Todd Purdum

cameraman carl freund who had started out in the german expressionist cinema in the 20s and 30s and come to hollywood like so many emigres from europe and he said you can't do it and desi said why he said because you have to light separately for the close-ups for the medium shots for the long shots and then as a sheer intellectual challenge for and said but let me see if we can figure something out so he devised an innovative system of so-called flat overhead lighting and

cameraman carl freund who had started out in the german expressionist cinema in the 20s and 30s and come to hollywood like so many emigres from europe and he said you can't do it and desi said why he said because you have to light separately for the close-ups for the medium shots for the long shots and then as a sheer intellectual challenge for and said but let me see if we can figure something out so he devised an innovative system of so-called flat overhead lighting and

cameraman carl freund who had started out in the german expressionist cinema in the 20s and 30s and come to hollywood like so many emigres from europe and he said you can't do it and desi said why he said because you have to light separately for the close-ups for the medium shots for the long shots and then as a sheer intellectual challenge for and said but let me see if we can figure something out so he devised an innovative system of so-called flat overhead lighting and

that would light the set adequately for all three camera angles at once. And then, because a motion picture studio is a working factory floor with all kinds of dangers, cables and electricity and fire hazards, they had to figure out a way to get an audience in there to watch it. So they built a set of wooden and metal bleachers, had about 300 people come into this soundstage.

that would light the set adequately for all three camera angles at once. And then, because a motion picture studio is a working factory floor with all kinds of dangers, cables and electricity and fire hazards, they had to figure out a way to get an audience in there to watch it. So they built a set of wooden and metal bleachers, had about 300 people come into this soundstage.

that would light the set adequately for all three camera angles at once. And then, because a motion picture studio is a working factory floor with all kinds of dangers, cables and electricity and fire hazards, they had to figure out a way to get an audience in there to watch it. So they built a set of wooden and metal bleachers, had about 300 people come into this soundstage.

They had to cut a special door in the street side of the of the soundstage so that people could have adequate fire exit. And that became the method that with, you know, a few changes is still used today was used for shows like Friends, The Big Bang Theory. Most sitcoms today are still shot using this same basic technique.

They had to cut a special door in the street side of the of the soundstage so that people could have adequate fire exit. And that became the method that with, you know, a few changes is still used today was used for shows like Friends, The Big Bang Theory. Most sitcoms today are still shot using this same basic technique.

They had to cut a special door in the street side of the of the soundstage so that people could have adequate fire exit. And that became the method that with, you know, a few changes is still used today was used for shows like Friends, The Big Bang Theory. Most sitcoms today are still shot using this same basic technique.

Well, because television in those days was a bland, sponsor-driven mass medium that to some degree, the way it does now, except it depended on the most innocuous fare to offend the fewest number of people. And if you had a pregnant woman on the air, especially a really pregnant actress, it would betray the way that you get pregnant, which is by having sex.

Well, because television in those days was a bland, sponsor-driven mass medium that to some degree, the way it does now, except it depended on the most innocuous fare to offend the fewest number of people. And if you had a pregnant woman on the air, especially a really pregnant actress, it would betray the way that you get pregnant, which is by having sex.

Well, because television in those days was a bland, sponsor-driven mass medium that to some degree, the way it does now, except it depended on the most innocuous fare to offend the fewest number of people. And if you had a pregnant woman on the air, especially a really pregnant actress, it would betray the way that you get pregnant, which is by having sex.

And sex did not really appear on television in those days. So, Lucy and Desi fought hard with CBS to do this, and they thought, Desi particularly thought there could be a whole series, and the head writer and producer, Jess Oppenheimer, thought there could be a series of very tasteful, very charming episodes that would show what happens when people have a baby.

And sex did not really appear on television in those days. So, Lucy and Desi fought hard with CBS to do this, and they thought, Desi particularly thought there could be a whole series, and the head writer and producer, Jess Oppenheimer, thought there could be a series of very tasteful, very charming episodes that would show what happens when people have a baby.

And sex did not really appear on television in those days. So, Lucy and Desi fought hard with CBS to do this, and they thought, Desi particularly thought there could be a whole series, and the head writer and producer, Jess Oppenheimer, thought there could be a series of very tasteful, very charming episodes that would show what happens when people have a baby.

And, uh, finally, uh, ultimately Desi only found out a couple of years later, he'd, he'd gone over the heads of the network executives to the chairman of Philip Morris and written him a letter saying, we've given you the number one show on television.

And, uh, finally, uh, ultimately Desi only found out a couple of years later, he'd, he'd gone over the heads of the network executives to the chairman of Philip Morris and written him a letter saying, we've given you the number one show on television.

And, uh, finally, uh, ultimately Desi only found out a couple of years later, he'd, he'd gone over the heads of the network executives to the chairman of Philip Morris and written him a letter saying, we've given you the number one show on television.

If you don't want us to be responsible for writing it anymore, then you'll have to figure out how to get the number one show on television and we can't be responsible anymore. And he later learned that the chairman of the, of the company had sent a memo to his staff, basically saying in the very pungent terms that I'm not going to say on the radio that Don't mess around with a Cuban.

If you don't want us to be responsible for writing it anymore, then you'll have to figure out how to get the number one show on television and we can't be responsible anymore. And he later learned that the chairman of the, of the company had sent a memo to his staff, basically saying in the very pungent terms that I'm not going to say on the radio that Don't mess around with a Cuban.