Some of Lucille Ball’s love letters, awards, photos, and a Rolls Royce were set to be auctioned off on Saturday. Heritage Auction Galleries was selling the items on behalf of Susie McCallister Morton, the widow of Gary Morton. He was Ball’s second husband and an executive producer on Here’s Lucy and Life with Lucy. Susie Morton married him after the death of Ball in 1989. They were married for three years. Gary Morton died in 1999 and his belongings went to his widow as part of his estate.
Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill, the daughter of Ball and her first husband Desi Arnaz, sought to obtain the Morton/Ball love letters and Ball’s lifetime achievement awards after Susie Morton put them up for sale. Luckinbill said that she wanted to donate them to a museum.
Some of the items were reportedly left to Luckinbill after her mother’s death but Morton claims that she failed to collect them. Luckinbill threatened legal action over the auction. Morton sued Luckinbill earlier last week, seeking a judge’s order to allow the sale to go through. Luckinbill in turn sought a restraining order on Friday to stop the next day’s auction.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert O’Brien agreed to block the sale. As part of that, he imposed a $250,000 bond that Luckinbill would have to pay to get a restraining order issued.
Luckinbill’s attorney, Ronald Palmieri, said the amount was too high to be met. He said, “We won on a legal basis, and the judge took it away from us on an economic basis. That is very sad.”
However, Heritage later said that, as part of a deal reached Saturday, the auction house would returning her mother’s lifetime achievement awards to Luckinbill. The rest of the items in dispute remained on the block.
According to Heritage, the auction of personal items and memorabilia brought $230,000. Items that were sold included a variety of purchased paintings, costume sketches, several backgammon sets, china, porcelain figures, and Morton’s trumpets. The highest grossing item was the 1984 Silver Spurs Rolls Royce which sold for just under $30,000.
What do you think? Was Luckinbill entitled to the her mother’s property? Do you agree with the outcome?
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19 Comments on "Here’s Lucy: (Somewhat) Happy Outcome for Gary Morton / Lucille Ball Auction"
Things belong to her kids… 100%
If Mrs. Morton wanted to remodel her home and remove the past items from her home, she should have given them back to Lucy’s son and daughter. It’s all about money and lack of character.Quite frankly, it is sickening!!!!
Anyone but Lucy and Desi’s biological children, far as I know just the two, getting ANYTHING should die and go straight to Hell. Especially if this Morton woman.
Lucie couldn’t or wouldn’t cough up the $250,000? Big difference…sad if she doesn’t have the money considering the Desilu money she and her brother must have.
Desilu has and was defunct long ago.
She had no right to the property.She was only married to Gary 3 years and they were Lucy’s personal things and her daughter should have them back.Garys fault for not giving them to her in his will,he should have.I am probably more entitled than she is.Gary Morton was my cousin for my whole life,and if they were mine I would have given them back to her daughter.
Gary Morton aka Morton Goldappers cousin Cookie
So right cookie! Strange how people become so self centered! Those items should of went back to Lucy’s children to be handed down to her grandchildren! Thank you for standing up for right and wrong!
Morton’s wife was remodeling her home… she needed cash for the remodel. SELFISH woman was thinking of no one but herself!
RED SAM-
Yeah, Lucie Arnaz is chocked full of talent……..
If it wasn’t for her mother, she’d be a school bus driver.
Lucie Arnaz has in the past shown herself to be a talented actress in her own right. Too bad that instead of pursuing her own career she’s capitalizing on being Lucy’s and Desi’s daughter.
@FreddyFillmore: Let’s see… Lucie wants her Mother’s awards in a museum, and you find that freaky and controlling? You would rather defend Morton’s ex for profitting off of a television legend that she has no tie to.
And by the way….if Lucy Arnez is a control freak then good for her! Obviously the people auctioning it off didnt appreciate Lucy. They will see their foolish choices when they realize when they’re old that the stuff they sold so cheap is going for millionsa.
THE CAR NEVER WAS LUCY CAR REALLY IF WAS A 1984 .
@Anonymous: Yes, and Lucy died in 1989.