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The Tropicana
Club - Manhattan night
club in New York City where Cuban singer Ricky Ricardo (Desi
Arnaz) performed on the sitcom I LOVE LUCY/CBS/1951-57. Born
in Havana Cuba, Ricky Ricardo immigrated to America, and
sometime before 1940 his band performed at the Copacabana.
In 1940 Ricky married a zany redhead named Lucille Esmerelda
McGillicuddy (Lucille Ball) and began to perform at the
Tropicana Club. The club featured a large orchestra that Ricky
conducted, often accompanying them with beat of his conga
drums. Some of Ricky's popular song numbers at the Tropicana
were Babalu, Cuban Pete/Sally Sweet, The
Straw Hat Song, See You in C-U-B-A, El
Cumabanchero, Under the Bamboo Tree, and Granada.
The Tropicana was the backdrop for Ricky's talent-less wife and
her constant attempts at breaking into showbiz. And while
Ricky tried to keep her away from the club by keeping
auditions a secret, Lucy always found a ways to get on stage.
For example: when
Lucy hears that Ricky needs a dancer for the Parisian Apache
dance number at the club on episode "The Adagio" (#12,
December 31, 1951); or when Ricky's going to stage a French
Revue at his club, and Lucy bets him $50 that she can get into
the act no matter what he does to stop her on "The French
Review" (#73, November 16, 1953).
When Lucy
Ricardo became pregnant, on episode "Lucy is Enciente" (#50,
December 08, 1952) she showed up at Tropicana Club to announce
the good news while Ricky was working.
Lucy slips a note to Ricky about
blessed event and at first he thinks the message was for
someone else in the audience. When Ricky realizes that HE's
the expectant father,
he joyfully sings the song "We're Having a Baby." After
working at the Tropicana for years (for an intitial weekly
salary of $100), Ricky purchased a controlling interest in
the club and renamed it Club Babalu on the sixth season
premier episode
"Lucy and Bob Hope" (#154, October 1, 1956).
Bob Hope
performed at the grand opening.
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