Fred Williams was a renowned makeup artist and celebrity portrait painter. He became Lucille Ball’s primary makeup man in the early 1970’s on her series Here’s Lucy and feature film, MAME. Lucille wrote this letter on her personal stationary to Fred and his wife Christine thanking them for remembering her birthday.
“Dearest Chris & Fred – Have tried to call you several times to tell you how happy I was with your birthday remembrance – I’m glad I caught you that nite you two are a slippery pair! Hope everything is well with you – My love as always Lucy”
Williams continued helping Lucy look incredible throughout the 80’s as well. Today fans can see a portrait of Lucy from MAME Fred painted on display at the Lucy-Desi Museum in her hometown of Jamestown, New York.
“The Audition” was filmed on October 12, 1951, a mere three days before the official television premiere of I Love Lucy. This was the sixth episode of the show where Lucy Ricardo replaces a clown named Buffo for an act at Ricky’s club. Lucy is referred to as “the professor” and is dressed in an oversized blue suit who plays the cello.
This act was initially conceived by the Arnazes along with Pepito & Joanne Perez as part of a vaudeville style act Lucy and Desi used, touring the country proving to CBS audiences across America would accept them. They also used the skit for the I Love Lucy pilot.
Part of Lucy’s costume were these cotton finger cots. Each used to cover the fingers of her left hand as she takes them off in dramatic fashion to the beat of the drum. The entire costume was originally on display at Universal Studios Hollywood ‘Lucy A Tribute’ exhibit for over 20 years. The rest of the outfit is now displayed alongside the prop cello in Lucy’s hometown of Jamestown, NY at the Lucy-Desi Museum.
In July of 1951 Vivian Vance was performing at the La Jolla Playhouse in the production of “The Voice of the Turtle.” This would be the stage where Desi Arnaz and Jess Oppenheimer watched their soon to be ‘Ethel Mertz’ portray Olive Lashbrooke in the Saturday, July 28th matinee.
The program shown here is the original copy Vivian Vance kept for her archives. Viv’s sister Lou Ann Graham inherited all of her programs from her years of stage performances. These were sold to the public in Lucille Ball’s hometown of Jamestown, NY during one of the annual festivals.
A polka dot dress was a signature look of Lucy Ricardo and to this day, Lucy and polka dots are synonymous with one another. Throughout her television career Lucille Ball wore variations of this pattern in the form of dresses in the 1950’s to blouses in the 60’s and 70’s.
On October 6, 1958 the premiere episode of the second season of TheLucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show (The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour in syndication) aired, entitled “Lucy Goes to Mexico.” The Ricardos and Mertzes are in San Diego, staying at the Hotel Del Coronado because Ricky is doing a USO show with Maurice Chevalier onboard the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Yorktown. Lucy and the Mertzes decide to go south into Tijuana on a routine souvenir hunt. In true fashion, Lucy gets into trouble when a stowaway causes problems as they attempt to come back across the border.
Lucy wears an iconic polka dot dress for nearly the entire episode. Presented here is her stunt double’s dress, an exact replication to the one Lucille Ball wore. It can be seen on Lucy’s stand-in who’s running from the Policia through the streets of Tijuana. The unique polka dot pattern confirms this as the one Lucy Ricardo wears is slightly different and is currently in a private collection.
The two piece, A-line dress is made of a light brown silk-taffeta with beige polks dots. A long sleeve jacket features a zipper front, off-white canvas trim on the cuffs and waist along with a very large notched collar. Inside the jacket is a CBS garment tag attached near the zipper. The short sleeve dress features the same off-white canvas trim on the sleeve hems and has a full length zipper with hook and eye closures on the back. A sheer white silk lining can be found on the inside of the body.
This look was the inspiration of a large wooden statue carved out of a tree stump that once stood in the Lucille Ball Memorial Park from the late 1990’s to early 2000’s. The park banks Lake Chautauqua in Lucy’s hometown of Celeron, NY and is the current home of a beautiful bronze statue by Carolyn Palmer of Lucille Ball as Lucy Ricardo wearing a polka dot dress.
Lucille Ball sent this letter to her childhood friend from Jamestown, Marion Van Vlack on what would be Lucy’s 59th birthday in 1970. The typed, signed letter on Lucy’s personal blue stationery reads in part:
“Thank you for remembering my birthday, and I’m glad you and yours are all shipshape.” “Will be calling Jamestown for some Swedish rye bread and some Swede Sill in the near future… – Lucy”
Lucille would often call The Jones Bakery in her hometown to have her favorite bread and pastries shipped out West. She and Marion would communicate over the years via many letters keeping their special bond forever cemented.
