It seems like Lucy's always trying to break into Ricky's act at the Tropicana. But wait a minute--this doesn't look like Ricky's club. And what's with all the empty chairs? The answer? This rare photo was snapped during the final rehearsal for the pilot episode of I Love Lucy, in a flimsy nightclub set quickly erected in Studio A of CBS Columbia Square on March 2, 1951. At the time, Lucille Ball was still doing her CBS radio sitcom, and she was five months pregnant with little Lucie (a condition conveniently masked by Lucy's baggy "Professor" outfit). If the scene looks familiar, that's because the same script was used for Episode 6 ("The Audition").

Photo taken 3/2/51

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