who played little ricky as a baby on i love lucy
Ricky Ricardo, Jr. Enrique Alberto Ricardo IV, "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 was played by a number of actors, including James John Ganzer, twins Richard and Ronald Lee Simmons, twins Michael and Joseph Mayer[1] and, most notably, Keith Thibodeaux, billed as Little Ricky. Although the I Love Lucy announcer and the opening credits of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour gave his stage name as "Little Ricky", in his post-Lucy acting career, particularly his four-year irregular stint on The Andy Griffith Show, he was billed as Richard Keith.[2]
The Lucy Show The show began with Lucille Ball as Lucy Carmichael, a widow with two children, Chris (Candy Moore) and Jerry (Jimmy Garrett), living in the fictional town of Danfield, New York, sharing her home with divorced friend Vivian Bagley (Vance) and her son, Sherman (Ralph Hart). In order to get Vance to commit to the series, Arnaz acquiesced to her demands for an increase in salary, co-star billing, a more attractive wardrobe and, finally, that her character's name be Vivian. After doing I Love Lucy, she was still being called Ethel by people on the street, much to her unhappiness.[2] Although the book on which the show was based, (Irene Kampen's Life Without George), centered on two divorcÃ©es living together in the same house raising their children, it was decided early on that the Lucy Carmichael character should instead be a widow. The consensus was that fans would be offended with a Lucy who was divorced, despite the fact that this was a new character and Ball herself was divorced. The character of Vivian Bagley became the first divorced woman on primetime television.[3]