Among a number of fashion illustrations in our upcoming January 22 auction of Illustration Art is a design for Lucille Ball by Bob Mackie. Showing Lucy in an elaborate orange-and-green butterfly costume, complete with oversize wings and fluttering adornments, the design is both alluring and amusing.
In 1965, NBC aired a TV special hosted by Danny Thomas called The Wonderful World of Burlesque, which featured Carole Cook, Shirley Jones, Jerry Lewis and Lucille Ball, among others. While very little about the special can be found online, we were able to find this wonderful video of Lucy performing The Butterfly Ballet in her completed Bob Mackie costume. As the layers come off in Ball's act, she becomes more and more recognizable as the ham we all know and love. Look for a great wire moment around the 1:50 mark!
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| Bob Mackie, Lucy, ink and crayon on paper, 1965. Estimate $2,000 to $3,000. At auction January 22, 2015. |