A collection, owned by Biola University, is the remnant of the estate of Jose "Pepito, the Spanish Clown' Perez and his wife, Joanne, who helped write the pilot episode of "I Love Lucy' and were some of the closest confidants of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.
Tucked in a tiny back room in the basement of the Biola University library are two bicycles a tiny one and a huge one. Sitting on a metal cabinet is a clown puppet so dusty that it turns a person's hands black just to touch it. Filed in a cardboard box are records from a Catholic private school in Spain. Piled on shelves are yellowing newspaper clippings announcing children's theater productions.
Biola Univserty officials hope they can also profit from the upcoming auction of Perez's items associated with Lucy and Desi,including letters and photographs addressed to the couple and the trick cello Lucy used in the show's pilot episode.
The items are scheduled to be sold at an auction called "Profiles in History' on Sept. 29 in Beverly Hills.
For more information on this auction or Pepito's collection at Biola University, click here.
July 25, 2005
Lucy on the Loose?
Can the spirit-searchers of "Dead Famous: Ghostly Encounters" (Tuesday at 9 p.m., Biography) locate Lucille Ball?
Gail Porter and Chris Fleming investigate the rich and 'dead' famous on Living TV. They try by heading to her old studios and other Ball haunts.
Gail Porter and Chris Fleming investigate the rich and 'dead' famous on Living TV. They try by heading to her old studios and other Ball haunts.
ISO program takes musical trip down memory lane
The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra performed a melody of theme songs from the 1950s including a homage to Lucille Ball this past Saturday at the Conner Prarie Amphiteater in Indianapolis.
"The 1950s: the Golden Age of Black & White" is the latest in a series of pops concerts tuning in to the sounds of various decades of the 20th century. Jack Everly, the Indianapolis Symphony's principal pops conductor, came up with the idea for the show.
Besides the homage to Lucy, a girl singer medley paid tribute to female solo acts of the '50s, including Patti Page, Doris Day, and Rosemary Clooney. Vocal soloists included Karen Murphy, who has toured with "Les Miserables," and Farrah Alvin, who has been in "Nine." The production also featured the vocal sextet Chapter 6.
For more information on the ISO, visit their web site at http://www.indianapolissymphony.org.
"The 1950s: the Golden Age of Black & White" is the latest in a series of pops concerts tuning in to the sounds of various decades of the 20th century. Jack Everly, the Indianapolis Symphony's principal pops conductor, came up with the idea for the show.
Besides the homage to Lucy, a girl singer medley paid tribute to female solo acts of the '50s, including Patti Page, Doris Day, and Rosemary Clooney. Vocal soloists included Karen Murphy, who has toured with "Les Miserables," and Farrah Alvin, who has been in "Nine." The production also featured the vocal sextet Chapter 6.
For more information on the ISO, visit their web site at http://www.indianapolissymphony.org.
July 21, 2005
Lucille Ball Music Tribute
The Harbor City Music Company will perform an a cappella tribute to Lucille Ball at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sept. 10 at the Chesapeake Arts Center, 194 Hammonds Lane in Brooklyn Park, Maryland.
Enjoy the smooth sound of this women's a cappella group performing modern arrangements done in the barbershop style, including a tribute to the famous redhead.
The show will include performance by barbershop quartet Riptide and Capri Sweet Adelines. For tickets or more information, call 800-856-9868 or visit the Harbor City Music Company's web site.
Enjoy the smooth sound of this women's a cappella group performing modern arrangements done in the barbershop style, including a tribute to the famous redhead.
The show will include performance by barbershop quartet Riptide and Capri Sweet Adelines. For tickets or more information, call 800-856-9868 or visit the Harbor City Music Company's web site.
July 19, 2005
Favorite 'Lucy' memories requested
The Star-Gazette, Twin Tiers Life from New York State is requesting that if you love Lucy, drop them a line and tell them which episode of the "I Love Lucy" show really made you howl. Was it the famous "Vitameatavegamin" show or the episode where Lucy told Ricky she was pregnant? Share your memories of how one of the greatest comediennes that ever lived affected your life.
Send your recollections and thoughts to cwhite@stargazette.com or call 607/271-8303. Be sure to include a phone number where you can be reached 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.
Send your recollections and thoughts to cwhite@stargazette.com or call 607/271-8303. Be sure to include a phone number where you can be reached 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.
On July 29th Lucy's Cello from I Love Lucy is up for Auction!
On July 29, 2005, Profiles in History's Live Auction Includes Hollywood Memorabilia Worth Two Million Dollars! Profiles in History's LIVE auction will include some of Hollywood's most prized artifacts. Collectors from around the world will bid on vintage and contemporary Hollywood artifacts from film and television including props, costumes, costume designs, production art, photographs and more.
One of the highlights of the auction will be a Prop cello used by Lucille Ball in the pilot episode of I Love Lucy. The estimated value is $10,000-12,000.
Collectors may bid in person, live on the Internet at www.ebayliveauctions.com, by phone or fax. Visit Profiles in History on the web at www.profilesinhistory.com. Profiles in History is located at 110 N. Doheny Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90211. Joseph Maddalena, President of Profiles in History, is available for interviews and auction items are available for filming. For more information, please contact Lorna Hart at lorna@profilesinhistory.com or at (310) 859-7701.
One of the highlights of the auction will be a Prop cello used by Lucille Ball in the pilot episode of I Love Lucy. The estimated value is $10,000-12,000.
Collectors may bid in person, live on the Internet at www.ebayliveauctions.com, by phone or fax. Visit Profiles in History on the web at www.profilesinhistory.com. Profiles in History is located at 110 N. Doheny Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90211. Joseph Maddalena, President of Profiles in History, is available for interviews and auction items are available for filming. For more information, please contact Lorna Hart at lorna@profilesinhistory.com or at (310) 859-7701.
July 17, 2005
Lucy’s Chauffeur to Give Tours of Jamestown
This year's seventh annual Lucille Ball's Birthday Celebration will bring a new twist to the ever-popular Lucytown Tours. The celebration held every year on Lucille Ball's birthday in Jamestown, NY will be held August 5th to the 7th.
Frank Gorey, who was Lucille Ball's chauffeur for 30 years, is coming from Beverly Hills to host each of the nine guided tours of Lucy’s hometown. Tour participants will hear stories of his personal experiences with the Queen of Comedy. Local residents can expect to find this opportunity as enlightening as out-of-town visitors!
Gorey started working for Lucille Ball in October of 1959 and was with her for the rest of her life. Among his responsibilities were taking her children to school and taking her mother shopping. Interestingly, he was on the set for the filming of "Lucy Meets the Mustache," the last Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour episode which guest starred Edie Adams, who will also be part of Lucy’s Birthday Celebration.
Festival goers who get one of the limited number of seats on these two-hour air-conditioned motor coach trips will get a unique perspective on the woman whom TV Guide describes as having the face that's been seen more often by more people than the face of anyone else who ever lived. Thanks to a grant from the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, the tours include a video component, giving riders a glance back to Lucy's time.
Tour guide Lucy Studd, a Jamestown native and "Lucy" fan herself, will point out more than 24 locations in Jamestown and the neighboring village of Celoron that were significant in Lucille Ball’s life. The tour concludes with a visit to Lake View Cemetery, where she is buried with her parents, grandparents, and other family members.
Lucytown Tours depart from the Lucy-Desi Museum at 10 a.m., 1 and 4 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the festival weekend, August 5-7. For more information and tickets to Lucy's Birthday Celebration events, call or visit the Lucy-Desi Museum Gift Shop, 300 North Main Street, Jamestown, NY 14701, (716) 484-0800 (toll-free: 1-877-LUCY-FAN) or order online at http://www.lucy-desi.com/festivals.html.
Frank Gorey, who was Lucille Ball's chauffeur for 30 years, is coming from Beverly Hills to host each of the nine guided tours of Lucy’s hometown. Tour participants will hear stories of his personal experiences with the Queen of Comedy. Local residents can expect to find this opportunity as enlightening as out-of-town visitors!
Gorey started working for Lucille Ball in October of 1959 and was with her for the rest of her life. Among his responsibilities were taking her children to school and taking her mother shopping. Interestingly, he was on the set for the filming of "Lucy Meets the Mustache," the last Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour episode which guest starred Edie Adams, who will also be part of Lucy’s Birthday Celebration.
Festival goers who get one of the limited number of seats on these two-hour air-conditioned motor coach trips will get a unique perspective on the woman whom TV Guide describes as having the face that's been seen more often by more people than the face of anyone else who ever lived. Thanks to a grant from the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, the tours include a video component, giving riders a glance back to Lucy's time.
Tour guide Lucy Studd, a Jamestown native and "Lucy" fan herself, will point out more than 24 locations in Jamestown and the neighboring village of Celoron that were significant in Lucille Ball’s life. The tour concludes with a visit to Lake View Cemetery, where she is buried with her parents, grandparents, and other family members.
Lucytown Tours depart from the Lucy-Desi Museum at 10 a.m., 1 and 4 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the festival weekend, August 5-7. For more information and tickets to Lucy's Birthday Celebration events, call or visit the Lucy-Desi Museum Gift Shop, 300 North Main Street, Jamestown, NY 14701, (716) 484-0800 (toll-free: 1-877-LUCY-FAN) or order online at http://www.lucy-desi.com/festivals.html.
July 14, 2005
Stone Pillow DVD in Retail Stores Now!
Lucille Ball's final movie, Stone Pillow, has been released to the retail market and is available at most DVD Stores as well as online. This 1985 made-for-tv movie features Lucy as a down and out bag lady named Florabelle, living on the streets of New York City. This CBS Drama first aired on November 5, 1985 and has been shown several times on Cable since that time.Lucy suffered severe dehydration as a result of the intense New York heat and the heavy clothing she had to wear. Lucy never fully recovered from the dehydration, and suffered a couple mild strokes. Lucy's character "Florabelle" was named in honor of her grandmother, which was her name as well.
This movie had made it's circuit in the "underground" and was available through these channels which were either VHS or DVD copies taped from the movie when it aired on television. But due to the many requests for the movie, the movie has been released on DVD!
Make sure you don't miss this TV legend in her final movie performance. The list price for the DVD is $9.95 and is available in retail as well as Amazon.com.
July 11, 2005
New Lucille Ball Biography
Rated as one of the top Hollywood biographies of the past year, "BALL OF FIRE: The Tumultous Life and Comic Art of Lucille Ball", is a great read. Written by Stefan Kanfer and published by Faber and Faber from the UK.To I Love Lucy viewers all over the world, Lucille Ball remains the ultimate screwball housewife. But Kanfer's biography looks behind the image, tracing her comedic genius to its beginnings in a lonely childhood in upstate New York.
She desperately wanted to make people laugh, and to find stardom and love. But then a Cuban bandleader called Desi came into life to make her famous and wealthy - and almost destroyed her along the way.
You can find this biography on both the US and UK Amazon.com web sites.
July 06, 2005
Laughing With Lucy
Madelyn Davis, one of just five people responsible for writing the "I Love Lucy" scripts, tells her story in a new book, "Laughing with Lucy: My Life with America's Leading Lady of Comedy."
The 224 page book, to be published by Emmis Books later this Fall, will sell for $19.95 and will be available through the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center and at the Center’s web site.
You can also find the book available from Amazon.com!
The 224 page book, to be published by Emmis Books later this Fall, will sell for $19.95 and will be available through the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center and at the Center’s web site.You can also find the book available from Amazon.com!
The Desilu Playhouse!
At the recent Lucy-Desi Days Memorial Day Weekend Festival, Lucie Arnaz and Ric Wyman, Executive Director of the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center shared some exciting news.
They showed big screen images of authentic reproductions of "I Love Lucy" television sets that were part of the "I Love Lucy" 50th Anniversary Tour that traveled the country in 2001 and 2002. They then announced that, thanks to the generosity of a Buffalo couple, this historic exhibit has found a permanent home in Lucille Ball’s hometown.
William and Mary Rapaport’s gift of $500,000 is funding the renovation of the former Rite Aid building on the corner of Third and Main Streets in downtown Jamestown. The Rapaports joined Ms. Arnaz and Wyman on stage to accept the appreciation for their generous gift and see an artist’s rendering of the new Rapaport Center. This new center was reported here on "Everything Lucy" blog.
The first floor of the Rapaport Center will house the Desilu Playhouse, the permanent home of the “I Love Lucy” 50th Anniversary Tour’s New York City living room and kitchen set and the Hollywood hotel set, as well as a “Vitameatavegamin” interactive display and exhibits about the background of each of the four main actors, Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The second floor 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.
The Desilu Playhouse will be open in time for Lucy’s Birthday Celebration, August 5-7, 2005. The first official event there will be “At Home with Little Ricky,” on Saturday morning, August 6 (Lucy’s actual birthday). This will be an opportunity for a limited number of guests to step into the Ricardos’ living room and meet the actor who played Lucy and Desi’s TV son, Keith Thibodeaux. Following a professional photo session on the set with “Little Ricky,” guests will see rare footage and take part in a question and answer session with Keith and Ric Wyman, Executive Director of the Lucy-Desi Center.
For more information about Lucy’s Birthday Celebration and “At Home with Little Ricky,” view the Complete Schedule of Events!
They showed big screen images of authentic reproductions of "I Love Lucy" television sets that were part of the "I Love Lucy" 50th Anniversary Tour that traveled the country in 2001 and 2002. They then announced that, thanks to the generosity of a Buffalo couple, this historic exhibit has found a permanent home in Lucille Ball’s hometown.
William and Mary Rapaport’s gift of $500,000 is funding the renovation of the former Rite Aid building on the corner of Third and Main Streets in downtown Jamestown. The Rapaports joined Ms. Arnaz and Wyman on stage to accept the appreciation for their generous gift and see an artist’s rendering of the new Rapaport Center. This new center was reported here on "Everything Lucy" blog.
The first floor of the Rapaport Center will house the Desilu Playhouse, the permanent home of the “I Love Lucy” 50th Anniversary Tour’s New York City living room and kitchen set and the Hollywood hotel set, as well as a “Vitameatavegamin” interactive display and exhibits about the background of each of the four main actors, Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The second floor 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.
The Desilu Playhouse will be open in time for Lucy’s Birthday Celebration, August 5-7, 2005. The first official event there will be “At Home with Little Ricky,” on Saturday morning, August 6 (Lucy’s actual birthday). This will be an opportunity for a limited number of guests to step into the Ricardos’ living room and meet the actor who played Lucy and Desi’s TV son, Keith Thibodeaux. Following a professional photo session on the set with “Little Ricky,” guests will see rare footage and take part in a question and answer session with Keith and Ric Wyman, Executive Director of the Lucy-Desi Center.
For more information about Lucy’s Birthday Celebration and “At Home with Little Ricky,” view the Complete Schedule of Events!
Back in the USA!
Well I made it back from my European adventure! I have went through some of my email and have some new postings to be made. Once I get caught up to the Time Zone and not so exhausted come evening, I'll update you on the latest Lucy News!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)