Saturday 9

Saturday 9: I Will See You in C-U-B-A (2010)

 

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

 

1) In this week's song, Lucie Arnaz encourages us to hop a ship and join her in Cuba. Is your passport up to date? No. It expired back in the 1980s and I don't even know where it is. I should look into reporting it and getting a new one, but honestly, I have no interest in traveling outside the US again. There are too many places here I haven't seen yet or wish to return to. (I know, I know ... I'm weird. My friends are all talking about Europe and tropical cruises and I'm like, "I'd like to take Amtrak down to Springfield, IL, to see the Lincoln sites again.")

2) She sings that Cuba is a great place to enjoy wine and Panatelas. Do you like the smell of a good cigar? 

I don't believe there is any such thing as a good cigar.

 

3) Lucie said her Latin Roots CD represents "the rhythms of my soul" and is a tribute to her father, Desi Arnaz. Cuban-born Desi starred on Broadway and in nightclubs but was best known for co-starring in and producing the 1950s sitcom, I Love Lucy. When you think of I Love Lucy, what's the first thing that comes to mind?

 

4) While Lucie's parents – Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball – are famous for their TV work, Tony-nominated Lucie has found her greatest success on the stage. She inherited their love of performing, saying, “My parents were always happiest when they were working.” What have you inherited from one or both your parents? (It could be anything from your work ethic to your eye color.) I got my love of animals from my mom and my temperament from my dad. I think that's why I so effortlessly pushed his buttons.

 

5) Though "Ricky Riccardo" often mangled English on I Love Lucy, Desi's English was very good. Lucille Ball admired his facility with languages and encouraged him to speak Spanish to their children so that they would be bilingual. When you were growing up, did your family speak any language other than English? Nope. My grandfather immigrated from Germany but seldom spoke about his childhood and never spoke German. When I'd ask him about this, he'd say, "Because we're here now." He was so deeply disturbed by Nazism, it's like that part of his life never existed. He certainly never considered Germany "home." Grandpa was the most patriotic American I ever knew.

 

6) Desi Arnaz often performed "I Will See You in C-U-B-A." Is there a song that reminds you of your father? My dad used to sing along when this came on the car radio. He was not a happy man, so this made an impression on me. He loved this song!

 

 

7) After Lucie's parents divorced, Lucille Ball remarried and Lucie got a stepfather, Gary Morton. Lucie appreciated how positive Gary always was about Desi. Decades later, when she married a man who already had children, Lucie said she better understood what a tough role stepparent can be. Did you have a stepparent? Are you a stepparent? No on both counts.

8) As a single dad, Desi lived south of Los Angeles in Del Mar. Lucie and her brother, Desi Jr., spent school vacations there, going to the race track, bowling, and fishing with their dad. Share a happy memory from one of your school vacations (Christmas, Spring Break, or Summer). I remember being in junior high and putting great care into choosing what to wear on the first day back after Christmas Vacation. I usually got a sweater or a necklace or purse that I loved, and I was eager to see what my friends got.

 

9) Father's Day began in Washington state. In the early 1900s, Spokane resident Sonora Smart Dodd listened to her minister deliver a sermon celebrating Mother's Day and devoted herself to similarly honoring fathers. A century later, more money is still spent annually on Mother's Day. Why do you suppose that nationally we still make more of a fuss over Mother's Day than Father's Day? I think it's because kids are still in school for Mother's Day. We made gifts for Mom in art class and in Girl Scouts. By the time Father's Day rolls around, families are busy doing outdoor activities.