I LOVE LUCY

With the baby due momentarily, Lucy is trying to remain cool and calm, despite Ricky's nervous demeanor (Lucy to Ethel: "he keeps staring at me like I'm going to explode."), so she invites the Mertzes over to act as buffers.

Pretty soon, Lucy has to contend with three nervous Nellies, so she retires to the bedroom to rest. Meanwhile, Ricky suggests that the three of them "rehearse" Lucy's trip to the hospital so that when the time comes, it can be carried out with dispatch.

Ethel is charged with phoning Lucy's doctor, Joe Harris; Fred promises to take care of the suitcase; and Ricky will see to it that Lucy is prepared for the taxi ride. They rehears their roles twice and all goes smoothly, until Lucy appears in the doorway and calmly announces: "Ricky, this is it."

Despite the careful and tranquil preliminaries, pandemonium results and it's a minor miracle that Lucy arrives at the hospital at all. While Lucy is taken to her room (354), Ricky retreats to the fathers' waiting area where he encounters Mr. Stanley, the father of six girls.

Realizing he has little time to get to his nightclub job, Ricky asks Fred to bring his makeup kit "for the voodoo number" to the hospital. In full witch-doctor drag, Ricky departs hurriedly for the Tropicana, leaving Fred to do the parental pacing. Lucy finally delivers a boy, and Ricky races back to the hospital for his first look (and fainting spell) at Ricky Ricardo, Jr.

Special Notes: Dr. Joseph Harris was Lucille Balls' physician. This episode, seen by more people than any other TV show of its time. It was the highest rated TV show in history with 71.7% of all American television sets were tuned in. This episode is one of Desi Arnaz's favorites.