Lucille Ball’s groundbreaking show,I Love Lucyis widely considered the first great TV sitcom. Its situational premise and Ball’s performance as her legendary alter-ego, Lucy Ricardo, played a pivotal role in putting television’s defining comedy genre on the map. Yet, the show may not be as lighthearted as it seems, according to a sinister theory that originated in 2016.
As well as being one of thebest sitcoms of all time,I Love Lucymay contain a dark and disturbing subtext about Lucy Ricardo’s backstory. The story goes thatLucy’s father is actually a murderous crime boss, from whom she estranged having been placed on the FBI’s witness protection program.
This theory suggests that her life as a New York housewife inI Love Lucyis simply a cover for her connections to organized crime (viaCracked). Whether or not you give credence to this hypothesis, it’s certainly worth exploring.
A Viral I Love Lucy Fan Theory States That Lucy Is Hiding From Her Crime Family In Witness Protection
The Theory Suggests Lucy Ricardo’s Father Is A Mafioso
It’s easy to believe that there’s nothing more to Lucy Ricardo’s life than being a homemaker who aspires to perform on the stage or screen, as thefunniestI Love Lucyquotesand visual gags seem to emphasize. However, some of the show’s most intriguing subplots suggest otherwise. The complete absence of Lucy’s father from the series is particularly suspicious.
The protagonist’s mother comes up regularly, and is a recurring character in the show. Buther father doesn’t even get a passing mention, suggesting that there’s something about him that needs to be hidden.
A viral theory about Lucy’s supposed mafia connections draws a link between her father’s absence andher origins in Jamestown, New York, which is a short distance from where the notorious Buffalo crime family is based. The family was at the height of its activity between the 1930s and 1960s, a time period which fits right into thisI Love Lucytheory.
In addition, actor Frank Nelson plays various roles inI Love Lucy, from TV host Freddie Fillmore to Lucy’s neighbor Ralph Ramsey, while making little effort to disguise his appearance. The same face appearing again and again in different settings throughout the series makes it look as though Lucy is being followed. Indeed, she could be — by the FBI.
Perhaps Nelson’s character is really a federal agent assigned to watch over Lucy, as a condition of her participation in the FBI’s witness protection program, to keep her away from her estranged crime family. Although it may seem far-fetched at first, this theory could explain some of Lucy Ricardo’s more outlandish behavior.
Lucy’s Schemes Seem A Lot More Mafia-Like After Reading This Fan Theory
She Regularly Commits The Kind Of Crimes Befitting A Mobster
Many of Lucy’s actions in the show go beyond whimsical misdemeanors, and would be characterized as serious criminal offences in real life. Her schemes include stealing jewelry from a bank, staging an assassination to threaten her tenant, using a grocery store as a front for a credit scam, defrauding a butcher, and cutting off an entire neighborhood’s power.
Some of Lucy’s elaborate schemes seem straight out ofThe Godfather’s playbook.
Let’s not forget that Lucy also fakes a kidnapping, blackmails people with recorded conversations, and hides a Tommy gun in a guitar case. These aren’t just any crimes, butthe exact behavior of someone involved in the mob.
Lucy also seems to have friends in inexplicably high places, judging by how readily she’s able to carry out elaborate schemes, from getting a group of kids to pose as her children to hiringSuperman for her son’s birthday party inI Love Lucy’s most famous crossover episode. The latter story seems straight out ofThe Godfather’s playbook.
Funnily enough, the fan theory connecting Lucy Ricardo to the mafia mirrors Desi Arnaz’s real-life run-in with the mob (viaCBR). As well as playing Lucy’s husband inI Love Lucy, Arnaz was Lucille Ball’s husband in real life.
Desi Arnaz co-produced the TV seriesThe Untouchablesfrom 1959, via the production company he founded with Lucille Ball. The mafia-themed show drew the ire of real-life mob bosses, who initially attempted to have it taken off the air, and allegedly ordered a hit on Arnaz.
Maybe there’s something to the theory after all. Still, the majority ofI Love Lucy’s fans would no doubt balk at the suggestion that the show’s iconic central character is somehow involved in organized crime.
