Vivian Vance (July 26, 1909-August 17, 1979)

[ilovelucyfan7]

Elizabeth Taylor & Lana Turner had 7 husbands.

[ilovelucyfan7]

Vivian Vance had 4 husbands. She married her first husband in 1928 she would've been 19 then divorced him in 1931 she was 22. Her second husband in 1933 she was 24 then divorced him in 1940 she was 31, her third husband in 1941 & divorced him in 1959 (i read he abused her) & her last husband married in 1961 until she died. She was married to her last 2 husbands for 18 yrs. Her out of the 4 ILL actors was married the most. William Frawley was married once for 13 yrs.

[The096757]

back in 1978-1979 there was a UHF channel that would air old episodes of the lucy show. i wish Antenna TV would air the lucy show without their husbands. vive will have been dead for 32 years in august 2012. like music, the best shows have already been made.

[chilsam]

@The096757 That is a GOOD idea!

[etienne818]

Vivian Vance was a huge comedy talent, but many forget what a beautiful singing voice she had! Before she found fame in her own right she actually under-studied in a musical (on Broadway) for the great Ethel Merman. Ethel NEVER missed a performance so Vivian had to wait for other career developments!

Later, Lucy and Desi would come a callin' ;-) Thanks sweet one!!

[TheGoldenEyedboy]

Wow I wish I was smart

[J0NAB0NA]

Vivian and Lucy, both really beautiful. We need a new generation of a show like I Love Lucy

[astiltner1]

Omg she was beautiful

[louspintoo]

TV's greatest second banana.When Ricky plans a trip to Europe but only brings home 3 airline tickets (for him, Lucy and Fred), she's on the verge of tears and says something like "Oh, I didn't want to go to Europe anyway...it's so...OLD"!!

[ashcarl116]

note: her death certificate falsly read 1915 (as year of birth), but that was confused, with a document, when her family moved to a new state at age SIX.

[kimelephant]

There have been disputes over Viv's actual year of birth. On the ILL special features on the DVD,s it mentions that Viv was always upset that she had to play an older woman than Lucy when in fact she was younger than Lucy. I dont know the facts of the dates, but I do know for a fact that Viv was always bugged about the fact that she had to play a much older woman than Lucy when in fact she was actually younger than Lucy.

[lucycatism]

Vivian Vance suffered horribly from cancer before she died. She was married four times, her last husband, allegedly, was gay. They were married for 19 years and he doted on her.

[PaulB2Kool]

@lucycatism yes she had bone and breast cancer. i can image how bad the poor woman must have been beaten up by it she probably didnt have enough strenght to move her fingers

[xso61673]

What a beautiful and talented woman... wish I had known her!!

RIP Vivian Vance

[suzycreamcheesez]

wish I'd known her

[pk33617]

never saw pics of Viv as young woman. stunning

[boblackey1]

@zacefronswife100 Vivian Vance seems to me to be an aunt that I had. Her voice is as well known to me as my own mother's. My parents loved I Love Lucy and watched it every week in the 50's when the shows were first run when I was growing up. So I watched it with them. Then as the years went by, there were the re-runs which began as soon as the show went off the air as a first run show and they continue to this day. And I have many on DVD now. I've lived with the I Love Lucy cast all of my life.

[maleadmirer]

I want to say that Vivian Vance a great actress and comedienne. I'm glad Ms. Vance could give us great entertainment.

[HARON08]

She passed away on my birth day...

[sarahconner11]

Wow! Vivian was quite a beauty as well as bein funny o_^

[chantal0430]

vivian vance 1909-1979 find grave cremated ashes sractted sea

[Dolphindream15]

she was a wonderfull singer too i loved listening to her sing

[primogennaio]

I was away on a trip in upstate NY and when I returned home from that weekend learned of her death. Being that "I Love Lucy" was a classic and I saw the episodes so many times, it was like losing a part of my past. She was very attractive, but was made to look dowdy for the part of Ethel.

[cheeriosinabowl]

We really knew very little about the real Vivian Vance.

It would have been nice to have known more about this great actress. Viv has been gone now for 32 years. So sad.

[babino33]

gosh this was a gorgeous picture of ethel... i mean vivian vance 0:20

[MsCourtneybrown]

The best friend a girl could ask for. Never forgotten, R.I.P., Vivian. <3

[MaryMRevis]

A sweet classy Lady...willing to play the "tag along" to Lucy's adventures *smile*. We love and miss you "Ethel Mae Mertz"

[vul43]

i heard she was not very nice, that she ordered champagne for everyone when william frawley died.

[relii100]

@vul43

realy??\

what hapen?

[sparklesintheair]

0:23 is the best

[califgirl11]

VIv was very very funny on I Love Lucy...most of the "fixes" that Lucy got into, Viv was most likely right behind her, either pushing her into, or pulling her out of....She was a great actress, and from what I can see, she was a wonderful person...I know she had some hard times, married to a man that abused her..she would show up on the set with a black eye, and Lucy, would ask her..when are you going to divorce that SOB...she ended up happily married to someone else though....RIP Viv!

[bigjim10011]

it's a shame she never posed nude.

[JiuClaw22]

@bigjim10011 lmao i can't believe you said that hahaha

[TheMuse29]

Lord she was a fine woman.

[bellaNYC]

very talented comedienne..one of the best ever. there culd never be another 'ethel'. one love

[Sarasdad91]

I love Viv and although she was very pretty, I still think that Lucill Ball was the most Beautiful actress in hollywood history, just before Yvonne Decarlo.

[sm9847]

What was sad was she and William Frawley hated each other. When she was told Frawley had died, she yelled out, "Champagne for everybody!"

That's not classy...it's sad. At least Frawley's name was remembered...hers wasn't.

Check her name and trivia under imdb.com

[kimmieanne1]

@sm9847 I have heard that that was just a rumor about her saying "champagne for everyone" and that they got along fine, that was from the producer of the show. They weren't best friends and he was grouchy most of the time is why she didn't want to do a show with him after "I Love Lucy". I believe her name has been remembered.

[PaulB2Kool]

@sm9847 really how do you know that?

[HonRosie6]

She was such of a pretty person!

LOVED her in, "I Love Lucy".

[faithalwayslove]

how did vivian die?

[PaulB2Kool]

@faithalwayslove Bone and Breast cancer

[Phokhotic]

WHAT SHE DIED!!!!!!!!! I JUST SEEN HER 2 DAYS AGO.OH SHIT.

[cracksoup]

she never had children....

[PaulB2Kool]

@TheMikejones87 no they werent.. what makes you say that?

[RaceIsOpen]

nice post!

[marirod45]

loved her even in the lucy show

[mrsmjforlife]

i was born on the same day as vivian!

[phealy69]

she had enormous nostrils. i was fascinated by them as a kid and still am today.

[lucy1fanwholovesbabs]

when all the great legends all leave us entertainment will be lost forever.

[K9mauser]

Thanks for the memories Vivian! Miss you! xoxo

[emilg89]

I WAS BORN ON JULY 26TH!

[urasiansourceCpop2]

@emilg89 me too! haha

[cagustilo]

She would've been 100.

[cubanita1101]

wow she died early.... :( I MISS THEM ALL DX WAAA

[ROCKKERFAT]

great talent beside beauty

[sugarlipz96]

she really was beautiful and such a great actress! great video!

[eskimosali]

I lived in Vivian Vance's old apartment in Albuquerque, New Mexico. R.I.P. You gave me years of great entertainment.

[Juliaflo]

@eskimosali Nee Vivian Roberta Jones.

[XtinaZapata1437]

Vivian was stunningly beautiful..when Lucy saw her for the first time to play Ethel, Lucy said shes too pretty! They made Ethel look like she was a lot older than Lucy on the show..I didnt like that.

[heebieandjeebie]

the best show ever!!!!!!!

[turnertalking]

Man she was hot.lol

[jeveuxtevoir89]

happy one hundredth birthday to vivian vance!!

you are missed!!!!!!!

[WSenator1]

@jeveuxtevoir89 - . . .and a happy 60th birthday to "I Love Lucy" itself. For a show to be around that long, and still make people laugh, and laugh HARD, is a supreme blessing.

[ukamerica8]

@jeveuxtevoir89 Yes, she is

[somewhereNtime]

Happy Birthday Vivian Vance!!

July 26th, Cherryvale, Kansas

[MEthistime]

I remember a goofy friend of mine took me out on her sailboat once and then couldn't operate the thing. Sailors from another boat had to climb on board and get us back to port. I told them I felt like "Lucy and Ethel" and they laughed!

[djk3099]

Lucy paid all of Vivian's medical bills while she was very ill....and she was at her side when she died

[EmmaLoveJen]

Please, where did you read this?

[djk3099]

I has been repeated many times, I saw it on many Lucille Ball Tributes and in Lucille Ball Memoirs..... Lucy was know as a very diffecult lady but when it came to friends particularly Vivian Vance she was very loyal. Vivian died penniless and Lucille Ball took care of the costs.

[Pectoris4]

@djk3099 Absolutely untrue! In fact, Vivian was very comfortable in the financial area.

[Sexyladybug42]

@djk3099 Actually, when Vivian Vance died she was very wealthy. Lucille Ball was not with her at the time of her death, her fourth husband was. She actual went to see Vivian one last time in the summer of 1979 with Mary Wickes, a close friend of them both. On their way back home, Mary Wickes said she and Lucy cried the entire way. It doesn't take much to research, love your obvious respect for this awesome women. Thanks for posting.

[ASWADGIBRAN666]

lucy n ethel!!!!!!how they put a smile on our face with their hillarious antics...may god blessed both of them...

aswad from singapore

[dindints]

why ETHEL merts...Youre MADDAM X!!

[iriisblue]

Besides creating the greatest female supporting character in television history, Vance was a talented theatre professional, so much so that she, like Elaine Stritch, understudied the legendary Ethel Merman.

[rockgor]

Lots of books on Lucy and the gang. I read one that

claimed Ethel was actually a couple months younger

than Lucy.

But most sources say Lucy was two years younger.

Book also said Ethel worked on Broadway before

I Love Lucy.

Tx 4 posting.

[somewhereNtime]

I actually made a detour this summer to go to her hometown when I travelled through the midwest.  They have a street named after her in Cherryvale, Kansas. It was a very quaint town, still very small.

[LucilleBallFanPage]

Really? I did not know that! THANKS 4 LETTING ME KNOW! :)

[chrisahx2]

mamas family was NOT a cast of older women, "mama" only PORTRAYED an older woman

[chinacutie1545]

She was amazingly beautiful

[mck718]

She was born in 1912 not 1909! Not quite a year younger than Lucy...yes YOUNGER...ty.

[LucilleBallFanPage]

According to the United States Census Records, she was born Vivian Roberta Jones in Cherryvale, Kansas on July 26, 1909, I found the information on one of the I Love Lucy Season 5 Discs on the topic "Production Notes"

~LucilleBallFanPage

[irshgrl500]

No, Viv was born in 1909. She was absolutely stunning!

[LucilleBallFanPage]

Many sources change her birthyear, but her bday (July 26) stays the same. But I, also think that it is 1909!

[irshgrl500]

I Love your channel!

Kat

[LucilleBallFanPage]

Thank you! Long live VIV!

[SueBeaWho]

The Vivster bare nakey - wow!

[Pectoris4]

This tribute to Viv was a good idea but much too short! Nevertheless, it is appreciated by those of us who admire her.

[RowieFan]

Does everyone have to tack on 'Ethel', poor Viv, it would be so insulting to have people refer to you by a fictional character, like if they admired you THAT much you'd think they could get your name right!

[Prizm2356]

We Love and Miss you Vivian Vance (Ethel Mertz)