Where the hell IS Desilu? Its in our hearts!

Alrighty, where do I begin?

Well, I've been to Lucy-Desi Days three times; 2005, 2006, and now 2008 and, I must say, 2008 was above and beyond any of the others.

AMAZING.

The highlight events for me were the 50th Anniversary tribute to the Desilu Playhouse which was hosted by the adorable Dann Cahn who was film editor on I Love Lucy and other Lucy shows as well, including the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hours, and a good friend of both Lucy and Desi. As that man sat up there on that stage reminiscing, I could see how his face was just lit with happiness at being able to talk so freely about what must have been one of the happiest periods in his lifetime.

As I made my way up there on friday morning, the one thing I wanted to come away with more than anything was a better understanding of what it was like to be right in the middle of it all, all of that creativity and comedic genius. However, I left Jamestown with so much more than that. I was given the privilege to look in on, not only Mr. Cahn's personal relationship with my favorite couple but, insight into just Lucille Ball, the human being, made possible by the darling Wanda Clark , who was Lucy's personal secretary for 30-plus years and Howard Rayfiel who was the attorney for Desilu Studios and Vice President of Lucille Ball Productions later on, who were host and co-host at I Remember Lucy on saturday morning where I was fortunate enough to snag an autographed copy of his memoir, Where the Hell is Desilu? which, I've heard from VERY credible sources, is a MUST READ for any Lucy lover. I cannot wait to crack it open but, Im still working on Portrait of a Lady and I'm strange in that I cannot begin another book until I've finished up any current reads. So, I'm going as fast as I can!

I also met the founder of Lucille Ball's fan club and author of weekly newsletters over at lucyfan.com, Tom Watson. He, too, was just a doll and I'm so happy to have met him.

All of their stories and memories are priceless treasures for me and I am beyond greatful that those lovely people were so eager to share them with me and all of my fellow fans who attended as well.

...But, that isn't to say that I didn't manage to spend oh...somewhere upwards of $450.00 on memorabilia and including all the events I attended, that jacks the tag up to almost $800.00. But hey, it was my early birthday trip so, that makes it completely justifiable.

On top of meeting almost every special guest, {sans Wilmer Valderamma but, he was not a priority on my list to begin with and at $100.00 a head, I highly doubt he was a must meet for many of us.}, I met a few lovely fellow fans/friends who I found myself speaking to more freely than I have spoken to anyone in my life. My only regret is that every time I ran into said individuals, I was not carrying my bag which had my address book so, I wasn't able to get any of their contact information.

And so, I'm a very happy young lady.
...for the first time in awhile.


Sunny Side Up!,
Krista.