Lucille Ball fans are demanding that an “ugly” statue of the legendary comedian be removed from a park in the I Love Lucy star’s hometown.
Granted, the life-size bronze statue in Celoron, New York, does look more like Conway Twitty, the snake from “Beetlejuice” and actor Steve Buscemi, as fans claim, than Lucille Ball.
The mayor of Celoron, Scott Schrecengost, has sided with the disgruntled fans.
Despite the uproar over the statue, it has remained a tourist draw for a legion of Lucille Ball fans since the statue was erected in 2009.
The campaign to remove the statue began when a resident of Jamestown, where Lucille Ball grew up, started a Facebook page in 2012, called “We Love Lucy! Get Rid of this Statue.”
A Yahoo! News story about the page started by the resident, who requested anonymity, saying the issue is “not about me; it’s about the statue,” reignited calls for the statue’s removal.
Some Lucille Ball fans say this statue of her looks more like Steve Buscemi. Who do you see? http://t.co/aQhUulYxD6 pic.twitter.com/RRl0NrI7B7
— CNN (@CNN) April 4, 2015
The resident would like to see the statue removed and a new statue erected outside a planned Comedy Hall of Fame in Jamestown, which is home to the Lucy-Desi Museum & Center for Comedy and the annual Lucille Ball Comedy Festival.
“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 resident told CNN.
“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.”
Lucille Ball fans want 'ugly' statue removed http://t.co/22GmHScyxU pic.twitter.com/gILqo1MJzq
— WESH 2 News (@WESH) April 5, 2015
The resident’s sentiments about the statue were echoed by Colin Dabkowski, a Buffalo News columnist, who said “its deranged grimace and jagged teeth inspire more dread than reverence.”
“No one here much likes the statue, and one look tells you why. It looks more like an extra from ‘The Walking Dead’ than arguably the most famous comic actress of all time,” he wrote about statue of Lucille Ball.