#tbt - The Baby the World Awaited

Today -- somewhere in the world -- someone is watching reruns of the classic 1950s American TV comedy, “I Love Lucy.”

In vintage black and white, the zany adventures of housewife Lucy Ricardo, her Cuban entertainer-husband Ricky Ricardo (portrayed by real-life spouse Desi Arnaz), and their neighbors, the Mertzes, entertained viewers as a weekly sitcom for six seasons.*

For the show’s stars and their audience, “I Love Lucy” became a genuine case of art imitating life.

In the 1953 episode titled “Lucy Goes To The Hospital,” ** Lucy-the-TV-character gives birth to “Little Ricky,” who would later be portrayed by a child actor. The pregnancy was written into the show due to the real-life pregnancy of its star, Lucille Ball.

The show and the dual pregnancies so captivated the country that newspapers including the Middletown Journal kept readers apprised of Lucille Ball’s condition. ***

On January 19, 1953, the actress-comedienne  gave birth to her second child, Desiderio Alberto Arnaz IV. The baby the world awaited, Desi Arnaz Jr.’s sweet color portrait graced the cover of the very first issue of “TV Guide” dated April 3-9, 1953.

Desi Jr. eventually became an entertainer and is perhaps best known as a member of the ‘60s rock group, “Dino, Desi and Billy.” Interestingly, the trio included Dean “Dino” Martin Jr., the son of famous singer-actor Dean Martin.

A testament to its appeal, “I Love Lucy” the sitcom, “has run in syndication for over sixty years, creating one of TV’s most celebrated legacies.” *

“...Over its dominant run, ‘I Love Lucy’ won five Emmy Awards, including two for Best Situation Comedy and one for Lucille Ball as Best Actress in a Continuing Performance…” **

You just can’t argue with the facts:

We still love Lucy.

* “1001 TV Shows You Must Watch Before You Die.” Published in 2015 by Universe Publishing. Available for checkout at MidPointe Library.

** “The Platinum Age of Television - From I Love Lucy to The Walking Dead - How TV Became Terrific” by David Bianculli. Published in 2016 by DoubleDay. Available for checkout at MidPointe Library.

*** Local news articles researched for this blog were :

“Lucy’s Baby Due Today” from January 19, 1953, Middletown Journal.

“Lucy’s Real Story Just like Script -- New Baby is Son” from January 20, 1953, Middletown Journal.

Copies of past issues of the Middletown Journal are available online at

www.midpointelibrary.org > eLibrary > Research Databases > Magazines and Newspapers > Newspaper Archive > Middletown Journal.

They can also be accessed on microfilm at MidPointe’s Middletown location.

If you’re a fan of Lucille Ball, check out MidPointe Library’s collection of all-things-Lucy, including the two books referenced above!

Go to :

www.midpointelibrary.org > Lucille Ball.

And don’t forget to peruse our eLibrary, which contains Hoopla with its literally “hundreds of thousands of free movies, TV shows, full music albums, audiobooks, eBooks, comics and more.”

Go to: www.midpointelibrary.com > eLibrary > Movies and TV Shows

Check out any item with your free MidPointe Library Card, available at any of our five locations : Middletown, West Chester, Trenton, Monroe and Liberty Township (second floor, Liberty Center).

The image of the TV Guide cover, dated April 3-9, 1953, is from Google.