Quirky Minds Media Newsletter July 1 – August 31, 2021

August 7th, 2021     -      11 AM - 3 PM         Class: $149

This four-hour course is taught by James Kelly, host of the radio show "Aspects of Writing." 

Includes: 

How to script and setup a podcast, the software and equipment you will need and where to find it, plus how to book and prep a guest. In addition, you will learn how and where to syndicate your program.

Click this link to learn more.

or Call James at 702-885-4460 to schedule.

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      Writing and Publishing Made Simple

August 8th, 2021  -  10 AM - 4 PM  

Class: $179

   Self-Published authors James Kelly and Cynthia De Boer share their experience in the publishing world.

   Learn the basics necessary for writing and publishing your first book.          You will also receive a copy of the book this seminar is based on, A Guide for Writing and Publishing, plus extras including an example of a press release, 11 Simple ways to Promote and Market your book, Preparing Yourself for a Radio Interview, a list of US Talk Radio Stations, Worldwide Talk Radio Stations, AM/FM Radio Stations and the complete E.I.A. Writing Style Guide Book.

Call James at 702-885-4460 to schedule

or click this link to learn more.

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One Million Books in One Hundred Days

Supporting self-published authors. 

Available now on 1millionbooksin100days.com 

The Soul of Flowers, The Button Boxes, Me Myself and Eye, The Alien Transcripts, Dollar Bill, Honor in the Blood, and so much more.

 Please check out our authors at this link. 

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“Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.” 

                                                                                               ~ Napoleon Hill

   Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were two of the greatest minds in television history. Together, they built a motion picture and television empire. “I Love Lucy’ has never been off the air since its first airing on October 15, 1951. The show is dubbed into twenty-two languages and seen in eighty countries more than 64 years after the final episode.

   Lucille Ball was born Lucille Désirée Ball on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York and died April 26, 1989 at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, after she succumbed to a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. Lucy was an American actress, comedian, model, studio executive and producer, and mother of two children, Lucie Désirée Arnaz, and Desiderio Alberto Arnaz IV (Desi Arnaz, Jr.).

   Her father died from typhoid fever at the age of 27 when Lucy was only three. Her mother, DeDe Ball was pregnant with her second child Fred Henry Ball at the time of his death. When Lucy’s mother remarried in 1918, she and her brother went to live with their grandparents for a while. Since Fred Ball had yet to be born at the time of his father’s death, their grandfather became a surrogate father to Fred. Their grandfather was an eccentric socialist who enjoyed the theater, and frequently took the family to vaudeville shows. This is where Lucy developed a yearning for the stage. 

   In 1927, a neighborhood child was paralyzed by a shot accidentally fired from a gun Fred's grandfather had given him for his birthday. The child died five years later. As a result, there was a lawsuit filed that eventually forced her grandfather to sell his house and file for bankruptcy. He was even ordered to serve jail time. Life became very meager for the family.

   Despite their financial difficulties, at the age of 14, Lucy’s stepfather suggested to her mother that she enroll Lucy in The School for the Dramatic Arts in New York City. One of her fellow students was the young Bette Davis. Lucille would later recount her time spent there, saying, "All I learned in drama school was how to be frightened." In fact, her instructors felt she did not have what it takes to be successful as an entertainer and were not afraid to explicitly state this to her. 

   This only made Lucy more determined to prove her teachers wrong. After leaving the school and returning home, she decided to return to New York City in 1928. Upon her return, she began to acquire work as a model. It was suggested to her that she dye her hair blonde, and she did. 

   Unfortunately, she became ill with rheumatic fever and had to return home once again. This time she was unable to work for two years.

   Lucy would return to New York City in 1932. She resumed her pursuit of an acting career, while supporting herself as the Chesterfield cigarette girl. Under the pseudonym Diane Belmont, she attempted a career on Broadway as a chorus girl, from which she would promptly be fired. This did not detour Lucy from pursuing her passion.

   Between 1938 and 1948, Lucy appeared in close to 70 movies, mostly “B”, and many unaccredited. It was during this period of her life that she met her future husband, Desi Arnaz. They met at RKO on the set of the 1940 movie Too Many Girls. He was 23, and she was 28. Lucy was a studio contract player. Their offscreen chemistry was evident to all that knew them, and they eloped by year’s end. 

  When I began to write this article several weeks ago, no one could have predicted the terrible loss to the Arnaz family. On October 9, 2020, Lucille Ball's and Desi Arnaz’s great-granddaughter, Desiree S. Anzalone, passed away at 31 after a long battle with breast cancer. Our hearts go out to the Arnaz family. 

   Desi Arnaz (Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III), was born March 2, 1917 and died on December 2, 1986 of lung cancer. Desi was a Cuban American actor, musician, bandleader, comedian, and film producer who would go on to revolutionize modern television.

   Desi was born in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. His father was Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Alberni II and his mother was Dolores de Acha. Desi’s father, Alberto, served in the Cuban House of Representatives and was Santiago's youngest mayor. In addition, his grandfather was Alberto de Acha, who was an executive producer at Bacardi & Co.

   The Arnaz family owned three ranches, a palatial home, and a vacation mansion on a private island in Santiago Bay, Cuba. Following the Cuban Revolution of 1933, Alberto Arnaz II was jailed, and his property was confiscated. Alberto was released after six months when his brother-in-law intervened on his behalf. Upon his release, he fled with his family to Miami, Florida. There, Desi attended St. Patrick Catholic High School. He was sent to Saint Leo Prep School near Tampa in the summer of 1934 to help improve his English. His first job was at Woolworths in Miami before going into the tile business with his father, prior to devoting his life to show business full-time.

    After high school, Desi Arnaz formed a band called the Siboney Septet. It didn’t take long before he began to make a name for himself in Miami. The bandleader, Xavier Cugat, saw Desi perform and hired him for his touring orchestra to play the conga drum and sing. Desi would eventually break away and start his own band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra.

   Desi became a hit in New York City's nightclub scene, where he introduced the concept of the conga line. He garnered the attention of Rodgers and Hart who, in 1939, cast him in their Broadway musical Too Many Girls. The theatrical production was a hit and RKO Pictures bought the movie rights.

   Desi was brought to Hollywood the next year to star in the show's movie version, which cast Lucille Ball as the lead. As mentioned, this is where Desi and Lucy fell in love during the film's production. Desi appeared in several more movies during the 1940s, most notably Bataan.

   Desi was drafted into the military but injured his knee before reporting to service. Therefore, after he completed his training, he was classified for limited service in the United States Army during World War II. Given his background, he was assigned to direct the United Service Organization (USO) programs at the Birmingham General Army Hospital in the San Fernando Valley, California. After his military discharge in 1945, Desi formed another successful orchestra. As the bandleader, he conducted the Desi Arnaz Orchestra on Bob Hope's radio show during the 1946-47 season.

   In 1951, CBS Radio offered Desi to be the host of a game show called “Your Tropical Trip”, featuring his orchestra, to entice Desi and Lucy to stay at CBS over a competing offer from NBC. Their ploy was to keep Desi and his band employed and in Hollywood, rather than touring. It was a musical game show that had audience members competing for a Caribbean vacation. The show aired from January 1951 until September, just before the premiere of the I Love Lucy Show in October of that year. Following his success, Desi kept his orchestra on the payroll, which included the music for I Love Lucy.

   Next month, we will explore Desi and Lucy’s triumphs, pitfalls, and their contributions to Hollywood history.