Lucille was one of the first women to ever portray a real-life pregnancy on TV, and it was a sensation both on-screen and in real life. Actually, Lucille gave birth only 12 hours before her onscreen counterpart gave birth on the TV show!
The episode raked in a record-breaking audience of 44 million viewers, surpassing even Dwight Eisenhower’s inauguration into the presidency, which brought 29 million.
The First Woman Without a Husband on TV
Back in the 1950s, it was unheard of for a woman to be acting on TV on her own. She usually played the part of a wife and a mother, or at least had a male co-star. That is, of course, until Lucille Ball.
Lucille Ball was one of the first women to act on her own in a series. Just her, no husband, no man, not even as a co-star. She could pull off the show all by herself.
Ball and Desi Lied About Their Ages
Back in the 1950s, it was not common, and even frowned upon, for a woman to be older than her husband.
Lucille was actually six years older than Arnaz, but after they got married, they decided the smartest thing to do was to lie to the press about it, to avoid any issues or controversies. So, they officially listed their birth dates as 1914.
CBS Network Didn't Allow the Word 'Pregnant'
Even though she not only said she was pregnant but wrote it into the show and brought a record-breaking number of viewers with it, but she did all this in a time where the network didn’t even allow her or the rest of the cast to say the word ‘pregnant’ on TV. Why? CBS considered the word to be too vulgar.
Not so shocking, since we are talking about a time where sex was extremely taboo, especially when it came to women.
Lucy’s Mother Was There for Every Recording
For those who were regular watchers of the show, the memory of someone yelling in awe every time Lucy got into one of her conundrums might come up.
That person yelling was Lucy’s mother, Desiree Ball, or DeDe Ball, as she was affectionately called. DeDe was there for the recording of every single 'I Love Lucy' episode.