Neil Posted September 6, 2012 Report Share Posted September 6, 2012 (My photobucket account is "temporarily closed for maintenance", whatever that means. Otherwise I would have posted the flyer for this) "LITTLE RICKY" Listen to the story behind Little Ricky on the I Love Lucy Show. Join Bethany Lutheran Church in presenting JOE MAYER one of the original children to play Little Ricky from 1953-56 Saturday September 8th 1:30-4:00 Space is Limited So Sign up NOW. There is no cost!!!! (all four of these !'s are included in the flyer) Autographs, Reruns and Refreshments following the presentation 3-4 Bethany Lutheran Church 34721 Church Road ST. HELENS, Oregon. (end) Yes, this is the town of 5000 people I grew up in!! 45 minutes from Portland where I live now. Can you believe this?? Anyone who wants to fly in for this "blessed event" is welcome to stay at my place: 3 extra double beds and a couch!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mot Morenzi Posted September 6, 2012 Report Share Posted September 6, 2012 (My photobucket account is "temporarily closed for maintenance", whatever that means. Otherwise I would have posted the flyer for this) "LITTLE RICKY" Listen to the story behind Little Ricky on the I Love Lucy Show. Join Bethany Lutheran Church in presenting JOE MAYER one of the original children to play Little Ricky from 1953-56 Saturday September 8th 1:30-4:00 Space is Limited So Sign up NOW. There is no cost!!!! (all four of these !'s are included in the flyer) Autographs, Reruns and Refreshments following the presentation 3-4 Bethany Lutheran Church 34721 Church Road ST. HELENS, Oregon. (end) Yes, this is the town of 5000 people I grew up in!! 45 minutes from Portland where I live now. Can you believe this?? Anyone who wants to fly in for this "blessed event" is welcome to stay at my place: 3 extra double beds and a couch!! Where's the twin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted September 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 6, 2012 Where's the twin? Over at Mrs. Trumble's or taking a nap with Mrs. McGillicuddy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annaleigh Posted September 6, 2012 Report Share Posted September 6, 2012 Over at Mrs. Trumble's or taking a nap with Mrs. McGillicuddy. This is the best comment I've ever seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leenorman Posted September 6, 2012 Report Share Posted September 6, 2012 (My photobucket account is "temporarily closed for maintenance", whatever that means. Otherwise I would have posted the flyer for this) "LITTLE RICKY" Listen to the story behind Little Ricky on the I Love Lucy Show. Join Bethany Lutheran Church in presenting JOE MAYER one of the original children to play Little Ricky from 1953-56 Saturday September 8th 1:30-4:00 Space is Limited So Sign up NOW. There is no cost!!!! (all four of these !'s are included in the flyer) Autographs, Reruns and Refreshments following the presentation 3-4 Bethany Lutheran Church 34721 Church Road ST. HELENS, Oregon. (end) Yes, this is the town of 5000 people I grew up in!! 45 minutes from Portland where I live now. Can you believe this?? Anyone who wants to fly in for this "blessed event" is welcome to stay at my place: 3 extra double beds and a couch!! I would love to come there; meet you; and join in the fun! Unfortunately, I can't.....Looking VERY forward to your 'start-to-finish' synopsis of the event; with pictures, of course. I can't remember if either of the Mayers have been in Jamestown; but, this seems a single event, and could possibly be lots more entertaining. Keep us posted. Loving you, JK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted September 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2012 I would love to come there; meet you; and join in the fun! Unfortunately, I can't.....Looking VERY forward to your 'start-to-finish' synopsis of the event; with pictures, of course. I can't remember if either of the Mayers have been in Jamestown; but, this seems a single event, and could possibly be lots more entertaining. Keep us posted. Loving you, JK Can anyone think of any questions I might ask him? He can't possibly have any personal recollection of his ILL time, but maybe his mother told him stories. I'll see if I can pick him up like Carolyn Appleby for a photo op. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leenorman Posted September 7, 2012 Report Share Posted September 7, 2012 Can anyone think of any questions I might ask him? He can't possibly have any personal recollection of his ILL time, but maybe his mother told him stories. I'll see if I can pick him up like Carolyn Appleby for a photo op. Hopufully, his mother kept a scrapbook; and he'll have it with him at this event. Scrutinize, scrutinize, please.... JK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted September 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2012 (This posted twice so I'm deleting this one) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted September 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2012 Report on "Little Ricky Visits the Basement of the Lutheran Church in St. Helens Oregon" (the city I grew up in) I surmise that the event was advertized to the church goers only because there was a small crowd. Another factor was that it was on an afternoon on one of the nicest days of the year, weather-wise. The event took place in the church sanctuary and when I entered there, above Christ-on-a-cross, was an I Love Lucy episode running, which if they had done this when I was a kid, I would have gone to Sunday School every week since, and pardon my blasphemy, they finally got my worshiping hierarchy correct. The episode running was "Charm School" and I could not remember Little Ricky in that one. They were just getting to the great part (of one of my favorite episodes) when they shut it off and Joe Mayer started to speak. He was pleasant, affable and engaging. He told the basic story of the ILL genesis and the whole controversy of pregnancy on television. He then opened it up for questions and he appreciated that I was there because I asked a few good ones, and I helped him through a couple of his self-labeled "senior moments" remember names. Because yes, Little Ricky is now SIXTY!! Do you know which one of you (twins) is in which scene? Late in life his mother told him (and I don't why the subject hadn't come up before then) that it was Joe in the crib in "Ricky Minds the Baby" and his brother in John Wayne's cement....which (and I don't know that I'd ever heard this before) was oatmeal. They started at 18 months and by the time of "John Wayne" they were almost 4. They had both just gotten new shoes and neither of them wanted to get them gunky in the cement. It was Lucy who talked the brother into it by saying she would buy him a brand new pair of shoes. Other than those two, he does not know who is who in specific scenes or episodes. He confessed that he has no direct recollection of the series and the info he has came from his mother. A friend of hers, an agent, told her about the audition and at his urging she went, but didn't 'prepare' the twins. There were two other sets: one set dressed in tuxedos; and one in "Ricky Ricardo"-like outfits. She left thinking they wouldn't be chosen but got home to the phone ringing. They were picked because of their dark hair and features made them look vaguely 'latin'. But his mother thought about it and said "no"! Had to be talked into it. He said it was great fun for his mother because she got to hob-nob with these Hollywood celebrities. They brought along a babysitter (a young gal, not a Mrs. Trumble) who was wild about Rock Hudson, who when he found out about this made a personal visit to their trailer. (Rock by all accounts was one of the sweetest guys in Hollywood, and it shows I think). WHY they needed a babysitter with his mother there was unclear unless it freed up his mother to do Lucy-like hobnobbing. His mother had no Elizabeth Patterson or Kathryn Card stories. It was his mother who decided to drop out after the 5th season because they would be going to school and even though studio schooling was offered, she didn't want them to become Hollywood kids. So I don't know which came first, this or the decision to hire Keith Thibideax. His brother lives in the LA region still but does not participate in these types of things because (and Joe paused to pick his words diplomatically) "he's not as....NICE..as I am". Between them he and his wife have TEN kids; 5 each in a Yours Mine and Ours marriage. Speaking of YMO, the only contact they had with Lucy after the show was visiting her on the set of YMO as teenagers. He didn't say why they chose this time or why they went to see her. His mother had had very nice things to say about Lucy (take THAT Nation Examiner!!). She was always patient despite the fact that sometimes neither of them were in the 'mood' to perform. They were paid $150 a week which was the same money his dad was making at the time. (today's equivalent is $1300!). I asked him if that was each or (more likely) for the two of them and he didn't know. He also did not know if that was weekly if they were in the show or not, but I would suspect not. He retired from a career at the power company and has taken this act on the road just for a lark so he and his wife could do some traveling and visit some of their children and their 29 (!!??) GRAND-children. He's a train enthusiast and traveled the country by rail (booked in "Compartment B"?) and ended up in Jamestown for Lucy's 100th. He's hoping to get booked on a cruise (just for the free cruise) but is having trouble getting booked because he hasn't done one before. He seems like a happy person who hasn't let his celebrity-hood go to his head, not a particularly dynamic speaker but interesting. After his talk, they showed the entire "Ricky Minds the Baby" episode (which is on the same DVD as "Charm School" hence the showing of that ep earlier). Then we all retired to the church basement for refreshment and he signed autographs. These are postcard size. "Oh if we ever get up to Laurence Kansas, Little Ricky can get an autographed card...FREE" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leenorman Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 Report on "Little Ricky Visits the Basement of the Lutheran Church in St. Helens Oregon" (the city I grew up in) Thanks for this feed-back on the event in your home town. How long since you'd been back there? Fondly, JK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PasadenaTrenton Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 This is entirely too cute! I hope it was a fun event! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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