Lucille Ball admitted that she and Arnaz were super happy on set. It was their job to be. They had to show a loving American family whose problems were fixable within half an hour. During these moments, Ball’s anger towards her husband relinquished and she was her happiest self. The show was also enjoying being on top of U.S. ratings for most of its run.
But, the couple couldn’t fool themselves. As soon as the director called “cut,” Lucille and her husband were at each other’s throats again. Between Arnaza’s alcohol consumption, his alleged infidelity, and the stress of managing Desilu, their relationship started to fall apart. The perfect illusion of marriage was soon to break.
Not Natural
As mentioned earlier, Ball wasn't a natural redhead. She started off as a brunette, later dyed her hair blonde, and then ended up as the iconic redhead in "I Love Lucy." Her hairdresser considered her not so much a redhead as she did an "apricot gold." According to her hairdresser on emmytvlegends.org, she had trouble perfecting the color of Lucy's hair.
While Ball was performing in Vegas, she met a wealthy sheik whom she shared her hair problem with. So, the sheik gave her a lifetime supply of henna. Henna is a dye that is used to make the shade of red that we came to know and love on Lucy. She locked up the formula with a key, but that was far from her biggest problem.
Having Kids
It was no secret that Arnaz flirted with other women. This was oftentimes the subject of Ball and her husband's arguments. His flirtatious demeanor, as well as his drinking habits, drove Lucille mad. She hoped that having children would put an end to his bachelor-like behavior. For a while, it seemed to be working.
Prior to the show's airing in 1951, Lucille and Arnaz had given birth to their first child: their daughter, Lucy Arnaz. Lucy thought that having children would make her husband snap into reality. For a while he did. But, old habits are hard to break. While he truly did love his children and his wife, soon, things would start to unravel.
The End of "I Love Lucy"
All good things must come to an end, and unfortunately the end of "I Love Lucy," wasn't a pleasant one. Ball was an avid believer in happy endings. She believed that no matter how bitter reality may be, the audience deserves a happy ending. The final episode of the show aired in 1957.
After the show's ending, the couple tried to run a spin-off show called "The Lucy-Desi Show." Unfortunately, the public didn't buy it and it wasn't nearly as successful as "I Love Lucy." The couple announced their divorce in 1960 and the show culminated. The public was heartbroken to see America's most loved couple separating.
A Dark Time
On March 3, 1960, a day after Desi's 43rd birthday (and one day after the filming of Lucy and Desi's last episode together), Ball filed papers in Santa Monica Superior Court, claiming married life with Desi was "a nightmare" and nothing was as it appeared to be on the show. The months after their divorce became the darkest period in Lucy's life. She and Arnaz were married for nearly twenty years, and she had never expected to become a divorcee. She was heartbroken for disappointing herself, but even more than that, for disappointing the American people and all the fans who adored her. It crushed her that she wasn't able to give people a real-life happy ending.
As time went on, Lucille began to question everything about herself. She thought about her family and her career. She was angry at her ex-husband, however, she never once pointed a finger at him. She would later come to understand his internal battle.