One-Tank Trip /Jamestown
Jamestown visit has a Hollywood feel
Museums, celebrations honor Lucille Ball
Jamestown’s downtown has a bit of old town in it, reminding me of Sacramento’s (Old Town), and parts of Toronto. And though its sloping streets lack the incline and elevation distinguishing Pittsburgh or San Francisco, one is reminded of those great cities when walking around Jamestown.
And thanks to Jamestown native Lucille Ball, the city also has a touch of glitz and glamour with the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center, which features the Lucy-Desi Museum and the Desilu Playhouse.
Libby Nord, the center’s creative and development director, is a dancer who lived for many years in California. Yet, she says, “I feel more connected to Hollywood here, than I ever did living in Los Angeles.”
Located at 300 North Main St., the center’s outer walls are adorned with larger-than-life photographs. There’s Lucy and Desi cheek to cheek; Lucy and co-star Vivian Vance, who played Ethel, dressed in waitress pinks, a sign behind them demanding they “Speed It Up!” Another photo has Desi, bongo strapped on and poised as if to give us a “Babaloo.” Then there is Lucy looking gorgeous. Absolutely glamorous.
The center’s Desilu Playhouse is dedicated to “I Love Lucy.” There are five monitors running various episodes of the 150-plus shows, providing abundant opportunity to let Lucy tickle your funny bone. The show’s memories are recreated here in studio sets including the bedroom suite, the kitchen and living room, complete with 1950s furniture.
The living room set, with its bold display of color, stands out in particular. And there’s even one where you can act out your longing to be Lucy as the “Vitameatavegamin Girl.” All you’ve got to do is read your Lucy lines, and you’re on the air on closed-circuit TV. There are plenty of chairs around, allowing your friends to sit back and imagine a star is being born.
Numerous artifacts and costumes from “I Love Lucy” also are displayed, as well as photos. One reveals Desi in the foreground, warming up the studio audience. Another has Lucy’s mother, who attended every filming of the show, in the background. And as Desi was rather innovative behind the scenes (he generated the idea to use three cameras in filming, for example), there’s an exhibit paying tribute to his role in producing the show. Several of those cameras are in the Playhouse.
Upstairs is a re-created Tropicana Room, with instruments and stands for would-be players in Desi’s band. The room is available for rental for showers, birthday parties and similar events. An adventurous Chicagoan rented it, and brought his would-be bride, a devoted Lucy lover, all the way to Jamestown to ask for her hand. (The event was recorded by the local media.)
The adjacent Lucy-Desi Museum pays homage to the lives of Lucy and Desi. Opened in August 2008, the museum features more than 2,000 square feet of Lucy and Desi memorabilia. It begins with “Lucy&Desi: A Home Movie,” daughter Lucie Arnaz’s Emmy-winning documentary featuring her parents home movies, family photos and interviews with close friends.
A particularly poignant film offers interviews with Lucy’s childhood friends from Celoron. “She was different for Celoron,” one said. Another said she “Loved boys. Always had a boy with her. Or more than one.” Again there are clips from “I Love Lucy.” One has Lucy pulling out a saxophone, proudly proclaiming it to be from “band playing in Celoron, N. Y.” And then she displays a mounted “fish Ricky caught in Lake Chautauqua.”
In 2007 Carol Burnett donated all the film that she and Lucy did together to the center. You can watch an hourlong compilation of their work in the museum theater. Several gowns Lucy wore are also on display. The center even received her 1972 Mercedes-Benz, complete with her then-initials, LBM, on the door. (By that time, Lucy and Desi had divorced, and she had married Gary Morton.) The car was a gift from son-in-law, Laurence Luckinbill.
Plans are under way to designate a museum room as the Desi Room. Currently the room features film clips from Desi’s appearances on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” and hosting “Saturday Night Live,” along with assorted artifacts.
Special events
The center’s annual Lucy- Desi Days are Friday through next Sunday and feature special tours, a trivia contest and screenings of “I Love Lucy” episodes.
Lucie Arnaz returns for “An Evening with Lucie Arnaz,” an evening of song in Jamestown’s Reg Lenna Civic Center on Saturday. It is a fundraiser for the center. Afterward at the museum, there will be an opportunity to meet her.
Keith Thibodeaux, who played Little Ricky, will host a special event in the Desilu Playhouse on May 24. Diane Vincent, a Lucy Ricardo impressionist, will perform in the playhouse throughout the weekend. An “Orson Welles and Desilu Studios” tribute takes place Friday and Saturday.
For a complete listing of events for Lucy-Desi Days, and Lucy’s Birthday Celebration, Aug. 7 to 9, visit www.lucy-desi.com . Wild in the city
It is rare indeed to find genuine wilderness within a city’s limits. But that’s exactly what Jamestown offers. While driving down Curtis Street toward the Roger Tory Peterson Institute, I was greeted by a hawk in the middle of the road. Quite a reception I thought. Well, what else would one expect when visiting the institute bearing the name of one of the world’s foremost birders—Jamestown’s own Roger Tory Peterson.
It was founded in 1984 on 27 acres of land actually within the city of Jamestown. In 1993, guided by architect Robert A. M. Stern, the institute opened a magnificent 26,000 square foot center. The building combines elements of Swedish woodworking, an Adirondack logging cabin and the 19th Arts and Crafts movement.
Holding 10,000 volumes, the Natural History Library contains 2,500 from Peterson’s personal collection. Adjacent to the library is the Breckenridge Room, with a stone fireplace and some of Peterson’s personal belongings. More than a famed ornithologist, Peterson was also a prolific artist. His works are on display throughout the building and in the Peterson Gallery. Other artists are invited to display their works as well. “Nature Revealed: The Photography of Bill Portlock” is the current exhibit. The institute also regularly sponsors author presentations and events relating to natural history’s study.
A large amount of space is devoted to archives. While closed to the public, researchers, students and artists can access the archives by appointment. The institute is also available for meetings and business presentations.
There also is a pond among the splendid trails. And while there’s a nominal admission to the building, the grounds are there for the walking. If you’re inclined to spend some time away, enjoying a natural, wilderness environment, Peterson’s trails provide just such a chance. You may sight a hawk yourself.
To honor Peterson’s legacy, the institute is inaugurating the annual Roger Tory Peterson Birding Festival, June 4-7. The festival will run screenings of remastered Peterson films, and present keynote speakers Kenn Kaufman and Pete Dunne. Field trips to area birding hot-spots will also be available. A complete schedule is available at www.rtpi.org . If you go
Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center, 300 North Main St., Jamestown. The Lucy-Desi Museum, 10 W. Third St. The Desilu Playhouse, 2 W. Third St. Hours: 10 a. m. to 4 a. m. Monday through Saturday; 1 to 5 p. m. Sunday. For information: www.lucy-desi.com ; (877) LUCY-FAN (582-9326). Roger Tory Peterson Institute, 311 Curtis St., Jamestown; www.rtpi.org ; (716) 665-2473, (800) 758-6841. Hours: 10 a. m. to 4 p. m. Tuesday through Saturday; 1 to 5 p. m. Sunday; closed Mondays. Accommodations: The Clarion (716-664-3400) is the official host hotel for Lucy-Desi Days. The Best Western (716-484-0800), Hampton (716-484-7829), Comfort Inn (716-664-5920) and Red Roof Inn (716-665-3670) are all offering special “Lucy” rates. Mac- Duff’s also offers Maison Mac- Duff (716-664-9414), a charming, fully furnished suite that sleeps four. It’s great for a girls’ getaway. The Hampton and Comfort Inn are offering special rates for the RTPI Birding Festival.
Directions: Take the NYS Thruway to the Dunkirk-Fredonia exit. Turn left onto Route 60 and follow it into Jamestown.
Scenic route: Take NY 20 West into Westfield, turn left onto NY 394, and follow this into Jamestown. Or, take Route 5 West into Barcelona, turn left onto NY 394, and again follow this through Westfield, into Jamestown.
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