‘She was bigger than life’
By Stephanie Nolasco for Fox News
EXCLUSIVE: Keith Thibodeaux still loves Lucy.
The former child star, who famously played Little Ricky in “I Love Lucy,” is coming forward in a new documentary on Reelz titled “Lucille Ball: We Love Lucy.”
The special, which features interviews with Carol Burnett, Suzanne Somers, Lily Tomlin and Debra Messing, among others, details how Hollywood’s most famous redhead broke barriers as a star and created a new path for female entertainers today. It also explores Lucille Ball’s marriage to Desi Arnaz, as well as her final years before passing away in 1989 at age 77.
Thibodeaux, who is now the executive director of Ballet Magnificant! in Mississippi, spoke to Fox News about was it like auditioning for “I Love Lucy,” his relationship with Ball and Arnaz, whether William Frawley and Vivian Vance got along, as well as how he feels about the series today.
Fox News: What was it like auditioning for the role of “Little Ricky?”
Keith Thibodeaux: I must have been barely 5 years old. I had played drums professionally on the road with a big band called the Horace Heidt [Orchestra]. We were on hiatus. My dad had a friend who was connected with Hollywood in terms of auditions. So he told my dad about the part of Little Ricky. It was an expanded role and they were [looking] for someone a little older. The Little Ricky character had previously been played by two sets of twins as infants. But at this point, they were looking to write more stories with him.
I remember my dad told me, “Keith, this is something really big.” He got my hair ready and… I was looking like Little Ricky. As a child, I was unaware of how important this show was, but I got from my dad that this was a very important audition. So I got on the set and there was Lucy. She was bigger than life. She looked at me and said to my dad, “Well, he’s a cute kid. What does he do?” And my dad said, “Well, he actually plays the drums.” She couldn’t believe it. And she said, “Well, there’s a set of drums over here on the set. Why don’t you go over there have him play?” Read more from Fox News.
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