Happy Anniversary Lucy and Desi!

Today marks the wedding anniversary of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz! They were married 66 years ago today on November 30, 1940.

What people may not realize is that they filed for divorce only 4 years after they were married! The pressure of Desi being on the road with his band and Lucy doing her films almost broke them apart and we would have never had I Love Lucy! I wonder what would have happened in this scenario and what history would have been like without the Lucille Ball we know today.

They, of course, didn't divorce at that time and even reaffirmed their marriage vows eight and a half years later after they were married on June 19, 1949. But further pressures and hardships during their marriage finally broke them up permanently, and the two divorced on May 4, 1960 after almost 20 years of marriage.

Lucy's second marriage to Gary Morton in 1961 lasted until her death in 1989. But her heart always remained with Desi, even after they divorced.

Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour DVD Release

As first reported here back in May 2006 regarding the release of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour DVD Set, as well as this past September about the Lucy-Desi Show, the official release has been confirmed as March 13, 2007!

As reported by TVShowsonDVD Site:

It's no surprise that Paramount would release the successor to I Love Lucy, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour; sales of Lucy have been strong. Paramount is calling this the "7th, 8th and 9th Seasons" of I Love Lucy, and it'll be a 4 disc set which runs 739 mins. The set will be available on March 13, 2007.

I'm sure this will be a hit!

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Are Tops for TV Perfect Unions

According to the Indianapolis Star, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz are listed as #1 for TV's most perfect married couple! Their performance as a married couple, Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, in "I Love Lucy" earned their top honor.

Other TV couples included Jim and Margaret Anderson (Robert Young and Jane Wyatt) in Father Knows Best, Darrin and Smantha Stephens (Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick York, as the first Darrin and Dick Sargent as the second Darrin) in Bewitched, Florida and James Evans (Esther Rolle and John Amos) in Good Times, Clair and Cliff Huxtable (Phylicia Rashad and Bill Cosby) in The Cosby Show, Peg and Al Bundy (Katey Sagal and Ed O'Neill) in Married With Children, Roseanne and Dan Conner (Roseanne Barr and John Goodman) in Roseanne, Homer and Marge Simpson (cartoon characters voiced by Julie Kavner and Dan Castellaneta) in The Simpsons, Carmela and Tony Soprano (Edie Falco and James Gandolfini) in HBO's The Sopranos, and finally Mackenzie Allen and Rod Calloway (Geena Davis and Kyle Secor) in the now defunct ABC Drama, Commander in Chief.

Lucille Ball Makes One of Barbara Walters Bloppers

ABC is featuring a two-part Barbara Walters special which featured Lucille Ball talking about Desi Arnaz during the first part of the special.

Barbara Walters is celebrating three decades of primetime interviews with a lighthearted, poignant, and often hystical in "The Barbara Walters Special: 30 Mistakes in 30 Years", which aired last night, Thursday, November 16th with the remaining showing tonight Friday, November 17th at 10pm.

The special includes classic candid moments with stars including Al Pacino, Will Ferrell, Eddie Murphy, Lucille Ball, Patrick Dempsey, Jamie Foxx, George Clooney, Teri Hatcher, Brad Pitt, Halle Berry, Jerry Seinfeld, President Ronald Reagan, and countless others.

In Mistake #21: Never talk about the ex-husband in front of the current husband. In an interview with Lucille Ball and new husband Gary Morton, Ball poignantly recalls her failed marriage to Desi Arnaz. Lucille Ball opens up about Desi Arnaz back in 1977 as she rarely had, calling him a "loser."

But as we all know, Lucy really loved Desi clean up until his death of cancer in December of 1986. Lucy last spoke to Desi only a month before his death in his hospital bed. It was evident that they still loved each other very much, as they continued to speak by telephone every single night until his death. Despite the divorce in 1961, he continued to send Lucy flowers every year on their wedding anniversary, which was November 19th.

The marriage of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz was more than just one of television’s greatest marriages. Theirs was a marriage you wanted to work, a romance that you wanted to last, a love story that you wanted to stay true. In spite of many obstacles they tried to stay together, seemed to need each other. Like millions of Americans, I would say “I love Lucy and Desi”.

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Vaudeville

Check this one out: It's Lucy and Desi in a Vaudeville Act from 1953:




If you like this one, I'll post more! Let me know by contacting me!

Lucille Ball in "TV Land Legends" Book

A new coffee table book, "TV Land Legends", produced by TV Land includes photos of Lucille Ball and "I Love Lucy". Extraordinary images from Lucille Ball to the cast of Friends are showcased in this oversized collectable book which also features photographs by Annie Liebovitz, Mark Seliger, Herb Ritts, David LaChappelle, and more. Essays by Billy Crystal, Mary Tyler Moore and Toure are also featured!

What qualities define a television legend? Everything from the endlessly inventive physical comedy of Lucille Ball as “Lucy Ricardo” to the homespun warmth of Michael Landon as “Pa Ingalls” tugging at our heartstrings. A television legend captivates us, warms our hearts, and makes us tune in to see them again and again. Andy Griffith, Johnny Carson, Oprah Winfrey -- these icons have become our extended family as their quirks and expressions are part of our cultural vernacular.

TV Land Legends toasts these icons in a dazzling volume that will enchant fans of all ages. The images will surprise and delight television buffs. Whether its Carol Burnett channeling Norma Desmond, Carl Reiner caught dead serious (except for the pencil in his ear), Will Smith as a cowboy, or the cast of Friends mugging as a circus act, here are our most cherished stars seen in photographs that capture their essence. TV Land Legends brings them all together, making this collection one of unparalleled content and rarity.

With essays by Billy Crystal on Sid Caesar, Mary Tyler Moore on “Group Therapy” and the benefits of working within an ensemble, and Touré on Bill Cosby, plus quotes from one celebrity on another—including David Letterman on Johnny Carson, Jon Stewart on Bob Newhart, and Megan Mullally on Carol Burnett, and many, many more, TV Land Legends is the ultimate in living room reading!

The world’s top photographers meet television’s biggest stars when TV Land Legends hits bookstores on Wednesday, November 1. TV Land, America’s premier classic TV network, celebrates America’s greatest television characters -- and the performers who made them “legendary” -- with TV Land Legends (Pocket Books; November 2006; $35.00). TV Land Legends showcases the men and women who make us laugh, move us to tears, or simply captivate us with their mysterious charms, all gathered into one gorgeous hardcover volume and presented in full color by some of the world's top photographers. The unique and often surprising photos make TV Land Legends a true collector’s item.

A slideshow of images from TV Legends as well as other content surrounding a selection of the classic television performers honored in the book is available at TVLand.com. Additionally, fans will be able to purchase the book through TVLand.com as well as major national and local book retailers and websites.

Now seen in over 87 million U.S. homes, TV Land’s program mix features popular dramas, sitcoms, westerns, Retromercials and a TV-referential interstitial environment, all programmed with a specific audience in mind – the first generation of Americans to grow up watching television and features all-time Classic hits like All in the Family, I Love Lucy, The Andy Griffith Show, and Bonanza.

Viacom is a leading global entertainment content company, with prominent and respected brands in focused demographics. Offering programming and content for television, motion pictures and digital platforms, Viacom’s world-class brands include MTV Networks (MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Comedy Central, CMT: Country Music Television, Spike TV, TV Land, Logo and more than 130 networks around the world), BET Networks, Paramount Pictures, Paramount Home Entertainment, DreamWorks and Famous Music.

Chautauqua Haunted

For those Halloween fans:

Chautauqua Haunted - blog post about the paranormal in Lucille Ball's hometown!

Helen Merill of the Lucille Ball Little Theatre believes a handful of such spirits abide in the theater building on East Second Street, once the run-down remnants of Allen’s Opera House from Jamestown’s earlier days.

http://post-journal.com/articles.asp?articleID=8727

The ghost of Lucille Ball's cat:

http://wwwzevocalamari.blogspot.com/2006/10/ghost-of-lucille-balls-cat.html

Gravesite Tourism: Dead Celebrities Still Draw Crowds:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,226300,00.html

Lucille Ball Reflections by Taylor Negron

Taylor Negron tells about meeting Lucille Ball in his comedic essay "The Pink Gorilla (Tuesdays with Lucy)." Lucy tells a room full of aspiring actors about how Ginger Roger's mother started the institution to protect all the lovelies from rapists, who would routinely pick them up at the train and bus stations.

For Lucille Ball fans - this is a must-read from his personal essay!

Desi Arnaz' Last Movie, The Escape Artist, Now on DVD

The last movie that Desi Arnaz appeared in is now available on DVD! The Escape Artist, featured Desi as a supporting character, Mayor Leon Quinones.

This 1982 drama has Danny Masters (played by Griffin O'Neal, son of Ryan O'Neal), the offspring of a famed magician. Determined to match his dad's accomplishment, Danny runs into nothing but trouble. His biggest mistake is picking the pocket of the son of a corrupt town mayor. When not running from adults, the boy is being exploited by them.

The film is slowly becoming a cult favorite due to the supporting cast!

Lucille Ball is November TCM Star of the Month

Lucille Ball is the Turner Classic Movies Star of the Month in November, and host Robert Osborne is expected to make references to his recent visit to her hometown, Jamestown, New York!

Many people don’t realize that in addition to her decades on television, Lucille Ball also had an extensive movie career, appearing in 79 films. Each Wednesday in November, TCM will focus on a different movie genre or role, featuring 41 films throughout the month.

On November 1, Turner will air the three films in which Lucy appeared with Desi Arnaz (Too Many Girls, The Long, Long Trailer, and Forever, Darling), as well as her early movies from the mid-1930s. November 8 will show her as a working girl in The Fuller Brush Girl, Miss Grant Takes Richmond, and others. On November 15 viewers will have the rare opportunity to see the Queen of Comedy in dramatic roles, from the late 1930s and early 1940s, plus two crime comedies. Domestic life is the theme of the November 22 films, including her later movies Yours, Mine and Ours (1968) and The Facts of Life (1960).

Fortunately there are five Wednesdays in November, so the “showbiz” films can be featured on November 29. From the late 1930s through the mid-1940s, these include Stage Door, Dance Girl, Dance, Ziegfeld Follies, and six others.

Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne was a personal friend of Lucille Ball. He shared many fond memories with an appreciative audience when he joined them at Lucy’s Birthday Celebration in Jamestown, New York in early August. Viewers can look forward to wonderful commentary as well as great entertainment during the month-long look as just one aspect of this talented woman’s life career.

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Billboards

Travelers in Ohio and Pennsylvania can now see billboards inviting them to visit Lucille Ball’s hometown, Jamestown, New York!

A generous grant from the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, combined with 2005 Chautauqua County Occupancy Tax funds, a donation from Marriott International (in appreciation for Lucie Arnaz’s performance last January for the Eden Roc Resort and Spa’s 50th anniversary gala in Miami Beach), and a grant from Lake Shore Savings Bank, has made these billboards possible.

Travelers heading east on I-90 near the SR 528 intersection in Madison, Ohio, can see a winking “Lucy” against a bright blue background, encouraging them to visit the museums and shops in her hometown. A second billboard is rotating in Erie, Pennsylvania locations, initially on I-79 near the airport exit and now at the busy intersection of West 12th and Liberty Streets.

“It’s long been a dream of ours to be able to put up billboards to welcome more of the world to our Lucy-Desi attractions in Lucille Ball’s hometown,” said Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center executive director Ric Wyman. “With the opening a year ago of the Desilu Playhouse added to the original Lucy-Desi Museum, we now have the capacity to accommodate many more visitors.” Named for the studio where “I Love Lucy” was filmed, the Desilu Playhouse features exact replicas of the most famous sets in television history, a “Vitameatavegamin” opportunity, vintage memorabilia from the series, and more. It opened in August of 2005.

Wyman noted, “We are especially grateful to the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation for stepping up with the initial funding to make these billboards a reality. The Community Foundation has been a strong partner with the Lucy-Desi Center since the Center’s incorporation nearly five years ago. The Foundation provided support for the three downtown Lucy-Desi murals, the creation of the video enjoyed by festival and motor coach visitors who take Lucytown Tours, and the acquisition of the historic cello that played a key role in the creation of ‘I Love Lucy’.”

This past summer Jamestown’s Advertising Advantage notified the Lucy-Desi Center that an anonymous donor was making possible another billboard, a new revolving style that Advertising Advantage was launching in Erie.

“It is our hope that these new billboards will inform many more potential visitors of the opportunities that Jamestown offers,” Wyman concluded.