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Desilu
EntityQ844652· pop 13· linked from 344 articles

Also known as Desilu Too, L.L.C., Desilu Productions

Desilu Productions, Inc. () was an American television production company founded and co-owned by husband and wife Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. The company is best known for shows such as I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, Mannix, The Untouchables, Mission: Impossible and Star Trek. Until 1962, Desilu was the second-largest independent television production company in the United States, trailing only MCA's Revue Studios. However, MCA acquired Universal Pictures, transforming Desilu into the undisputed number-one independent production company. This status remained unchallenged until Ball sold Desilu

Key facts

Company.name
Desilu Productions, Inc.
Company.logo
frameless|class=skin-invert
Company.type
Subsidiary
Company.industry
Television production
Company.fate
Purchased by Gulf+Western and amalgamated into Paramount Television
Company.founders
Desi ArnazLucille Ball
Company.hq_location_city
Los Angeles, California
Company.hq_location_country
United States
Company.parent
Desilu Corporation

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Show 3 more facts
inception
1950-00-00
Commons category
Desilu Productions
dissolved, abolished or demolished date
1967-00-00
Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~17 min read

Article

13 sections
Contents
  • History
  • Ball's role in the company
  • Arnaz's role in the company
  • Early years
  • Ball as sole owner
  • Independent Arnaz
  • Independent Ball and Desilu Too
  • Technological innovations
  • Television shows produced by or filmed at Desilu
  • Produced by Desilu
  • Filmed at Desilu
  • References
  • External links

Desilu Productions, Inc. () was an American television production company founded and co-owned by husband and wife Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. The company is best known for shows such as I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, Mannix, The Untouchables, Mission: Impossible and Star Trek. Until 1962, Desilu was the second-largest independent television production company in the United States, trailing only MCA's Revue Studios. However, MCA acquired Universal Pictures, transforming Desilu into the undisputed number-one independent production company. This status remained unchallenged until Ball sold Desilu to Gulf and Western Industries, which was then the parent company of Paramount Pictures, in 1968.

Ball and Arnaz jointly owned the majority stake in Desilu from its inception until 1962, when Ball bought out Arnaz and ran the company by herself for several years. Ball had succeeded in making Desilu profitable again by 1968, when she sold her shares of Desilu to Gulf+Western for $17 million (valued at $ in ). Gulf+Western then transformed Desilu into the television production arm of Paramount Pictures, rebranding the company as the original Paramount Television.

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