Commemorative statue of Lucille Ball looks more like Steve Buscemi, angry fans say

A life-size bronze statue of Lucille Ball was erected in the comedian’s birthplace of Celoron, New York, in 2009, and despite being a significant tourist draw, the residents and mayor of Celoron are fighting to get the statue replaced. Fans of the I Love Lucy star have pointed out that the statue resembles actor Steve Buscemi more than it does the iconic comedy queen, inspiring one Facebook user to launch a rapidly-growing “We Love Lucy! Get Rid of this Statue” social media campaign.

Over the past six years, the bronze Lucille Ball statue has been likened to Buscemi, Conway Twitty, a Walking Dead extra, and the snake from Beetlejuice. A Buffalo News columnist recently wrote that “its deranged grimace and jagged teeth inspire more dread than reverence,” and even Celoron mayor Scott Schrecengost has publicly expressed his distaste for the statue. Schrecengost told the local Post-Journal that he’s reached out to the artist over the years about redoing statue, with minimal success.

“He finally came back and said he wanted $8,000 to $10,000 to do it. I’ve also reached out to several other sculptors in the region, and some said they would do it, but we’re still looking at about $5,000,” said Schrecengost. “We’d like to work with the original sculptor and wish he would stand behind his work enough to step up and fix it for free.”

An anonymous resident of Jamestown, where Ball grew up, started the “We Love Lucy! Get Rid of this Statue” Facebook page in 2012. The group began expanding its membership quickly this week, when Yahoo! News reported on the story of the “ugly” statue.

“Lucille Ball was one of the most talented, beautiful, funny women who ever appeared on television; a pioneer, a giant of television. My only goal is to have a sculpture of her in Jamestown which does her justice,” the group’s founder told CNN, adding that he or she wants to see the statue replaced with a new one outside a planned Comedy Hall of Fame in Jamestown, which is home to the annual Lucille Ball Comedy Festival. “This statue in Celoron is not fixable. I love my hometown and I Love Lucy. Let’s get a new statue that is a real tribute to her memory as the Comedy Queen of Television.”

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