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Statue of Lucille Ball (Celoron, New York)

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Not to be confused with Statue of Lucille Ball (Palm Springs, California).
Statue of Lucille Ball
Map
TypeSculpture
SubjectLucille Ball
LocationCeloron, New York, United States
Coordinates42°06′39″N 79°16′57″W / 42.11071°N 79.28256°W / 42.11071; -79.28256 (2009 statue)
42°06′38″N 79°16′56″W / 42.110646°N 79.282098°W / 42.110646; -79.282098 (2016 statue)

Lucille Ball is an outdoor sculpture of the American actress and comedian of the same name, originally sculpted by David Poulin and installed in Lucille Ball Memorial Park in Celoron, New York in 2009. The statue was deemed "scary" by residents, earning it the nickname Scary Lucy. In 2016, the statue was moved nearby and replaced by one created by Carolyn Palmer. The new sculpture is known officially as New Lucy[1] and colloquially as Lovely Lucy.[2][3]

First statue

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In 2009, a statue of Ball was installed in her hometown of Celoron, depicting the climactic scene from the 1952 I Love Lucy episode "Lucy Does a TV Commercial" in which Ball's character, Lucy Ricardo, hawks the alcohol-rich patent medicine Vitameatavegamin while under the effects of heavy dosage of the tonic. Residents noted the statue's deranged, androgynous expression, which bore little resemblance to Ball, earning it the nickname Scary Lucy. The statue garnered little outside attention until 2015, when images of the statue went viral and received international media coverage.[1] The artist discussed fixing the statue with town officials, but claimed they wanted him to do it at his own expense. In 2015, Celoron's mayor said the town was looking to hire a different artist instead.[4]

Second statue

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On August 1, 2016, it was announced that a new statue of Ball would replace the original. Carolyn Palmer was unanimously chosen out of a national competition of more than 65 sculptors. She said in a statement, "I not only wanted to portray the playful, animated and spontaneous Lucy, but also the glamorous Hollywood icon" and "I just hope that all the Lucy fans are pleased and that Lucille Ball herself would have enjoyed this image of her." On August 6, 2016, the day that would have been Ball's 105th birthday, the replacement statue was revealed; it depicts Ball standing on a copy of her Hollywood star.[5]

Since Scary Lucy became a local tourist attraction after receiving media attention, it was placed 75 yards from its original location so visitors could visit both statues.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Stack, Liam (9 August 2016). "Here's Lucy! 'Scary' Statue Is Replaced With One That Looks Like Her". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  2. ^ Dabkowski, Colin (10 August 2016). "Compare Lucille Ball to 'Scary Lucy' and 'Lovely Lucy'". Buffalo Magazine. Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  3. ^ Evans, Greg (6 August 2016). "Here's Lucy! Lovely Lucille Ball Statue Replaces "Scary Lucy" In Hometown Park". Deadline. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  4. ^ Hunter, Marnie (April 7, 2015). "Mayor rejects artist's offer to fix 'Scary Lucy' statue". CNN. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  5. ^ Kimble, Lindsay (6 August 2016). "Lucille Ball's 'Scary Lucy' replacement statue unveiled". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
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