Polka dot dress worn by Lucille Ball on Fifties show sold at auction

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

I Love Lucy has been off the air for over 50 years, but it would appear fans of the classic comedy series are still going strong.
A polka dot dress Lucille Ball wore on the show, which aired from 1951 to 1957, sold at a Hollywood auction last week for an incredible $168,000.
The pink and brown garment was expected to rake in between $40,000 and $60,000, but one I Love Lucy enthusiast was apparently willing to part with much more for the iconic relic.

Iconic memorabilia: A polka dot dress Lucille Ball wore on I Love Lucy, which aired from 1951 to 1957, sold at a Hollywood auction last week for an incredible $168,000

Popularity: I Love Lucy, which starred Lucille Ball and her on-and-off-screen Cuban husband Desi Arnaz (right), was the most watched series in the U.S. during four of its six season

The dress is a long, brown silk gown cinched around the waist, with a white collar and light pink polka dots.
I Love Lucy, which starred Lucille Ball and her on-and-off-screen Cuban husband Desi Arnaz, was the most watched series in the U.S. during four of its six season.
Since it was first broadcast on CBS on October 15, 1951, it has never stopped airing on television, and reruns can be viewed to this day.

 

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In the series, Arnaz played Ricky Ricardo, a singer and the bandleader of a mamba variety show living in New York City with his wife Lucy.
Much of the plot revolves around Lucy trying to find ways to star in his show.
Other items from the Fifties series that sold at the auction included a signed contract between Ball and her producer, Sam Goldwyn.

Long-running: Since it was first broadcast on October 15, 1951, I Love Lucy has never stopped airing on television

At the same auction, a dress worn by Judy Garland during the filming of The Wizard of Oz was sold for $360,000, after being expected to rake in under $120,000.
One of the costumes worn by the late James Gandolfini in his final Sopranos scene was snapped up by a bidder for $22,000.
And a collection of The Sound of Music costumes, including the floral lederhosen worn by the Von Trapp children in the 1965 film, sold for a whopping $1.3million.