JAMESTOWN "I Love Lucy" was announced as the Best Television Show of All-Time and Best Television Comedy of All-Time on the nationally televised special "The Best in TV The Greatest Shows of Our Time."
"I Love Lucy" was voted as Greatest TV Comedy through an online poll conducted by ABC News and People Magazine, which over one million people voted in. "I Love Lucy" won both categories it was nominated for; Best Television Comedy of All Time and Best Television Show of All Time.
Additionally, the city of Jamestown and the annual Lucille Ball Comedy Festival were each included in two different segments during the two-hour Barbara Walters television special. Footage for the special was captured when a team of producers and cameramen from ABC News and People Magazine visited Jamestown in August during this year's Lucille Ball Festival of Comedy.
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About The Lucille Ball Comedy Festival
The Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, or "Lucy Fest," embodies Ball's vision for her hometown legacy: a celebration of the comedic arts held annually on the weekend closest to her birth date, August 6th. This year's festival ran from August 1st-5th and featured performances by Paula Poundstone, Lucie Arnaz, Tammy Pescatelli, Story Pirates, Billy Gardell from CBS's Mike & Molly, the best "Lucy, Ricky, Fred & Ethel" impersonators in the world and much more. This year's festival was brought to you in part by YNN, the TV media sponsor of Lucy Fest 2012. Lucy Fest 2013 will be August 1-4. Additional information on the festival can be found at www.LucyComedyFest.com.
According to an economic impact study conducted by Buffalo firm Paradigm Economics and commissioned by the Lucy Desi Center for Comedy and the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, the 2011 five-day festival saw 13,000 in attendance and had a direct impact of $3.6 million on Chautauqua County.
The Lucille Ball Comedy Festival is the first pillar in a four-pillar Legacy of Laughter vision for the organization, including a comedic arts education program, comedy film festival and the establishment of the first national comedy center and hall of fame.
The mission of the Lucy Desi Center for Comedy, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is to preserve the legacy of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and enrich the world through the healing powers of love and laughter through its commitment to the development of the comedic arts.
