Aug. 31, 1964 - Judging from the reception Lucille Ball got today at Flushing Meadow, the World’s Fair loves Lucy too.
No visiting governor has received the welcome on his state day that the president of Desilu Productions received on Lucy Day.
Crowds of screaming, camera-clicking fairgoers waited at each of the well-publicized stops the television star made on the puddle-dotted grounds.
She arrived at 9:45 a.m. with two busloads of press men invited by CBS. With her were her husband, Gary Morton, a comic; her mother, Mrs. Desiree Ball; and Hedda Hopper, the Hollywood columnist.
Among those waiting at Gate 2 were the 64 members of St. Lucy’s Drum and Bugle Corps from Newark and their 18-girl color guard. All wore damp red wigs, supplied dry by CBS.
Miss Ball’s first stop was at the Hollywood U.S.A. Pavilion, where she pressed both hands into the wet concrete. So did Miss Hopper, who first removed six rings.
When the guest of honor left for the next stop, so did most of the crowd, ignoring the invitation of the barker to spend $1 to see the inside.
High points of the day were a luncheon for more than 300 at the Pavilion of Indonesia and a Lucy Luau at the Hawaiian Pavilion. In between, there were snacks, like the dates and milk at Morocco and the cheese fondue and chilled white wine at Switzerland.
The day was billed as an international salute — T.V.’s Lucy show is seen in 44 countries — and none of the foreigners working at their country’s exhibits seemed to have any trouble recognizing the guest of honor.
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