'Scary Lucy' statue gets new role in mall Halloween display

LAKEWOOD, N.Y. (AP) - It's a role "Scary Lucy" was born to play: Frightening people at Halloween.

A bronze statue of Lucille Ball that drew worldwide scorn earlier this year for its unflattering depiction of the "I Love Lucy" star will be placed in a mall near her western New York town as part of the shopping center's annual haunted house event.

The life-size statue was unveiled in 2009 in a park in the village of Celoron, on Chautauqua Lake. In April, a statue replacement campaign launched on Facebook gained renewed interest in the wake of local media stories on the statue, which was dubbed "Scary Lucy" for its grimace-like facial features.

A Massachusetts businessman has donated $20,000 to replace the now-infamous statue, which will be on display at the Chautauqua Mall in neighboring Lakewood during weekends through Halloween.