Pepito and Joanne

Pepito and Joanne

This is when, and where, and how Pepito first met Lucille Ball, in 1938 on the set of RKO’s “Annabel Takes a Tour.” In the photo above, Pepito is the accordion player, and Lucille Ball is the character Annabel, reclining in bed. Lucille was well-known for making friends with everyone on set; this was the beginning of their friendship. Although in later years, Pepito would be known as Desi’s pal, in actuality he was Lucille’s friend first. It wasn’t until two years after “Annabel Takes a Tour,” in 1940, that Lucille first met Desi on the set of RKO’s picture “Too Many Girls.”

The plot of “Annabel Takes a Tour”: Zany actress Annabel goes on a promotional tour in this lively comedy, the second in the "Annabel" series. During her tour, she allows her promoter to "leak" a story that she is having a romantic fling with a famous song-writer. The ploy is successful until she really does fall in love with the tunesmith and decides to abandon her acting career to be with him. Unfortunately, he is already married.

When movie star Natalie Preston outscores her rival Annabel Allison in a popularity contest, Annabel's publicist, Lanny Morgan, decides that drastic measures are needed to revive his client's career. Consequently, on a good will tour to promote Annabel's latest movie, Lanny, as a stunt, uses the calling card of Viscount Ronald River-Clyde to send flowers to Annabel. Sure that the flowers are legitimate, Annabel, who previously lamented Natalie's marriage to a count, calls the viscount at his hotel room and insists that they have a rendezvous. At first confused, the viscount, who is a proper married man, is convinced by Lanny to indulge Annabel as a way of securing publicity for his new novel. Lovestruck, Annabel states her intention to give up show business and go off with the viscount, but the clever Lanny talks her into making one last appearance before her adoring public. After announcing her retirement and introducing the viscount, a woman and child rush the movie theater stage and declare that they are the viscount's wife and child. Annabel soon sees through the ruse, but then is forced to confront the real Mrs. River-Clyde and her four children, who appear with papers and lawyers. With Lanny and the studio head in tow, Annabel flees to the train station, followed by the angry viscount and his family. Both parties get on the same train, but the caboose in which Annabel and company are hiding detaches en route and rolls off into the sunset.