'I Love Lucy 50th Anniversary Experience' Tours the 'Heart'land of America

May 2001 (Newstream) -- For six seasons, "I Love Lucy" captured the heart of America in weekly broadcasts on CBS, and for the past 50 years, no other television show has come close to matching the ongoing love affair that the world has had with Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel.

Hundreds of thousands of dedicated fans make annual pilgrimages to the Smithsonian and Universal Studios Florida and Hollywood to see artifacts and mementos from the original "Lucy" series.

Now, "The I Love Lucy 50th Anniversary Experience" will give fans the chance to reach out and touch all of the magic that changed television history in a comprehensive, cutting-edge, interactive attraction.

For the first time ever, Americans can get up close and personal with all of their favorite "Lucy" memories by visiting this groundbreaking new traveling experience. The tour, produced by SFX and S.E.S.P. Inc., makes its debut at the Milwaukee's Summerfest on June 28.

"With this tour, our family wanted to give the legions of `I Love Lucy' fans throughout America a way to celebrate along with us and join in the fun that was the `I Love Lucy' experience 50 years ago," said Lucie Arnaz, daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. "Now they can experience the action and excitement that existed on the set 50 years ago as `Lucy,' `Ricky,' `Fred,' and `Ethel' made television history."

"The I Love Lucy 50th Anniversary Experience" features a plaza with three interactive games that encourage audiences to re-live three of the most memorable "Lucy" moments.

In the first game, you can stand in the wine vat, hike up your skirt or roll up your pants and compete against your friends to see who can stomp "grapes" the fastest to fill up the wine bottle; in the second game, get your hands ready to wrap chocolates at lightening speed as they zoom toward you on a conveyor belt; and in the final activity, try not to trip over your tongue as you do your best to sell the miracle elixir "Vitameatavegemin."

All of the plaza activity will be videotaped, and every participant has the chance to appear in the "I Love Lucy 50th Anniversary Special" to be broadcast on CBS network television on Oct. 15, 2001.

In addition to the plaza, the "I Love Lucy 50th Anniversary Experience" will offer fans their very first chance to visit exact replicas of the most famous sets in television history -- Lucy and Ricky's New York apartment, the Beverly Palms Hotel and the Tropicana Nightclub.

The "Trop" has been converted into a theater where fans can view a highlight reel created especially for this experience featuring great moments from the show. The reel includes clips from the long-lost pilot episode, which was broadcast on television only once over the past 50 years and bumpers featuring animated versions of Lucy and Ricky -- one of the many television firsts pioneered by Desi Arnaz.

SFX Family Entertainment Executive Producer Lisa Davis commented, "In the most elaborate touring tribute to a TV series ever launched, we take people on a journey back in time, back to the glory days of `I Love Lucy,' allowing them to experience many of their favorite show moments first-hand!"

Display cases of priceless original props, costumes, scripts and rare photographs are located at almost every turn, offering fans an up-close, personal look.

"This tour is the culmination of two years of intense research and development, resulting in the largest collection of `I Love Lucy' material ever assembled," said S.E.S.P. Executive Producer Steve Kahn.

An on-site Lucy Store will be stocked with an array of 50th Anniversary Tour and "Ricky Ricardo's Club Babalu" branded items, including T-shirts, mugs, magnets, picture frames, mirrors, photo albums, clocks, snow globes, postcards, pencils and more, which will be available exclusively on this tour.

The tour will wend its way across the country over the next four years. Tickets will be sold inside the fairs at the Lucy ticket booth adjacent to the "Experience" for a nominal charge.

Tour cities for 2001 to date, are as follows:

Summerfest, Milwaukee, WI
June 28 - July 8

Orange County Fair, Costa Mesa, CA
July 13 - July 29

California State Fair, Sacramento, CA
August 17 - September 3

New Mexico State Fair, Albuquerque, NM
September 7 - September 23

Texas State Fair, Dallas, TX
September 28 - October 21

Davis added, "The I Love Lucy 50th Anniversary Experience" will be fun for all generations. With an episode of `I Love Lucy' playing in most markets at least once a day through local affiliates and/or Nickelodeon's TV Land, this tour is a not-to-be-missed experience for the entire family!"