By the late 1950’s Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz’s marriage was sadly coming to an end. As a “last ditch effort” attempt to possibly rekindle what was left, they went on a trip to Europe in May of 1959. What should have been a getaway of just the two of them became a mini entourage that included their children, Lucie and Desi Jr., Lucy’s cousin Cleo and her husband Ken Morgan.
The group traveled to London, Paris and Rome from the end of May to early June. This was the passport Desi carried with him on that trip. Issued on April 21, 1959 this U.S. Passport includes a handsome photo of Mr. Arnaz, multiple signatures, the addresses in Beverly Hills and Del Mar, plus all the original visa stamps entering and exiting various countries.
In November 1959 Desi left the country alone, going back to Europe as he and Lucy’s marrage was all but over by that point. The visa stamps from this trip are also present. The estate created “Lucy & Desi: The Real Life Scrapbook of America’s Favorite TV Couple” in 2004 which includes copies of documents and photos throughout their lives. This passport was used in that book to illustrate that particular time in their relationship.
