Lucille Ball's 100th birthday celebrated with new exhibit

Lucille Ball is shown in a scene from her comedy series, "I Love Lucy."

/ AP Photo/CBS

(CBS/AP) - America's favorite redhead Lucille Ball would be celebrating her 100th birthday tomorrow if she were alive.

This year also marks the 60th anniversary of "I Love Lucy," the much loved CBS sitcom that the comedienne, who died on April 26, 1989, began her TV career on.

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To celebrate this banner year, the Hollywood Museum has launched an extensive exhibit, which will run through Nov. 20, 2011, highlighting her career and achievements.

TV costumes, photographs, letters, scripts, trophies and other memorabilia fill the "Lucille Ball at 100 and I Love Lucy at 60" exhibit, which was unveiled Thursday night with a gala reception with daughter Lucie Arnaz in attendance.

"I think of her as mom most of the time. Then I switch ... and try to see her as the rest of the world does. It's almost too big," Arnaz told the Associated Press.

Ball's birthday will also be celebrated by a few TV networks this weekend. The Hallmark Channel, Turner Classic Movies and ME-TV are each airing marathons of her movies and "I Love Lucy" episodes.

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[smurfula]

Happy Birthday, Lucy.

[Titanic1985]

Her role in "The Long Long Trailer" is priceless. It is a must see movie for anyone considering an RV purchase. Thanks for the laughs and the memories.

[trumpetstuff]

I still love Lucy.

[2menykats]

I am watching the "I Love Lucy" marathon on Hallmark Channel right now!

[ArtistLA]

There are many fans of the show still around because her show is still going strong

We love you too, Lucy...

ArtistLA
http://www.artistla.com/lucille_revisited.htm
Lucille Ball at age 23

[Transatlantique]

Most of the decisions surrounding the "I Love Lucy" product came from Desi because he was the business end of that duo. Desi was the brains, Lucy was the laughs, and Joan omitted that fact.

Joan Rivers loves the sound of her own voice. The "good looking women in comedy" doesn't include Joan.

[michelleglobalized]

We will always love Lucy, she's an American Icon. You can see more Google Doodles at http://www.goologos.com/

[srw6666]

"...sometimes we quarrel but then...how we love making up again...no one does like lucy can, she's my missus and i'm her man...and we're so happy you see...'cause i love lucy, yes i love lucy and lucy loves me..."

[longtree-2009]

don't get celebrating a dead person's birthday.

[bikerb54]

Did you ever think they aren't celebrating her birthday, they are celebrating her life and the gift of laughter that she gave us. Pure and simple. Get over yourself and your morbid view of life. Lucille Ball was funny, was beautiful and was a great gift to all of us. She showed us that getting laughs wasn't about filthy language, body parts or functions, it was about life and the way we can look at it every day! Loved Lucy back then and still love her today!

[cac1958]

She was an American Icon...watched all over the world. She had a long time period of never being off the air...somewhere I Love Lucy was being televised!