Lucy Faithful Gather In Jamestown
By Sharon Turano, sturano@post-journal.comArticle Photos
Lucille Ball lovers from around the country were not the only ones to descend on Jamestown for this weekend's Lucy-Desi Days, but a Lucy impersonator and Lucy's No. 1 fan got into the action Friday as well.
Mike Stern of Los Angeles said that as a child he collected Lucy items when a friend who worked on the Lucy Show got the then- 10-year-old tickets to be in the audience of her show. After he got to meet Lucy, he recalls her telling him that she would name him her number one fan if he finished school and got a job.
He called from the store where he landed work to let her know he finished the assignments. She visited the store, and the two became friends.
"She was like a mother," he said, adding he would call Lucy to discuss problems, when, she would always listen and encourage him to discuss it with his parents. He now remains close with Lucy's children and grandchildren and plans to bring personal "show-n-tell" items on a Fan Cruise planned as part of the weekend's festivities.
While others are visiting Jamestown to celebrate a famous comedian, he said, he is visiting to celebrate a friend.
He can also enjoy the star, too, however.
After all, he said, Lucy can appeal to a 6-year-old or 106-year-old due to her funny expressions. He knows that first-hand, as his grandfather did not speak English, but, Stern said, he was able to connect to him by watching and laughing at Lucy together. Stern lives in Los Angeles and is the audience supervisor for the Dr. Phil Show and Doctors, filmed on the same stage where Lucy and Desi once stood. His office is in the space where their props were held, and, he still has a picture of Lucy hanging on his wall.
Ms. Vincent, a Lucy impersonator, who performed Friday, has done so for 10 years in Jamestown. She also made a visit to WCA Hospital, similar to a hospital visit the real Lucy made.
Ms. Vincent then performed in a re-created Tropicana Nightclub full of Lucy lovers, including one from Maryland, whose parents named her Lucy.
"I'm a lot like her," said Lucy Getty, adding that includes being mischievous. There are other reasons for her watching Lucy, too, however.
"Her humor is a way to relax," said the therapist. Eloise McArthur of Canada said the laughter the comedian provides is something "we all need in our lives."
"I grew up watching with my grandma," said Rochester's Michelle Minute, visiting Lucy-Desi Days for the sixth time. She doesn't mind that doing so reminds her of grandma, too.
"She's a major part of my childhood," said Peggy Weber of Wisconsin, who remembers planning her day around when Lucy was on television.
It was Michigan's Bonnie Lipinski's mother who allowed her to sneak out of bed to watch the 9 p.m. show, but only if she promised to go to bed at 8:30 p.m. when her brother did so he wouldn't want to stay up late too.
"She does things you wish you had the nerve to," said Mrs. Lipinski. "She never grew up," she said about Lucy.
Westchester's Christina Piazza hasn't grown up yet. She had to pick a famous New Yorker for a grade school project. She visited Universal Studios, learned about Lucy, like she was the first woman to be pregnant on television, and made the trip with her mother to Jamestown to learn more about Lucy when they happened upon Lucy-Desi Days.
After visiting the weekend's events, she thinks she'll get an A.
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05-24-09 7:34 PM
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Wow, what a resemblance!!!
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