Lucy Goes to the Hospital
Encyclopedia
Lucy Goes to the Hospital is an episode of the 1950s American
television show I Love Lucy
in which the title character, Lucy Ricardo, gives birth to her son, "Little Ricky," after a "predictably chaotic" sequence of events. Twelve hours before the broadcast, the actress that played Lucy Ricardo, Lucille Ball
, had given birth to Desi Arnaz, Jr.
by cesarean section. The episode had actually been filmed on November 14, 1952.
The episode was the culmination of an unprecedented pairing of the fictional pregnancy of Lucy with the real-life pregnancy of Lucille Ball; "real-time pregnancy was fictively narrated for the first time on American television."
When the episode premiered on January 19, 1953, 72% of all American homes with television sets tuned in, amounting to 44 million viewers watching the episode. It received higher ratings than the inauguration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower
, which received 29 million viewers, the day afterward. According to the India
n newspaper The Telegraph
, scripts for the episode were reviewed by a rabbi, a minister, and a priest in order to make sure it would not be offensive.
The cover story of Newsweek on January 19, 1953 was about the episode (which had not yet been aired when the issue went to press). The first issue of TV Guide
, dated April 3, 1953, featured a cover photo of newborn Desi Arnaz, Jr.
, captioned as "Lucy's $50,000,000 Baby".
Numerous stories were published about the sex of the baby, which was kept secret until the episode aired; when Ball actually had a boy as Lucy did in the script, headlines proclaimed "Lucy sticks to script: a boy it is!" (New York Daily Mirror
), "TV was right: a boy for Lucille" (New York Daily News
), and "What the Script Ordered" (Life Magazine).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television show I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
in which the title character, Lucy Ricardo, gives birth to her son, "Little Ricky," after a "predictably chaotic" sequence of events. Twelve hours before the broadcast, the actress that played Lucy Ricardo, Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
, had given birth to Desi Arnaz, Jr.
Desi Arnaz, Jr.
Desi Arnaz, Jr. , is an American actor and musician and the son of entertainers Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.-Early life:...
by cesarean section. The episode had actually been filmed on November 14, 1952.
The episode was the culmination of an unprecedented pairing of the fictional pregnancy of Lucy with the real-life pregnancy of Lucille Ball; "real-time pregnancy was fictively narrated for the first time on American television."
When the episode premiered on January 19, 1953, 72% of all American homes with television sets tuned in, amounting to 44 million viewers watching the episode. It received higher ratings than the inauguration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
, which received 29 million viewers, the day afterward. According to the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n newspaper The Telegraph
The Telegraph (Kolkata)
The Telegraph is an Indian daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Kolkata since 1982. It is published by the ABP Group and the newspaper vies with the Times of India for the position of having the widest widest circulation of any newspaper in Eastern India.According to the Audit...
, scripts for the episode were reviewed by a rabbi, a minister, and a priest in order to make sure it would not be offensive.
The cover story of Newsweek on January 19, 1953 was about the episode (which had not yet been aired when the issue went to press). The first issue of TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
, dated April 3, 1953, featured a cover photo of newborn Desi Arnaz, Jr.
Desi Arnaz, Jr.
Desi Arnaz, Jr. , is an American actor and musician and the son of entertainers Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.-Early life:...
, captioned as "Lucy's $50,000,000 Baby".
Numerous stories were published about the sex of the baby, which was kept secret until the episode aired; when Ball actually had a boy as Lucy did in the script, headlines proclaimed "Lucy sticks to script: a boy it is!" (New York Daily Mirror
New York Daily Mirror
The New York Daily Mirror was an American morning tabloid newspaper first published on June 24, 1924, in New York City by the William Randolph Hearst organization as a contrast to their mainstream broadsheets, the Evening Journal and New York American, later consolidated into the New York Journal...
), "TV was right: a boy for Lucille" (New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
), and "What the Script Ordered" (Life Magazine).