOW YOU ARE TRAVELING AND YOU ARE ON A CELL PHONE AND WE ARE SO HAPPY YOU ARE TAKING TIME TO TALK TO US AGAIN.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: THANK YOU ARLENE.
ARLENE:: YOU KNOW I WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT FAMILY. WE KNOW ABOUT YOUR MOTHER, LUCILLE BALL, YOUR FATHER DESI ARNAZ, WE HAVE TALKED BEFORE. IT WASN'T EASY GROWING UP WITH SHOW BUSINESS PEOPLE THAT WORKED SO HARD. SO FOR YOU WHAT WAS THE MOST DIFFICULT PART?
LUCIE ARNAZ:: UM...JUST NOT HAVING THAT BONDING TIME WHERE YOU CAN GET TO KNOW THE OTHER PERSON AND REALLY UNDERSTAND YOU. IT IS LIKE HAVING TWO GOOD FRIENDS, BUT I DON'T THINK IT IS THE SAME AS MY GIRLFRIENDS. THE KIDS I WENT TO SCHOOL WITH KNEW ABOUT WHAT A PARENT WAS. I DIDN'T KNOW THAT THEN, BECAUSE THAT IS ALL I HAD TO COMPARE IT WITH, YOU KNOW, BUT IT WAS WHAT IT WAS.

YOU REALIZE IT LATER WHEN YOU GROW UP AND HAVE YOUR OWN CHILDREN AND YOU REALIZE THAT IS KIND OF DIFFICULT TO BE THERE WITH THEM AND PAY ATTENTION AND PLAY AND NOT WANT TO ESCAPE AND GO SOMEWHERE....TOO BUSY ALL THE TIME AND THAT IS BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T EXPERIENCE IT, YOU KNOW AS A KID AND YOU HAVE TO SOMEHOW STOP THE CYCLE AND BE THE ONE WHO STAYS HOME AND GIVES ATTENTION.

ODDLY ENOUGH, NOT ONLY WAS THERE A SANE REASON WHY THEY COULDN'T BE THERE, BUT MY MOTHER WAS WORKING....HER FATHER DIED WHEN SHE WAS FOUR AND HER MOTHER WAS WORKING A LOT, SO SHE SORT OF HAD TO RAISE HERSELF AS A KID, SO SHE DOESN'T EVEN REMEMBER WHAT IT IS LIKE TO HAVE SOMEONE HELP HER ALONG AND PLAY WITH HER AND BE THE PARENT. SHE WAS HER OWN PARENT AT A VERY YOUNG AGE SO SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE SOMEONE HAS TO SHOW THE KID HOW TO BE A PARENT.
ARLENE:: SO TRUE. NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR CHILDREN. LET'S TALK ABOUT SIMON, JOSEPH AND KATHARINE...WHO ARE YOUR THREE CHILDREN WITH LARRY LUCKINBILL AND HIS TWO CHILDREN. COUPLE THINGS ABOUT YOUR CHILDREN....LIKE JOSEPH I HEAR HIS MIDDLE NAME IS HENRY AFTER HENRY FONDA?
LUCIE ARNAZ:: YES, IT IS REALLY FUNNY TOO CAUSE I WAS A HUGER ADMIRE OF HENRY FONDA, FIRST AS AN ACTOR AND ALSO AS I WAS HAVING MY FIRST CHILD HE WAS ALSO IN THE HOSPITAL FOR SOME SORT OF HEART TRANSPLANT TYPE THING AND HE USED TO SEND ME THE SWEETEST CARDS AND SOME OF HIS FLOWERS AND GIFTS TWO FLOORS DOWN TO THE CHILDREN'S WING.

WHEN I WAS PREGNANT WITH MY SECOND CHILD HE PASSED AWAY AND I THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE SO NICE TO NAME HIM AFTER HENRY....I HAD ALREADY KNEW WE WERE GOING TO NAME THE KID JOE IF IT WAS A BOY, BUT I THOUGHT IT WOULD MAKE A BEAUTIFUL MIDDLE NAME JOSEPH HENRY AND OF COURSE WHEN I TOLD MY MOTHER THAT I HAD PICKED HENRY AS A MIDDLE NAME SHE GOT ALL TEARY EYED AND I SAID YEAH, I THOUGHT YOU WOULD APPRECIATE THAT AND SHE SAID I KNOW YOUR GRANDFATHER WOULD HAVE BEEN SO PLEASED...AND I JUST REALIZED THAT HER FATHER'S NAME WAS HENRY
ARLENE:: DID YOU TELL HER THE TRUTH?
LUCIE ARNAZ:: HE DIED WHEN SHE WAS FOUR, I NEVER EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT IT SO I THOUGHT OH YEAH THAT'S RIGHT...THAT'S WHY I NAMED HIM HENRY. SO I DIDN'T EVEN TELL HER ABOUT THE HENRY FONDA PART.
ARLENE:: OK, NOW KATHARINE HEPBURN..
LUCIE ARNAZ:: THAT IS WHY MY DAUGHTER IS KATHARINE DESIREE YES. SPELLED THE SAME WAY YES, LOVE THAT NAME, LOVE THAT WOMAN. FROM DAY ONE I THOUGHT IF I HAVE A GIRL IT IS KATHARINE THAT'S IT, IT'S KATHARINE. IT TOOK ME THREE TRIES TO GET HER, BUT I FINALLY DID.
ARLENE:: ...I DON'T ALWAYS BELIEVE EVERYTHING I READ, BUT I DID READ THAT WHEN YOU NAMED YOUR SECOND SON HENRY THAT YOU WROTE A LETTER TO KATHARINE HEPBURN AND SAID THAT IF IT WAS A GIRL IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NAMED AFTER HER.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: NO ACTUALLY, WELL SHE HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE BECAUSE WE HAD A MUTUAL FRIEND AND SHE KNEW BEFORE I HAD THE BABY THAT IF IT WAS A GIRL.... THAT I HAD ALREADY TRIED TO HAVE A GIRL AND NO THAT WAS SIMON AND THE SECOND TIME IT WAS GOING TO BE KATHARINE AND SHE HEARD FROM OUR MUTUAL FRIEND THAT LUCIE ARNAZ HAD ANOTHER BOY, SO SHE SENT ME A LETTER, A SWEET, SWEET, SWEET LETTER ABOUT HOW WELCOME JOSEPH HENRY INTO THE WORLD AND THAT IT IS A POWERFUL STATE FOR WOMEN THESE DAYS AND SO KATHARINE DESIREE IS WAITING FOR HER TIME TO SHOW UP WHICH APPARENTLY WAS TRUE BECAUSE AT THAT TIME I HAD A CHILD THAT WAS A GIRL AND AT THAT TIME SHE SENT ME A THIRD LETTER CONGRATULATING ME SAYING THAT SHE WAS SO PROUD TO BE A MEMBER OF YOUR FAMILY WITH THE NAME, BUT THEN SHE SAID POOR GIRL THAT A. CAUSE I SPELL IT THE SAME WAY SHE DOES KATHARINE AND SHE SAYS THAT POOR GIRL, THAT A WELL AT LEAST IT WILL TEACH HER TO FIGHT.
ARLENE:: WELL, I HEAR THAT, YOUR DAUGHTER, KATHARINE DESIREE, WAS QUEEN OF THE 75TH APPLE BLOSSOM FESTIVAL.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: SHE WAS INDEED. SHE WAS QUEEN OF THE APPLE BLOSSOM FESTIVAL A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO.
ARLENE:: THAT MUST HAVE BEEN QUITE A THRILL TO SEE YOUR DAUGHTER BEING HONORED THAT WAY.
ARLENE:: ....YOU DO SPECIAL THINGS WITH YOUR FAMILY....I HAVE HEARD ABOUT THE PRIDE YOU HAVE FOR YOUR FAMILY. GROWING UP IN THE FAMILY KIND OF SITUATION YOU GREW UP IN....YOU WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR CHILDREN DIDN'T GROW UP IN THAT KIND OF FAMILY WHERE THE PARENTS WEREN'T THERE AS MUCH.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: YES, WE DID WHAT WE COULD TO CHANGE THAT AND EVEN THEN WE WERE DOING IT MORE THAN WE REALIZED WE WERE DOING IT, SO WE REALLY HAD TO PULL THE BRAKES AND SAY OK HOLD ON....EVEN WHEN YOU THINK YOU ARE BEING THERE, YOU ARE NOT REALLY BEING THERE AND SO WE GOT RID OF NANNIES AND THE LIVE IN HELP AND REALLY TRY TO FOCUS OUR TIME SO WE COULD SPEND AT LEAST 15 MINUTES ALONE WITH EACH KID EVERYDAY. THAT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A LOT BUT HOW MANY PEOPLE ACTUALLY DO IT? AND THAT IS REALLY ALL IT TAKES, YOU KNOW?
ARLENE:: I AGREE. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR HUSBAND LARRY?
LUCIE ARNAZ:: I MET LARRY...WE WERE BOTH ON BROADWAY DOING TWO DIFFERENT NEIL SIMON SHOWS. HE WAS STARING IN CHAPTER 2 ON BROADWAY, A COMEDY PLAY AND I WAS IN "THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SONG" I MET HIM AT JOE ALAN RESTAURANT. THAT WAS IN 1979 IN SEPTEMBER AND WE WERE MARRIED IN JUNE OF 1980.
ARLENE:: JUNE WHAT?
LUCIE ARNAZ:: JUNE 22ND.
ARLENE:: YOU HAVE BEEN MARRIED A LONG TIME, BUT YOU WERE MARRIED ONCE BEFORE WHEN YOU WERE 20.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: VERY, VERY STUPIDLY YOUNG, FIRST BOYFRIEND RIGHT OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL AND DUMB! DON'T ANYBODY EVER DO THAT. DON'T GET MARRIED WHEN YOU ARE 20. TRUST ME.
ARLENE:: YOU WERE SMART CAUSE YOU REALIZED IN THE BEGINNING THAT THIS WASN'T FOR YOU AND THAT YOU NEED TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: YEAH, NICE PERSON, TERRIFIC GUY, YOU KNOW I COULD HAVE STAYED THERE AND BEEN WELL TAKEN CARE OF, BUT I REALIZED I WAS NO WHERE NEAR BEING GROWN UP ENOUGH TO HAVE THAT BE MY ONE AND ONLY RELATIONSHIP, I WOULD HAVE MADE HIM MISERABLE, YOU KNOW? SO I CUT MY LOSSES AND SAID I AM SORRY I HAVE DONE A REALLY HORRIBLY EMBARRASSING THING AND I NEED TO RETHINK THIS.
ARLENE:: YOU HAVE A CD OUT AND YOU ALSO GO ON THE LECTURE CIRCUIT WITH AN INSPIRATIONAL SPEECH CALLED "SURVIVING SUCCESS".
LUCIE ARNAZ:: RIGHT AND THAT IS PRETTY MUCH WHAT WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT, WHAT IT IS LIKE TO GROW UP WITH TWO WORKING PARENTS AND THOSE 15 MINUTES ALONE WITH YOUR KID EVERYDAY, TRYING TO LIVE YOUR LIFE LIKE THAT AND STILL BE A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS PERSON AND BE A SUCCESSFUL PARENT AND WILL THE TWAIN EVER MEET.
ARLENE:: ON THE LECTURE CIRCUIT AND THE CD..... IF THERE IS ONE MESSAGE THAT YOU WANT TO GIVE TO PARENTS, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
LUCIE ARNAZ:: PROBABLY WHAT I HAD JUST SAID. YOU NEED TO SPEND 15 MINUTES ALONE WITH EACH ONE OF YOUR CHILDREN EVERYDAY.
ARLENE:: AND THE LOVE..
LUCIE ARNAZ:: HOW SIMPLE...BUT TRYING TO.
ARLENE:: RIGHT.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: IT IS NOT EASY....AND WHY IT MAKES THEM FEEL WORTHY OF BEING LOVED AND I THINK THAT IS WHAT THE MAIN PROBLEM IN THE UNIVERSE IS THE PEOPLE THAT TEND TO END UP BEING THE AX MURDERERS AND CRAZY PEOPLE AND GREEDY PEOPLE AND LIARS AND THIEVES ARE PEOPLE THAT DOWN DEEP INSIDE DO NOT FEEL WORTHY OF BEING LOVED BECAUSE SOMETHING HAPPENED TO THEM IN EARLY CHILDHOOD AND THEY DIDN'T GET WHAT THEY NEEDED AND IT DOESN'T TAKE A WHOLE LOT BUT IT DOES TAKE SPECIFIC STUFF AND IT HAS TO BE ALONE AND IT HAS TO BE SPECIFICALLY WITH THAT ONE KID AND I AM TALKING FROM BIRTH TILL THEY ARE LIKE IN THEIR TEENS, YOU KNOW AND IF YOU DO IT RIGHT THE KID HAS ENOUGH SELF-ESTEEM TO DO WHAT HE HAS TO DO FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE AND DO IT PROPERLY.
ARLENE:: THAT IS SO IMPORTANT....SELF ESTEEM AND FOR PARENTS TO GIVE THEIR CHILDREN SELF-ESTEEM AND...
LUCIE ARNAZ:: WELL IT IS EASY TO SAY, BUT SOMEONE HAS TO GIVE YOU A SPECIFIC...HOW DO I GIVE MYSELF....HOW DO I GIVE MY KID SELF ESTEEM? DO THEY SELL IT ON E-BAY? I DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET IT. IF I COULD FIND IT AND GIVE IT...IF I COULD BUY IT I WOULD BUY IT AND GIVE IT TO THEM AND FINALLY ONE GREAT KID PSYCHOLOGIST SAID SOMETHING VERY SIMPLE TO ME ONE DAY ABOUT THE 15 MINUTE THING AND IT IS MIRACULOUS.
ARLENE:: YES, SPEND INDIVIDUAL TIME WITH EACH CHILD... AS MANY AS YOU HAVE INDIVIDUALLY AND LET THEM KNOW THAT YOU ARE MAKING THE TIME FOR THEM.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: YES,...BUT IT ONLY HAS TO BE 15 MINUTES.....ANYMORE TIME THAN THAT AND THEY BECOME A LITTLE BORED AND LESS TIME THEN THAT AND THEY BECOME A LITTLE STRANGE.
ARLENE:: YOUR LECTURE CIRCUIT SPEECH IS CALLED "SURVIVING SUCCESS".
LUCIE ARNAZ:: YES, IT IS AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE AS WELL IN CASSETTE OR CD...ON MY WEBSITE LUCIEARNAZ.COM.
ARLENE:: I DO WANT TO SAY THAT YOUR WEBSITE IS FABULOUS!
LUCIE ARNAZ:: YEAH, WE KEEP A LOT OF INTERESTING INFORMATION ON THERE. IT IS NOT JUST PR STUFF ABOUT WHERE I AM GOING AND WHAT I AM DOING. IT IS A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS, YOU KNOW, INTERESTING AND PERSONAL STUFF.
ARLENE:: WELL WHAT I WISH I COULD SAY IS THAT WE HAD HOURS BUT WE DON'T, BUT IF ANYONE WANTS TO KNOW MORE, THEN THEY CAN GO ON YOUR WEBSITE WWW.LUCIEARNAZ.COM, BUT IN THE MEANTIME, "SURVIVING SUCCESS" AND ALL OF THE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT YOU ARE DOING, I AM JUST GOING TO MENTION AGAIN, ACTRESS, SINGER, DANCER, BUSINESS EXECUTIVE, PRODUCER, DIRECTOR, BROADWAY STAR, FILM, TELEVISION, STAGE, YOU KNOW YOU DO IT ALL LUCIE ARNAZ AND YOU DO IT ALL SO WELL.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: THANKS ARLENE, IT IS NICE TO HEAR YOU SAY IT THAT WAY.
ARLENE:: IT IS SO GOOD TO KNOW YOU AND I'M SO GLAD TO HAVE MET YOU AND I THANK YOU FOR SPENDING THIS TIME WITH US.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: IT REALLY WAS MY PLEASURE, IT WAS TERRIFIC AND I HOPE WE DO IT AGAIN SOON.
ARLENE:: ME TOO, OK THANKS B-BYE FOR NOW.
LUCIE ARNAZ:: B-BYE.