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Lucy: A Tribute...some pics from Universal Studios


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The last thread I posted in got me thinking about the Lucy: A Tribute exhibit that was at Universal Studios for years. Once I moved to LA, that was one of the first places I wanted to finally see. I took some pics of the items inside and wanted to share them with anyone who hasn't seen them or haven't seen them in a while. Too bad the exhibit is gone now...

 

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OMG!!! I have been looking for these photos for months!! I posted in a thread a while back about this set, but not many knew what I was talking about. It is wonderful to see such great vivid photos and nice to know that some of the original sets still exist, well hopefully they do. I can't imagine that they would just sell of all that after the museum/exhibit closed. BTW, nice to meet a fellow Justin!

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Actually, now as I am looking, maybe the L-D Museum owns the set! I took a closer look at these and I am noticing that the LDM has a lot of these archives now (Lucy's Stone Pillow Boots, Emmys, backgammon table, her lamp with the coffee can and the charlie chaplin outfit). Now maybe they are hiding that entire set in that mysterious basement of theirs with the other archives. I sure hope they have it and hopefully the other stuff, to know it's in good hands!

... I didn't want to post a third time, so I will continue in here. I am saddened to figure out this set is a replica, an amazing one, but none the less, a replica. But several pieces may be authentic. I already knew the back was a replica, walls and what not, they would be rotted by now. The fireplace might be real, but the design is slightly off and the guard doesn't have that star shaped design in the center, but it could of just fallen off over 50 years. The small decorations might be real, but I doubt 50 year old wax flowers would last. The little round pictures of the man and woman seem to pass the test, but after a close look the photos are wrong inside the frames. The clock is a different design and the original was red. The couch is giving me a tough decision, I have a very high quality photo of this set in color, which is what I'm basing this off of. But, the couch is so close, I'm just not sure. The design is wrong on all the edges, but overall the pattern is correct, as well as the colors. So it could of just been reupholstered after the wear and tear on the set. So it's a 50/50 chance, I just can't tell. The only thing I'm 99% sure is real is that lamp above the TV, it's the right color, wood, shape, design, and I'm convinced. The pictures above the couch I can't tell, the painting looks real, but it seems too simplistic, but that painting was even seen in some productions through the seventies so it could very well be real. I hate to be pessimistic, but I just like researching and sets/set design, I'm such a dork, hahah. I can foresee negative responses in my future.

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Aren't the Emmy's replicas? I know I saw them in Florida and LA and thought I saw a sign in the LA exhibit sort of saying that.

Maybe, I don't think so though, but I could be wrong. I know that the ones in the Lucy-Desi Museum are real at least, I held one last year at the members only event.

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... I didn't want to post a third time, so I will continue in here. I am saddened to figure out this set is a replica, an amazing one, but none the less, a replica. But several pieces may be authentic. I already knew the back was a replica, walls and what not, they would be rotted by now. The fireplace might be real, but the design is slightly off and the guard doesn't have that star shaped design in the center, but it could of just fallen off over 50 years. The small decorations might be real, but I doubt 50 year old wax flowers would last. The little round pictures of the man and woman seem to pass the test, but after a close look the photos are wrong inside the frames. The clock is a different design and the original was red. The couch is giving me a tough decision, I have a very high quality photo of this set in color, which is what I'm basing this off of. But, the couch is so close, I'm just not sure. The design is wrong on all the edges, but overall the pattern is correct, as well as the colors. So it could of just been reupholstered after the wear and tear on the set. So it's a 50/50 chance, I just can't tell. The only thing I'm 99% sure is real is that lamp above the TV, it's the right color, wood, shape, design, and I'm convinced. The pictures above the couch I can't tell, the painting looks real, but it seems too simplistic, but that painting was even seen in some productions through the seventies so it could very well be real. I hate to be pessimistic, but I just like researching and sets/set design, I'm such a dork, hahah. I can foresee negative responses in my future.

 

 

You are not a dork...it's a fun hobby and you are not hurting anyone. I too, have researched the sets over the years. Sorry to say though, for my money, it's ALL a replica. I do not mean to burst your bubble and make you sad, but to find the exact prop and hope that it would hold up after years and years is implausible. Set pieces are handled, abused and moved around so much that they fall apart and are victim to age. The researchers and technicians at the studio did a wundaful job for the most part. The powers that be never expected the 'average' visitor to examine the contents of this set that closely.

 

The pattern/color of the couch is very, very close and possibly is a brilliant recreation or someone may have found yards of the original to use. Everything about the painting is wrong. The frame was a dark neutral tone, never gold. The print itself was originally a painting by Maurice Utrillo and can easily be seen on the show and beyond. It was used for years on several other TV shows, including The Lucy Show, My Three Sons, Family Affair and even for a brief moment in Lucy and Bob Hope's "The Facts of Life!" Yes, the only thing close about the two oval framed prints are the frames. The prints inside are not even close. The fireplace and the guard are replicas. The lamp in the back is not the same. Study the base closer and you will see. I believe the shade was a dark green and they have it black. The clock is very close, but not spot on.

 

All in all, you've done your homework and they are great photos of a bygone exhibit. The Lucy Exhibit was never intended to be on-going forever but it lasted quite a long time and brought happiness to a lot of people. I'm happy to say that I was there on opening night and oddly was there with friends when it closed down. It is missed.

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On a 5-day trip to southern California in 1991 (I think), my family, godbless'em, indulged me and let me spend an entire day at the museum all by myself and it was great. Really a top notch job. It was wise of them to have everything behind display cases and that I didn't bring along a crowbar---which did occur to me. The videos were being run on a loop so I saw them dozens of times. I would watch people's reactions which I always find interesting.

Hey Rick(ee), do you know which script it was where Lucy wrote the note: "This laughing fit is unprovoked..."etc. and which scene this is referring to? I'm assuming it was a Here's Lucy. If "unprovoked" was a criteria (along with unmotivated and impossible), I'm surprised half the HL scripts weren't rejected outright.

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I'm happy everyone enjoyed the photos! I was a kid in a candy store when I was there and didn't want to leave. It's a shame that they never kept the exhibit fresh with new items switched in every so often. That would've made it a bit more dynamic but I guess it was better than nothing.

 

 

 

Actually, now as I am looking, maybe the L-D Museum owns the set! I took a closer look at these and I am noticing that the LDM has a lot of these archives now (Lucy's Stone Pillow Boots, Emmys, backgammon table, her lamp with the coffee can and the charlie chaplin outfit). Now maybe they are hiding that entire set in that mysterious basement of theirs with the other archives. I sure hope they have it and hopefully the other stuff, to know it's in good hands!

... I didn't want to post a third time, so I will continue in here. I am saddened to figure out this set is a replica, an amazing one, but none the less, a replica. But several pieces may be authentic. I already knew the back was a replica, walls and what not, they would be rotted by now. The fireplace might be real, but the design is slightly off and the guard doesn't have that star shaped design in the center, but it could of just fallen off over 50 years. The small decorations might be real, but I doubt 50 year old wax flowers would last. The little round pictures of the man and woman seem to pass the test, but after a close look the photos are wrong inside the frames. The clock is a different design and the original was red. The couch is giving me a tough decision, I have a very high quality photo of this set in color, which is what I'm basing this off of. But, the couch is so close, I'm just not sure. The design is wrong on all the edges, but overall the pattern is correct, as well as the colors. So it could of just been reupholstered after the wear and tear on the set. So it's a 50/50 chance, I just can't tell. The only thing I'm 99% sure is real is that lamp above the TV, it's the right color, wood, shape, design, and I'm convinced. The pictures above the couch I can't tell, the painting looks real, but it seems too simplistic, but that painting was even seen in some productions through the seventies so it could very well be real. I hate to be pessimistic, but I just like researching and sets/set design, I'm such a dork, hahah. I can foresee negative responses in my future.

 

Glady ou liked the pics! Honestly though, I do not believe any piece of the apartment display are originals. I doubt anyone kept any of the original sets or furniture after the show was over. Considering no one knew then how big the show was going to be in reruns (and it wasn't customary to save sets then) I highly doubt anyone kept anything.

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Thanks so much for posting these pictures! Such fun to look at. I saw the display at Universal in Orlando years ago & it was pretty small. I don't remember any furniture, or the backgammon setup. Still fun, though. I warned my husband I would be in there a while ;) , so he found a 45 minute demo on how monster makeup is applied. When he came back for me I was still browsing. Thankfully, while he doesn't share my interest in Lucy (his only flaw :lucy1: ), he does support it & didn't rush me while I finished looking around.

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On a 5-day trip to southern California in 1991 (I think), my family, godbless'em, indulged me and let me spend an entire day at the museum all by myself and it was great. Really a top notch job. It was wise of them to have everything behind display cases and that I didn't bring along a crowbar---which did occur to me. The videos were being run on a loop so I saw them dozens of times. I would watch people's reactions which I always find interesting.

Hey Rick(ee), do you know which script it was where Lucy wrote the note: "This laughing fit is unprovoked..."etc. and which scene this is referring to? I'm assuming it was a Here's Lucy. If "unprovoked" was a criteria (along with unmotivated and impossible), I'm surprised half the HL scripts weren't rejected outright.

 

I've done the same exact thing in the Orlando exhibit. The script actually appears to be for the "Diamond Jim Brady and Lillian Russell" movie. I see the names "Jim" and "Lil" on the page.

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  • 3 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 years later...
  • 2 months later...

Actually, now as I am looking, maybe the L-D Museum owns the set! I took a closer look at these and I am noticing that the LDM has a lot of these archives now (Lucy's Stone Pillow Boots, Emmys, backgammon table, her lamp with the coffee can and the charlie chaplin outfit). Now maybe they are hiding that entire set in that mysterious basement of theirs with the other archives. I sure hope they have it and hopefully the other stuff, to know it's in good hands!

... I didn't want to post a third time, so I will continue in here. I am saddened to figure out this set is a replica, an amazing one, but none the less, a replica. But several pieces may be authentic. I already knew the back was a replica, walls and what not, they would be rotted by now. The fireplace might be real, but the design is slightly off and the guard doesn't have that star shaped design in the center, but it could of just fallen off over 50 years. The small decorations might be real, but I doubt 50 year old wax flowers would last. The little round pictures of the man and woman seem to pass the test, but after a close look the photos are wrong inside the frames. The clock is a different design and the original was red. The couch is giving me a tough decision, I have a very high quality photo of this set in color, which is what I'm basing this off of. But, the couch is so close, I'm just not sure. The design is wrong on all the edges, but overall the pattern is correct, as well as the colors. So it could of just been reupholstered after the wear and tear on the set. So it's a 50/50 chance, I just can't tell. The only thing I'm 99% sure is real is that lamp above the TV, it's the right color, wood, shape, design, and I'm convinced. The pictures above the couch I can't tell, the painting looks real, but it seems too simplistic, but that painting was even seen in some productions through the seventies so it could very well be real. I hate to be pessimistic, but I just like researching and sets/set design, I'm such a dork, hahah. I can foresee negative responses in my future.

 

 

"The couch is giving me a tough decision, I have a very high quality photo of this set in color, which is what I'm basing this off of. But, the couch is so close, I'm just not sure."

 

Desiluforever

 

If it's okay with you, and you don't mind, would you mind posting/sharing that high-quality photo, of this set, in color?  

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