Largest Lucille Ball-Themed Mural Completed

A new Lucille Ball mural on the Mayflower building in Jamestown has recently been completed. The mural, which is the largest Lucy-themed mural ever is also the first one done in full color and the first to show Fred Mertz. It is being funded by the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Center for Comedy.

This one-of-a-kind mural was painted by local artist Gary Peters, Jr. and is based on the classic episode "California, Here We Come". This "California Here We Come" mural is the largest mural ever painted in Jamestown NY. Peters, has painted four other "I Love Lucy" murals that grace the buildings of Jamestown, NY. Not only is this the largest mural yet, but it is also the very first to be done in color and the first with all four of the iconic I Love Lucy friends. Also, as an added treat there are three hidden messages in it.

On Monday, October 15th which coincided with the 61st anniversary of the first air date of I Love Lucy, the final red brush stroke of the remaining unpainted white heart on Lucy's coat button was completed. This small heart shape was left undone on purpose for this event. A group photo was taken with all in attendance at the corner of Main and Harrison Street. Community members and about 50 Lucille Ball Museum visitors gathered to be a part of this Jamestown history.

Over 500 man hours were put in by both Gary Peters Jr. and Gary Peters Sr. to paint the 1,800 square foot portrait over Brooklyn Square in downtown Jamestown. Almost 30 gallons of paint were required (some of which were donated by the local Sherwin Williams store) and there are various hidden 'I Love Lucy' messages in the mural, including the mural scene's episode number, 110.

Artist Gary Peters, Jr. appeared in the Tropicana Room the previous day where he talked about what it had been like painting all five of the famous Jamestown "Lucy" murals. He also was there to sign prints of all five murals, as well as his additional "Lucy" artwork, including the 100th birthday 2011 commemorative seal and downtown festival light post banners. The Tropicana Room is a re-creation of Ricky Ricardo's famous Manhattan night club located at 2 West Third Street in Jamestown, NY.

This was the fifth 'Lucy'-related mural completed by Gary Peters Sr. and Gary Peters Jr. in Ball's hometown of Jamestown, New York. The first 'Lucy' mural in Jamestown was completed 12 years ago, and this most recent mural is being completed on the heels of I Love Lucy being voted as Greatest TV Show and Greatest TV Comedy of all-time in the nationally-televised Barbara Walters' special, 'The Best in TV - The Greatest Shows of Our Time.' The previous 4 Murals that Peters completed in Jamestown are "The Lucy Stamp", on the Jamestown Post Office, "Vitameatavegamin" on a Parking Garage, "Candy Factory" on the Jones Tasty Baking building, and "Lucy/Desi" done in November 2007 and located at the corner of Spring and Fourth Street on the Spring Street Parking Garage.

Pictured below are the previous 4 Murals:

Now for the first time ever you can take home prints of all five I Love Lucy murals that decorate the hometown of Lucille Ball and are visited by over 30,000 people from around the world each year. These breath-taking prints are design by the mural artist himself, Gary Peters Jr. and if ordered by Saturday, October 20 Gary will sign your print of his artwork for you. Prints can be ordered online at Lucy-Desi.com or by calling them at 716-484-0800.

Bridge named for "I Love Lucy" stars

Bridge named for "I Love Lucy" stars

The Interstate-86 bridge over North Main Street in Ellicott has a new name: the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Memorial Bridge.

State Senator Cathy Young and Assemblyman Andy Goodell were on hand to officially dedicate the bridge. The sign honors the first couple of TV comedy and Lucy's ties to Jamestown, her hometown.

The sign was unveiled Thursday at the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center for Comedy. The sign dedicated the bridge over North Main Street in the Town of Ellicott as the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Memorial Bridge. A dedication ceremony was held at the Lucy-Desi center to celebrate.

According to State Sen. Catharine Young, R-C-I-Olean, the idea to rename the bridge came from Lee Harkness, DJDC executive director. Three years ago, Harkness suggested to Young a way to promote the assets Jamestown has to offer.

"So, this is about celebrating one of our native people, who went on to do great things in the field of comedy and entertainment. But, also, it's a way to show the world that we have great attractions, right here in Jamestown, N.Y.," Sen. Young said.

Assemblyman Andrew Goodell, R-Chautauqua County, took the reins in getting a bill passed to rename not only the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Memorial Bridge, but to rename other bridges as well.

"Our strategy is to have every bridge along I-86 named for one of the best attractions we have here in Jamestown. So, we have one for Lucille Ball, we have one for Roger Tory Peterson and we have one for the Jackson Center," Goodell said.

Goodell's bill passed the Senate in early May, and went on to pass the Assembly in June. On July 18, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the bill into law.

"Jamestown is very fortunate to have all of the attractions that it has," Harkness said. "We have Roger Tory Peterson, the Jackson Center, Fenton, Audubon, the ice arena, and then if you put the Lucy-Desi Center on top of all that, we've got a real unbeatable package here."

Journey Gunderson, executive director of the Lucy-Desi center, offered Sen. Young and Goodell copies of Lucille Ball's autobiography, which were signed by her entire staff. Additionally, she thanked the pair for all of their help in getting the bridge renamed.

"The renamed bridge gives apt distinction to the city that is not just the hometown to the legacy, but the perpetuator of the legacy in the form of this museum attraction and annual comedic programming," Gunderson said. "The Lucy-Desi Center and the legacy of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, and the entire Arnaz family is forever grateful."

Renaming the bridge is a way to promote tourism in Jamestown, as well as a way to celebrate the legacy of Lucille Ball. Sen. Young and Goodell each emphasized the impact that the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Memorial Bridge will have in Jamestown.

Additionally, Harkness spoke about the impact tourism has on Jamestown, as well as the entirety of Chautauqua County.

"Tourism is becoming more and more important not only to Jamestown, but to Chautauqua County. An attraction like this in Jamestown is an extremely important economic factor to the people that live here, the people that work here and the people that want to be here," Harkness said.

The New York State Department of Transportation is working to put the finishing touches on the sign that will actually hang on the bridge. The new sign should be up within the next several weeks.

"Here's Lucy" 6th and Final Season DVD to be Released

MPI Home Video revealed that Here's Lucy - Season 6, the final season of the show, will be available on DVD starting December 18th. The 4-disc set is priced at $29.98, but you can pre-order it at a discount right away. MPI says that the set will come with a "wealth of new and never-before-seen special features," but hasn't announced what those will be yet. So once they list the Bonus Features, I'll post to let everyone know!

At the end of Season 5 of Here's Lucy, Lucy made the decision to end the series when for the first time ever one of her shows fell out of the top ten ratings. At the last minute, CBS' President Fred Silverman convinced Lucy to change her mind and return for a 6th Season in 1973, as he felt being #15 was not too far out of the top ten. Lucy agreed, even though she also made a prior commitment to do the musical Mame that year.

To get in shape for the musical Mame, after her fractured leg kept her from doing her famous physical comedy from the last season 5 of Here's Lucy, Lucy worked out with a trainer daily. Lucy kept up with such a grueling schedule on getting her leg back in dancing shape, filming Mame and doing yet another Season 6 of Here's Lucy, that all this could not be believed from a woman 62 years old. Even though a young person couldn't keep up with Lucy's non stop schedule, Lucy's age and everyone else's age around her was beginning to show.

By the time Season 6 started filming, Lucy was in incredible shape from her workouts with her trainer. In Episode 5 of the Season, The Bow Wow Boutique, Lucy's physical comedy is on top of her game again. In the next episode with Eddie Albert, she dances and sings Makin' Whoopie with Eddie, as if she is a girl in her twenties. Lucy also sings and dances with Phil Harris near the end of the season. How a 62 year old can film a musical and a television show at the same time after breaking her leg in 4 places just a year earlier, is beyond me. That is the true Lucy- a woman who could and did do anything with such a never ending abundance of energy. Sadly as you watch Lucy, you see an aging woman in her 60's who physically just doesn't know it.

As always, Here's Lucy Season 6 had loads of great guest stars. In the first show, Danny Thomas plays a painter Danny Galupe, who Lucy talks into playing dead, so his paintings will bring top dollar- the most expensive one being a painting of Lucy in the buff! A note on Danny Thomas- he was the only big star to attend Desi's funeral in 1986 and at the end of this first episode when he says to Lucy- I REALLY Like You - you can feel it's for real. Danny was a grateful friend to the end. You'll also see O.J. Simpson, Steve Lawrence and Edie Gourmet, Ed McMahon, Bob Williams' Dog Act, Eddie Albert, Reta Shaw, Jackie Coogan (Uncle Fester), Andy Griffith, Joan Rivers, Foster Brooks, Frankie Avalon who does a Sonny and Cher imitation with Lucie Arnaz that is really great!, Chuck Connors, Dick Sargent, Al Lewis, Arte Johnson, Don Porter (Gidget's dad), Milton Berle, Phil Harris, Mary Winters and more.

Of course, Lucy's wonderful sidekicks Gale Gordon and Mary Jane Croft are in almost every episode, along with appearances from daughter Lucie Arnaz, Mary Wickes, Gary Morton, Carole Cook and Doris Singleton. A note on Doris Singleton, who most of you remember as Carolyn Appleby on I Love Lucy. Who can't forget Lucy's friend Carolyn who constantly compared her perfect son Stevie to the inferior Little Ricky! Doris was one of only two women who Lucy trusted completely, because Desi never hit on her due to his respect for her husband. The other woman who Desi never bothered was Mary Jane Croft, also due to his respect for her husband. Lucy trusted and kept these 2 women in her shows for her entire life. Doris Singleton recently passed away on June 28th, 2012 at the age of 92.

Lucy also used this Season 6 to promote her movie Mame. Near the end in episode 22, Lucy Carter Meets Lucille Ball, the real Lucille Ball's perfume sponsor Mais Oui, holds a look alike contest. Kim tells mother Lucy she is a dead ringer for Miss Ball and should enter, which she does. The funniest scene is when real life hubby Gary Morton kisses Lucy Carter, thinking she is Lucille! There is lots of fun this season, with the Mame promotion and great talented guest stars that you won't want to miss. Sadly, with everyone aging now into their 60's, it will be the last Season of Here's Lucy, which Lucy already saw coming last season 5, when CBS convinced her to try just one more season. When CBS saw the ratings plummet down to #29, they knew the series was over, and chose not to renew Lucy's contract for a seventh year.

Here's Lucy's last 1973-74 season ended Lucy's being on television for a straight 23 years. The truth being, that everyone on Lucy's shows were from television's age of innocence of a past that was a much simpler time. They had aged and could not compete with the number one more realistic shows of All In The Family, Mary Tyler Moore, Mash and others.

In September of this year, the greatest Television Show of All Time was selected and it was I LOVE LUCY. Since television's first shows began after WWII, to entertain the new families in the privacy of their own homes, with the thousands and thousands of shows we've watched over 6 decades, Lucy is our favorite, most trusted entertainer, who we just can never get enough of. Lucy's spirit had a hard time aging, because maybe she knew that she would entertain us forever and remain forever young with us in the privacy of our own homes. Even after 6 decades of television, Lucy remains our favorite of all time, which shows that what remains close to our hearts are the innocent, much simpler times of the past- which Lucy always brought to us for 23 years straight.

The era of innocent television in 1974 was over, but thanks to MPI Home Video under license from Desilu,Too and Lucille Ball Productions, we can enjoy the simple wonderful television of Here's Lucy whenever we want on DVD!

Here are all the episodes from this final Season 6 that you won't want to miss:

1. LUCY AND DANNY THOMAS, 09/10/1973 - Lucy helps an artist sell his paintings for top dollar- the most expensive being of Lucy in the buff! (Danny Thomas & Hans Conried guest)
2. THE BIG GAME, 09/17/1973 - Harry scalps Buffalo Bills $6.50 tickets that were a gift for $50.00 a pair. (O.J. Simpson guests)
3. LUCY, THE PEACEMAKER, 09/24/1973 - Lucy's job as a secretary for Steve Lawrence turns to a peacemaker for the fighting Steve and wife Edie Gourmet. (Steve Lawrence and Edie Gourmet guest)
4. LUCY, THE WEALTHY WIDOW, 10/01/1973 - Lucy pretends to be wealthy in order to get an easy loan for Harry. (Ed McMahon guests)
5. THE BOW WOW BOUTIQUE, 10/08/1973 - Lucy and daughter Kim take care of a pet shop for the weekend. (Bob Williams Dog Act guest)
6. LUCIE GIVES EDDIE ALBERT THE OLD SONG AND DANCE, 10/15/1973 - Lucy and Eddie sing and dance Makin Whoopie for a charity for children. (Eddie Albert guests)
7. LUCY'S TENANT, 10/22/1973 - Lucy rents a room to a used car salesman, who turns out to be in love with her. (Reta Shaw & Jackie Coogan guest)
8. LUCY AND ANDY GRIFFITH, 10/29/1973 - Andy performs to make money for his Right Path Youth Camp. (Andy Griffith guests)
9. LUCY AND JOAN RIVERS DO JURY DUTY, 11/05/1973 - Lucy never agrees with the jurors, so when they have to stay in a hotel and not speak overnight, she communicates through charades. (Joan Rivers guests)
10. TIPSY THROUGH THE TULIPS, 11/12/1973 - Lucy is secretary for a writer with a drinking problem. ( Foster Brooks guests)
11. THE CARTERS MEET FRANKIE AVALON, 11/19/1973 - Frankie includes Lucie Arnaz in his nightclub act doing Sonny and Cher. Watch Frankie's impressions of Jimmy Cagney and John Wayne! (Frankie Avalon & Jerry Fogel guest)
12. HARRY CATCHES GOLD FEVER, 12/03/1973 - Lucy and Harry go gold panning and so does a bear.
13. LUCY AND CHUCK CONNORS HAVE A SURPRISE SLUMBER, 12/17/1973 - Harry rents Lucy's living room to a film crew, where Chuck stays the night without Lucy knowing. (Chuck Connors guests)
14. LUCY PLAYS COPS AND ROBBERS, 12/31/1973 - Forming a neighborhood watch, Lucy cries wolf so often, when a real burglar arrives, no one believes it. (Dick Sargent & Al Lewis guest)
15. LUCY IS A BIRD SITTER, 01/07/1974 - Lucy loses a tropical rare we-walk bird that Harry entrusted to her care. (Arte Johnson guests)
16. MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE OFFICE, 01/14/1974 - Harry wants to buy his Employment Agency back. (Don Porter guests)
17. LUCY IS N.G. AS AN R.N., 01/21/1974 - Lucy cares for Mary Jane, Harry and daughter Kim all at the same time.
18. LUCY, THE SHERIFF, 01/28/1974 - A pretend robbery in Carterville turns real.
19. MILTON BERLE IS THE LIFE OF THE PARTY, 02/11/1974 - Milton auctions himself off for charity for entertaining a party for a day and Lucy's winning bid of $7.50 gets him. (Milton Berle guests)
20. MARY JANE'S BOYFRIEND, 02/18/1974 - Mary Jane's new boyfriend who she got after going to charm school, Walter, chases after Lucy.
21. LUCY AND PHIL HARRIS STRIKE UP THE BAND, 02/25/1974 - Phil needs musicians for his big band sound and Lucy dances and sings. (Phil Harris guests)
22. LUCY CARTER MEETS LUCILLE BALL, 03/04/1974 - Lucille Ball's look alike contest winner promoting Mame, will win a car.
23. WHERE IS MY WANDERING MOTHER TONIGHT?, 03/11/1974 - Lucy pretends to have a date when spending a weekend at daughter Kim's apartment, so she won't be a third wheel when Kim has a date. (watch Lucy's lotus yoga position with her legs- all that training for Mame!)
24. LUCY FIGHTS THE SYSTEM, 03/18/1974 - When Mary Winters loses her waitress job due to age, Lucy fights back for her friend. (Mary Winters guests)

Be sure to visit Everything Lucy for more on Lucille Ball and visit the Everything Lucy Store to buy all your favorite Lucille Ball DVDs and more!

The Lucy Show, Season 6 DVD

CBS DVD and Paramount Home Entertainment will be releasing The Lucy Show - The Official 6th And Final Season DVD set on October 9th. The 24-episode, 4 disc collection also has bonus material.

It's The Lucy Show's sixth and final hilarious season, as Lucy continues to go on wacky misadventures with her reluctant best friend and her cantankerous boss. Own the FINAL SEASON of The Lucy Show on DVD for the first time! The 4-disc set contains all 24 uproarious episodes from the sixth and final season. Guest stars include: Milton Berle, Ruth Berle, Jacques Bergerac, Frankie Avalon, Jack Benny, Robert Goulet and Buddy Hackett! All episodes have brilliantly restored color picture and audio. Also features Cast Biographies, Production Notes, Photo Galleries, and much more!

Award winning final season: Emmy Winner: Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series (Lucille Ball). Emmy Nominations: Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding performance by an actor in a supporting role in a Comedy (Gale Gordon), Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy. Golden Globe Nomination: Best Actress in a Television Series - Female (Lucille Ball).

This is the Final Season of The Lucy Show!  The complete series is now complete and out on DVD!  Be sure not to miss out and order your copy TODAY from the Everything Lucy Store!  Or click on the link below to order your copy from Amazon!

The final season of "The Lucy Show" (1967-1968) showed how popular Lucille Ball continued to be with her legions of fans as she won her second Emmy that year for Outstanding Performance By an Actress in a Comedy Series and the show itself was a Top 10 mainstay finishing the year at a whopping #2 making this season the sitcom's most popular. At this time Paramount bought the rights to the "Lucy Show" so instead of renegotiating for another season Lucy decided to try her hand at another sitcom for the fall of 1968 with a whole new premise and alas "Here's Lucy" was born.

The final year consisted of some of the biggest names in Hollywood gracing "The Lucy Show" including Robert Goulet, Milton Berle, Jack Benny and most astonishing the wonderful and Oscar-winning actress Joan Crawford! In one of the last episodes entitled "Lucy and the Lost Star" both Lucy and Viv's (played by the wonderful Vivian Vance who continued to guest-star on the series) car breaks down a few miles from some Hollywood mansion. They walk to the house only to discover some woman who looks very familiar to them scrubbing the stairs with the house devoid of furniture. They soon realize it is none other than Joan Crawford. The episode is hilarious, funny and Joan proved she was as good at comedy as she was at drama. The dramatics wasn't so much on the screen as it was off in that Joan, terrified of performing in front of a live audience, starting drinking. Lucy, a severe perfectionist, noticed through rehersal Joan would forget her cues and lines and Lucy started to panick. On the side of the stage Joan heard Lucy exclaim "What are we going to do? Get Gloria Swanson!". Immediately, Joan went to her dressing room, studied her lines more, put the 100 proof vodka away and went to work. That night during the taping as soon as the camera panned on Joan she became the actress everyone knew and loved. Not only did she know her lines and stage direction without missing a beat she stole every scene she was in even from Lucy herself. After the taping was a smashing success Lucy went to Joan and stated "Joan...you were fantastic! Join me and Gary (Lucy's husband) for dinner and drinks. Unknown to Lucy Joan had reserved tables at a restaurant for all the members of the cast and crew leaving Lucy out of the invitation. Joan simply remarked to Lucy's request..."Sorry, but I have other engagements for this evening" and walked away and went into her limo leaving Lucy speechless. As much as I love Lucille Ball even she couldn't get one up on Joan Crawford!

The bonuses for this final box set (that features 24 shows on 4 dics) include cast biographies, production notes and more to come.

Following is a complete list of all the episodes of season 6 along with their airdates:

1. "Lucy Meets the Berles", Sept. 11, 1967
2. "Lucy Gets Trapped", Sept. 18, 1967
3. "Lucy and the French Movie Star", Sept. 25, 1967
4. "Lucy, the Starmaker", Oct. 2, 1967
5. "Lucy Gets Her Diploma", Oct. 9, 1967
6. "Lucy and Jack Benny's Account", Oct. 16, 1967
7. "Little Old Lucy", Oct. 23, 1967
8. "Lucy and Robert Goulet", Oct. 30, 1967
9. "Lucy Gets Mooney Fired", Nov. 6, 1967
10. "Lucy's Mystery Guest", Nov. 13, 1967
11. "Lucy, the Philanthropist", Nov. 20, 1967
12. "Lucy Sues Mooney", Nov. 27, 1967
13. "Lucy and the Pool Hustler", Dec. 4, 1967
14. "Lucy and Carol Burnett-Part 1", Dec. 11, 1967
15. "Lucy and Carol Burnett-Part 2", Dec. 18, 1967
16. "Lucy and Viv Reminise", Jan. 1, 1968
17. "Lucy Gets Involved", Jan. 15, 1968
18. "Mooney's Other Wife", Jan. 22, 1968
19. "Lucy and the Stolen Stole", Jan. 29, 1968
20. "Lucy and Phil Harris", Feb. 5, 1968
21. "Lucy Helps Ken Barry", Feb. 19, 1968
22. "Lucy and the Lost Star" (with Joan Crawford), Feb. 26, 1968
23. "Lucy and Sid Caesar", March 4, 1968
24. "Lucy and the Boss of the Year"-the final episode, March 11, 1968

If you want to see complete episode descriptions, pictures and more, visit the Everything Lucy website for a complete run-down on The Lucy Show and more!