July 17, 2005

Lucy’s Chauffeur to Give Tours of Jamestown

This year's seventh annual Lucille Ball's Birthday Celebration will bring a new twist to the ever-popular Lucytown Tours. The celebration held every year on Lucille Ball's birthday in Jamestown, NY will be held August 5th to the 7th.

Frank Gorey, who was Lucille Ball's chauffeur for 30 years, is coming from Beverly Hills to host each of the nine guided tours of Lucy’s hometown. Tour participants will hear stories of his personal experiences with the Queen of Comedy. Local residents can expect to find this opportunity as enlightening as out-of-town visitors!

Gorey started working for Lucille Ball in October of 1959 and was with her for the rest of her life. Among his responsibilities were taking her children to school and taking her mother shopping. Interestingly, he was on the set for the filming of "Lucy Meets the Mustache," the last Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour episode which guest starred Edie Adams, who will also be part of Lucy’s Birthday Celebration.

Festival goers who get one of the limited number of seats on these two-hour air-conditioned motor coach trips will get a unique perspective on the woman whom TV Guide describes as having the face that's been seen more often by more people than the face of anyone else who ever lived. Thanks to a grant from the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, the tours include a video component, giving riders a glance back to Lucy's time.

Tour guide Lucy Studd, a Jamestown native and "Lucy" fan herself, will point out more than 24 locations in Jamestown and the neighboring village of Celoron that were significant in Lucille Ball’s life. The tour concludes with a visit to Lake View Cemetery, where she is buried with her parents, grandparents, and other family members.

Lucytown Tours depart from the Lucy-Desi Museum at 10 a.m., 1 and 4 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the festival weekend, August 5-7. For more information and tickets to Lucy's Birthday Celebration events, call or visit the Lucy-Desi Museum Gift Shop, 300 North Main Street, Jamestown, NY 14701, (716) 484-0800 (toll-free: 1-877-LUCY-FAN) or order online at http://www.lucy-desi.com/festivals.html.

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