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Fresh Air Weekend: Desi Arnaz's lasting impact on TV; Mark Hamill

Husband and wife team Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball co-starred in I Love Lucy from 1951 until 1957.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Husband and wife team Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball co-starred in I Love Lucy from 1951 until 1957.

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, as well as new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and it often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

With 'I Love Lucy' and beyond, Desi Arnaz helped shaped TV as we know it: The success of I Love Lucy is often credited to Lucille Ball's comedic talent, but biographer Todd Purdum says Arnaz was more than just "second banana" to Lucy. He also helped shape the modern sitcom.

Paul Reubens steps out from behind his famous character in 'Pee-wee as Himself': Before his death in 2023, Reubens filmed an HBO documentary in which he explained why he refused to be seen or interviewed as himself for the whole time Pee-wee Herman was starring in TV and films.

Mark Hamill used to downplay his 'Star Wars' past. Now he's embracing it: Hamill played Luke Skywalker, one of the most iconic heroes in movie history. His latest film, The Life of Chuck, is an adaptation of a Stephen King novella.

You can listen to the original interviews here:

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.