`I LOVE LUCY' FANS HAVE A WHOLE LOT ON THE BALL.Byline: Virginia Gonzalez Daily News Staff Writer There probably aren't many questions about the ``I Love Lucy'' show that couldn't be answered at the Burbank Airport Hilton this weekend. Just ask expert ``Lucy'' fans Charles Cotton
Charles Cotton (April 28, 1630 - February, 1687) was an English poet, best-known for translating the work of Michel de Montaigne from the French. , Raymond Arguijo, Jeanine Kasun and hundreds of other devotees who attended ``Loving Lucy '96,'' a three-day celebration of the show's 45th anniversary. ``I knew who Lucy was before I knew who our (country's) president was. That's how much our family loved and still loves Lucy,'' said Charles Cotton, 44, a Lucille Ball enthusiast from San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. . ``There isn't much about Lucy and Desi desi Indian English Adjective indigenous or local Noun informal a person considered to be of South Asian origin [Hindi] (Arnaz) that I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. about or wouldn't be able to find the answer to,'' he said. Ball died in 1989, Arnaz in 1986. The show, sponsored by the We Love Lucy Fan Club and a memorabilia maker, The Hamilton Collection, began Friday night with film highlights at the Academy Plaza Theatre The Plaza Theatre is an historic building located at 125 Pioneer Plaza in El Paso, Texas. The theater stands as one of the city's most well-known landmarks, and remains operational today, showing various Broadway productions, musical concerts, and individual performers. in North Hollywood before activities Saturday at the Hilton. A vendor and trading hall at the Hilton brimmed with memorabilia ranging from ``I Love Lucy'' salt and pepper shakers Salt and pepper shakers are condiment holders used in Western culture that are designed to allow food eaters to distribute edible salt and ground pepper.[1] This is a conjoined term for salt shaker and pepper shaker. to compact discs and tapes of Desi Arnaz's orchestra music. At two panel discussions, attendees had the chance to ask questions of the show's original producers and some of its stars, such as Keith Thibodeaux, who played the couple's son, Little Ricky; Doris Singleton, who played Lucy's friend Carolyn Appleby; and Mary Jane Croft Mary Jane Croft (February 15, 1916 - August 24, 1999) was an American actress best known for her role as Mary Jane Lewis on The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy. Croft was born in Muncie, Indiana. , who played the couple's neighbor Betty Ramsey. ``My favorite episode was when George Reeves - Superman - was the guest star on the show,'' recalled Thibodeaux. ``I couldn't believe I was working with Lucy and Desi but when I saw my hero, Superman, wow, I was truly amazed.'' Thibodeaux and his wife are co-directors of a ballet school in Mississippi. He grew up in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. and attended St. Jane Francis Elementary and Notre Dame High schools in Sherman Oaks. ``I Love Lucy I Love Lucy is a television situation comedy, starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, also featuring Vivian Vance and William Frawley. The series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on CBS (181 episodes, including the "lost" Christmas episode and original ,'' a half-hour situation comedy that debuted in October 1951 on CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. , continues to entertain television watchers with five-day-a-week reruns throughout the United States and around the world. Original ``I Love Lucy'' writers Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll Jr. continue to be amazed at the show's and the characters' lasting popularity. ``I had no idea at the time that I was connected to a legend . . . because I was too busy working then,'' Pugh Davis said Saturday after answering myriad questions from an auditorium filled with enthusiastic and well-versed ``Lucy'' fans. The show continues to touch people of all ages, those at the convention said. ``I've taped every one of the 180 episodes and I'll never get tired of watching them,'' said Cotton. ``My Lucy reference book - well, its pages are worn from the number of times I've opened it up to double-check a fact or something.'' On Saturday, organizers staged an estate auction of some of Lucille Ball's clothing and jewelry. Today, the final event of the convention will be a ``We Love Lucy'' Day at Universal Studios. The theme park outing will begin at 7 a.m. with planned stops at the Lucy Tribute and boutique on the movie lot. ``Whether we are sad, angry or mad, just popping in a Lucy episode in the VCR VCR: see videocassette recorder. VCR in full videocassette recorder Electromechanical device that records, stores on a videotape cassette, and plays back on a TV set recorded images and sound. . . . has a way of making everything all right, of making us laugh despite whatever we're going through,'' said Raymond Arguijo, 33, of Whittier. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1) Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz impersonators Suz anne LaRusch and Adrian Israel, right, flank Keith Thibodeaux, who in his childhood played Little Ricky on the ``I Love Lucy.'' (2) Michelle Vickers of Canoga Park carries souvenirs at a convention of ``I Love Lucy'' fans at the Burbank Airport Hilton. Michael Owen Baker/Daily News |
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