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- 70 Mambo No. 3 desi does iT Going through her father’s house after his death, Lucie Arnaz found a box of papers and memorabilia that she donated to the Love Library at San Diego State University, where Desi had lectured several times. The Desi Arnaz Collection contains a few home movies, an old film short entitled Jitterhumba, several drafts of A Book, and assorted notes that Arnaz took when he was working on his autobiography. Originally intending to write either a sequel to A Book (to be called Another Book) or a novel (probably to be called A Novel), Arnaz marked some of these jottings “Other Book” or “Novel.” The notes contain not only many self-revealing moments and juicy gossip (a list of Lucille Ball’s alleged lovers), but also some of Desi’s best quips. Seeing Gary Morton, Lucy’s second husband, on a tv talk show, he writes: “About Gary on tv with Lucy: Seems to be suffering from a massive inferiority complex to which he is fully entitled.” To his children , Lucie and Desi Jr., he once remarked: “The only reason you are here is because I woke up one night and couldn’t think of anything else to do.” About his famous quarrels with Lucy, he says: “Lucy and I had some great battles but at times when someone asked me why we fought, I had to answer, “I don’t know. She wouldn’t tell me.” Most pertinent, perhaps, are his thoughts on being a writer: “Writing a book is, I discovered , not an easy thing to do. It also proves that the brain is a wonderful thing. It starts up when you are born and stops when you sit down at the typewriter.” ...

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