June 17, 2005

Off on my own European Vacation

Following in the footsteps of Lucy - I'm off to Europe for two weeks! Although, I'm not actually visting all the same places Lucy did in her I Love Lucy series when she went off to Europe. I am going on a Cruise (hopefully I won't miss the ship and have to take a helicopter lift to it). I'll be in the Mediterranean with stops in Venice, Italy; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Piraeus (Athens), Greece; Santorini, Greece; Naples, Italy; Civitavecchia (Rome), Ital;, Florence, Italy; Villefranche (Nice) France; and finally Barcelona, Spain.

Alot of tours are scheduled on the stops, but I'll always be on the lookout for any Lucy items of interest and will post back again after July 5th! Until then, have a great holiday everyone!

June 13, 2005

Yours, Mine, and Ours remake

A re-make of the Lucille Ball classic movie, "Yours, Mine, and Ours" from 1968 starring Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda is in production. The new version will star Rene Russo and Dennis Quaid as Helen North Beardsley and Frank Beardsley respectfully. It is slated for a November release date.

In the movie, romance blooms between two single parents (Quaid and Russo), each of them responsible for a considerable brood. As the adults plan to elope, their kids attempt to foil their plan.

Sean Faris is set to play Dennis Quaid's son in MGM's remake, and is directed by Raja Gosnell (Scooby-Doo). In the film about the marriage that merges two large families, Faris stars as William, the eldest sibling, who would likely be voted class president if not constantly uprooted because of his father's Army career. Faris starred in ABC's "life as we know it." He just wrapped Fox's drama pilot "Reunion" and appeared in MGM's "Sleepover."

Jerry O'Connell has also been cast opposite Dennis Quaid and Rene Russo in this MGM and Paramount Pictures co-production.

June 08, 2005

"I Love Lucy" Action Figures

Children of the 1950's played with "I Love Lucy" paper dolls, colored in "I Love Lucy" coloring books, and read "I Love Lucy" comics. And fifty years later, children are still growing up enjoying the classic TV series. Proof of this is in the recent development of "I Love Lucy" Action Figures planned to be released this fall in time for the Holiday 2005 gift-giving season. Each poseable figure is 8" tall and will cost $14.95 each. As with the Lucille Ball Barbie Collection from Mattel, there are plenty of adults adding these to their holiday list! If purchased through the Lucy-Desi Museum's Web Store, proceeds benefit the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center in Lucille Ball's hometown, Jamestown, New York.

June 06, 2005

Desilu Playhouse to Open Later This Year!

Thanks to Mary and Bill Rapaport of Buffalo, New York donation of $500,000, a new world-class attraction will be coming to Lucille Ball's hometown!

The generous gift from the Rapaports is funding the renovation of a building on the corner of Third and Main Streets in downtown, Jamestown, New York. This new building, soon to be known as the Rapaport Center, will serve as the new home for the "I Love Lucy" 50th Anniversary Traveling Exhibit, which is also being acquired through the Rapaport's donation.



This conceptual drawing does not reflect the final design of the building.

The exhibit, which toured the country in 2001 through 2002, features life-size sets of the Ricardos’ New York City kitchen (where that unending loaf of bread appeared), the most famous living room in TV history (where Lucy schemed to break into show business) and the Hollywood hotel suite (where Lucy set her nose on fire in an attempt to disguise herself from William Holden). Also to be featured at what will be known as the "Desilu Playhouse" will be an area where fans can recite the famous Vitameatavegamin speech, a display of authentic "I Love Lucy" artifacts, and kiosks documenting the lives of the four principal stars of the series.

The second floor of the Rapaport Center will be used for seminars and conferences, furthering the Lucy-Desi Center’s mission to enrich the world through the healing powers of love and laughter. The Tropicana night club set, as seen on "I Love Lucy", will be featured in this space.

Bill and Mary Rapaport recently purchased Lucille Ball's childhood home in March and is currently renovating the home to its' original condition from the 1920s. This was reported earlier on this Blog.

June 03, 2005

Paramount to release I Love Lucy Season 5 DVD

For those of you who are collecting the complete I Love Lucy Series on DVD through Paramount, they will have Season 5 available August 16th!

It's I Love Lucy's fifth hilarious season, and the laughs come fast and furious! Join the Ricardos and the Mertzes as they wrap up their trip to Hollywood and then embark on a whirlwind trip to Europe in this riotous five-disc collection. With one week left in Tinseltown, Lucy can't resist taking home a souvenir to end all souvenirs - John Wayne's footprints! It's the hilarious two-part adventure, "Lucy Visits Grauman's" and "Lucy and John Wayne." On the train trip home, Lucy tangles with a jewel thief - and discovers the emergency stop cord really does actually stop the train - repeatedly - in "The Great Train Robbery." After a brief respite at home, Ricky, Lucy, Ethel and Fred head for an exciting tour of Europe - a transatlantic odyssey that starts with Lucy missing the boat ("Bon Voyage"), continues with a madcap romp across the British countryside ("The Fox Hunt"), gets a touch of star power in Paris ("Lucy Meets Charles Boyer"), and culminates in Lucy's classic, hilarious confrontation with a fellow female winemaker inside a vat of grapes ("Lucy's Italian Movie"). It's the fantastic fifth season - all 26 episodes - of I Love Lucy, starring the world's favorite comedic redhead! Runtime: 680 min. Street Date: August 16, 2005

Amazon.com has discounted the $54.99 suggested retail price by 30%, making it just $38.49.

I personally collect the I Love Lucy DVDs through Columbia House's I Love Lucy, The Collector's Edition. This DVD compilation is produced by Gregg Oppenheimer and each disc includes alot of bonus materials. Included are the original I Love Lucy opening themes, cast information and bios on each show, show bloopers, one of Lucy's radio shows from My Favorite Husband among other special features. This series started in 2002 and is also in it's 5th Season. By the time Paramount releases their complete series, Columbia House will have already shipped each DVD in the Season to it's members. Special care has been made to restore these timeless classics to the way Desilu Productions originally intended to have them seen.

Each disc includes 4 - 7 episodes, presented in the order of original broadcast. Columbia House starts the series "out of order," so as to include Vitameatavegamin, considered by many to be Lucy's most-famous TV moment. The first disc includes Episodes 28, 29, 30, and 31. The regular chronology (shows 1, 2, and 3...) begins with disc #2.

Columbia House Video Library DVDs are available through mail-order only. The first disc is FREE. You pay only $3.99 in shipping and handling fees. Subsequent discs are $19.95, plus shipping and handling.