Sep 20 2008
Popcultured Blast from the Past: Vivian Vance
Vivian Vance was best known for her role as Ethel Mertz on the 1950’s sitcom the I Love Lucy Show, but this talented actress had a successful Broadway and stage career before her “big break”.
In the early 1950’s, while performing in La Jolla on the show “Voice of the Turtle”, Vance was spotted by Desi Arnaz, who felt she would be prefect for the role of Ethel Mertz in his upcoming TV comedy series, I Love Lucy. But it wasn’t quite so easy convincing Vance, who was perfectly happy with her stage career. Another factor which caused Vance to hesitate was the fact that she felt that, at age 39, she was too young to play the wife of 64 year old William Frawley (Fred Mertz).
Although she accepted the role and maintained a lifelong friendship with the Arnaz’s, throughout the course of the series, Vance resented playing the frumpy Ethel and she never got along with her co-star, William Frawley.
After I Love Lucy ended its run in 1957, Vance teamed up with Lucille Ball again in The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour and then The Lucy Show in the 1960’s.
By the 1970’s, Vance had virtually retired from acting. She died in 1979 after a battle with cancer.
