DESIREE ‘DEDE’ BALL

September 21, 1892

Desiree Evelyn Hunt was born on September 21, 1892 in Jamestown, New York. 

Her ancestors were mostly English, but a few were Scottish, French, and Irish. Some were among the earliest settlers in the original thirteen colonies, including Elder John Crandall of Westerly, Rhode Island, and Edmund Rice, an early emigrant from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. 

Nicknamed ‘DeDe’ by her family and friends, she was active in show business herself at one time, starring as a concert pianist in Jamestown. 

In 1910, Dede married Henry Durrell Ball.  She gave birth to two children: Lucille in 1911, and Fred in 1915. While Dede was still pregnant with Fred, Henry Ball (a telephone lineman on assignment with his wife and child in Michigan) contracted typhoid fever and died. Now a widow, Dede returned to Jamestown, where Lucille and Fred were raised by their grandfather (Fred Hunt), an eccentric socialist who enjoyed the theater and frequently took the family to vaudeville shows. Fred, Lucille, and their mother all lived together with the Hunts for a time in the nearby town of Celoron. 

In 1918, Dede met a Swedish Lutheran salesman named Edward Peterson, and married him to provide for her family.

“My mother then married Ed Peterson, a handsome-ugly man, very well-read. He was good to me and Freddy but he drank too much. He was the first to point out the magic of the stage. When I was about seven, Ed and mother moved to Detroit, leaving me with his old-fashioned Swedish parents, who were very strict. I felt as if I’d been deserted.” ~ Lucille Ball, 1971

In 1927, a neighborhood child was paralyzed by a shot accidentally fired from a gun Fred’s grandfather had given him for his birthday.  The resultant publicity and lawsuit forced Dede’s father to sell his house and enter bankruptcy. After this incident (which was referred to in the family as "the break-up”), the family had to split up and never lived together in one place again.  

Dede’s daughter Lucille had aspirations beyond Jamestown and went to New York City to take acting lessons. The instructor called Dede to tell her that she was wasting her money and that Lucille was not talented. Undaunted, Lucille continued to search for her dream, becoming a model and accepting a job to go to Hollywood to be a Goldwyn Girl. To get to this point, Lucille all but erased her family history in Jamestown, calling herself Diane Belmont from Butte, Montana.

Once Lucille was established in Hollywood, Dede, Grandpa Hunt, and brother Fred joined her. In 1934, Dede divorced Edward Peterson and became her daughter’s biggest supporter and staunchest confidante. It is said that Dede Ball was in the audience for every filming of every “Lucy” show. It was not unusual for Desi or Lucille’s second husband to introduce Dede during their warm-up of the studio audience. Dede was frequently there with invited guests. 

In “Lucy is Her Own Lawyer” (TLS S2;E23) in 1964, Viv testifies in court that due to the excessive barking of the neighborhood dogs she overslept and missed a sale at Dede’s Dress Shop! Alligator bags were half price! This is the first (but not the last) mention of Dede’s Dress Shop in fictional Danfield, New York.   It is mentioned again in “Lucy Meets A Millionaire” (TLS S2;E24

When her daughter was honored by having a day dedicated to her (”Lucy Day”) at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York, Dede rode along in the parade car and enjoyed the exlusive tour of the Fair with her famous daughter. 

When Lucille played “Password” in August 1965, a quick camera scan of the studio audience during the opening titles proved that loyal and supportive Dede was there – even for a game show. 

Ditto in 1966!

Dede didn’t just attend Lucy’s shows, but any show Lucy was on.  When Ball appeared on a 1968 episode of “The Carol Burnett Show”, Burnett brought Ball onstage during her traditional opening Q&A with the audience. Lucy introduced her mother, who was greeted by a warm round of applause by her fellow audience members.  

Although not an actress, Dede turned up in as a member of Johnny Carson’s audience in “Lucy and Johnny Carson” (TLS S2;E11) in 1969. [Note that Dede is wearing the same outfit she wore to “The Carol Burnett Show” the year before.] Johnny addresses some of his dialogue to Dede, who reacts appropriately.  Art imitating life! 

In July 1972, “The Merv Griffin Show” did a show about the mother’s of famous personalities. Dede was joined by the mothers of Lenny Bruce, David Jannsen, Jack Jones, and Jack Carter, who had been the best man at her daughter’s wedding to Gary Morton.  

In “Lucy Goes To Prison” (HL S5;E18) in 1973, Lucy Carter goes undercover as a bank robber named Dede Peterson, which was her mother’s married name. When Mrs. Carter introduces herself to her fellow cellmate (Elsa Lanchester), there is a small laugh and the sound of one or two people clapping from the studio audience. It is likely Gary Morton, Lucie Arnaz, or another relative who gets this inside joke.

More art imitating life happened when “Lucy Carter Meets Lucille Ball” (HL S6;E22) in 1974. Lucille Ball has a framed photo of Dede on the wall in her dressing room. 

In 1973, Dede even visited Lucille on location when she was filming Mame (1974).

Dede Ball died on July 20, 1977, in Los Angeles, of natural causes after being in ill health for some time. She was buried at Lakeview Cemetery in Jamestown. She was 84 years old.  Lucille survived her mother by a dozen years, but missed her every single day.