Seventy years ago in early February 1956, Jamestown native and America’s favorite television star, Lucille Ball, was on her way back home with her husband, Desi Arnaz. Jamestown residents had been in the center of a whirlwind of planning for six weeks, after it was announced that the couple’s latest movie Forever Darling would have its world premiere in Jamestown at Dipson’s Palace Theater on East Third Street.
Lucy and Desi had left California in January on a 17-day cross country tour in connection with the movie. The night before they would arrive in Jamestown, the famous couple was in New York City where they were guests on the Ed Sullivan Show and after that, Desi was a guest panelist on the What’s My Line show. During that show, one of the contestants was Floyd Carlson, a former Jamestown resident. Mr. Carlson would be the one to pilot the helicopter the next day that brought Lucy and Desi to land at the Jamestown High School football field. (This episode of What’s My Line can be viewed on YouTube.)
The next day school was canceled, and school children met on the field to spell out “Hi Lucy” and “Hi Desi”. With rain and sleet falling from the sky, the helicopter landed at 12:20 p.m. The Post-Journal estimated that between 8,000 and 10,000 people were at the field to welcome Lucy and Desi. They were escorted to the Hotel Jamestown in a parade down Third Street with the crowd estimated to be around 15,000. Desi rode on the back of one of the Jamestown Fire Department engines.
From that point, there was no stopping to rest for anyone. That afternoon, Lucille met with the local press and attended a reception for “old friends” at the Little Theater. Desi went to a cocktail party and attended the annual Temple Hesed Abraham Men’s Sports Night Dinner, and after that they both went to a “Homecoming Dance” for 900 people in the Crystal Ballroom at the Hotel Jamestown with breakfast served on the mezzanine at 2 a.m.
The next day began at 10 a.m. when Lucille was presented with her old membership card to the Celoron Girl Scout Troop. From 10:30 to 11, Lucille and Desi visited Jamestown General Hospital to dedicate the hospital’s new snack bar. At 11, they visited Bigelow’s Department Store where Fred Bigelow had a red carpet at the front entrance and Sarita Weeks, wife of former Jamestown mayor Stanley Weeks, greeted Desi in his native Spanish. “On behalf of all the Cubans in Jamestown, I thank you,” Desi responded. At noon there was a “city-wide service club luncheon” at the Hotel Jamestown, hosted by the Jamestown Lions Club. In the afternoon, Lucille did an interview with an Erie television station and there was a press conference at the Town Club. At 5 p.m. was a buffet supper and reception.
“It was Hollywood grandeur transplanted to Jamestown,” Charles Pokrandt wrote in The Post-Journal. Thousands of people jammed Third Street between Pine and Spring in front of the theater. A searchlight scanned the night sky and helped to light up the normally quiet street. The American Legion Band and the U.S. Naval Reserve Band formed a block long cordon down the center of Third Street for the premiere guests. Police Chief John Paladino reported that a total of 92 policemen, including the volunteer reserve units, worked to maintain order.
The first showing of the movie, attended by Lucy and Desi, was at 8 p.m., and a second showing began at 10 p.m. Lucy and Desi attended the early performance and made an appearance at the last show, before they headed to the train station, to catch the train back to New York City.
“It’s the greatest thing that’s happened to me in my whole life,” Lucille said of the days in Jamestown.
Information on Lucy and Desi’s visit was found in Post-Journal accounts from the Prendergast Library microfilm.
Remember Floyd Carlson, the helicopter pilot, and stay tuned for Part 3!
Comments From Our Readers
From Bill Rapaport: Great article. One additional fact: Although Lucy probably attended JHS briefly after she and her family moved back to Jamestown after they lost the house on what is now Lucy Lane, she attended Celoron High School as a freshman and sophomore (at least), just a couple of blocks from her home. I have several photos of her with her Celoron classmates. Bill Rapaport is the long time owner of Lucille Ball’s childhood home in Celoron
From Rolland E. Kidder: I saw the piece on the 70th anniversary of Lucy and Desi coming to Jamestown for the premiere of that film. They landed in small helicopter on the football field behind JHS. Then the parade went down Second Street to train station (as I remember), turned right up to Third Street and then marched to the Palace Theater. It was raining “cats and dogs.” It was raining so hard that the JHS band could only use brass and drums … the woodwinds would not function in the rain … yet there was a big crowd along the way. I was playing the bass drum at the time, and it loosened up so much from the rain that you could hardly hear it. When Lucy and Desi, who were riding in a convertible, got to the theater, they looked like drowned rats! We, the band, marched back to the high school and dried out.
