Overview
- Keith Thibodeaux, now 74 and credited on the series as Richard Keith, is presented as the last surviving core-cast member and recalls joining at age 4 as Little Ricky.
- He says his drumming earned him the role, recounting an audition where Desi Arnaz joined in before declaring, “I think we found our Little Ricky.”
- He describes performing before a live audience with only one take, noting the strain of playing congas in a Cuba-set episode as an example of the pressure.
- Thibodeaux characterizes Lucille Ball as very demanding about cues and remembers Arnaz as personally supportive, teaching him to fish, ride horses, and swim while welcoming him into the family circle.
- The new TV We Love episode and recent reporting revisit the show's outsized footprint, from record ratings for “Lucy Goes to the Hospital” to fresh family anecdotes highlighted in Todd S. Purdum’s 2025 book.