Wide not tall says on 24/Aug/11
He did look average, 173 in his time.

Gained weight instead says on 20/Aug/11
No more than 173. He always wore thick shoes and lifts as well as havin big hair to appear taller.

Very short and stocky says on 12/Aug/11
177cm is with hair and shoes. 180cm would be with lifts. Desi was no more than 172-173.

Very short and stocky says on 12/Aug/11
Actually its because Lucy had big hair, Desi wasnt quite five nine, more like 5,8-5,8.5 at most, which was average at the time.

Diane says on 3/Aug/11
In the episode where they are driving to California and they end up staying in a cabin, by a railroad, the 4 of them are in pjs., and no heels or shoes. Lucy is definitely the tallest of the 4, Frawley the shortest.

Lebensdorf says on 3/Jul/11
In a couple of episodes, Rock Hudson and John Wayne guest star. Those guys were 6'5 and 6'4 respectively, and Arnaz didn't look shorter than 5'9 next to them, and he could have passed for 5'10.

richinkle says on 8/Jun/11
William Frawley was closer to 5'-7". Vivian Vance was 5'-6" (this was stated on "The Lucy Show" during one episode). Lucille Ball was 5'-7 1/2", and Desi Arnaz was 5'-9 1/2" (His army records have his height listed as 5'-10".

James J. says on 14/May/11
When standing next to 5'5" William Frawley on various "Lucy" shows, Des, in his two-inch plus elevators, looked maybe three inches, perhaps four, taller than Frawley.

Somewhat stocky says on 10/May/11
I think Desi was more 5'8-5'8.5 than 5'9. Lucille is actually 5'6.5.

richinkle says on 12/Apr/11
In an episode of I Love Lucy, Desi Arnaz claimed he was 5' - 11 1/2". Clearly a stretch. His US Army records put his height at 5'-10". I think 5'- 9 1/2" is pretty close. He was less than 2" taller than Lucille Ball, who was around 5'-7" to 5'-7 1/2".

genevieve au says on 17/Feb/11
in their jammies and no footwear, lucy looked a bit taller than desi; why was that so hard for them to accept??

marji says on 17/Feb/11
when they were both barefoot, he looked an inch shorter than lucy; he was no more than 5'6" tall, & if they ever told the truth, they'd have most likely admitted to 5'5"!

Jason says on 10/Feb/11
When standing next to a standard 6'8" door in films we have proportionally calculated that Desi was only about 5'8" tall. Like Frank Sinatra, also short, Desi often wore platform shoes which you can see in many of his dance routines with the band. Hollywood stars are often far shorter than they appear on TV or film. Only their egos are gigantic in many cases. Also if they seem to always walk extremely erect that is a dead giveaway they are short. Just like short politicians that look like their head is trying to stretch their neck to gain an inch.