|
A new statue honoring the "I Love Lucy" star was set to be
unveiled on Saturday in Celoron, New York, on what would have
been Ball's 105th birthday, after residents of her hometown made
it clear they did not "love" an unflattering previous version.
The life-size bronze artwork was created by the well-known
sculptor Carolyn Palmer, whose proposal was selected from more
than 60 submitted by artists around the world.
The statue at Lucille Ball Memorial Park will replace another
that was installed seven years ago. Critics panned the
sculpture, saying it looked nothing like the iconic redhead, and
it eventually became known as "Scary Lucy."
Palmer spent nine months working on the project, including
watching countless episodes of "I Love Lucy" and hiring models
to pose in 1950s-style dresses.
"I not only wanted to portray the playful, animated and
spontaneous Lucy, but also the glamorous Hollywood icon," Palmer
said in a statement.
Palmer has sculpted a number of other famous figures. Her marble
statue of Pope Francis stands at the papal residence in New York
City, where the pope blessed it during his visit last year.
A bronze version of that statue is being produced for St.
Patrick's Cathedral in New York.
"I Love Lucy" aired in the 1950s and is considered one of the
greatest television comedies ever. Ball played the wife of
bandleader Ricky Ricardo, who was portrayed by her real-life
husband, Desi Arnaz.
(Editing by Frank McGurty)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
