The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center for Comedy is a museum in Jamestown, New York, dedicated to the lives and careers of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. The museum officially opened in 1996 "to preserve and celebrate the legacy of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and enrich the world through the healing powers of love and laughter". Lucille Ball was born in Jamestown on August 6, 1911.
The Center is located just minutes from Lucy's childhood homes in Celoron and Jamestown, and her final resting place in the family plot at Lake View Cemetery. The Center consists of the Lucy-Desi Museum, housing artifacts and memorabilia of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, with a gift shop; the Rapaport Center, consisting of the Desilu Playhouse museum, the Tropicana Room, a gift shop, and offices; and a stand-alone gift shop. The Desilu Playhouse museum contains the replicas of the original "I Love Lucy" TV sets that were created for the show's 50th Anniversary tour, and other artifacts related to the show and its creators and co-stars; the Tropicana Room is a recreation of Ricky Ricardo's nightclub from the show.
Formerly, each May, the museum celebrated 'Lucy-Desi Days' which featured several events included panel discussions with those closest to Lucy and Desi. In addition, an annual celebration of Lucille Ball's birthday is held in August.
As per the original mission thus envisioned by the Arts Council of Chautauqua County in 1991, in August 2011 (which would have been Ball's 100th Birthday) the Center reverted back to dedicating itself to the dream envisioned by Lucille Ball, who was supposed to come back to Jamestown in 1989 to give the Commencement Address at Jamestown Community College, and in August 2012, the Lucille Ball Festival of New Comedy was brought back to life. The Center then changed its name to the 'Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center for Comedy.'
The center is a prime tourist destination and Lucy fans from around the world come to celebrate the life and legacy of Jamestown's favorite daughter.
Famous quotes containing the words lucille and/or center:
“You’re a woman who’s been getting nothing but dirty breaks. Well, we can clean and tighten your brakes, but you’ll have to stay in the garage all night.”
—S.J. Perelman, U.S. screenwriter, Arthur Sheekman, Will Johnstone, and Norman Z. McLeod. Groucho Marx, Monkey Business, a wisecrack made while trying to woo Lucille Briggs (Thelma Todd)
“Columbus stood in his age as the pioneer of progress and enlightenment. The system of universal education is in our age the most prominent and salutary feature of the spirit of enlightenment, and it is peculiarly appropriate that the schools be made by the people the center of the day’s demonstration. Let the national flag float over every schoolhouse in the country and the exercises be such as shall impress upon our youth the patriotic duties of American citizenship.”
—Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901)