LUCIE ARNAZ LOOKS PERFECT PLAYING THE ROLE OF MOTHER

DETROIT FREE PRESS

By: SHIRLEY EDER

Date: Saturday, February 19,1983

HOLLYWOOD -- Lunched in the Polo Lounge with Lucie Arnaz and an added attraction. She was at the table when I arrived, noting how great and slim she looked.

"Never mind me. What do you think of my new son, Joseph Henry Luckinbill ?" asked Lucie pointing to something next to her on the banquette. I looked and there was a basket filled with a gorgeous baby boy!

It wasn't easy to settle down to talk after that. You just wanted to coo and squeeze that alert, beautiful baby.

Lucie, who lives in New York with her husband, Larry Luckinbill, was in Hollywood for a few days of interviews about her Universal feature movie, "Second Thoughts."

Lucie, with two-year-old Simon and new baby Joe, were bivouacking at grandma Lucille Ball's house. Grandma was home looking after Simon, while momma and little Joseph lunched out.

The grownups ordered salads. Little Joseph Henry -- well, he had his lunch, too.

Admittedly, I gulped, looked right and left and thought, "Oh, no," when Lucie announced, "It's time for the baby's lunch." I knew, you see, she was nursing!

You're not going to feed him right here in the POLO LOUNGE!" we exclaimed, casing the crowded room.

"Of course I am. And if you'd stop holding up that conspicuous pink napkin in front of us, no one would know."

She was right. I dropped the napkin and not a person glanced our way. Unobtrusively, Lucie picked the baby up, held him closely, and I don't know how she managed, but not even I could tell she was doing anything other than holding a contented baby in her arms as we talked.

Lucie, both you and Larry had been married before. The second time around seems to be working.

"Yup. . it's good. We'll be married to each other for a long time. Larry's really good to me. Look what he gave me, a little person -- two little people. I didn't do so bad either for him, she said smiling at the baby.

"Larry's coming out to join us in Palm Springs. Even these few days away from him, I miss him. But I think it's good to be separated for a couple of days. It makes the romance come back full force. We're together a lot, and we work together so much of the time."

Are you together in "Second Thoughts?"

"Nope. I did that one by myself. But the more I work with Larry, the better actress I become. You think I'm kidding, I'm not. He's such a good actor."

(Luckinbill is recognized as a fine actor and has starred in theatre, motion pictures and on television.)

How come you middle-named Joseph for Henry Fonda?

"Henry died when I was pregnant with Joe. I was very affected by his death because I adored and admired him so much.

"Fonda was a patient in the hospital when I was there having Simon. He sent letters down to my room and called me on the phone. He had Shirlee bring me a special vase from their house with flowers. It meant a lot to me that he cared so much.

"His path and mine crossed several times. When I was doing 'Seesaw,' he was doing 'Clarence Darrow' in the same cities but we could never see each other in the shows because we worked the same days.

"When he died, we still hadn't settled on a middle name so I said to Larry one morning, 'What do you think of Henry, after Fonda?' Larry loved it."

Wasn't your mother's father named Henry?

"Yes, but I totally forgot that. He died when my mother was only four and she seldom talked about him.

"Had we had a girl, we would have named her Katharine Desiree. Desiree was my grandmother's name, and my mother's and my middle name. Katharine was for Hepburn spelled K-a-t-h-a-r-i- n-e, exactly as she spells it. I sent Miss Hepburn a birth announcement for Joseph and told her if it had been a girl, she would have been named for her. We got a note back from Miss Hepburn immediately. I have it with me," she said taking it out of her purse.

Lucie was hesitant about my printing that note because it meant so much to her. Somehow I managed to get her to say, "OK, but use only some of it."

Here is some of Hepburn's lovely note to the Luckinbills: "I think Katharine Desiree showed very good sense and great practicality in delaying her appearance. She's right! The position of girls is still in a parlous state. Better to let Joseph Henry do his stuff. You see she was determined to be president."

After lunch we went over to Big Lucy's house to say "Hi" to her and to meet an amazingly handsome and bright two-year-old named Simon Luckinbill. No wonder Lucie Luckinbill beams with happiness.