On November 19, 1961 Lucille Ball and Gary Morton were married by Norman Vincent Peale at the Marble Collegiate Church in New York City. Their reception was held in Lucy’s penthouse apartment located on East 69th Street. This collection of wedding favors were from that evening.
The set includes a card and envelope with The Mortons printed in blue on the front, gold and white monogrammed box of matches with matching napkin and “Lucy and Gary” matchbooks.
Desilu was a powerhouse in the television industry by the late 1950’s. Thus, a department called Desilu Sales Inc. was created to handle the sales, marketing and distribution of its shows and productions to markets across the country. Promotional items were created as gifts that were not available to the general public, such as this rare lighter.
Measuring 3 1/2 inches tall, the ceramic table lighter with gold trim, brass flint and cork bottom features the Desilu Sales logo underneath a Lucy Ricardo stick figure saying “Hi!” and Lucille Ball’s signature. Other promotional gifts included coffee mugs, ashtrays, coasters and more.
It is amazing to see costumes and props being utilized multiple times. This brass serpent bracelet is one such item that spanned the course of two decades and three different Lucille Ball series. It was first seen on Vivian Vance’s (Ethel Mertz) arm in the I Love Lucy episode “Charm School” from season 3 which aired on January 25, 1954. Then Lucy Carmichael wore it on the first episode of season 2 of The Lucy Show – “Lucy Plays Cleopatra” that aired on September 30, 1963. Several years later it makes a final appearance on Lucie Arnaz’s arm, on the season 2 Here’s Lucy episode “Lucy and the Generation Gap” airing on December 8, 1969.
Gary Morton received the handwritten love letter from Lucille Ball affectionately signed “The Mrs.” Using pink stationary Lucy writes on a Sunday in part, “how much I love and need you,” expressing her appreciation and that he is “really special and adored.” The letter is complete with a matching envelope which reads My Gary.
Many personal letters between Lucy and Gary such as this were first made available to the public through an entertainment auction held in Beverly Hills in 2010. Gary’s former wife after Lucy, Susie Morton (McAllister) consigned many effects retained by Gary in the Palms Springs home he once shared with Lucille. This is the same home she built in the 1950’s with Desi Arnaz.
Each year Lucille Ball and Gary Morton commissioned unique items that were given as Christmas presents to colleagues and friends. This custom-made pewter plate was one such present. Made by Wilton Columbia of Pennsylvania, it measures 9 1/2 inches in diameter and is stamped with RWP on the back which stands for Red Wing Pottery. The rim is engraved in large black letters with “Love, Lucy & Gary.”
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were married (eloped) on November 30, 1940. However in the years that followed, unsuccessful attempts to conceive lead to speculation by Desi’s mother Lolita that the reason was they were not married “in the eyes of God.” So on June 19, 1949 the couple were married for a second time at Our Lady of the Valley Church in Canoga Park, CA.
This is the original wedding place card used at their reception. Presumably placed where Lucy sat at the sweethearts table, it has her name written in black ink. In 2004’s “Lucy & Desi: The Real Life Scrapbook of America’s Favorite TV Couple” a copy of this place card was included.
On December 7, 1986 Lucille Ball was bestowed with the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington DC. The prestigious award could not have come at a better time in her life. Only a few days prior, Desi Arnaz pass away and a couple of months earlier her series “Life With Lucy” was cancelled. The rainbow ribbons were placed around Lucy’s neck during the black tie ceremony dinner held in the State Department’s Benjamin Franklin Dining Room.
Lucille look amazing wearing this custom-made purple gown by Nolan Miller. Consisting of dual-layered silk and chiffon the floor frock features a gathered waist for an elegant draped effect in the front, sheer long sleeves with button cuff closures and a high ruched collar.
The televised portion of the awards aired on December 26, 1986 and included performances to honor Lucy by Bea Arthur, Pam Dawber and Valerie Harper. A very poignant and emotional speech was given by Robert Stack which included a message from Desi. Lucy wore a different gown that evening which was also designed by Nolan Miller. Lucille Ball’s ribbons can be seen at the Lucy-Desi Museum and The National Comedy Center in her hometown of Jamestown, NY.
For Christmas during the Here’s Lucy years, Lucille Ball gave this set of eight rocks glasses to the cast and crew of her third hit series. One side features a large caricature of Lucy by Al Hirschfeld in black while the reverse has “Love, Lucy” mimicking her actual signature. Each glass measures 4 1/4 inches tall and has a heavy, solid base. These rocks glasses were made to accompany the black vinyl ice bucket featured in a previous post. Cheers to Lucy!
In the late 1960’s, early 70’s Lucille Ball became enamored with backgammon. She played it with Gary, family and even fans who would eventually become friends as much as possible. Another aficionado of the game was Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. He and real estate broker Stan Herman founded PIPS in 1973, a private non-profit backgammon club located in Beverly Hills. Dues were paid by members to play and they also hosted annual tournaments which would be named after the redhead called ” The Lucille Ball Backgammon Tournament.” They benefited various charities, a favorite of Lucy’s being the Children’s Hospital Orthopedic Division.
These mementos from PIPS are connected to Lucy’s involvement with the club over the years. The first being a heart shaped glass paperweight which reads PIPS Loves Lucy with her famous Al Hirschfeld caricature. The photo of Lucy holding one of these paperweights is from producer Larry York’s collection. PIPS also made matchbooks bearing the same graphics. Trophies were awarded, some doubling as a crystal decanter like the ‘Intermediate Winner’ of the 4th annual tournament held in 1979.
Lucille Ball loved backgammon so much she constructed permanent tables to be installed in her home, had several traveling cases to play on the go or on vacation and often held private in-home tournaments with those close to her. By the late 1980’s she and her cohorts could be found at the tables for hours on end.
Aqua was a color that just looked sensational on Lucille Ball. It’s no wonder many of her garments from the 1960’s through the 1980’s were made with variations of this hue.
This 3-piece raw silk pant suit was one of those creations, custom-made for Lucy in the early 1980’s. It was a favorite of hers as it was worn on multiple television appearances and publicity pictures. The aqua blazer features a notched lapel with stitching detail that follows the entire hem, side vents and is lined with a light blue silk. The matching pants have an elastic waist with rear zipper and hook and eye closures, front pleats and two pockets, along with side vents at the bottom hem. A short sleeve silk blouse in a lavender and aqua floral pattern has a mandarin collar with attached bow tie and faux covered buttons down the front. The actual closure for the blouse are a series of hidden snap buttons.
Lucille wears the ensemble to a filming of Password Plus in August of 1980, opposite Dick Martin. The clip shown from this episode is adorable as she beats the buzzer and guesses the password and mentions her hometown of Jamestown, NY. She then can be seen in it again as a guest on The Tonight Show with Joan Rivers. In 1984 Lucy donned it for an interview with Entertainment Tonight (ET) talking about I Love Lucy and her career. The photoshoot in 1986 for Life With Lucy had her sitting in a white wicker peacock chair wearing the outfit in various poses. Photos from this session have been widely used online, in print and even book covers.
Desilu was a powerhouse in the television industry by the late 1950’s. Thus, a department called Desilu Sales Inc. was created to handle the sales, marketing and distribution of its shows and productions to markets across the country. Promotional items were created as gifts that were not available to the general public, such as this very rare letter opener.
Measuring 8 inches long, the brass plated letter opener has a ceramic inlay plate with the Desilu Sales logo alongside a Lucy Ricardo stick figure and Lucille Ball’s signature. Other promotional gifts included coffee mugs, ashtrays, lighters and more.
