Desi even wrote in a note for the book "Desilu: The Story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz," "Lucy was the show." Viv, Fred, and I were only extras. Props, but damned nice props. P.S. The phrase "I Love Lucy" was never merely a title. It was part of her name. They met at an amateur night at a club in Hollywood. She was a singer, he was a dancer. They were attracted to each other right from the start and decided to marry. However, Lucy's mother refused to give her consent because he was not rich enough. So, the couple went their separate ways with Lucy moving out to pursue her career. But they still loved each other very much and talked on the phone every day. In fact, all of Lucy's real-life characters were based on herself and her friends. She would research her roles thoroughly and often changed certain details about her character after learning more about people or through personal experience. For example, when asked about her famous ball gowns, she said that she bought them used and altered them to fit her own size 8 body. After several years, Arnaz got married again (this time to a wealthy woman) and started making money as a producer. He invited Lucy to join him, but she refused because she didn't want to leave her parents' home. Finally, she agreed to go if her father would help her find a job as a secretary.