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January 11, 2008

Jamestown, NY – At a meeting late Tuesday afternoon (January 8), the new board of the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center reviewed the Center’s progress in fulfilling its mission and made plans for future endeavors.

President Charles Edward Fagan announced that the board is excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. “We recognize that we have a tremendous responsibility not only to the Jamestown community but to the people around the world who love and admire these two icons of early American television,” Fagan said. “We are also enthusiastic about what the Lucy-Desi Center can contribute in fulfilling its mission to preserve and celebrate the legacy of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and enrich the world through the healing powers of love and laughter. The Center has made a good start, but only the surface has been scratched in terms of its potential.”

In reviewing some of the Center’s accomplishments to date, board members noted that its current activities, and the attention given by the earlier Board of Directors leave the Center now in good financial shape, that it has presented Legacy of Laughter (LOL) events, been an active participant in the Jamestown community, made significant strides in preservation of its collection, and developed programs including classroom initiatives, work with Girl Scouts and seniors, and Hispanic outreach.

In 2007, the Lucy-Desi Center received a $100,000 New York State Main Street grant as well as a commitment from Senator Cathy Young for another $100,000 grant for future development. In addition, the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation made a grant of $5,000 that was earmarked to purchase archival supplies for the preservation of the Center’s artifacts. The required matching funds were provided by founding Lucy-Desi Center board member Holly Sullivan and her husband Peter, Jamestown businessman John Anderson, and Lucy and Desi’s granddaughter, Haley Arnaz.

The Board will commit and allocate current resources now to future plans including collaborating with the Arts Council for Chautauqua County and others on the creation of a Festival of New Comedy, developing a summer comedy school for children and adolescents, working with local performance venues to create unique outlets for comedy, bringing established comedy stars to Center-sponsored events and establishing the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Award for Outstanding Contribution to Enriching the World through the Healing Powers of Love and Laughter.

The board would also like to re-establish the Lucille Ball Scholarship at Jamestown Community College through an endowment at the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation.

“This is just the beginning of the possibilities that lie ahead,” Fagan concluded. “There are really no limits to the Center’s potential.”

January 2, 2008

Lucille Ball and “I Love Lucy" will be featured in the new four-part PBS series "Pioneers of Television" (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/sfl-tvpioneerssbjan02,0,3110371.column) which first airs tonight, Wednesday, January 2, 2008!

Be sure to tune in if you’re able!

December 13, 2007

Since 1999, Carlton Cards (a division of American Greetings) has created a different “I Love Lucy” ornament each year.

This holiday season, “The Ballet” (episode 19) was the inspiration for a unique ornament featuring Lucy Ricardo—in her tutu—swinging from a ballet bar! We’ve just received word from American Greetings that they have sold out of this edition. The Lucy-Desi Center Gift Shop currently has some stock remaining on this edition. For more information visit: http://lucille-ball-desi-arnaz-center.stores.yahoo.net/20cabaor.html

Looking for previous editions to complete your collection? While quantities last, the Lucy-Desi Center Gift Shop also has editions available from 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, and 2006. See them at: http://lucille-ball-desi-arnaz-center.stores.yahoo.net/cacaor.html

BIG NEWS: 2008 Design Announced!
American Greetings has just announced their “I Love Lucy” ornament design for 2008—it’s Lucy as Santa from the seldom seen Christmas episode that aired on Christmas Eve in 1956. This edition is currently in development and is scheduled to be released next July.

The best of holidays to Lucy-Desi fans everywhere from all of us in Jamestown, New York—Lucy’s hometown!

December 10, 2007

LUCILLE BALL'S CLOSEST ASSOCIATES VISIT STU!

Stu Shostak's guests for his weekly live call-in talk show on Shokus Internet Radio this Wednesday 12/12 at 4:00 p.m. PST (7:00 p.m. eastern) will be Lucille Ball's closest confidants, Wanda Clark, her personal assistant for 27 years, and Frank Gorey, originally her driver and later her "major domo" for close to 40 years. Both will share behind-the-scenes stories and memories of what it was like to know and work for the famous redhead who was loved by millions for her antics on television and in the movies in a career that spanned over 50 years. Listeners are invited to participate by calling toll-free at (888) 746-5875.

"Stu's Show" airs live each Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. PST on Shokus Internet Radio (www.shokusradio.com), with rebroadcasts at the same time daily. Access to the station's feed is free, with no registration required, and is available by choosing one of the audio player links on the Shokus Internet Radio web site or via Itunes by selecting Radio/Eclectic and then locating the station's name alphabetically in the list.

Shokus Internet Radio is a service of Shokus Video, and is "TV on the radio for baby boomers", with live call-in talk shows featuring TV celebrities, interactive telephone game shows, classic stand-up comedy from the great comedians, and big band, easy listening music during the morning and afternoon drive times.

December 6, 2007

Jamestown, NY – At a meeting of the board of the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center earlier this week additional directors were elected. Added to the Center’s board were Chautauqua County Director of Planning & Economic Development and Industrial Development Agency CEO William Daly, Jamestown attorney C. Edward Fagan, Ludwig Auction & Realty Co. owner Charles L. Ludwig, and Chautauqua Home Rehabilitation and Improvement Corporation Deputy Director and former Jamestown mayor Carolyn Seymour. These new members fill vacancies left by Lucie Arnaz, Desi Arnaz, Jr., Wanda Clark and Mary Rapaport.

In announcing the additions to the board, Executive Director Ric Wyman said, “We have made significant strides since the Center was established nearly six years ago. With two buildings on the corner of Third and Main welcoming thousands of visitors to downtown Jamestown each year and plans to open a significantly expanded Lucy-Desi Museum in 2008, it’s been a time of great growth.

“None of this could have happened without the generosity of Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz, Jr., who not only served as our founding president and vice-president but who also provided countless valuable objects from their parents, created the Center’s Legacy of Laughter seminar series, and offered support in many other ways.”

Wyman noted that the Center is experiencing its strongest year to date, with new records set for numbers of admissions, on-line traffic, and Lucy-Desi Center Acquisitions Society memberships. The two Center-sponsored annual festivals this year attracted visitors from 37 states, plus Australia, Canada, Croatia, England, Germany, and Puerto Rico. In addition, the Lucy-Desi Center has developed Lucille Ball/Desi Arnaz/“I Love Lucy”- related school curriculum that meet New York State Education Department standards, offered workshops in Laughter Yoga, and partnered with local Girl Scouts, senior facilities, and the Hispanic community. Last summer, the weekly magazine American Profile shared a major story with its three million readers entitled “Jamestown Loves Lucy.”

For more information about the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center, call (716) 484-0800 or visit www.lucy-desi.com.

December 3, 2007

Look for Lucille Ball in the December 4 issue of Woman’s World magazine (page 5).

It Happened This Week!:
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz eloped in 1940. In 1951, when Ball moved her radio show My Favorite Husband to TV, she insisted that Arnaz play the title role—and “I Love Lucy” was born!

December 3, 2007

Here’s a link we thought you might be interested in: http://www.npr.org/contact/vocalimpressions.html

December 3, 2007

Carole Cook is on stage in San Francisco!

The legendary actress who appeared in numerous episodes of The Lucy Show and Here’s Lucy is starring in her one woman show, Dress Up, at the New Conservatory Theatre Centre in San Francisco now through next Sunday, December 9. For more information visit: http://www.nctcsf.org/

Carole a close personal friend to our favorite redhead and after her “Lucy” days, Carole appeared in countless television series including Charlie’s Angels, Kojak, Magnum P.I., Maude, Chico & The Man, Emergency!, Cagney & Lacey, and Murder She Wrote, went on to star as Grandma Helen in Sixteen Candles, and had a recurring role in the 1980’s prime-time drama Dynasy. Most recently Carole was a guest star on Grey’s Anatomy.

If you live in the San Francisco area, don’t miss your chance to see Carole Cook live and in person as she reflects on her amazing career in her one woman show, Dress Up.

October 24, 2007

Hello again from Lucille Ball's hometown!

For those of you who haven't visited, we hope you're making future plans!

For those of you who have, chances are that--in addition to the Lucy-Desi Museum, the Lucy-Desi Center Gift Shop, and the Desilu Playhouse--the "I Love Lucy" wall murals in downtown Jamestown are among the sights you enjoyed while visiting.

Big news! The fourth in a series of Lucy-Desi wall murals was just completed earlier this week. Our good friend and longtime Lucy-Desi Center supporter, Gary Peters, was commissioned to create this work of art! Gary is the Jamestown area artist that created all four murals over the last few years.

We're fortunate here in Lucy's hometown to have the ongoing support of the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation (CRCF) which has provided the funding necessary for this mural and the others, too. Additional financial support for the newest mural was provided by the Jamestown Chamber of Commerce. Lucy's hometown is making strides in celebrating the legacy of the First Couple of Comedy thanks to these organizations, others, and...fans from throughout the world that make Jamestown, New York, a visitor destination each year. Our thanks to all of you!

For a sneak peek, click here.

October 9, 2007

Jamestown, NY – One is the Queen of comedy. The other, the Princess. They appeared in each other’s television series. They were friends for years.

When Carol Burnett awoke on her 56th birthday in 1989, she learned on the morning news that Lucille Ball had died. Later that afternoon, the flowers she received every year arrived at her home with the note “Happy Birthday, Kid. Love, Lucy.”

Recently, Carol Burnett called the executive director of the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center in Ball’s hometown to ask, “How can I help?” Executive director Ric Wyman reported, “Naturally, my first response was to invite her to Jamestown, New York. While Ms. Burnett agreed that she hopes to be able to visit here some day, she was more immediately able to provide us with something we’ve wanted for a long time.”

As a result, her hometown museum now holds in its archives a copy of every installment of The Carol Burnett Show in which Lucille Ball appeared.

“Because these episodes of The Carol Burnett Show are not available on home video or in syndication, we believe they’ve not been seen since their original air dates,” Wyman said. Ms. Burnett has generously given the Lucy-Desi Center permission to incorporate this footage into future exhibits at the Lucy-Desi Museum.

“From an archival perspective, these programs have also been invaluable in helping us document the wardrobe that Lucy wore on these shows. Until Ms. Burnett’s offer to help, we had no images of Lucy from these TV appearances—no footage, no photographs,” Wyman said. “We have many costumes and personal attire in our archives for which our collections manager continues to research the provenance. These programs helped document several costumes for us,” Wyman noted.

What inspired Carol Burnett to call? Wyman explained, “Ret Turner, a five-time Emmy award winning costume designer—who designed several gowns for Lucy—is also a close friend of Ms. Burnett’s. Ret has been a staunch supporter of the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center for several years and was with us in Jamestown this summer. Earlier this year, Ret shared his experiences of the Lucy-Desi Center with Ms. Burnett. This lead to Ms. Burnett’s call to us,” Wyman said.

With the strong connection between these two iconic comediennes, the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center’s collection is greatly enhanced by the addition of these offerings.

October 3, 2007

Volunteer Recognition Party

The opportunity to “Eat Like Lucy” was all it took for volunteers to fill the Tropicana Room for a fun August evening in appreciation of their efforts and support during May’s Lucy-Desi Days Memorial Day Weekend Festival and August’s Lucy’s Birthday Celebration. Folks enjoyed a delicious spaghetti dinner while watching the “L.A. at Last” episode of “I Love Lucy”. Each volunteer received a gift of a small pair of scissors. The significance of the gift became clear when they saw Ethel use scissors to trim Lucy’s spaghetti as Lucy avoided William Holden’s gaze in the Brown Derby! It was truly the case that “a good time was had by all”!

September 14, 2007

We’ve learned that Bob Carroll, Jr. will be remembered during the 59^th Primetime Emmy Awards this Sunday, September 16, during a special segment saluting those Hollywood notables who’ve passed away recently.

As most of you aware, Mr. Carroll had a long association with our favorite redhead. Not only was he one of the writers for Lucille Ball’s 1940’s radio series, My Favorite Husband, but Mr. Carroll was also a writer for every “I Love Lucy” episode and The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour and also penned episodes for The Lucy Show and Here’s Lucy among other memorable Lucille Ball ventures (including Yours, Mine, & Ours).

Click HERE for more information on Bob Carroll’s amazing career.

September 13, 2007

A Lucy Ricardo Bride Doll! (Pre-order yours today! Expected release date: Late November.)

Four new “I Love Lucy” soy candles! (Now in stock!)

“Lucy” & “Ricky” Halloween costumes! (Get ready for Halloween!)

Six new “Lucy’s Kitchen Collection” Salt & Pepper Shaker Sets! (And a custom “I Love Lucy” display case, too!)

Lucy & Ethel—Rodeo Gals! Musical Snow Globe (Plays the “I Love Lucy” theme song.)

2008 “I Love Lucy” Engagement Calendars (Make every day a “Lucy” day!)

and new wall clocks, bumper stickers, Lucy baby dolls, playing cards, cosmetic bags, and more now at

http://lucille-ball-desi-arnaz-center.stores.yahoo.net/figurines.html

Thanks for supporting the Lucy-Desi Center in Lucille Ball’s hometown, Jamestown, New York!

June 28, 2007

Jamestown, NY – When children’s dance studio owner and teacher Amy Arnaz was looking for inspiration for a book to teach values, she had to look no further than to her daughter, Haley. The result is The Magic Tutu, a gorgeously illustrated children's book about a young dancer who discovers the true meaning of kindness.

The wife of Desi Arnaz, Jr., Amy Arnaz tells the story of Haley, a young ballet dancer who grapples with jealousy, forgiveness and the gift of a magical tutu.

As Ms. Arnaz notes at the book’s web site, “The Magic Tutu was originally a ballet I wrote for the youngest members of our non-profit Boulder City Ballet Company (BCBC) in 2003. The little girls who danced in the ballet were ages 3-8 and they received ‘Bravos!’ from the audience after all three, sold-out performances.

“Magic Tutu fever spead thru our little town of Boulder City, Nevada. Everyone loved the story of the little blonde ballerina with brown eyes who had to wait until she was seven years old to open a present Grandma gave her when she was born. The ballet included enchanting children’s songs. Many families asked me to turn The Magic Tutu into a book so their children could experience the story again.....so I did!” Ms. Arnaz has also produced CDs of the music plus Magic Tutu dolls and t-shirts.

As one reviewer noted, “Children will adore the cheerful photos and the warm-hearted story, and parents will cherish the very special messages about honesty and strength of character. A story as classic as The Nutcracker, this book is sure to be a cherished edition to any home or school library.”

Amy Arnaz danced with the San Diego Ballet Company and the Nevada Dance Theater. She had her own dance studio in Boulder City, Nevada, for 27 years. The founder of the Boulder City Ballet Company for children, she is the recipient of many awards, including Outstanding Contribution to Culture and to the Youth of Boulder City award and the Spirit of Nevada Award. She lives in Boulder City, Nevada with her husband, Desi Arnaz, Jr., four cats and a dog.

All profits from The Magic Tutu book and merchandise sales go directly to the non-profit Boulder City Ballet Company, founded by Amy and Desi Arnaz in 1998 to provide a loving and magical environment where little girls could discover the enchanting world of ballet.

For more information, visit themagictutu.com.

June 5, 2007

A chair that once sat in Desi Arnaz’s office at Desilu Cahuenga Studios has found its way to the Lucy-Desi Museum in Lucille Ball’s hometown, Jamestown, New York.

Donated by the family of Jess Oppenheimer, the show’s creator, this green Barcalounger was one of a pair that decorated the Desilu Productions’ president’s office in the early 1950s. Vintage photographs of Desi’s office in Hollywood have been found that picture the chair with the writers of “I Love Lucy”.

Ric Wyman, executive director of the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center, oversaw the pick up and crating of the chair during a recent trip to Los Angeles. He met with Mrs. Estelle Oppenheimer and her son, Gregg Oppenheimer, at the Oppenheimer home in Brentwood where the recliner had been since Desi gave it to Jess in 1956.

Of his family’s gift to the Lucy-Desi Center, Gregg Oppenheimer noted, “I’m pleased that Desi’s chair will finally end up where it belongs, at the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center.”

Ship Smart, Inc., a highly respected small move company based in Aptos, California, was selected for the job of transporting Desi’s chair from Los Angeles to Jamestown, New York. “We’re honored to have been the firm chosen by the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center to transfer Desi’s chair from Los Angeles to the Lucy-Desi Museum in her hometown,” said Tim Kessler, Vice President of Ship Smart. “Lucy and Desi have left an amazing legacy and I’m personally happy to know that Ship Smart has played a role in delivering a significant artifact to their museum for their thousands of fans to enjoy.”

The chair is being incorporated into the Lucy-Desi Museum’s new exhibit titled “From The Collection Of…” which highlights unique Lucy-Desi items from other people’s collections. In addition to the chair (from the collection of the Jess Oppenheimer Family), currently on display are a dress Lucille Ball wore in the 1963 film Critic’s Choice (from the collection of Jane Withers), a cowgirl costume Lucy wore on The Donny & Marie Show in 1978 (from the collection of the costume’s designer, Ret Turner), and a ceramic dessert and coffee set Lucy owned (from the collection of Amy and Desi Arnaz, Jr.).

These treasures can be seen in the Lucy-Desi Museum at 212 Pine Street in Jamestown, New York. The Museum’s hours are 10 am to 5:30 pm Monday through Saturday and 1-5 pm on Sundays.

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