Everything Lucy (Lucille Ball)

Ridgefield Playhouse Film Society "Documentary Film Series" presents "Lucie and Desi: A Home Movie"

2013-04-30T11:13:00.003-04:00

The Ridgefield Playhouse Film Society "Documentary Film Series" presents "Lucie and Desi: A Home Movie," the EMMY Award-winning documentary on Sunday, May 26th, at 6:30pm. Following the screening of Lucy and Desi: A Home Movie, director/actor Lucie Arnaz, producer/actor Laurence Luckinbill and EMMY & ACE Award-winning editor Sandra Consentino, will be on hand at the Q&A.

Lucy and Desi: A Home Movie, an EMMY Award-winning documentary is a "touching, no-holds-barred portrait of the turbulent marriage of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz" (Chicago Sun Times). Produced and directed by Lucie Arnaz and Laurence Luckinbill, the film features personal home movies and interviews with her parent's close friends and relatives.

The documentary also provide rare television footage and a look at Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz's personal momentos. Lucille Ball saved every one of Desi Arnaz's love letters, which daughter Lucie Arnaz discovered while researching the project.

"Ably and sensitively hosted by the couples daughter Lucie Arnaz... 'Lucy and Desi: A Home Movie' quivers with the intimacy of real lives and the passion that fueled the fire of their relationship." (Hollywood Reporter).

What is most memorable about this documentary is director Lucie Arnaz's own passion of wanting to know and understand the past that for her has deep and abiding meaning.

What most forcibly radiates from Lucy and Desi: A Home Movie is a new professional and personal awareness of the legacy of the two entertainment icons. The documentary not only gives viewers insight into TV's first family, but also about the joys and fears of their own lives.

On Thursday, May 10 at 8pm, the Ridgefield Playhouse presents "Lucie Arnaz: Latin Roots." The daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Lucie Arnaz performs a homage to her father's legacy and Copacabana Show with her new live theatrical show entitled "Latin Roots."

For information or to purchase reserved tickets, please visit the website of the Ridgefield Playhouse or phone 203-438-5795. The Ridgefield Playhouse is located at 80 East Ridge Ave., Ridgefield, CT 06877.

Jamestown: The next 'comedy central'?

2013-04-26T09:00:00.000-04:00

Following is an article from Tim O'Shei, Contributing Editor, Business First

When I first met Journey Gunderson two years ago, I wondered if she was for real.

I thought she might be. She was genuine, smart, a big thinker.

But when I heard Gunderson, the then-new executive director of the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Center in Jamestown, talk about her plans, I couldn’t help but wonder, Will this actually become a reality?
The answer: It did, it is, and it will continue to happen. And in an industry where laughing is the idea, she is seriously for real.

In April 2011, Gunderson – then 28 – stood among the center’s “I Love Lucy” memorabilia and laid out plans for a major comedy festival in Jamestown, a lineup of comedic arts classes, and the establishment of a national center for comedy.

She meant it: In August 2011 and 2012, Jamestown hosted multi-day comedy festivals that were headlined by the likes of Joan Rivers, Paula Poundstone and CBS star Billy Gardell. Thousands came to the Chautauqua County city, which received international media attention.

Last week, Gunderson and her team announced plans for the 2013 festival, scheduled for Aug. 1-4 and starring Comedy Central mainstays Bill Engvall and Kathleen Madigan.

They’re doing it again.

To me, though, the most significant news was this paragraph from the press release:
In addition to announcing this year’s festival line-up, The Lucy Desi Center for Comedy revealed they are in the master-planning stage of developing a national center for comedy in Lucille Ball’s hometown of Jamestown, NY. Jack Rouse Associates, named by The Wall Street Journal as ‘one of the world’s more prominent design firms,’ has recently been contracted to develop a master plan for a national comedy center which could be based at the Jamestown Gateway Train Station.

That’s a big deal.

It’s far from a done deal, but the project has significant muscle behind it. Jack Rouse Associates specializes in producing museum attractions for clients including LEGOLAND, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, Curious George, Kennedy Space Center, Universal Studios, and more.

Both the John R. Oishei Foundation and Gebbie Foundation are supporting the study, which will answer, among other questions, whether it’s feasible to expect to bring thousands of visitors to Jamestown year-round to visit a comedy center. (Gunderson is optimistic: Cooperstown, she points out, does exactly that with baseball.)

What would that comedy center encompass? That’s still being determined, too. But think in terms of a comedy hall of fame and museum, likely minus the actual inductees, since comedy is subjective and people within the industry may not take kindly to the judgment.

“The national center has to be more robust and comprehensive than a comedy hall of fame,” Gunderson says.

Keep watching, and laugh if you like. That’s the idea, of course. But take this idea seriously, because if the trend holds, Jamestown could someday become a different type of “comedy central.”

Article from: http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/blog/playbook/2013/04/jamestown-the-next-comedy-central.html?page=all

Comedy Brings Groups Together

2013-04-24T09:00:00.000-04:00

Generous grants from area foundations and partnerships with major organizations are bringing the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center one step closer to realizing its goal of making Jamestown a hub of humor.

Journey Gunderson, executive director of the Lucy-Desi Center, hosted a news conference on Friday, and was joined by recent business and economic development partners including Jim Wise, senior vice president of marketing for Seneca Gaming; Tony Conte, CEO of Shea's Performing Arts Center in Buffalo; and Chautauqua County Executive Greg Edwards.

"Two years ago we stood in a different venue at a press conference like this and I told you all about our vision, our four pillars," said Gunderson. "Lucille Ball's vision for her legacy, which she discussed with the Arts Council of Chautauqua County before her death in 1989, was for it to be celebrated in the form of living, breathing, contemporary comedy. She knew that a museum attraction was inevitable, but she was much less about idol worship and much more about the power of comedy and using her brand name to help new comedians break into the industry. Her vision was her hometown, Jamestown, as a hub of humor and a place that would celebrate the comedic arts."

Friday's event focused on the "four pillars" that the Lucy-Desi Center is attempting to build upon - Lucy Fest, comedic arts education, a comedy film festival, and the creation of a national center for comedy.

For Lucy Fest, Gunderson outlined the intention to make the event what Lucille Ball had really intended for it to be - a mix of nostalgia and "I Love Lucy" fandom, but also contemporary comedy.

To aid with the second pillar - comedic arts education - the Lucy-Desi Center has partnered with Infinity Visual and Performing Arts

"(Infinity Visual and Performing Arts) is a true gem of Chautauqua County and it has just done such incredible things for youth and adults in terms of the arts," said Gunderson. "They will help by presenting festival classes in improv comedy, intro to stand-up comedy, Lucy-themed artwork taught by mural artist Gary Peters and even an intro to conga workshop in honor of Desi Arnaz."

The comedy film festival will be soft-launched during this year's Lucy Fest, and will include screenings of independent comedy film and classic comedies at the Gateway Train Station, all curated by and programmed with the help of Jeff Clark, executive director of the Boonies Film Festival.

According to Gunderson, the fourth pillar is certainly the most aggressive and the one that has gotten the most questions, as well.

"There has been a lot of buzz about what is going on," Gunderson said. "People ask if it's a comedy hall of fame, and the answer is that it's much more than that, and it really has to be in order to be successful and sustainable. We've done our homework. We commissioned a study that looked at more than 20 comparables - museums, national attractions, halls of fame around the country - and one thing that came out of that study is that ongoing programming like this is absolutely key to attractions of that magnitude staying afloat. There has to be a reason for people to keep coming back through the doors, and so the vision is much more comprehensive and robust than just a traditional comedy hall of fame. It is a national center for comedy that is at once an experiential tourist destination, a museum of comedy, an entertainment and performance venue, an incubator for the industry, a point of local heritage and a community center for the arts."

The Lucy-Desi Center is beginning to move forward in that vision thanks to the support of the Gebbie Foundation and the John R. Oishei Foundation.

"The economic impact is a big part of this," said Gunderson. "The missions of both the John R. Oishei Foundation and the Gebbie Foundation have to do with vitality and economic development in the region. They would not be supporters of ours if they didn't think that what we were doing was in line with that. The festival is certainly a very expensive event to put on, but everything we're doing is very calculated. Is there risk involved? Absolutely, but we wouldn't be going bigger each year if all of you didn't show up and buy tickets. If you want to live in a community with a vibrant arts scene and vibrant entertainment scene, you have to support it. Go to the Jamestown Savings Bank Arena for the comedy nights, check out shows that are going on."

In 2011, the Lucy-Desi Center commissioned an economic impact study through Paradigm Economics in Buffalo with the help of the Community Foundation, which found that the economic impact within Chautauqua County of Lucy Fest that year was $3.6 million and the induced impact totalled nearly $4.7 million.

With the backing of the two foundations, the Lucy-Desi Center has delved into the pre-development, master plan phase and announced at Friday's event that they've contracted one of the world's most prominent exhibit and museum attraction designers and developers, Jack Rouse Associates.

"JRA is based out of Cincinnati, home to one of the best design schools in the country, and they also have an office in Malaysia," said Gunderson. "Their portfolio includes so much. JRA came to town recently and we interviewed them at length, they toured this building and we're happy to have them committed to this endeavour."

JRA has produced museum attractions for clients including Universal Studios, the Kennedy Space Center, LEGOLAND California, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, the NCAA Hall of Champions, Warner Brothers, Ripley's Believe It or Not in London, Curious George Goes to Town, and countless other museums and theme park attractions around the globe.

In an effort to further establish Jamestown as a comedy landmark, other local businesses have begun to make the foray into the stand-up world, as well - one such example being the Jamestown Savings Bank Arena.

"Our comedy nights that we've been running sold out the first three weeks, so we were really pleased," said Kurt Silcott, executive director of the Jamestown Savings Bank Arena. "We anticipate it will sell out in the future, too. We have another seven weeks planned, and then we're going to see if we want to keep going, but we've been very pleased. The people in this community are definitely into comedy. I think the Lucy-Desi Center is going to do well with the festival and their national comedy center. They're drawing in comedians that play places like Las Vegas and New York City - that's where we're going in this town now, so I say kudos to them. We're collaborating with them in October, too. We'll be announcing the headliner for that event around April 22, and that'll be another big act coming to town."

The Jamestown Savings Bank Arena will be partnering with the Lucy Desi Center and Chautauqua Striders to host a half-marathon and 5K race, along with bringing more comedy to the area over Columbus Day weekend. The 5K will be held on Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening will be the comedy show with the half-marathon rounding out the weekend on Sunday.

"We're trying to encourage people to come from far and wide for this," said Silcott. "After the success that I'm sure we'll see this summer with the Lucy Fest, people will want to see the joint effort act in the fall."

"Making Jamestown a destination for comedy is something we're all interested in doing," Silcott continued. "We're all challenging ourselves, so it's good. When the Lucy-Desi Center steps up, it makes us want to step up, and vice-versa. I can't imagine a town or a city of this size pulling in more entertainment than we do."

Edwards expressed his optimism at the stance that Jamestown is taking to make a name for itself in the comedy world.

"I've been involved with this project for some time, and like any great project it takes some pretty critical components to be successful, especially at the international level," said Edwards. "If you just think back two or three years ago when we only had a couple of people in the room, it was exciting because those people were wondering what was possible. Last year, there were 20 people in the room for this meeting, but the event was still hugely popular and a success. That was all leading up to here, today. I hope you're as excited as I am about where we are, and I hope you'll join in with me to spread the word about what this could be. I've seen the vision, and the four pillars that will grow from this foundation. The opportunities are even larger than I had already thought it was."

"This isn't something we'd be doing if we didn't believe that it could be a major game changer for this region for years to come," said Gunderson.

Bill Engvall will headline Lucille Ball Festival

2013-04-22T09:00:00.000-04:00

Organizers announced the lineup for this summer's Lucille Ball Comedy Festival in Jamestown. Standup comic star Bill Engvall will headline the event, becoming the latest in big-name acts to perform at the emerging Chautauqua County event.

While Engvall takes the stage on Saturday, August 3rd, Friday features Kathleen Madigan, star of two HBO specials and three Comedy Central specials.

Attracting quality acts is nothing new for the festival, according to Executive Director Journey Gunderson.

"The name Lucille Ball really still opens doors. It's a really powerful brand with a lot of momentum."

That momentum has organizers thinking big.

Two well-known foundations have provided seed money to explore an ambitious comedy-related attraction for the Jamestown area, one that might evolve into a comic hall-of fame.

Gunderson believes the concept is getting a credibility boost by the formation of an advisory panel of entertainment industry insiders.

"The artists, the comedic artists, and that is how they'll be treated in this attraction, really need a say in how the subject matter is approached."

Gunderson says NPR regular Paula Poundstone, who has performed at the festival in the past, has offered some guidance on the project.

The Lucille Ball Comedy Festival runs in Jamestown, August 1-4, 2013.

2013 Lucille Ball Comedy Fest Headliners

2013-04-20T09:00:00.000-04:00

The Lucy Desi Center for Comedy has announced that Bill Engvall, Kathleen Madigan, and a “Comics to Watch” showcase of upcoming comedians presented by Pandora will headline the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, August 1st-4th.

Additionally, the leads from the touring stage show hit I Love Lucy® Live on Stage, three nights of late-night comedy in the Tropicana Room that will be co-produced by Rooftop Comedy and recorded as a live comedy album, Lucille Ball’s former personal secretary Wanda Clark, the GI’s of Comedy, Summer Wind Cruises, and Gregg Oppenheimer’s Live Lucy Radio Play will be a part of the four-day festival.

Tickets for the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival will go on sale on April 24th, and can be purchased by visiting www.lucycomedyfest.com or calling (716)484-0800. Committed partners and museum members receive access to a Pre-Sale period beginning April 17.

Bill Engvall, who will be performing at the Reg Lenna Civic Center on August 3rd, is a headlining member of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. Touring alongside the likes of Jeff Foxworthy, Ron White, and Larry the Cable Guy, Engvall’s Blue Collar Comedy movies have sold more than 9 million units and are among some of the most watched specials in Comedy Central History.

Kathleen Madigan, who will be performing at the Reg Lenna on August 2nd, has never been hotter in her 25 year career. She is a frequent performer on Leno, Letterman, Conan, Ferguson and nearly every other late night talk show. Her stand-up show has been featured in 3 hour-long specials on HBO, Showtime, and Comedy Central; and she has also performed for American soldiers overseas on multiple tours with the likes of Robin Williams and Lewis Black. She’s a regular on SIRIUS-XM Radio, and recently won the listener determined “SIRIUS Challenge Cup,” deeming her the number one favorite comedian played on SIRIUS-XM radio.

On the evening of August 1st, The Lucy Desi Center for Comedy and Pandora will be teaming up to present the stand-up showcase, “Comics to Watch”. Additionally, Pandora and the Lucy Desi Center are working together to develop an interactive exhibit with data from Pandora’s Comedy Genome Project TM. The exhibit will be located at the Jamestown Gateway Train Station during the festival.

“Pandora is very excited to be working with the Lucy Desi Center on this first-of-its kind comedy attraction,” said Kelly Anneken, comedy curator at Pandora. “Helping Jamestown visitors learn more about America’s rich humorous history is perfectly aligned with Pandora’s mission to connect our listeners to comedy they love. We’re also thrilled to carry on the legacy of one of American comedy’s greatest stars by presenting a showcase at this year’s Lucille Ball Comedy Festival.”

Pandora launched Comedy in May of 2011, and currently features more than 20,000 comedy tracks in its catalog from more than 1,500 comedians.

The lead actors that portray Lucy and Ricky Ricardo in the hit, I Love Lucy® Live on Stage, will also be visiting Jamestown during the festival. They will be giving an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at what goes in to making their hit show. In addition to this show, I Love Lucy® Live on Stage will be performing at Shea’s Performing Arts Center from September 17-October 13.

By popular demand, Gregg Oppenheimer, son of I Love Lucy creator Jess Oppenheimer, returns to Jamestown to direct more radio comedy onstage at the Crown Theatre. Gregg’s live radio shows at previous festivals have been featured on SIRIUS-XM Radio. This year’s show will feature two episodes, Baby Snooks and Liz Changes her Mind, and will be performed in the style of old-time radio.

Rooftop Comedy, who has co-produced late-night comedy shows in the Tropicana Room in previous years, will be recording a live comedy album for this year’s late-night shows. Rooftop Comedy produces original event programming, from local comedy festivals to national comedy events and tours. Past year’s performers include Harrison Greenbaum, Adam Newman, Joe Machi, Phoebe Robinson, Kyle Grooms and more.

In addition to announcing this year’s festival line-up, The Lucy Desi Center for Comedy revealed they are in the master-planning stage of developing a national center for comedy in Lucille Ball’s hometown of Jamestown, NY. Jack Rouse Associates (JRA), named by The Wall Street Journal as “one of the world’s more prominent design firms,” has recently been contracted to develop a master plan for a national comedy center which could be based at the Jamestown Gateway Train Station.

JRA has produced museum attractions for clients including Universal Studios, the Kennedy Space Center, LEGOLAND California, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, the NCAA Hall of Champions, Warner Brothers, Ripley’s Believe It or Not in London, Curious George Goes to Town, and countless other museums and theme park attractions around the globe.

ABOUT THE LUCILLE BALL COMEDY FESTIVAL

The Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, or “Lucy Fest,” embodies Ball’s vision for her hometown legacy: a celebration of the comedic arts held annually on the weekend closest to her birth date, August 6th. The 2013 Lucille Ball Comedy Festival will take place August 1st-4th, and feature performances by Bill Engvall, Kathleen Madigan, a showcase of rising comedians presented by Pandora internet radio, the GIs of Comedy, I Love Lucy® Live on Stage, Live Lucy Radio Plays and much more. Visit www.LucyComedyFest.com for more information.

The Lucille Ball Comedy Festival is the first pillar in a four-pillar Legacy of Laughter vision for the organization, including a comedic arts education program, comedy film festival and the establishment of the first national center for comedy.

The mission of the Lucy Desi Center for Comedy, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is to preserve the legacy of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and enrich the world through the healing powers of love and laughter through its commitment to the development of the comedic arts.

Lucie Arnaz celebrates her musical heritage with ‘Latin Roots’

2013-04-18T12:22:00.000-04:00

"People don’t have a clue what I do," said Lucie Arnaz, looking back on her show business career that's spanned more than 45 years. "The whole thing was a challenge. I never had a hit series. I did movies. Now I'm in concerts. I've diversified my career. That's just the way it is."

Having so varied a career that's included stage, screen and television has been a challenge for the daughter of TV royalty, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, all the while balancing marriage and motherhood. But Lucie Desiree Arnaz has always managed to come out on top, whether performing to millions of TV viewers or hundreds of nightclub and concert audiences. Now her latest venture, "Latin Roots," heads to Easton's State Theatre on Saturday at 8 p.m., in a celebration of her musical heritage and a tribute to her father.

Arnaz presented "Latin Roots" at Feinstein’s at Loews Regency nightclub in New York City in February. The show evolved from "BABALU: A Celebration of the Latin Music Craze of the 40s and 50s as Seen Through the Music of The Desi Arnaz Orchestra." With a 16-piece band, it opened the 40th season of the famed Lyric and Lyricist Series at the 92nd St. Y in New York City in January 2010, with sold-out performances. The show played in Miami the following summer. "Latin Roots" was released as a CD in 2010, as an eclectic celebration of Lucie Arnaz’s musical heritage. It includes some pop contemporary South-of-the-Border sounds and American standards as Arnaz takes on the fiery classics of her father.

For Easton’s performance, Arnaz said "Latin Roots" is pared down to a four-musician show with piano, bass and drums, and music director Ron Abel. The eclectic Latin American mix will include Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and Johnny Mercer, alongside tunes by Agustin Lara, Rafael Hernandez and Margarita Lecuona.

In a recent phone interview from Palm Springs, Calif., Arnaz said she and her husband of 32 years, actor/writer Laurence Luckinbill, are in the process of relocating from Connecticut to the West Coast. Together they have three children -- Simon, Joseph and Katharine. She also has two stepsons, Nicholas and Benjamin.

She explained that her Easton performance, which should be "a very entertaining and fun evening," will include not only some of her father's arrangements, but some family stories and videos of her mother, Lucille Desiree Ball, and family. "That's where I got my rhythms, acting from my mom and the joy of music from my dad," she added.

Following Saturday's show, Arnaz will be among the performers at the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame inaugural induction gala on Tuesday at the New World Center in Miami Beach. The event will honor some of the music industry’s most established names and also will introduce the Desi Arnaz Pioneer Award.

Lucie Desiree Arnaz began her long career playing opposite her mother in TV's "The Lucy Show." Her brother, Desi Jr., also appeared on the show. Desi Jr. later created a name for himself as the drummer in the 60s rock band, Dino, Desi & Billy, a favorite for teen magazines. At 15, Lucie was a regular on "Here’s Lucy," and later starred in her own series, "The Lucie Arnaz Show" and "Sons & Daughters."

It was during the 1979 Broadway run of the Neil Simon-Marvin Hamlisch-Carole Bayer Sager-musical, "They’re Playing Our Song," that Arnaz met Luckinbill, who also was performing on Broadway in the Neil Simon hit, "Chapter Two." They married in June 1980, and went on to appear together in such shows and tours including "Educating Rita," "I Do! I Do!" "They’re Playing Our Song," "Whose Life is it Anyway?" "Social Security," and "The Guardsman." Arnaz also appeared in the film, "The Jazz Singer," with Neil Diamond and Sir Laurence Olivier, and received a Golden Globe nomination.

Arnaz reflected on Hamlisch's untimely death in 2012, calling it "a humongous loss. He was so vibrant, and at the top of his game. He changed the way I do the music. I have a new focus, more to the reality and the humanness." She’ll be performing at the American Cancer Society’s "One Centennial Sensation: A Tribute to Marvin Hamlisch" on June 3, at the Hudson Theatre at the Millennium Broadway Hotel in New York City.

In recent years, Arnaz and Luckinbill formed ArLuck Entertainment, which produced the Emmy Award-winning documentary, "Lucy & Desi: A Home Movie," and published CD-ROMs "Lucy & Desi: The Scrapbooks, Volume I" and "How to Save Your Family History: A 10-Step Guide by Lucie Arnaz." The company also produced "An Evening with Lucille Ball: Thank You for Asking," a one-woman touring show starring Suzanne LaRusch, co-written and directed by Lucie Arnaz.

In 2001, she and brother Desi Jr. were executive producers of the Emmy-nominated "I Love Lucy 50th Anniversary Special," which aired on CBS. In April 2006, she co-starred with daughter Katharine Desiree Luckinbill in "Sonia Flew," when Katharine was a senior theater major at the University of Miami.

For further info: statetheatre.org

Lucie Arnaz's "Latin Roots" to Tribute Father Desi at The State Theatre

2013-04-03T09:02:00.000-04:00

Lucie Arnaz performs a fiery, explosive, and heartfelt musical tribute to the rhythm of her roots and a love note to the man who introduced La Conga to the United States, her father, Desi Arnaz. "Latin Roots" is an eclectic Latin American mix that sizzles with sophistication and sassy spice to songs from Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, and Johnny Mercer alongside tunes by Agustín Lara, Rafael Hernandez, and Margarita Lecuona.

Show time is Saturday, April 20 at 8:00 PM. Tickets are $40 & $35 and can be purchased by visiting the State Theatre Box Office, 453 Northampton Street, Easton, by calling 1-800-999-STATE, 610-252-3132 or online at www.statetheatre.org.

A Meet & Greet with Lucie after the show is available, along with complementary champagne and strawberries for $25 per person, to benefit the non-profit State Theatre.

Believe it or not, Lucie Arnaz is celebrating over 45 years in show business. She began her long career in a recurring role on television on The Lucy Show, opposite her mother, Lucille Ball. At age fifteen, she became a series regular on Here's Lucy, a show that ran for six seasons. She starred in her own series, The Lucie Arnaz Show and later in the critically acclaimed Sons & Daughters on CBS.

In 1979, during the run of They're Playing Our Song, Lucie met her husband, actor-writer, Laurence Luckinbill, while he was also on Broadway in another Neil Simon hit, Chapter Two. The couple were married in June of 1980 and they have appeared together in the American premiere of Educating Rita, directed by Mike Ockrent; sold out tours of I Do! I Do! and They're Playing Our Song; national companies of Whose Life is it Anyway? and the Andrew Bergman comedy Social Security, directed by Mike Nichols (Carbonelle Award); and in the revival of Lunt and Fontanne's The Guardsman at The Papermill Playhouse.

Throughout her varied career, Ms. Arnaz has found herself helming several different production retrospectives based on the iconic fame of her parents, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. With her husband, Larry Luckinbill, she teamed up to form ArLuck Entertainment, which produced the Emmy Award-winning documentary, Lucy & Desi: A Home Movie, (for NBC in 1993, subsequently on A&E and Nickelodeon, and currently available on DVD), published two CD-ROMs (Lucy & Desi: The Scrapbooks, Volume I and How to Save Your Family History: A 10-Step Guide by Lucie Arnaz). Most recently, ArLuck Entertainment produced An Evening With Lucille Ball: Thank You For Asking, a one-woman show starring Suzanne LaRusch, co-written and directed by Ms. Arnaz and currently touring the U.S. and Canada.

In 2001 Lucie and her brother, Desi Arnaz Jr., executive produced the I Love Lucy 50th Anniversary Special which aired on CBS and received an Emmy nomination. Miss Arnaz says with a smile: "A few of those kinds of projects are healthy. My parents are always happiest when they're working."

In April 2006, she opened in Sonia Flew, costarring with her youngest child, then a senior and theatre major at University of Miami, Katharine Desiree Luckinbill.

In January of 2010, Lucie was Artistic Director for BABALU: A Celebration of the Latin Music Craze of the '40s and '50s as Seen Through the Music of The Desi Arnaz Orchestra which opened the 40th season of the famed Lyric and Lyricist Series at the 92nd St. Y in New York City with sold out performances. The show received "sizzling" reviews when it played to Miami audiences the following summer.

With her husband, Ms. Arnaz is mother to three beautiful and talented children: Simon (born in 1980), Joseph (1982) and Katharine (1985) in addition to being stepmother to his two sons, Nicholas (1969) and Benjamin (1975). It is these credits of which Lucie is most proud.

Lucie Arnaz Heads to Reagle Music Theatre

2013-04-01T12:21:00.000-04:00

Talented triple threat of stage and screen Lucie Arnaz brings her critically acclaimed cabaret "An Afternoon with Lucie Arnaz" to Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston on Sunday, April 21 at 3 p.m. In an exclusive Boston area engagement, the famed daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz sings, shares stories, and demonstrates the musical savvy and comic pizzazz that have established her as a star in her own right for the past 45 years.

"We are thrilled to continue our 45th season concert series with another true legend," says Robert Eagle, producing artistic director of Reagle Music Theatre. "Lucie Arnaz started in show business at the age of 10, working with and learning from the greatest comedienne of all time, her mother, Lucille Ball. But even before she stepped in front of the camera professionally, she literally grew up in the spotlight, absorbing invaluable lessons from two of the world's most famous television pioneers. From her mother's incomparable wit and her father's musical genius she has developed her own unique style. Lucie Arnaz is a consummate entertainer. Her show is a knockout."

In "An Afternoon with Lucie Arnaz," the star takes her audience on an eclectic ride through a varied songbook, from jazz standards to Broadway show tunes. She performs inspired medleys with fresh and exciting arrangements and includes a set of hot Latin numbers in homage to her Cuban-born father. Her show-stopping rendition of "Hey, Look Me Over" by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh recalls her mother's one Broadway hit, "Wildcat."

Lucie Arnaz has had an extremely diversified career spanning more than 45 years in show business. She has starred on the New York stage in "They're Playing Our Song" (Theatre World, LA Drama Critics and Outer Critic's Circle Awards), "Lost in Yonkers," "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" and "Grace and Glorie;" in the London premiere of "The Witches Of Eastwick;" in the Coconut Grove Playhouse premieres of "Once Removed" and "A Picasso;" in national tours of "Seesaw," "Whose Life Is It Anyway?," "Social Security" and "My One And Only" (Sarah Siddons Award); and in regional theatre productions of "Wonderful Town," "Master Class," "Cabaret," "The Guardsman," "Annie Get Your Gun," "I Do! I Do!," "Educating Rita," "Vanities" and "Mack And Mabel," to name just a few.

Arnaz has appeared on television in "The Lucie Arnaz Show," "Sons And Daughters," "The Black Dahlia," "The Mating Season," "Who Gets The Friends?," "Washington Mistress," "Death Scream" and six seasons of "Here's Lucy." On the big screen she appeared with Neil Diamond and Sir Laurence Oliver in "The Jazz Singer" (Golden Globe Nomination), "Down To You," "Second Thoughts," "Billy Jack Goes To Washington," "The Pack," and "Wild Seven." She has also lent her voice to the new animated fantasy about the NY Yankees, "Henry and Me."

In addition, Arnaz has performed the opening number on the Academy Awards (1981) and at The White House several times. She was Executive Producer of the "I Love Lucy 50th Anniversary Special" (Emmy nomination) and "Lucy & Desi: A Home Movie" (Emmy winner 1993). She recorded her first album for Concord Jazz, "Just in Time," and her newest CD, "Latin Roots," is a celebration of her Cuban heritage. Arnaz has been traveling the country and the world with her various concerts for more than 20 years.

With her brother, Desi, she manages Desilu, too, LLC. With her husband, actor Laurence Luckinbill, she manages five grown children. Much more information is available online at www.luciearnaz.com.

"An Afternoon with Lucie Arnaz" performs at Reagle Music Theatre, Robinson Theater, 617 Lexington Street, Waltham on Sunday, April 21 at 3 p.m. Tickets are priced from $34 to $54. Seniors (60+) receive $3 off adult prices. Youth tickets (ages 5-18) are $25 for any seat. Student rush seats at 50% off are available at the Box Office one hour before curtain; a valid college ID is required.

Tickets may be purchased by phone at 781-891-5600 or in person at the Box Office during regular business hours, Mondays through Fridays 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and performance days 9 a.m. to curtain. Tickets may also be purchased online anytime at www.reaglemusictheatre.org. For groups of 10 or more, call 781-894-2330 or 781-891-5600.

Lucy Fest Documentary

2013-03-19T09:08:00.001-04:00

An untitled Lucy Fest documentary is now in post-production. The independent film is a production of the Boonies International Film Festival in conjunction with Beniquez Films.

At last year's Lucy Fest, a film crew interviewed comedians that included Billy Gardell, Tammy Pescatelli and Paula Poundstone, as well as, Lucie Arnaz. The documentary hopes to take Lucy Fest to those fans that can not make it to Jamestown, New York and to explore how Lucille Ball continues to inspire comics and fans around the world.

Director Lorena Beniquez says, "The funny thing that we learned through the filming process is that people get really serious when it comes to talking about comedy and Lucille Ball." The film is Executive produced by Jeff Clark and Mark Robineaut serves as director of Photography.

The Boonies, Inc. organized as a 501(C)(3) non-profit corporation, is created to support, educate and promote independent filmmakers of all ages, as well as promote Northwestern Pennsylvania's location and natural resources to the film industry. To that end, The Boonies will utilize film, visual arts, music and the newest and experimental technologies to enhance the experience of students, filmmakers and audiences.

Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available!

Valentine's Day Event at Lucy Desi Center

2013-01-28T12:44:00.000-05:00

Enjoy an evening of romance and laughter with the "First Couple of Comedy" at the Lucy Desi Center for Comedy on Saturday, February 16. First enjoy a cocktail hour in the Desilu Studios where you can mingle among original costumes, props, Emmy Awards, and exact replicas of the I Love Lucy studio sets. Then enjoy a candle-light dinner in the Tropicana Room where you can enjoy delicious Caribbean Chicken & Rice or Italian Style Veggie Lasagna.

Next have some laughs with your loved one with stand-up comedian Nick Siracuse. Writing for Jay Leno, The Arsenio Hall Show, and The David Brenner Show, Nick will have your laughing for days. Finish the evening off watching the I Love Lucy episode "The Marriage License" where Lucy and Ricky re-create the day that Ricky proposed.

Purchase your tickets now online or by calling 716.484.0800. Beer and wine served throughout the evening by cash donation.

60 Year Anniversary of Celebrated I Love Lucy Show

2013-01-21T10:32:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday, January 19th marked the 60th anniversary of the episode, "Lucy Goes to the Hospital." This was a groundbreaking moment in TV History that marked the highest Nielsen rating for any one show, with 98.6% of all households watching "I Love Lucy" that Monday evening. This episode featured the birth of Little Ricky, the fictional son of Rick and Lucy Ricardo. Most Lucy fans know that Keith Thibodeaux played Little Ricky throughout most of the I Love Lucy series. But Thibodeaux did not appear until Season 6 in 1956! The Baby that everyone saw on Lucy that night was James John Ganzer. Another little known fact is the full name of Little Ricky was Enrique Alberto Ricardo IV.

Not only was this a groundbreaking show in Nielsen ratings but also that Lucy gave birth in a TV Series during that era. Not only was Lucille Ball the first actress to be pregnant on television, something unheard of back then, as she had her real-life pregnancy written directly into the show.

Lucy actually gave birth to her second child, Desi Arnaz Jr. by a cesarean section just hours before CBS aired this episode. "It’s a very cool moment in television history to recognize because it gives one a sense of the significance of the show in American culture at that time, and because [a 98.6% Nielsen share] will almost certainly never happen again,” said Journey Gunderson, executive director at the Lucy Desi Center for Comedy.

"In today's fragmented world of hundreds of TV channels and dozens of mobile media viewing platforms, even the most popular TV broadcasts are seen by just a small fraction of the viewing audience," said Gregg Oppenheimer, son of I Love Lucy creator, Jess Oppenheimer. "It's awe-inspiring to think that my dad and his co-writers Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll Jr. were able to write something that was experienced and enjoyed by practically everyone in the country at the same time."

Time truly stood still for this landmark episode. Not only did the episode's ratings completely eclipse those of the first-ever televised presidential inauguration the following day, Colonel McCormick, owner and publisher of the Chicago Times, even scheduled his inauguration-eve party for Dwight Eisenhower around the episode so that the gala would finish at 9pm - just in time to roll out a television and allow the dignitaries to watch the telecast.

In celebration of this anniversary, Gregg Oppenheimer, son of Jess Oppenheimer (co-creator, producer and writer for I Love Lucy) will be releasing his new audiobook, I Love Lucy: The Untold Story. The audiobook can be downloaded on iTunes, Amazon.com and Audible. This book is a fully cast radio play exploring the creation of I Love Lucy and includes funny anecdotes about what it was like to be on the set. Included in this audiobook is a bonus, 15-minute previously unreleased interview with Jess Oppenheimer in 1961. All proceeds on the sale go directly towards the Motion Picture and Television Fund.

Carol Burnett Speaks About Lucille Ball

2013-01-18T11:57:00.000-05:00

In this interview outtake from PBS's Funny Ladies series, Carol Burnett describes meeting Lucille Ball for the first time and Ball’s generous offer to be of help during Burnett’s budding career. The two would become close friends and perform on each other’s shows. Burnett also shares her favorite anecdote about Lucy.

Watch The Friendship of Carol Burnett and Lucille Ball on PBS. See more from pbs.

‘I Love Lucy’: Early Footage of Lucy’s Real Kids

2013-01-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were beloved the world over for their iconic sitcom, “I Love Lucy,” but the 1950s Hollywood power couple tried to shield their young children from the limelight.

“It’s interesting. They said, ‘We wanna make it, we don’t wanna ever put our kids in the show. That would be too horrible,’” Lucie Arnaz, the couple’s first child, said in a recent interview with ABC News. “They did that on purpose. I mean, and I think that’s great.”

For “Lucy” fans, that’s what may make clips like the one above all the more treasured. The 1954 newsreel (shown below) shows Arnaz and Ball introducing their two children, then just toddlers, before launching into a plea urging viewers to contribute to a campaign by the March of Dimes to raise money for the testing of a polio vaccine.

Later on in the newsreel Ball speaks of living in fear that her own children might someday contract polio, adopting a serious tone that marked a stark contrast to that of her clownish TV alter ego. (After the successful development of the polio vaccine, the March of Dimes, which celebrates its 75th anniversary next year, moved on to fund other advances in maternal and infant health. A major focus of the organization today is preventing premature birth.)

There was some overlap between fact and fiction when it came to Ball and Arnaz’s family. The “I Love Lucy” episode when Lucy gives birth to Little Ricky — later played by young drumming prodigy Keith Thibodeaux – aired on the same day that Lucille Ball had a Caesarian section to deliver Desi Arnaz Jr. It was all on purpose, Arnaz Jr. says.

“They shot the show four months earlier. And decided it was going to be a boy on television. But they knew that they could kind of plan when I was gonna be born, because the doctor said, ‘Well, we could do it the same day,’” he said. Though Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. didn’t appear on “I Love Lucy,” their parents often did bring them to the set.

“It was like growing up behind the scenes at Disneyland,” Arnaz Jr. remembered. “You got to see how all the magic was put together — the smoke and mirrors.” Arnaz Jr. even palled around with Thibodeaux, a.k.a. Little Ricky; the two children bonded over their mutual love of playing the drums.

“It was amazing. I became best friends with the kid who played me,” Arnaz Jr. Both Arnaz children grew up to be performers. Lucie Arnaz, 61, is a singer and actress with a long career spanning both the stage and screen. Desi Arnaz Jr., 59, portrayed his father in the 1992 film “The Mambo Kings,” played with his own band and now runs a ballet company with his wife.

Dann Cahn, I Love Lucy Editor, Dies

2012-11-28T18:00:00.000-05:00

Using a newly developed editing machine that he dubbed the "three-headed monster," Dann Cahn pioneered multi-camera editing on sitcoms in the 1950s while helping to craft a classic, "I Love Lucy."

"Lucy" broke ground in television by employing three cameras instead of one for filming, a then-novel system that allowed an episode to be filmed as though it were a stage play, continuously and in sequence.

Cahn died on November 21st at age 89 of natural causes at his West Los Angeles home. Cahn was the last surviving member of the original creative team behind "I Love Lucy". Cahn, whose father was Philip Cahn, the cofounder of the Motion Picture Editors Guild, actually started out in the business as a child actor in the 1938 Jackie Cooper movie Newsboys’ Home, according to his Los Angeles Times obituary.

When we remember the 1950s sitcom I Love Lucy, we usually think of all the hilarious jams that Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball) got herself into, and that exasperated look that her husband Ricky (Desi Arnaz) would get. But it wasn’t just the stars’ comedic virtuosity that made I love Lucy a classic. It was the first show to be filmed in front of a live audience in a Hollywood studio, rather than broadcast live from New York, as other early TV comedies did. But Lucy’s most revolutionary innovation was its use of multiple camera angles, which conveyed Ball’s frenetic style and humorous nuances in a way that a single viewpoint couldn’t.

But to get all that to work technically — and to do it rapidly enough that I Love Lucy could air 35 episodes in a season — was a daunting task. The first half-hour episode of I Love Lucy actually was shot with four cameras, according to Michael Karol’s Lucy A to Z: The Lucille Ball Encyclopedia. But after that, director William Asher and his team decided that three cameras — one for the full scene, a second for medium “over the shoulder” shots, and a third for close-ups — were enough.

Cahn’s favorite episode of I Love Lucy reportedly was an October 1956 segment in which Lucy is recruited as an assistant in a magic act (featuring Orson Welles as the magician) at Ricky’s nightclub. Cahn, who’d been an assistant editor on Welles’ 1948 film Macbeth, relished a chance to work again with the illustrious actor/director.

Cahn spent years searching for a print of an unreleased 1954 I Love Lucy movie produced by Desi Arnaz, which had been fashioned from three Lucy episodes and 12 minutes of additional footage shot by director Edward Sedgewick. MGM deep-sixed the project, fearing it would compete with another Ball-Arnaz film, The Long, Long Trailer. Eventually, though, Cahn found bits and pieces of the film in a studio vault and painstakingly reassembled it, and it finally was released as part of a Lucy DVD box set in 2007.

In addition to I Love Lucy, Cahn worked on a wide array of other productions, ranging from such classic TV series as The Beverly Hillbillies and The Untouchables to the exploitation auteur Russ Meyer’s 1970 flick Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, which was written by another notable name in the movie biz — critic Roger Ebert.

Following is a video interview in which Cahn talks about the first completed (fourth aired) episode of I Love Lucy:

Lucy headed to Hulu for Streaming Over Internet

2012-11-09T12:00:00.001-05:00

The classic "I Love Lucy" TV Show will be headed to Hulu and available for streaming over the internet and on connected devices. Newer series such as 'CSI: Miami' and 'Numbers' will also appear as well as classic 'Twilight Zone', all on the subscription Hulu Plus service.

The online streaming site has signed a non-exclusive deal with CBS that includes rights to stream 2,600 episodes of those and other shows from the network's production library starting in January. They will be available to paid subscribers of the Hulu Plus service.

Also included are episodes of more recent (but no longer airing) series such as Medium, CSI: Miami and Numb3rs, the companies said. Hulu already carries episodes of CW programming produced by CBS as part of a separate agreement.

Largest Lucille Ball-Themed Mural Completed

2012-10-18T09:00:00.000-04:00

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

2012-10-16T09:00:00.000-04:00

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

2012-10-12T09:00:00.000-04:00

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:

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)
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)
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)
LUCY, THE WEALTHY WIDOW, 10/01/1973 - Lucy pretends to be wealthy in order to get an easy loan for Harry. (Ed McMahon guests)
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)
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)
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)
LUCY AND ANDY GRIFFITH, 10/29/1973 - Andy performs to make money for his Right Path Youth Camp. (Andy Griffith guests)
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)
TIPSY THROUGH THE TULIPS, 11/12/1973 - Lucy is secretary for a writer with a drinking problem. ( Foster Brooks guests)
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)
HARRY CATCHES GOLD FEVER, 12/03/1973 - Lucy and Harry go gold panning and so does a bear.
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)
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)
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)
MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE OFFICE, 01/14/1974 - Harry wants to buy his Employment Agency back. (Don Porter guests)
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.
LUCY, THE SHERIFF, 01/28/1974 - A pretend robbery in Carterville turns real.
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)
MARY JANE'S BOYFRIEND, 02/18/1974 - Mary Jane's new boyfriend who she got after going to charm school, Walter, chases after Lucy.
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)
LUCY CARTER MEETS LUCILLE BALL, 03/04/1974 - Lucille Ball's look alike contest winner promoting Mame, will win a car.
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!)
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

2012-10-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

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:

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

"I Love Lucy" Still Brings in Millions for CBS

2012-09-24T09:00:00.000-04:00

Over 50 years after the classic sitcom "I Love Lucy," which starred Lucille Ball and real-life husband Desi Arnaz, went off the air, it's still a big income generator for studio CBS.

The show brings in around $20 million to the studio annually, according to CBS Chief Executive Leslie Moonves, speaking at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference in New York recently. Reruns of the show still run on a regular basis on the cable channel TV Land.

"I Love Lucy" aired from 1951-57, and featured Ball and Arnaz as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo; the couple were married for 20 years and owned a production company, Desilu Productions, together.

Moonves stressed the value of CBS' new and old content, particularly as new platforms such as Netflix and Amazon are spending heavily for product.

While TV networks make a big portion of their revenue through advertising and current series, they also make ends meet by selling shows they own to other outlets in syndication and online. Moonves noted that series like "NCIS" and "CSI," which have episodes that are self-contained and don't rely on connecting story arcs, do well in syndication, while other series with soapier storytelling do well in places like Netflix.

"The world is a beautiful place, we're going to get paid more and more and more," Moonves said.

That said, CBS is still more conservative than other programmers when it comes to selling content to online streaming services and Moonves does not plan on changing that strategy.

For example, ABC parent Walt Disney Co. recently sold the first seasons of its dramas "Revenge," "Scandal" and "Once Upon a Time" to Netflix.

CBS does not sell episodes of any series currently on its air to a streaming service out of fear that it could hurt potential rerun sales down the road.

"Syndication is still the big dog here versus the online stuff," he said. Either way, the options for continuing to make money off of old classics seem endless.

'I Love Lucy' Voted the Best TV Show of All Time

2012-09-20T09:00:00.000-04:00

More than 60 years after it premiered, the iconic television sitcom "I Love Lucy" nabbed top honors with TV fans in a survey conducted by ABC News and People Magazine for "Best in TV," a special edition of "20/20" that aired Tuesday night, September 18th.

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"Lucy" was voted the best show of all time, beating out finalists "Seinfeld," "M*A*S*H," "All in the Family" and "Cheers." All five finalists were comedies.

"We were not surprised Americans chose comedies as their favorites of all time," said ABC News' Barbara Walters, who hosted the special. "We all like to laugh and these shows still make us laugh today.

During a rare interview in 1977, "I Love Lucy" star Lucille Ball told Barbara Walters that she didn't think she was funny.

In a recent interview with Barbara Walters, Ball's now-adult children, Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. explained that their mother had a dry sense of humor.

She was witty, with "a Will Rogers kind of sense of humor...great humor, but not like Lucy (on the show)," Desi Arnaz Jr. said.

"My mother was a clown, and she could turn funny, brilliantly funny written things into magic...But she didn't think funny," Lucie Arnaz said.

"Best in TV" featured a countdown of winners in a number of other categories, from Favorite TV Reality Show to Favorite TV Drama to Favorite TV Mom. In addition to the categories featured on the TV Special, ABC News and People also polled Americans in several other categories like Favorite TV Soap Opera, Favorite TV Game Show, and Most Memorable TV Moment of All Time. See the finalists in these categories online at www.bestintelevision.com.

Nominees in all categories were determined by an all-star panel of television writers, producers, actors and directors. And from the list of nominees, Americans registered more than one million online votes earlier this summer at www.bestintelevision.com.

"Best of TV" Special to Air featuring Lucy Comedy Fest

2012-09-17T09:00:00.000-04:00

JAMESTOWN, NY – September 14th, 2012 – The city of Jamestown, the Lucy Desi Center for Comedy, and the annual Lucille Ball Comedy Festival will all be included in a segment of the two-hour Barbara Walters Special, “The Best in TV – The Greatest Shows of Our Time,” airing September 18th on ABC at 9pm EST.

The results of an online poll conducted by ABC News and People Magazine, which nearly one million people voted in, will be announced during Tuesday’s special. I Love Lucy is nominated in two different categories; Best Television Comedy of All Time and Best Television Show of All Time.

A team of producers and cameramen from ABC News and People Magazine visited Jamestown in August during this year’s Lucille Ball Festival of Comedy to record footage for the nationally televised special. A portion of the 2-hour special will feature Jamestown’s annual Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, the first-ever Lucy World Games, and footage from the Lucy Desi Center for Comedy’s dual museum attraction (Lucy Desi Museum and Desilu Studios).

“We’re excited to find out the results of the poll, and to share on national television what goes on here in Jamestown with the Queen of Comedy’s legacy,” said Journey Gunderson, executive director of the Lucy Desi Center for Comedy. “We hope it will bring even more visitors to our year-round museum attraction and to our annual comedy festival each August.”

About The Lucille Ball Comedy Festival

The Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, or “Lucy Fest,” embodies Ball’s vision for her hometown legacy: a celebration of the comedic arts held annually on the weekend closest to her birth date, August 6th. This year’s festival ran from August 1st-5th and featured performances by Paula Poundstone, Lucie Arnaz, Tammy Pescatelli, Story Pirates, Billy Gardell from CBS’s Mike & Molly, the best “Lucy, Ricky, Fred & Ethel” impersonators in the world and much more. This year’s festival was brought to you in part by YNN, the TV media sponsor of Lucy Fest 2012. Lucy Fest 2013 will be August 1-4. Additional information on the festival can be found at www.LucyComedyFest.com.

According to an economic impact study conducted by Buffalo firm Paradigm Economics and commissioned by the Lucy Desi Center for Comedy and the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, the 2011 five-day festival saw 13,000 in attendance and had a direct impact of $3.6 million on Chautauqua County.

The Lucille Ball Comedy Festival is the first pillar in a four-pillar Legacy of Laughter vision for the organization, including a comedic arts education program, comedy film festival and the establishment of the first national comedy center and hall of fame.

The mission of the Lucy Desi Center for Comedy, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is to preserve the legacy of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and enrich the world through the healing powers of love and laughter through its commitment to the development of the comedic arts.

‘I Love Lucy’ in live musical comedy tribute on stage

2012-09-14T09:00:00.000-04:00

As written by Hedy Weiss for the Chicago Sun Times:

Sirena Irwin stars as Lucy and Bill Mendieta plays
Ricky Ricardo in "I Love Lucy Live on Stage",
Photo by Ed Krieger

No doubt many still remember watching the original 181 black-and-white episodes of “I Love Lucy” that were broadcast in the ’50s on CBS-TV via television sets equipped with rabbit-ear antennas.

Most of us discovered the shows somewhat later, either in reruns, DVD box sets or through YouTube snippets. Whatever the format, they retain their crazy spark of genius, generating giddy laughter and delight decade after decade. Classics of the Golden Age of television, “I Love Lucy” episodes are in many ways America’s most masterful example of the mid-20th century comedy of manners.

The truth is, there has never been a couple more antic, tempestuous and irresistible than Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball), that beautiful redhead with the irrepressible sense of mischief and thwarted ambition, and her husband, Ricky (Desi Arnaz), the dashing, heavily accented, hopelessly macho Cuban emigre and singer-bandleader.

And of course, if your dreams were invariably geared toward breaking into show business, as Lucy’s were, what better landlords could you have for your New York brownstone than a couple of droll vaudevillians like Ethel and Fred Mertz, who were played so winningly by Vivian Vance and William Frawley?

“I Love Lucy Live On Stage,” which receives its Midwest premiere Sept. 19 at the Broadway Playhouse, is a theatrical “reinvention” and musical comedy tribute to those classic shows. A hit when it opened at the Greenway Court Theatre in Los Angeles last year, it is set in 1952, in Hollywood’s Desilu Studios, and reenacts (“in full color”) the live “filming” of two episodes of the sitcom. (“I Love Lucy” was the first scripted television program to be shot on 35mm film in front of a studio audience.) And yes, you guessed it, YOU are the studio audience.

“I was born in 1957, so I grew up on the morning reruns, flipping stations between ‘Lucy’ and ‘I Married Joan’,” said Rick Sparks, the show’s director and co-adapter, with Kim Flagg. “I quickly realized how much better ‘Lucy’ was.”

The stage show grew out of Sparks’ involvement with a CBS-generated tribute tour about “Lucy” that re-created the show’s set. It contained several interactive setups, including one with the big vat from the episode in which Lucy stomped on grapes to make wine.

“It was a huge success at conventions,” said Sparks. “And I kept thinking: If only we could put real actors in this thing. Then I found out about plans for this project, I got in touch with the producers and made my pitch. Of course there was a certain audacity about trying to represent these beloved characters on stage. But the idea was never to impersonate them. We just wanted to create a love letter — a Valentine to the essence of the show, and to the whole era of television, along with the advertising that was such a part of it.” (The show features the Crystaltone Singers performing live advertising jingles in 1950s harmony style.)

As Sparks explained: “The idea for the original television show grew out of the effort of Ball and Arnaz to stay together geographically and keep their marriage intact. The powers that be at CBS initially thought the notion of this sitcom about the marriage of a dizzy redhead and her Cuban husband would challenge belief, so the two went out on a vaudeville circuit tour to test-market it, got brilliant reviews and took the idea back to CBS.”

Sparks selected two relatively unknown episodes to recreate for the live show, complete with “The Ricky Ricardo Orchestra” of the Tropicana Nightclub. In one, from 1952, Lucy, always hellbent on getting into showbiz, tries to become part of a Fine Arts Benefit and does a number called “Bamboo Tree.” In another, from 1953, she does a jitterbug.

“Lucille Ball was not only gorgeous, but she was a brilliant actress who played the totally honest intention behind the most ridiculous situations,” said Sparks. “She even brought Buster Keaton and Harpo Marx onto the set to serve as physical comedy coaches. Desi had an easy, instinctive comedic style that he picked up from people like Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin.”

Sirena Irwin, who portrays Lucy in the show, confessed that she did not grow up with “Lucy” reruns.

“For a long time my family didn’t have a TV,” she said, explaining that her dad was a physicist who “dropped out” and traveled in a VW bus for awhile, and her mom was a classical pianist who toured Europe.

“So it wasn’t until I was in college that I first saw episodes of the show, and I’d never seen the iconic ‘Vitameatavegamin’ episode when I was asked to do it for my audition. What I’ve discovered since then is that the key to Lucy was her playfulness — her willingness to go anywhere with the material, doing zany, outrageous things that were nevertheless grounded in truth. And she was so free physically, so unafraid of making ugly faces at a time when female comedians were very rare. Of course playing her is still hugely intimidating to me.”

Bill Mendieta, who portrays Desi (and whose heritage is a mix of Basque, Mexican, Guatamalan and French), grew up in San Francisco — part of a large family of musical artists who loved watching classic TV and movies together. He spoke Spanish with his grandmother and has learned more Spanish from playing various roles that involved the language.

“My musical background has helped me pick up accents pretty quickly,” he said. “For Desi I listened to videos online, and to other Cubans, all of whom speak very quickly and with a particular rhythm. I also watched how Ricky delivered his songs in the show. Of course we have to make things work theatrically, and we also have to make them come from us. But with Desi, here is this musician so at home in the Cuban lifestyle, who is married to an American woman who is a little wacky. And often he’s just trying to catch up with what she’ll do next.”

It is Irwin who thinks she has the true secret to “I Love Lucy.”

“I think it’s the absolutely undying love and adoration these two people had for each other,” she said. “There may have been tension in their real-life marriage, but in their show, despite the playful antagonism, it was all about love.”

‘I LOVE LUCY LIVE ON STAGE’

In previews; opens Sept. 19 and runs through Nov. 11
Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, 17 E. Chestnut, Chicago, IL
Tickets, $23-$65
(800) 775-2000; www.broadwayinchicago.com

WCA Donates Original Lucy Costume To Comedy Center

2012-08-06T09:00:00.000-04:00

Throughout Lucille Ball's career, she donated a number of costumes to WCA Hospital as keepsakes, and during a special dinner presentation on Thursday at the Tropicana Room, one of those costumes was presented to the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Center for Comedy.

The dedication ceremony for Lucille Ball's ringmaster costume included a formal presentation by Betsy T. Wright, WCA Hospital president and CEO, an acceptance speech by Journey Gunderson, executive director at the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center and a catered dinner for fans of Lucy to enjoy while the original 1977 television episode of "Circus of the Stars" that Ball wore the costume in was shown.

"The Lucille Ball Festival of Comedy brings many people to the Jamestown area," said Wright. "So, we at WCA are so pleased to be able to contribute to this event.

"We are pleased that Lucille Ball, during her lifetime, was very generous to the community and to WCA Hospital," she continued. "She donated many of her costumes to WCA for our fundraising at Country Capers. This one (the ringmaster costume) we've had at the hospital and we think this (the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Center for Comedy) is the appropriate home for this 'Circus of the Stars' costume."

According to Gunderson, the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center is an attraction that brings in more than 20,000 visitors a year from all over the world.

"We are committed to giving you all a reason to keep coming back," said Gunderson. "The people that make things like that possible now include WCA hospital. So, we are extremely appreciative of WCA Hospital for this donation.

"It is my understanding that WCA Hospital held an annual fundraiser and that Lucille Ball never forgot about her hometown, even though she didn't live in Jamestown at the time, so she would donate an outfit almost every year to the fundraiser," she continued. "This particular outfit was really fitting because it's a ringmaster outfit that she wore when she was the master of ceremonies for the television special 'Circus of the Stars.'"

The dedication ceremony at the Tropicana Room sold to capacity with a total of 90 seats being filled. According to Gunderson, that speaks volumes to the importance of a donation of this kind.

"We have costumes in our collection, but few that are as spectacular as this one," said Gunderson. "So, when I got the call from WCA Hospital in early 2012 I was curious as to what this costume was, and together we researched it to pinpoint exactly what it was. Then when I saw it I just hit the roof. It's so beautiful, unique and literally dazzling."

The costume will likely be displayed on the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum side of the attraction among the other outfits that have been donated, according to Gunderson.

According to a WCA Hospital press release, "Circus of the Stars" was an annual television special, broadcast by the CBS network in the U.S., in which celebrities performed circus-type acts. There were 19 shows in total, the first being broadcast in 1977 and the last in 1994.

The Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Center for Comedy is located at 2 W. Third St. in Jamestown. For more information call 484-0800 or visit lucy-desi.com. To find out more about Lucy Fest visit lucycomedyfest.com.

Lucy Fest to be featured on ABC News 20/20

2012-08-01T09:00:00.000-04:00

ABC News 20/20 will be sending producers to cover the Lucille Ball Festival of Comedy on Aug. 3-4 as part of a Barbara Walters two-hour special, "The Best in TV - The Greatest Shows of Our Time."

"To have ABC News and People Magazine come to town really proves how global the audience and brand is," said Journey Gunderson, executive director of the Lucy Desi Center for Comedy.

ABC News 20/20 and People Magazine are currently running a poll on www.bestintelevision.com, where "I Love Lucy" is a strong contender to win two awards, Best Television Comedy of All Time and Best Television Show of All Time. Nearly a million people have voted already, and the online poll will take place until the end of the month.

The two-hour Barbara Walters special, which will run later in the summer, will feature Jamestown's annual Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, the Lucy World Games on Tracy Plaza, and footage from both museum attractions.

The first chance to be a part of ABC's coverage will be at the World Games opening ceremony at Tracy Plaza on Friday, Aug. 3 at 5:30 p.m. In addition to the World Games events, the Party on the Plaza will return to Jamestown. Food, drinks, free live music, and fun for all will all be available on both days. Two of the "I Love Lucy"-inspired events at the Party on the Plaza during the Lucy World Games which anyone can participate in, grape stomping and conveyor belt candy wrapping, are featured in ABC's online poll as some of the greatest moments in television history. Other events that fans can compete in include a 1.5K walk/run, Lucy trivia, a costume contest, and an Amazing Race-Lucy Style.

After the World Games, the festivities will move towards the Reg Lenna Civic Center, where ABC will be covering the Stand-Up Showcase, featuring some of the hottest rising talent like Tammy Pescatelli, Tony Deyo and more. Lucie Arnaz, daughter or Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, will be the musical guest and host. Lucy Fest has featured performances by then-rising stars Ray Romano, Lewis Black and Ellen DeGeneres, and aims to catch comics on a similar rise to the top with the 2012 showcase. Tickets are now available at LucyComedyFest.com.

The Lucy World Games

Grape stomping and candy wrapping are two of the Lucy moments from the ABC News online poll that are featured during the Lucy World Games. Businesses, sports teams, local celebrities, and Lucy fans alike will all have the opportunity to be a part of these moments, and more, when people from across the area and around the United States gather at Tracy Plaza Jamestown on Aug. 3-4.

Businesses that register for the games will receive personalized participant T-shirts, six tickets to the Stand-Up Showcase on Friday, Aug. 3, and the chance to be named a Lucy World Games champion! Team registration for businesses costs $300 for up to 20 participants. Teammates may participate in multiple events and all events are not mandatory. Additionally, registration for local sports teams is $10 per person. Participant T-shirts and entry into all World Games events is included in the registration cost.

For more information or to register your team, contact Edward Sundquist at 664-7429 or visit www.lucycomedyfest.com. This event is hosted by the Lucy Desi Center for Comedy located in Jamestown and sponsored by Allied Alarm Services.