America Loves Lucy

Lucy’s Baby

Lucille Ball’s new baby brought 44 million viewers to the show and graced the cover of the first national issue of TV Guide in 1953. TV Guide soon became the most popular periodical in the country.

Americans loved situation comedies — sitcoms. In the 1950s, I Love Lucy topped the ratings charts.

The show broke new ground by including a Cuban-American character (Ricky Ricardo, played by bandleader Desi Arnaz) and dealing with Lucille Ball’s pregnancy, though Lucy was never filmed from the waist down while she was pregnant. Forty-four million Americans tuned in to welcome her newborn son to the show.
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