Lucille Ball was an actress who appeared in over one hundred film and television roles, most notably playing Lucy Ricardo on I Love Lucy. After the whirlwind success of I Love Lucy, Lucille went on to become the first woman to run her own TV studio, Desilu, which produced shows like Star Trek and Mission: Impossible. Lucille was born on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. The Lucille Ball Memorial Park near her hometown is now home to two statues of Lucille Ball. One was not well-received and became known as “Scary Lucy,” while the more recent is thought to better capture her likeness.
The National Comedy Center opened in August 2018 in Jamestown, New York, the hometown of actress Lucille Ball. Before her death, Ball suggested that her hometown make a museum celebrating comedy rather than her career specifically. After years of work, her suggestion has become a reality in the form of the $50 million National Comedy Center. The center is located in a 37,000 square-foot space that includes a former train station, trolley garage, and a new building. The museum focuses on individual comics as well as the art of comedy in general. On display are props such as the polka-dot dress Lucille Ball wore on “I Love Lucy” and Jerry Seinfeld’s puffy shirt seen on his sitcom. In addition, the museum screens clips from comedic bits and sketches as well as contextual pieces. Exhibits include the Hologram Theater, where visitors can watch holograms of comedians over the years.
In 1936, The Players Club and a new theater group merged to create The Jamestown Little Theatre. The non-profit organization put on plays at different locations throughout town. In 1969, the group moved into its current home after months of renovations. Donations for the project came from many current and former Jamestown residents, including Lucille Ball. Ball was born in Jamestown and got her start acting in a Players Club production. She then went on to find success in Hollywood on the big and small screen, most notably on the sitcom “I Love Lucy.” The Little Theatre was renamed in her honor in 1991.
The Lucy-Desi Museum was opened by the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center on May 25, 1996. The museum showcases props and costumes from “I Love Lucy,” family photographs, and awards, including an Emmy. Ten years later, the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center expanded with the Desilu Playhouse, named for the studio where TV shows such as “I Love Lucy,” “Star Trek,” and “The Andy Griffith Show” were filmed. The Desilu Playhouse contains exact replicas of the New York City and Hollywood apartments seen on “I Love Lucy.” Each year, the Lucy-Desi Center hosts the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, which has welcomed comedians such as Ellen DeGeneres, Joan Rivers, and Ray Romano.
The beloved actor and comedian Lucille Ball died in 1989. She was originally buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills, the final resting place of many Hollywood celebrities. In 2003, Ball's ashes were moved to Lakeview Cemetery in Jamestown, her birthplace. Ball's parents, grandparents, and brother are buried in the same plot.
This Tour is a Driving or Biking Tour.
Get a QR Code for this tour
Lucille Ball was born in Jamestown, New York in 1911. She died after a successful career in film and on television. She is most remembered for the sitcom "I Love Lucy." The tour begins at Ball's final resting place, includes stops at the Lucy-Desi Museum and National Comedy Center, and ends at the Lucille Ball Statues in the Lucille Ball Memorial Park in Celoron.
