# Did Lucy & Ricky's/Rob & Laura's twin beds have ANY basis in reality? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 28, 2009, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-lucy-rickys-rob-lauras-twin-beds-have-any-basis-in-reality/497907 "2009-05-28T05:30:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-lucy-rickys-rob-lauras-twin-beds-have-any-basis-in-reality/497907/41 "2009-05-29T00:14:44Z")
> [@Raza](#): > > In **Biltmore House** (Asheville, NC) the owners also had separate, large, exquisite bedrooms. They don’t mention on the tour whether they actually routinely slept in separate rooms. You should see the sleeping arrangements at Versailles. I’m not kidding. The king and queen had totally separate apartments basically and neither were very comfortable or, of course, easy to heat. And there had to be room for each one’s retinue, especially when it was time to fornicate to produce offspring. Custom was for many to witness the act so that it could be proven the heir to the throne was actually sired by the king. I wonder how they figured out which apartment to share for the night. They were fairly far from one another and I can’t see Louis tossing the crown over. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-lucy-rickys-rob-lauras-twin-beds-have-any-basis-in-reality/497907/42 "2009-05-29T05:52:18Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Oh, there can be reasons for separate beds. My husband and I sleep in separate rooms, because I can’t sleep without a nightlight and radio on, and he can’t sleep with them. We also have different bedtimes and sleeping habits, and both of us snore. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-lucy-rickys-rob-lauras-twin-beds-have-any-basis-in-reality/497907/43 "2009-05-29T22:10:02Z")
separate bedrooms were the norm at the white house. it made the news when it was discovered that pres. and mrs. ford would share a room and bed! after the fords sharing became the norm. it would def. make the news if pres. and first lady had separate rooms. there were a few couples that shared before the fords but they were few and far between. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-lucy-rickys-rob-lauras-twin-beds-have-any-basis-in-reality/497907/44 "2009-05-29T23:42:04Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > The phenomenon of couples sleeping in separated double beds was certainly real. I knew couples who did (including relatives). Alan Sherman wrote about it in his book **The Rape of the A_P_E** \*\*, where he points out that the mere fact of the beds being separated makes it into a bargaining tactic for sex (who comes over to whose bed?) > I haven’t the slightest idea _why_ such a ridiculous fashion started – large beds are more comfortable, and you can snuggle, and there’s no Sherman-like negotiating. But it certainly was real. Maybe the designer’s spouse hogged the covers, or the bed, and this was a way to retaliate. > > _A_P_E_ = American Puritan Ethic. Sherman wasn’t writing about simian sexual abuse. haha I thought it was referencing [the classic film of the same name](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074148/)! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-lucy-rickys-rob-lauras-twin-beds-have-any-basis-in-reality/497907.md?page=2)