Ricky Ricardo, Jr.

Enrique Alberto Ricardo IV, better known as Little Ricky, is a fictional character from the American television series ''I Love Lucy'' (1951–57, with Ricky Jr. becoming a part of the show as of his birth in 1953) and ''The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour'' (1957–60). Little Ricky is the son of Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. Little Ricky lives with his parents in a New York brownstone apartment building, which is owned and run by his godparents. During the series' final season, the family moves to a suburban house in Westport, Connecticut.

Portrayers

Little Ricky was played by a number of actors. ''In utero'', he was portrayed by who would become Desi Arnaz Jr., as Lucy Ricardo's pregnancy coincided with the pregnancy of her portrayer Lucille Ball; the show's writers decided shortly before Desi Jr.'s birth that Little Ricky would be a boy, as Ball and Desi Arnaz Sr. already had a daughter (Lucie Arnaz) and, since it would likely be the 41-year-old Ball's last pregnancy, it might have been Arnaz Sr.'s only opportunity to father a boy. When Desi Jr. was indeed born male, writer Jess Oppenheimer joked that he was "the greatest writer in the world." Those who portrayed Little Ricky after birth included James John Ganzer and two sets of twins (following television policy at the time): Richard and Ronald Lee Simmons, and Michael and Joseph Mayer. When Little Ricky was aged to an older child, Keith Thibodeaux, a child prodigy drummer, was hired to portray Little Ricky and was credited solely as "Little Ricky" throughout his time on the show. (He would assume the stage name Richard Keith after ''The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour'' ended.)

Because of his work on ''I Love Lucy'', Thibodeaux would spend much time and become close friends with Desi Arnaz Jr. and Lucie Arnaz; he would eventually teach Arnaz Jr. how to drum, which Arnaz Jr. would later put to use as a member of Dino, Desi & Billy.

Fictional character biography

Lucy finds out she was expecting Little Ricky on the Season 2 episode "Lucy is Enceinte." The episode in which he is born, "Lucy goes to the Hospital," was aired on January 19, 1953, the same day as the birth of Lucille Ball's actual son, Desi Arnaz Jr.

*Mother: Lucy Ricardo, played by Lucille Ball
*Father: Ricky Ricardo, played by Desi Arnaz
*Maternal Grandmother: Mrs. MacGillicuddy, played by Kathryn Card
*Godfather: Fred Mertz played by William Frawley
*Godmother: Ethel Mertz played by Vivian Vance
*Babysitter: Mrs. Matilda Trumball played by Elizabeth Patterson
*Classmates: Stevie Appleby and Bruce Ramsey.

Little Ricky's father buys him a set of drums in the season 6 episode "Little Ricky Learns to play the Drums," after he shows he can carry a beat while tapping his spoon on a glass during a family breakfast. His parents enroll him in a music school where he is the only drummer, where he forms a band named "Ricky Ricardo and the Dixieland Band." Little Ricky experiences stage fright before his first music school recital but seems to overcome stage fright as he performs comfortably in many other episodes, such as "The Ricardos Visit Cuba," where he plays the conga drum alongside his father; "Little Ricky's School Pageant," where he plays the lead; and "Ragtime Band," where Little Ricky plays the drums alongside his mother and godparents.

Episode appearances

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ricardo, Ricky Jr.
Child characters in television
American male characters in sitcoms
Fictional characters from Connecticut
Fictional characters from New York City
I Love Lucy characters
Television characters introduced in 1953