Here's a kicker: The cast of I Love Lucy was actually required to smoke on the show, according to Mental Floss. The show's sponsor was Philip Morris cigarettes, and their product was featured in most episodes as well as the commercial breaks. Geist cites instances where Lucy and Desi smoke throughout the show. If nobody was smoking, someone would inevitably say, "Let's all have a cigarette," which was written into the script. Philip Morris packs of cigarettes were nearly always in view, and cigarettes were carefully placed to make sure they resembled "a kind of dessert." So was it so surprising that Desi Arnaz eventually got lung cancer? Not really, since the actor (shown above with his daughter Lucie) smoked a lot even when he wasn't on the show.
The news must have affected Lucille Ball deeply, especially since in Arnaz's own book, Desilu: The Story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz [per Country Living], the actor lovingly declared that, "Lucy was the show. Viv, Fred and I were just props. Damn good props, but props nevertheless. P.S. I Love Lucy was never just the title." As he lay dying at the hospital in 1986, Ball went to see him. She was preparing for another show, Life with Lucy. Arnaz's last words to her were, "I love you too, honey. Good luck with your show." The Associated Press would relate how Ball openly wept at Arnaz's funeral while clasping hands with her second husband, Gary Morton.
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