Lucy and desi before the laughter

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz formed not only one of the great television duos.

Ms Arnaz, I do apologize.

The story line made for a "C" average Television movie at best. As the production gets closer and closer to start filming, its two stars have a series of flashbacks recalling their lives up to this point. The terror and relief Fisher brought to the role is excellent.

And then there's Desi. 

Maurice Benard did not give a performance.

Anything from a word to a song can send Arnaz and Ball's walk down memory lane. You already know what will happen. What is it about this movie that caught my interest? According to the movie, Lucille was vain, insecure, temperamental and at times hysterical while Desi is portrayed as being a shallow, cheating philanderer who is totally dependent on Lucille for financial support.

I remember how excited our neighbors, who (with my parents) had been fans of Lucy and Desi during the 1930s and the Big Band Era, were at the prospect of seeing their favorite entertainers in a situation comedy on television.

Fisher as Ball remarks, "What a night for Crawford. The movie received a user score of /100 on TMDb, which reviews from users. For something that is "their story", we end up getting pieces of two separate stories.

To be fair, there are good parts in the script. However, memory is a curious thing. There is simply so much wrong with Benard as Arnaz that it is an embarrassment of riches to find where to begin. 

Benard's voice was high and nasal, sounding more like a caricature than anything remotely close to Arnaz's Cuban accent.

The entire scene should be studied by acting students under a "Don't Let This Happen to You" section.

Some sections, to be fair, could not have been handled better.