One of my other blogs, Formula 1 Latest, deals with the world of auto racing in its most extreme form, known as Formula One. An important part of that world is the matter of running the show, one of the most complex and political games of international business. And the star of the show is the man who (amongst many other things) hands out the right to televise the races, Bernie Ecclestone.

Once a racer himself, Bernie graduated to team ownership and from there transformed himself into one of the most powerful men in Formula One. Along the way he also became a member of the richest people in the world club; his fortune is counted in billions of dollars.

It is interesting to learn that Bernie, often called “Mr Formula One”, had to pursue his future bride before winning her. In 1984, at the age of 54, Bernie met the 26 year old Croatian model, Slavica Radic, during a Formula One event. Despite being nearly a foot shorter than the 6′ 2″ Slavica, Bernie fell for her and chased her relentlessly. At the time Bernie spoke no Croatian and Slavica spoke only her native tongue and Italian, so the courtship must have been a bit difficult.

Yet, in true determined Ecclestone fashion, Bernie won his bride and they were married. They have two daughters, Tamara and Petra, and the marriage has lasted for more than twenty years. The couple can still be seen at times on the Formula One grid, with Bernie hanging on gamely to his statuesque wife’s arm. A very telling snippet of information is that much of Bernie’s fortune is in Slavica’s name and she holds an important position within the Formula One corridors of power.

Now, if that ain’t a “great romance” I don’t know what is…

Clive

Talking of unrequited love, that reminds me of Russell Dalrymple. “Who?” you may ask. Well, he was actually Bob Balaban who played the part of Russell in the Seinfeld series on television.

If I mention that he was the television producer who was going to back Jerry and George in their proposed series about “nothing”, you might remember him. I freely admit that I had to research to find out the name of the character Bob Balaban played but his one-sided love affair with Elaine Benes (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is seared into my memory.

There was something innocent and wistful about his puppydog love for Elaine so that, although his story remains funny, it is also quite poignant. To give up everything and join Greenpeace in the belief that Elaine cared about whales, now that is devotion. And to be lost overboard from a tiny boat in pitching seas when trying to stop whalers, well, it is melodramatic but also sad.

Like all of Seinfeld, the story is a slice from life, exaggerated and pushed to the borders of sanity. But it contains that core of truth that all good fiction has. It just might be true, somewhere, somehow…

Clive

We tend to think of celebrity marriages as being short and tempestuous. Certainly, there are many stresses in the lives of those in show business, long separations while one or another is on location, constant examination by the media, and often a prima dona attitude in both partners. Yet sometimes it works and the resulting marriages can become famous purely because they last.

In seeking to introduce more modern romances into this blog, I have done some research and surprised myself with the number of successful celebrity marriages there are. Here is a short list of those I found in half an hour this morning:

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill
Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward
Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick
Walter Cronkite and Betsy Maxwell
Paul McCartney and Linda Eastman
Johnny Cash and June Carter
Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft
John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell
Bob Hope and Dolores Reade
Frankie Avalon and Kay Diebel
Kirk and Anne Douglas

In time, we might get around to looking at some of these marriages for the blog. But, in the meantime, let’s enjoy the fact that there are instances of great celebrity romances.

Clive

There probably has never been a marriage more famous than that of Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, and probably never has the breakup of a marriage left so many people wondering how it could happen.

Lucy met Desi in 1940, on the set of Too Many Girls. One wonders if she ever found that to be prophetic.

Lucy had been in several films by that time, having been a model and a Goldwyn Girl prior to meeting Desi. In the America of the 40s, there couldn’t have been a stranger pairing than the soon-to-be famous redhead (she was blonde when Desi met her, brunette originally) and the dark, debonair, Cuban band leader who had a wicked way with a drum. She could trace her ancestors back to the original colonies and Plymouth. He was the son of the mayor of Santiago de Cuba, and his grandfather was one of the founders of the Bacardi Rum company.

Their careers pulled them apart, and the marriage suffered. Although it isn’t often mentioned, Desi did have extramarital affairs. Lucy filed for divorce in 1947 but Desi went to her side and they managed to kiss and make up. At the same time Desi was going to be with Lucy, the bus carrying his band crashed, but Desi wasn’t on it and so escaped harm.

In 1949 they remarried in a Catholic ceremony, believing that their marriage would be stronger if they made a committment in a church and in front of God. But the strains of careers still loomed and Lucy had an idea for them to do a television show based on the radio show she played in, called My Favorite Husband. Producers did not think America would watch the show about this “mixed” marriage. Lucy and Desi took to the road with a vaudeville act and audiences loved it. CBS was convinced and I Love Lucy hit the airwaves in 1951. They formed their own production company, Desilu, which became responsible for some of television’s best loved series over the years.

The show continued through 1957 and following that, they did 13 hour-long episodes of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour. The last episode featured Ernie Kovacs and his wife Edie Adams. Edie said later that the atmosphere on the set was very heavy and depressing. It was only a few weeks after the filming that Lucy and Desi divorced.

Despite marriages to other people, there was still a feeling you got when Lucy and Desi spoke about each other. There was a kind of awe in their voices, a gentle look on their faces, a pride in their former spouse. Each when interviewed would invariably downplay his or her own role in their success and give all the credit to the other, using words like “genius” and “talent”. Lucy last spoke to Desi only a month before his death in 1986. They remained friends to the end. Lucy died in 1989 at the age of 77.

The marriage of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz was more than just one of television’s greatest marriages. Theirs was a marriage you wanted to work, a romance that you wanted to last, a love story that you wanted to stay true. In spite of many obstacles they tried to stay together, seemed to need each other. Like millions of Americans, I would say “I love Lucy and Desi”.