When Bobby and I made our trip to Niagara Falls, N.Y., we stayed in Jamestown, N.Y., near Chautauqua Lake. At the time, we had no idea that Jamestown was where Lucille Ball was born. For those who aren’t sure who Lucille Ball is, she is the Lucy in the “I Love Lucy” TV show. As I understand it, even young people know her thanks to cable channels like “Nick at Nite.”
Bobby and I stopped at a Welcome Center/Rest Area around 11:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 23, that overlooks Chautauqua Lake. We couldn’t see the lake in the dark, so we just went and “rested” a minute or so. The Welcome Center has all types of tourist information for the surrounding area. On of the brochures I picked up was for the Lucille Ball/Desi Arnaz Museum. I thought it might be something to consider if we had time.
It turns out that not only did we make time for the museum, but we made the day a sort of “tour of Lucy’s life,” in reverse. Just one exit from the Red Roof Inn where we were staying, was the cemetery where Lucy is buried. There are hearts with the cursive letter L painted on the paved path that leads to Lucy’s gravesite.
On the brick path from the road to her headstone is a heart-shaped stone. Her headstone itself has her last name Ball written inside a heart. Her headstone said, “You’ve come home.”
After we paid our respects at her grave, we headed to downtown Jamestown. That is where the museums are. There are actually two separate museums. The first one we visited, the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum, highlighted Lucy’s and Desi’s lives as they grew up, met each other and then became this force in Hollywood that would be remembered long after they were gone.
The second museum was the Desilu Studios, in which there were exact re-creations of the “I Love Lucy” television studio sets. We saw the kitchen and living room when the Ricardos lived in New York. (The Ricardos are the stage name of Lucy and Desi in the “I Love Lucy” show.) There was also the set from their Hollywood hotel suite when the the couple’s (Lucy and Ricky Ricardo and Ethel and Fred Mertz) moved to California. To be honest, Bobby and I could have spent more time in each of the museums. We didn’t read nearly all that was written. The two were amazing actors, comedians and producers.
After we had a bite to eat at the Taco Hut, a couple of blocks from the museums, we headed out to see where Lucy grew up. Along the way we were able to see a few of the murals that were painted depicting scenes from the show. One was of Lucy on a postage stamp, one was of Lucy and Desi together and the last one was of the Ricardos and Mertzes road trip.
We had a great time seeing these Lucy sites. We were a week early for the annual Lucille Ball Comedy Festival. The advertisement stated that the weekend would “embody her [Lucy’s] vision for comedy. Lucy’s contributions are unparalleled – to her hometown, and to comedy.”
So even though we weren’t there for the Comedy Festival, one thing is clear: Jamestown, N.Y., loves Lucy.
