When Tom Tyler made “Valley of theSun” with its leading female star Lucille Ball – he portrayed Geronimo – he had no
idea she would end up inviting him to have lunch with her one day on
the set. Filmed in Taos, New Mexico, Tom, Lucy, and her husband Desi
had lunch at La Fonda Hotel, according to a story in Photoplay, January 1942.
One can only wonder what was going through Desi's head when he saw
his wife invite their co-star to dine with them – perhaps a hint of
jealousy yet curious and admirable, getting to sit next to one of
Hollywood's top athletes of the decade. There is one existing photo
of Tom sitting next to Desi (which I assume is from La Fonda Hotel,
unless Lucy invited him to dine again with her and Desi):
It looks like Tom is enjoying himself
with his present company. No doubt Tom made a delightful dinner
partner with his polite yet shy demeanor, perhaps sharing a story or
joke with his companions. Lucy most likely enjoyed the few free
moments she had to speak with Tom during the filming of “Valley of
the Sun”, when not posing for photo shoots like this one:
Lucy's expression is not so surprising,
I can almost hear her think, “I wish I married you instead of that
Cuban.” Desi's ubiquitous answer would be: “Start 'splainin'.”
Tom was so sexy in so many ways.
ReplyDelete