Hello again from Lucille Ball's hometown!

For those of you who haven't visited, we hope you're making future plans!

For those of you who have, chances are that--in addition to the Lucy-Desi Museum, the Lucy-Desi Center Gift Shop, and the Desilu Playhouse--the "I Love Lucy" wall murals in downtown Jamestown are among the sights you enjoyed while visiting.

Big news!  The fourth in a series of Lucy-Desi wall murals was just completed earlier this week.  Our good friend and longtime Lucy-Desi Center supporter, Gary Peters, was commissioned to create this work of art!  Gary is the Jamestown area artist that created all four murals

over the last few years.

Here's a sneak peek of the latest and greatest!  (Pictured with Gary is another Gary Peters--his dad.)

We're fortunate here in Lucy's hometown to have the ongoing support of the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation (CRCF), which has provided the funding necessary for this mural and the others, too.  Additional financial support for the newest mural was provided by the Jamestown Chamber of Commerce.

Lucy's hometown is making strides in celebrating the legacy of the first Couple of Comedy thanks to these organizations, others, and...fans from throughout the world that make Jamestown, New York, a visitor destination each year.  Our thanks to all of you!

The Los Angeles City Council has voted to rename the intersection of Melrose Avenue and Plymouth Boulevard near Paramount Studios "I Love Lucy Square."   In addition to saluting the First Lady of Comedy (and our favorite redhead!), the tribute is also in honor of  another Lucy-Lucy Casada, the owner of nearby Lucy's El Adobe Café.  The restaurant was once a popular spot for Lucille Ball's personal secretary and other Lucille Ball staff, too.  Just thought I'd pass this on in case any of you are planning a trip to Hollywood soon.  Not sure when the square's signage goes up, but there's gotta be a photo opportunity to there somewhere.  Speaking of photo opportunities...let me hear about your favorite Lucy-Desi related photo opp!

Since we're in the middle of Hispanic Heritage Month – September 15-October 15 – what better time to recognize Desi Arnaz's amazing innovations and remarkable accomplishments! Perhaps you didn't know that Desi:

• Appeared on Broadway in Too Many Girls (and met Lucy when they co-starred in the movie version)
• Before creating and starring in "I Love Lucy", was a popular band leader, with numerous recordings to his credit
• Pioneered the three-camera technique that became the standard for TV sitcoms
• Insisted that "I Love Lucy" be filmed in front of a live studio audience because he knew Lucy responded to a live audience
• Had such a great memory he could memorize his lines in one reading of the script
• Did the "warm-up" of the studio audience before shows
• Was in 11 feature films
• Was awarded the Harvard Business School Club of Southern California Business Achievement Award
• Was proclaimed by the Mayor of the City of Del Mar as "Mr. Del Mar of 1972", in recognition of his efforts in the Hollywood Stars for Park Program
• Received the Life Achievement Award from Nosotros, an organization founded by Ricardo Montalban to improve the image of Latinos in the entertainment industry, provide employment in front of and behind the camera, and provide educational opportunities for Hispanics in the performing arts
• As a teenager, came from Cuba to the United States with only the clothes on his back and later helped support his family by cleaning birdcages in the early mornings before going to school.

Just this week the Los Angeles Times noted that, "No television program, it seems, had a greater impact on the Latino psyche – especially of Cuban Americans – than 'I Love Lucy'."

Big news!  Thought you’d be happy to be among the first to know that next month, several pieces of jewelry from the Estate of Lucille Ball will be offered at auction in New York City (with partial proceeds benefiting the Lucy-Desi Center in Jamestown, New York!).  On October 16, Christie’s will host a “Magnificent Jewels” auction which will include several pieces once owned and worn by our favorite redhead, including the detachable Maltese Cross pendant (set with a central circular-cut diamond within a two-tiered diamond surround) Lucy is seen wearing in this 1980’s photograph with future California mayor, Arnold Schwarzenegger).

 

All the details will be online at www.lucy-desi.com next week but I didn’t want to wait to share the news!

I recently had the chance to meet up with founding (and current) Lucy-Desi Center board member, Melody Thomas Scott in Los Angeles.  For those of you who are daytime TV fans, too, you know her better as Nikki Newman from the CBS daytime drama The Young & The Restless.

Melody and fellow cast members were taking part in an annual Y&R fan appreciation luncheon event at Universal City.  Moments before I stopped by to say hello, a fan of Melody's presented her with a vintage 1970's paperback biography about our favorite redhead.  (Melody's fans know about her love for Lucy and also know how strongly she supports what we do here in Lucy's hometown.)  Here's a snapshot of Melody with the book, Lucy:  The Bittersweet Life of Lucille Ball.  It was written by Joe Morella and Edward Z. Epstein and published 34 years ago!

This brings me to my next Lucy-Desi blog question for all of you................What's your favorite Lucy-related book?

Wow!!  What a hit Lucy’s Birthday Celebration was!  August 3-5 saw folks from 31 states, Canada and Germany making Jamestown, New York, their destination for a fun-filled weekend.  You can enjoy pictures from the festival on-line at www.lucy-desi.com.

We in Lucy’s hometown always love to talk about what she’s known for most -- “I Love Lucy” -- and we even have a whole museum devoted to that fantastic show.  But we also want to let folks know about all the other aspects of her life and career, and, boy, did we get a great opportunity to do that during the festival!

One of our special guests was Cindy De La Hoz, the author of the brand-new book Lucy at the Movies.  The rest of the world doesn’t get to see it until the fall, but we made special arrangements with the publisher to have a supply for the weekend.  It’s a terrific coffee table tome (over 350 pages!) with hundreds of pictures.  Friday night Cindy hosted “Lucy at the Movies: A Tribute to Lucille Ball’s Film Career” and then fans had the chance to purchase the book, meet Cindy one-on-one, and get her signature on the book's title page!

The book is not only an amazing time capsule of Lucy's life in the movies, but also a complete directory of each and every Lucille Ball film.

My favorite?  That’s a tough one…but if I have to choose, I’ll pick The Long, Long Trailer.

Now you tell me:  what’s YOUR favorite Lucille Ball movie??

It was great to read all of your ideas for the next Mattel “I Love Lucy” doll!  I’ll let you in on a secret:  even though they won’t be available until fall, I’ve now seen—in person—a real 2007 doll – Lucy as The Professor in Episode #6, “The Audition”!  I have to tell you, she’s pretty fabulous, and we’re especially excited since we have the original professor costume and cello on exhibit in the Desilu Playhouse in Jamestown.  But that’s for another time – now I want to get your feedback on something more immediate.

 We’re just days away from Lucy’s Birthday Celebration in her hometown, and it’s sure going to be a good time!  

With us will be two of Lucy’s dearest friends (and former employees), Wanda Clark, herpersonal secretary for more than 25 years, and Frank Gorey, who was her driver – and keeper of her house – for 30 years.  Saturday night’s headliner will be Jerry Maren, an original munchkin from The Wizard of Oz, who guest starred in a 1970 episode of Here’s Lucy.  Ret Turner, Lucy’s favorite costume designer, will host Sunday’s Lucille Ball Fashion Show.  And then there are three guests who actually appeared in “I Love Lucy”:  Joe and Michael Mayer, the toddler Little Ricky, and Shirley Mitchell, the cackling Marion Strong.  (“Oh, Marion…!”) 

These special visitors will be sharing stories about our favorite redhead both at their own events and when they are mystery guests on different Lucytown Tours—a two-hour guided tour of Lucy’s hometown—throughout the weekend.  

It’s great to be able to meet and hear from folks who were actually “there.”

So, tell me:  Have you ever met anyone who knew Lucille Ball personally?  Did you get to talk with them?  Perhaps you met her yourself?  Let me hear from you!

The photo is of Lucy (as a blonde!) and her mother, DeDe. What’s even more special is the notation on the back of the photo—in Lucy’s own handwriting.

Hello, all of you out there in TV Land!  Only have a minute—but wanted to tell you what appeared in the mail here at the office:  three vintage 1970’s TV commercials featuring our favorite redhead endorsing Milton Bradley board games!  Really fun stuff.  Lucy pitches Pivot Pool (“If it hasn’t got a pivot, it isn’t Pivot Pool!”), Body Language (a fun game of pantomime and charades), and Solotaire—a card game that was released by Milton Bradley in 1974.

These three commercials have been secured in the archives and we hope to incorporate them in a future museum exhibit.  Our thanks to our friends at Milton Bradley for uncovering them.  Just goes to show you, there’s so much more out there waiting to be discovered again!

I had a chance to personally thank everyone’s favorite “Jeannie”, Barbara Eden, for her past visit to Jamestown.  (She was our festival headliner in 2005!) 

Kaye Ballard was there, too.  And, not only there--but an honoree!  Lucy fans know that she appeared as a guest star on Here’s Lucy and—probably even more important in Lucy-Desi history—she (along with Eve Arden) was one of the stars of The Mothers-In-Law—a 1960’s sitcom produced by Desi Arnaz.  Kaye and Desi were good friends.  In fact, Kaye bought Desi’s Palm Springs home and still lives there today!

But it was being in the company of another honoree that was, well…. an honor.  He’s the guy responsible for directing so many classic “I Love Lucy” episodes—including everyone’s favorite where Lucy tells Ricky she’s expecting.  Yeah!  Bill Asher (who went on to direct Bewitched, and marry Elizabeth Montgomery after his “Lucy” days, and do so much more: Gidget, The Twilight Zone, Alice…even the Dukes of Hazzard! ) was inducted into the Gold Circle of NATAS—an honor only 37 other folks have been given.

I thought all my blog pals would like to see a few digital pics from last Sunday.  It was quite a Hollywood glam weekend, but I’ll confess: it’s nice to be back in Jamestown again where things are a little less hectic but just as fun.  (What else would you expect from Lucille Ball’s hometown?!)  Hope you’ll plan a visit to Jamestown soon and see for yourself!  Did you know Lucie Arnaz is our headliner for our annual Memorial Day Weekend festival this year?  For all the details check out the festival section at www.lucy-desi.com.

You already know that Lucie Arnaz will be featured in two amazing festival happenings, moderating the Legacy of Laughter (LOL) and in full concert.  One of Saturday night’s LOL panelists will be Sebastien Gendry, founder of the American School of Laughter Yoga in Los Angeles.  Sebastien, who was seen recently on Oprah, will also be offering Laughter Yoga Workshops every afternoon in the Tropicana Room, a fabulous reproduction of everyone’s favorite television nightclub! 

Vivian Vance, whom we all know and love as Ethel Mertz, will be celebrated at three festival events.  Viv’s sister, Lou Ann Graham, will be sharing mementos and personal memories  -- on a Treasure Chest Boat Cruise on Chautauqua Lake (where Ricky caught that “big” fish!) and on stage where we’re adding some special screening and a surprise live performance!

Universal Studios Hollywood’s “Lucy” (Diane Vincent) and her sidekick “Ethel” (Rhonda Medina) will keep things rolling at Sunday afternoon’s Masquerade Party and Trivia Contest.  They’ll show up lots of other places during the weekend, and you can even get your picture taken with them at a special photo op!

Lucille Ball’s “sister” Cleo Smith will celebrate her birthday with fans at a fun picnic.  “I Love Lucy” film editor Dann Cahn will introduce “Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana”, the story of how Lucy and Ricky Ricardo met and the first episode of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.  And the twins who traumatized Lucy in episode 14, “The Amateur Hour”, will make a special appearance.  Film fests, outdoor movies, Lucytown Tours with Lucy-Desi VIPs, a Collector’s Show, a Lucy-Desi memorabilia auction, a pizza-tossing contest and more will round out the weekend. 

I sure hope you can be with us – Lucy-Desi Days in Lucy’s hometown is just way too much fun to miss!!

And speaking of Lucille Ball’s hometown—we’re getting ready to welcome Lucie Arnaz to Jamestown, New York, at the end of May where folks will be able to see, hear, and possibly even meet her in person!  On Saturday evening, May 26, she’s moderating a special “Legacy of Laughter” (LOL) seminar.  (Notice the similarity to the name of the award?!)  This exploration and celebration of the healing powers of humor will be the fourth LOL that Lucie’s presented, and -- we’re thrilled to say – the first sponsored by our TV Land friends.  Lucie will be back on stage the next evening (again in the same theatre where her mother watched vaudeville as a child) for a pulling-out-all-the-stops concert: a very special musical tribute to her dad and the grand finale of our 40+ events Lucy-Desi Days festival.   Earlier that Sunday afternoon, Lucie will be in the neighboring village of Celoron – where her mother lived for many happy childhood years – to dedicate the Desi Arnaz Band Shell in Lucille Ball Memorial Park.  And following Sunday night’s concert, there will be a limited admission gala reception with Lucie and all our other festival VIPs. 

So, if you’d like to see Lucie Arnaz in person, hop on-line at http://www.lucy-desi.com/festival/festival_info.html and start making your plans to be in Jamestown over Memorial Day Weekend!

P.S.  Jamestown, New York, is 3 hours or less from Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Toronto, and Rochester.  Just about 7 hours from New York City.

Greetings to all you I Love Lucy fans -- direct from Lucille Ball’s (and Lucy Ricardo’s) hometown!

It is my great privilege to be the director of the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center , in the far southwestern corner of New York State.

My job? To fulfill the Center’s mission to preserve and celebrate the legacy of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, and enrich the world through the healing powers of love and laughter.

We have two museums in downtown Jamestown. The original Lucy-Desi Museum pays tribute to The First Couple of Comedy. The Desilu Playhouse -- the I Love Lucy museum -- showcases full-size reproductions of the Ricardo’s New York City apartment and the Hollywood Hotel suite, original props and vintage costumes from the show and an interactive Vitameatavegamin set.

We host two terrific festivals every year: Lucy-Desi Days Memorial Day Weekend Festival (this year, May 25-27) and Lucy’s Birthday Celebration (this year, August 3-5). Each festival has more than 40 events, including Lucytown Tours, film fests, trivia contests, outdoor movies, a memorabilia auction, vintage collectors show and more. This May, the president of our board, Lucie Arnaz, will be with us, moderating an exploration and celebration called The Legacy of Laughter (or LOL, for short). We’re thrilled to have TV Land as our exclusive corporate sponsor for all LOL events in 2007. Lucie Arnaz will also be bringing musicians to Jamestown from California, Florida, and Texas for a very special concert as our grand finale for the festival on Sunday evening, May 27.

But before Lucy-Desi Days 2007 in Jamestown, Lucie and Desi, Jr. will be taking part in this month’s TV Land Awards this Sunday, April 22 at 9PM! I hope you’re planning to tape, TiVo®, or tune in! Our friends at TV Land are honoring the First Lady of Comedy with a very special award and Lucie and Desi, Jr. will be there in person to accept it.

I’m really looking forward to the weeks and months ahead as together -- you, me, and TV Land -- celebrate the memory of that zany redhead and that dashing, talented Cuban -- both of whom are still so much a part of all of our lives.

Let me hear from you!