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Life After Lucy: The True Story of "I Love Lucy'S" Little Ricky
The former drumming prodigy recalls his career as a child actor on the "I Love Lucy" television show and his life after it all went bad
239 pages, Paperback
First published December 31, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 20, 2018
This book is biographical and inspirational as Keith Thibodeaux tells his story of growing up as "Little Ricky" on the I Love Lucy television show.
With the eyes of a five year old, Keith describes the Arnaz family. He continues the story into his adult life with interesting tidbits, revealing the real Arnaz characters that impacted his life and became like a second family.
Keith gives an honest raw account of his battles with fame, drugs, depression and relationships and his transition to a new life in Christ. This was a good read and the photo section filled with memories of the show is a nice addition.
With the eyes of a five year old, Keith describes the Arnaz family. He continues the story into his adult life with interesting tidbits, revealing the real Arnaz characters that impacted his life and became like a second family.
Keith gives an honest raw account of his battles with fame, drugs, depression and relationships and his transition to a new life in Christ. This was a good read and the photo section filled with memories of the show is a nice addition.
October 21, 2022
Keith Thibodeaux was born in Lafayette, Louisiana and as a little boy, he had a natural ability of playing the drums and was playing professionally with the Horace Heidt Orchestra. As a young prodigy, his father came out to Hollywood and brought his son to an audition for the part of “Little Ricky” at the “I Love Lucy” production set. When Thibodeaux played the drums for Lucille Ball which were on the set, Lucille was so impressed, she said, she had found her “Little Ricky.”
Thibodeaux describes his adventures of working on the show. He says that Lucille Ball was very business-minded, while her husband Desi Arnaz, was warmer and friendlier to Thibodeaux. His professional acting name became “Keith Richard,” as it was felt that Thibodeaux was too hard to pronounce.
Thibodeaux would become friends with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz’s children, particularly Desi, Jr., who was just a couple of years younger than him. They would pal around, but Thibodeaux got into mischief and would drag Desi, Jr. into his schemes. One time, Lucille Ball got so mad at Thibodeaux for the trouble he got into with her son, that she would not allow the boys to see each other again for several months.
Since Thibodeaux generally hung around the Arnaz family, he was often at their California mansion. He was subjected to hearing and seeing some of the arguments between Desi Arnaz and his wife, and realized that they had some marital problems. He also noticed Desi Arnaz had a temper and when he drank, it would be scary for the young Thibodeaux, although Desi Arnaz was never mean towards him.
Thibodeaux’s father had to be the parental guidance on the set and Thibodeaux said that on some shows it looks like he was staring out into space, but he was actually looking at his father, who would help him if he forgot a line. He was not very good with remembering long dialogue, so the writers gave him shorter lines to memorize. His mother would stay home and be the good wife raising his brothers and sisters.
After the “I Love Lucy” show, Thibodeaux played a friend of Ron Howard’s “Opie” on “The Andy Griffith Show” named Johnny Paul Jason. He never got as close to Ron Howard as he did Desi Arnaz, Jr.
Thibodeaux made a few more appearances on television, including “The Lucy Show,” where unfortunately most of his scene was cut.
Thibodeaux ended up moving back south with his mother, when her marriage broke up due to his father having an affair with a younger woman he met in California. As a teenager in the 1960s, Thibodeaux experimented with drugs and joined a rock band “David and the Giants” as a drummer. He writes about the groupie girls and the partying and drugs. Thibodeaux mentions his anger over his father’s divorce. He also felt responsible because he felt his father met the young woman in California because of him being in California on the “I Love Lucy” show, although his mother assured him that none was his fault. Also, like a lot of former child actors, he felt like he lost his sense of purpose.
Eventually he leaves the band and gets involved with Christianity, which helps him rid himself of his drug addictions and gives him a new direction and purpose in his life. He becomes a born-again Christian and convinces “David and the Giants” to recreate itself as a Christian Rock Bank. As a member of this newly reinvented band, he feels much happier.
He meets his wife Kathy Denton, a professional ballet dancer, through a friend. They would have one daughter, Tara, who also would later grow up to become a dancer as well.
I enjoyed this book. It was mostly interesting to read about the relationship Thibodeaux had with Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball and their children. He says that he still keeps in touch with Desi, Jr. and his sister, Lucie. What a nice experience for him.
Thibodeaux describes his adventures of working on the show. He says that Lucille Ball was very business-minded, while her husband Desi Arnaz, was warmer and friendlier to Thibodeaux. His professional acting name became “Keith Richard,” as it was felt that Thibodeaux was too hard to pronounce.
Thibodeaux would become friends with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz’s children, particularly Desi, Jr., who was just a couple of years younger than him. They would pal around, but Thibodeaux got into mischief and would drag Desi, Jr. into his schemes. One time, Lucille Ball got so mad at Thibodeaux for the trouble he got into with her son, that she would not allow the boys to see each other again for several months.
Since Thibodeaux generally hung around the Arnaz family, he was often at their California mansion. He was subjected to hearing and seeing some of the arguments between Desi Arnaz and his wife, and realized that they had some marital problems. He also noticed Desi Arnaz had a temper and when he drank, it would be scary for the young Thibodeaux, although Desi Arnaz was never mean towards him.
Thibodeaux’s father had to be the parental guidance on the set and Thibodeaux said that on some shows it looks like he was staring out into space, but he was actually looking at his father, who would help him if he forgot a line. He was not very good with remembering long dialogue, so the writers gave him shorter lines to memorize. His mother would stay home and be the good wife raising his brothers and sisters.
After the “I Love Lucy” show, Thibodeaux played a friend of Ron Howard’s “Opie” on “The Andy Griffith Show” named Johnny Paul Jason. He never got as close to Ron Howard as he did Desi Arnaz, Jr.
Thibodeaux made a few more appearances on television, including “The Lucy Show,” where unfortunately most of his scene was cut.
Thibodeaux ended up moving back south with his mother, when her marriage broke up due to his father having an affair with a younger woman he met in California. As a teenager in the 1960s, Thibodeaux experimented with drugs and joined a rock band “David and the Giants” as a drummer. He writes about the groupie girls and the partying and drugs. Thibodeaux mentions his anger over his father’s divorce. He also felt responsible because he felt his father met the young woman in California because of him being in California on the “I Love Lucy” show, although his mother assured him that none was his fault. Also, like a lot of former child actors, he felt like he lost his sense of purpose.
Eventually he leaves the band and gets involved with Christianity, which helps him rid himself of his drug addictions and gives him a new direction and purpose in his life. He becomes a born-again Christian and convinces “David and the Giants” to recreate itself as a Christian Rock Bank. As a member of this newly reinvented band, he feels much happier.
He meets his wife Kathy Denton, a professional ballet dancer, through a friend. They would have one daughter, Tara, who also would later grow up to become a dancer as well.
I enjoyed this book. It was mostly interesting to read about the relationship Thibodeaux had with Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball and their children. He says that he still keeps in touch with Desi, Jr. and his sister, Lucie. What a nice experience for him.
July 11, 2008
Once again, this is a book I read when I was 11 and wanted to get all the information about "I Love Lucy" as I could. This book was very good when recounting Keith's life as Little Ricky and even his stories about his drug addiction in the 60's and 70's was interesting. Everything after that was sort of boring and I rushed through it just to be finished.
April 6, 2024
I loved it.
Keith told of his time in Hollywood, which he was pushed by his father to get into show business. He didn't pursue it as it wasn't what he really wanted to do. He told that he enjoyed his time, but it wasn't his dream. I enjoyed reading how he was/is close to the Arnaz family and that he was part of their family off screen even after "I Love Lucy" was over.
He turned his life around although it took him many years.
I love that he saw a purpose and began to put his family and family business on top.
Highly recommended.
Keith told of his time in Hollywood, which he was pushed by his father to get into show business. He didn't pursue it as it wasn't what he really wanted to do. He told that he enjoyed his time, but it wasn't his dream. I enjoyed reading how he was/is close to the Arnaz family and that he was part of their family off screen even after "I Love Lucy" was over.
He turned his life around although it took him many years.
I love that he saw a purpose and began to put his family and family business on top.
Highly recommended.
December 26, 2015
The author certainly has a unique story to tell, about his childhood alongside Lucy & Desi, but that gets somewhat lost in this poorly written book that over-emphasizes his drugged-out rock & roll years. Some of his stories about Lucy and family are special since he not only was on the set of the TV show but Lucy trusted him to be the rare friend for her children, so he often was invited over to their home. Even over the decades he would stay in touch with the family. But he seems to be confused about some of the facts about the show and the stars. It's well known that the reason they stopped doing the weekly show was to save their marriage, yet he doesn't acknowledge that here. And he clams multiple times that Desi "created the rerun," which is patently false since there were other sitcoms airing in reruns when I Love Lucy was on the air.
After his time with the show ends (after Lucy & Desi divorce when a series of I Love Lucy specials don't help the marriage) he only has bit parts in other TV shows and never really achieves any further notoriety. When he moves back to Louisiana (after his parents divorce when his dad is caught cheating with a Desilu co-worker), he ends up in some rock bands and by age 15 he's touring the south. With that comes drugs and a lot of drinking. The way he tells it in the book, he claims no responsibility for his choices and instead blames his distant father. About 100 pages is spent on his rock and roll years, which is way too much and drags the book down with depressing suicidal drug trips.
Out of nowhere he commits his life to Christ but even then he spends the next few years living the wild lifestyle. He meets a ballet dancer and elopes with her after three months of dating. While he continues his vices he preaches to others about the saving grace of Christ, though he never really dedicates himself to living for the Lord until his wife commits her life as well. It's all very confusing, hypocritical, and certainly not the positive testimony he thinks he's giving. Thibodeaux comes across as a needy, scared, wimpy child-in-adult-body who, just as when he worked in Hollywood, is waiting for others to tell him what to do and rescue him.
He uses the last 30-40 pages to cover about 15 years and wrap it all up neatly--but none of it really makes sense. He spends weeks out on the road with his Christian band, abandoning his wife and daughter, while claiming to prioritize them. He turns down deals with major record companies to instead do small independent releases, then complains that the group isn't more famous. He also brags about his group being groundbreaking for contemporary Christian music, but I can tell you as someone who was involved with the movement during that time period that his David and the Giants were a mere blip on the music scene and few even knew about them. The guys seems to want fame and adulation, and his commitment to Christ gave him an avenue to get it.
The lack of self-awareness in the book is high and the writing style is weak. The book was apparently written by Audrey Hingle after she interviewed those who knew Keith (he admits she interviewed Lucie and Desi Jr., but if that's true then why are there almost no quotes from them in this?). But the writing style is so trite and poorly organized that it comes across as a poor college term paper. In the end I can't recommend the book--if you read about him online you pretty much get the bulk of his story without the long depressing middle section where he wastes his life on sex, drugs, and rock & roll. A few pages praising God doesn't make up for the mess that's the rest of the book.
After his time with the show ends (after Lucy & Desi divorce when a series of I Love Lucy specials don't help the marriage) he only has bit parts in other TV shows and never really achieves any further notoriety. When he moves back to Louisiana (after his parents divorce when his dad is caught cheating with a Desilu co-worker), he ends up in some rock bands and by age 15 he's touring the south. With that comes drugs and a lot of drinking. The way he tells it in the book, he claims no responsibility for his choices and instead blames his distant father. About 100 pages is spent on his rock and roll years, which is way too much and drags the book down with depressing suicidal drug trips.
Out of nowhere he commits his life to Christ but even then he spends the next few years living the wild lifestyle. He meets a ballet dancer and elopes with her after three months of dating. While he continues his vices he preaches to others about the saving grace of Christ, though he never really dedicates himself to living for the Lord until his wife commits her life as well. It's all very confusing, hypocritical, and certainly not the positive testimony he thinks he's giving. Thibodeaux comes across as a needy, scared, wimpy child-in-adult-body who, just as when he worked in Hollywood, is waiting for others to tell him what to do and rescue him.
He uses the last 30-40 pages to cover about 15 years and wrap it all up neatly--but none of it really makes sense. He spends weeks out on the road with his Christian band, abandoning his wife and daughter, while claiming to prioritize them. He turns down deals with major record companies to instead do small independent releases, then complains that the group isn't more famous. He also brags about his group being groundbreaking for contemporary Christian music, but I can tell you as someone who was involved with the movement during that time period that his David and the Giants were a mere blip on the music scene and few even knew about them. The guys seems to want fame and adulation, and his commitment to Christ gave him an avenue to get it.
The lack of self-awareness in the book is high and the writing style is weak. The book was apparently written by Audrey Hingle after she interviewed those who knew Keith (he admits she interviewed Lucie and Desi Jr., but if that's true then why are there almost no quotes from them in this?). But the writing style is so trite and poorly organized that it comes across as a poor college term paper. In the end I can't recommend the book--if you read about him online you pretty much get the bulk of his story without the long depressing middle section where he wastes his life on sex, drugs, and rock & roll. A few pages praising God doesn't make up for the mess that's the rest of the book.
December 19, 2015
I enjoy anything pertaining to Lucy. "Little Ricky's" autobiography is very interesting. I'm pretty sure I read this book years ago, but when I saw him selling his books at his wife's ballet company's performance, I had to buy it and have him autograph it for me. Just reread it. He has a remarkable Christian testimony and played the drums for David & the Giants whose music I enjoyed back in the 90's. The insights into Lucy and Desi's personalities was a bonus.
June 5, 2009
Great book. Great story. My friend Keith Thibodeaux is a remarkable human being. Couldn't find a nicer, more sincere guy.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews