Jamestown Loves Lucy

In the category of “Small Town Pride,” we like to find small towns that have been graced with big fame. Consequently, these small towns seem to define their very existence by celebrating the life of their local celebrity. Birthplaces, childhood homes, statues, murals, museums, and ultimately graves sites become the central culture that fuels the town. So far, I have never seen a better example of this kind of Small Town Pride than Jamestown, New York. On August 6, 1911, Lucille Désirée Ball was born in Jamestown, NY. And, let me tell you from personal observation, Jamestown loves Lucy.

Lucy’s childhood life was far from ideal. At the age of 3, her father died. Her mother took Lucy and her brother to live with her parents in Celeron, NY (“suburb” of Jamestown). These years with her grandparents were probably the best years. The picture above shows the home as it is today. By the way, its still occupied. So, take your pictures quickly, then get off their lawn. Eventually, her mom remarried some loser. The parents of her new stepfather did most of the child rearing at this point. The step grandparents were puritanical Swedish nut jobs who won no parenting awards. So, not surprisingly, at the age of 15, Lucy dropped out of high school and set out into the world of show biz.

As to the rest of the life and career of Lucille Ball, Jamestown has the Lucille Ball Dezi Arnaz Museum to cover all the details. There you will learn that her first descent paying job was as the Chesterfield cigarette girl. Her picture was coast to coast peddling their cigarettes. Eventually, she moved to Hollywood and started making movies. It was a good living, but not monumental stardom. In fact, she was sometimes known as the “Queen of B’s”…as in, “B” movies. While making movies and musicals, she met and married her husband Desi Arnaz. Lucy and Desi did a successful vaudeville type act that was about a wacky housewife and her husband. CBS, although initially reluctant to cast a white woman with a Cuban immigrant, eventually picked up their act and gave them a TV show. Thus, the hugely successful, “I Love Lucy,” was born.

The success of the “I Love Lucy” show made Lucy and Desi wealthy people. Consequently, they started their own production company, the Desilu Studios. Eventually, Lucy and Desi divorced and Lucy took over Desilu Studios. In the world of Showbiz, she was the only female CEO of a major production company. She was hugely successful with her production company. The shows produced by her company were a who’s-who in 1960/70 television programs. But, all of that pales in comparison with her greatest contribution to humanity. Lucille Ball SAVED Star Trek. Prior to airing the original Star Trek in 1966, the Studio Board of Directors decided to scrap the show due to production costs. But, the all wise CEO overruled the Board. Thus, the great legacy of Star Trek began…

I hope you now have proper perspective for the greatness of Lucille Ball. However, if you need more evidence, just visit Jamestown. Beyond the museum, you will see scenes from the “I Love Lucy” show painted on several of the downtown buildings…

However, the Lucille Ball Memorial Park contains my favorite tribute to Lucy. The fans of Lucy wanted to honor her with a statue. So, the next pictures shows the first version of this Lucy statue. At the unveiling of this failed statue, there was a near riot. This horrible statue of Luci came to be known as Scary Lucy. Due to the uproar, the people of Jamestown immediately commissioned a new statue. In the next picture below, you can see Lovely Lucy which is considered a proper tribute to Luci. However, Scary Lucy still drew its share of tourists. Consequently, the city left both statues in the Memorial Park. Lovely Lucy takes up a the focal point of the park. While Scary Lucy is off to the side and is not as obvious.

During her celebrity life, Lucy returned to Jamestown many times for a variety of events. She never really lost touch with her hometown roots. So, it comes as no surprise that her remains are eternally located in Jamestown. In April 1989, Lucille suffered and eventually died from an aortic aneurism. Lucy is with her family at the Lake View Cemetery in Jamestown, NY.

In summation, I truly gained a much higher level of admiration and respect for Lucille Ball following my visit to Jamestown. Lucy started from very humble beginnings. Then, she set out to make her own way in the world at 15 years of age. She was a successful model and actress. Eventually, she starred in one of the most iconic, early television sitcoms. She even became CEO of a major Hollywood production company. Most importantly, Lucille Ball is credited with saving Star Trek. Jamestown Loves Lucy. And, I tend to agree with them. Have a wonderful day. PT

I hope you have enjoyed reading “Jamestown Loves Lucy” on Traveling with PugsleyTonks.

If you like the Small Town Pride series, check out Annie Oakley https://travelingwithpt.com/where-annie-lived-of-course/

If you want your own pilgrimage to Jamestown, start here https://lucy-desi.com/