“I love Lucy and she loves me. We’re as happy as two can be.” Ricky Ricardo sings these words to his wife, Lucy Ricardo, as the band and guests at the Tropicana nightclub sing along. I Love Lucy ran for six seasons and continues to influence television nearly 70 years after its final episode aired.
Among the many ways Lucy, Ricky, Fred, and Ethel have impacted our lives in the current era is through life lessons. This week, we will explore three things we’ve learned from Ricky Ricardo (real name Desi Arnaz).
Life Lessons From Ricky Ricardo
Lesson #1: Boldness matters
Ricky is not shy. He is a bold performer who leads his band with excellence. Ricky is also someone who is brave enough to ask for promotions.
Season 1, Episode 33, of I Love Lucy presents Ricky as one who petitions his boss for the job of nightclub manager. He is initially turned down due to Lucy’s tardiness for a business dinner a few nights before. Ricky, however, doesn’t give up. The band leader tells his boss about his decision to put his wife on a schedule as a way of helping her better manage time throughout the day.
Another example of Ricky’s boldness comes during season four of the series. Ricky’s film has been shelved, which leads to uncertainty. Will the Ricardos and Mertzes have to pack their bags and leave Hollywood? How quickly will they need to head back to New York? Will Ricky even be compensated for the work he’s put into the film thus far?
Ricky does not sit around and wait for the answers to come to him. Instead, he goes down to the studio to demand an explanation. Of course, everything works out in the end as Ricky is selected for another film and the crew gets to stay in Hollywood for several more weeks. The boldness of the band leader, though, shines through before we know the outcome.
Lesson #2: Diligence pays off
Ricky is a musician who traveled from Cuba to make his dreams of being an entertainer in the United States a reality. His commitment to such a goal is evident throughout the series.
Ricardo does not get caught up in the glitz and glamor of Hollywood to the degree of forgetting his roots. In fact, Ricky is eager to get back to work at the Tropicana immediately after wrapping up filming for his debut movie. The Ricardos and Mertzes stay in Tinseltown a bit longer at the request of Lucy, Ethel, and Fred. Ricky, however, remains grounded in his role as a band leader.
Ricky’s diligence is seen even after moving to the country and becoming a suburbanite. He travels by train everyday to New York to work at the nightclub. The band leader could easily pass on his duties to others as he is part owner of the place by season six. Ricardo, however, remains engaged at the place where he got his big break as an entertainer.
Lesson #3: It’s Important to live within your means
The final lesson Ricky Ricardo teaches us is the importance of living within your means.
We gradually see the Ricardos come into the good life. Lucy goes from pretending to have a home in the country to actually living in suburbia. The Ricardos go from not being able to comfortably fly from New York to Hollywood for Ricky’s movie gig to being able to make a stop in Cuba while flying back to The Big Apple from Florida.
Still, even with Lucy and Ricky coming into wealth, we see Ricky committed to living within his means. The band leader is not afraid to say, “I can’t afford it.” He fearlessly tells Lucy to return goods and services that are outside of their budget.
It’s certainly not a matter of Ricky not being able to afford the finer things in life. He, after all, purchased a brand new convertible Pontiac with all the bells and whistles during season four. Mr. Ricardo would much rather not overwhelm his wallet with unnecessary debt. And he would also like to “make money on the deal” as much as possible.
We Love Ricky
Ricky Ricardo is the firm foundation that helps make his and Lucy’s house a home. He is home whether in Cuba or in the United States because of his diligence, boldness, and determination to stay in his lane.
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Photo: Repeating Islands