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"Lucy Is Enceinte," a 1952 episode of I Love Lucy, wasthe first major TV program to depict a pregnant woman (hence the euphemistic French word for "pregnant" in the title). It was one of the most important episodes of I Love Lucy,which was already groundbreaking in so many ways. While the idea may seem quaint now, allowing Lucille Ball to parallel her real-life pregnancy on the small screen was incredibly controversial. It almost led to the cancellation of her mega-hit show. It took guts, dedication, and conscientiousness for "the pregnancy episode" to make it on air.
The I Love Lucy controversy not only changed television, but it also remains a poignant depiction of one of TV's most beloved couples. These facts tell the wild tale of television's first big pregnancy and the censorship it survived to make history.
Advertisers Balked At The Idea Of A Pregnant Lucille Ball On TV
When Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz discovered she was pregnant, they worried I Love Lucy might be put on hiatus or even canceled. It was highly unusual for pregnant women to appear on television in those days. Advertisers feared a focus on the issue might upset conservative audiences because it would explicitly acknowledge the existence and consequences of intimate relations.
I Love Lucy producer Jess Oppenheimer, however, pushed to include Ball's pregnancy in the show, arguing for a family-friendly approach. Network and advertising heads balked, but I Love Lucy was such a success they acquiesced.
One major worry about showing pregnancy on TV was it would (by necessity) imply intimate activity. Television networks were so apprehensive about such an association Lucy and Ricky Ricardo didn't even sleep in the same bed.
The first known TV couple to sleep in the same bed was on a 1947-1950 show called Johnny and Mary Kay, which starred real-life couple Johnny and Mary Kay Stearns.
The Cast Could Never Say The Word 'Pregnant'
Both CBS and I Love Lucy sponsor Philip Morris were so nervous about the potential impact of the pregnancy episode, each draft of the script received approval by a priest, a rabbi, and a minister.
One of the most challenging aspects of writing the episode was a ban the character had on saying the word "pregnant." Instead, they say Lucy is "expecting," or a similar vague euphemism. The ban was so complete that, as an apparent insider joke, the episode's name "Lucy Is Enceinte," didn't use the term.
Lucille Ball And Desi Arnaz Were Genuinely Teary-Eyed In The Episode's Final Scene
One of the most beloved parts of the pregnancy episode is the final scene. While Ricky is performing at the Tropicana nightclub, he receives an anonymous note from an audience member. It reveals the woman and her husband are about to have a "blessed event" and she wants to break the news to him. The letter is a request for Ricky to sing the song "We're Having a Baby, My Baby and Me."
Ricky obliges and walks through the audience asking who wrote the note. It's Lucy, and when Ricky arrives at her table and discovers she is the mom-to-be, the couple emotionally embrace. The emotions present between them were genuine.
Lucille Ball's Real Pregnancy Played Out On Subsequent Episodes
After the famous pregnancy episode, six additional episodes follow where Lucille Ball becomes visibly pregnant on screen, ending with "Lucy Goes to the Hospital" and the birth of Little Ricky. After the success of "Lucy Is Enceinte," network and advertiser were more relaxed about pregnant TV characters.
However, the on-screen progression of pregnancy is still underrepresented even on modern television, a testament to Ball's courage with such an endeavor.
Lucy's Real Baby And TV Baby Were Born On The Same Day
The "pregnancy arc" concluded with "Lucy Goes to the Hospital," an episode that saw Lucy give birth to a son named Little Ricky. It was a phenomenal success, drawing in more than 44 million viewers.
The episode is especially remarkable because it aired on the same day Lucille Ball gave birth to her son, Desi Arnaz Jr. The "coincidence" of the date was no accident as Ball gave birth by cesarean section, but the matching gender of the baby was a happy surprise.
Desi Arnaz even reportedly joked to writer-producer Jess Oppenheimer, "Lucy followed your script! Ain’t she something?!"
