I grew up watching The Mike Douglas Show which was great, he was a nice guy, good host, had many fine guests. Vivian Vance was such a great talent, too...thanks for the memories.
much better to trust Viv on the spot on national TV being oh so sincere! I spell Ethyl as in Ethyl Alcohol as I choose to because she is intoxicating!
@supermarky What makes you think her biography is completely accurate, especially seeing as it wasn't even written by her? Also, it's "Ethel," not "Ethyl." If you were a real Vivian Vance fan, you would have known that.
Actually Lucy's best friend was the original Mrs Ziffle from Green Acres. I think her last name is Pepper. She past after a couple of seasons on Green Acres, and she is on one episode of I love Lucy.
i can't believe that just after 9 years after this interview....she passed away. Its unbelievable especially since she looked so young and fresh in this interview!
Very smart woman. By this time, she had learned to accept her role as Ethel, Viv because before she hated being associated with Ethel Mertz and William Frawley. I'm glad she can recognize that her fans were always there and along with Desi hand picking her for the role of Ethel MADE her career! Lucy did not appreciate her enough, in my opinion.
In the last years of her life, Lucille Ball often revealed how much she really loved and admired Vivian. Lucy could be very difficult, and the only other woman who could successfully work with her on a longterm basis was Viv. I loved Lucy but I am also happy that with the passage of time more people have recognized the great talent who immortalized "Ethel Mertz". Thank you for reading my comment.
@Pectoris4 You are correct. From the Lucille Ball biographies I read, and the one of Vivian Vance, Lucy sometimes insulted Vance and vice versa. But, deep down, they respected each other's talents and kept coming back into each other's lives. I just think Vance needed occasional breaks, because Ball was a bit of a control freak.
@Pectoris4 Also, Vance had periods of psychological problems stemming from her difficult relationship with her mother, exarcerbated by her long-standing feud with co-star William Frawley. Ironically, that feud may actually have helped the acting chemistry of "The Mertzes."
@Pectoris4 Lucy was able to work long-term with another actress, though--Mary Jane Croft, who more or less replaced Vance as Ball's second, female banana after Vance left "The Lucy Show," and also on "Here's Lucy." But their level of contact was not as much as had been with Vance, since Lucy's real second banana after Viv departed was Gale Gordon (the original choice for "Fred Mertz," by the way).
@Pectoris4 From what I read, Ball's only other, really close female friend (besides Vance) was character actress Mary Wickes, who was at Lucy's bedside when she was dying. Wickes made guest appearances on all Lucy's shows, most prominently as the ballet teacher on "The Ballet" episode of "I Love Lucy."
Wickes was perhaps best known for her portrayal of man-chasing spinster "Esther Cathcart," on the "Dennis The Menace" TV series starring Jay North.
Do you have any more of this episode of "The Mike Douglas Show?" I loved Viv, and Mike too. The daytime talk shows today don't match up to Mike's and Merv' Griffin's.
For that matter, the late-night talk shows don't either. Give me Johnny Carson, and especially Dick Cavett, Jack Paar and Tom Snyder, over Leno and Letterman, or those idiots Conan and Fallon, any day of the week.
In those days, guests and hosts actually had dialogues, not just there to plug latest projects of the guests.
omg i love Viv!! she seems like she was sos sweet and caring on and off screen! could you post the whole interview? that would be great! if you cant where did you get it from?
greatly enjoyed this - please post the whole interview if you have it, and any other MD shows - really good and interesting conversations (not like on todays tv).
She was required to weight 20 pounds more than Lucy on I Love Lucy because Lucy was the star.
AmishWebmaster 1 day ago
Vivian was still fairly young here at sixtyone,she passed away nine years later from cancer.
TheMarkster1957 5 days ago
Great actress, and attractive also.
spideraxis 2 weeks ago
I grew up watching The Mike Douglas Show which was great, he was a nice guy, good host, had many fine guests. Vivian Vance was such a great talent, too...thanks for the memories.
irvinemuscle 2 weeks ago
ONES OF THE BEST SIDEKICKS,THATS RIGHT....LOVE LUCILLE BALL AND VIVIAN VANCE.......GREAT COMEDY .THANKS LUCY AND ETHEL FOR THE LAUGHTER....
MizzFoxy99 3 weeks ago
0ne of the best sidekicks ever! After I Love Lucy, she did a pilot in which she was the star called Westward Ho, but it never made it to the air...
dav1237 3 weeks ago
much better to trust Viv on the spot on national TV being oh so sincere! I spell Ethyl as in Ethyl Alcohol as I choose to because she is intoxicating!
supermarky 1 month ago
who is the woman next to Vivian ?
swampzoid 1 month ago
@swampzoid That's the legendary song stylist Nancy Wilson.
crescresyall 3 weeks ago
ha! full of it. what her biography says is that she loathed being ETHYL "OH ETHYL I LOVE YOU" "MY NAME ISN'T ETHYL!!!"
supermarky 1 month ago
@supermarky What makes you think her biography is completely accurate, especially seeing as it wasn't even written by her? Also, it's "Ethel," not "Ethyl." If you were a real Vivian Vance fan, you would have known that.
hyelin25 1 month ago
This year they are finally inducting Vivian Vance, along with her TV husband, William Frawley, into the Television Hall of Fame.
funkeekatt 1 month ago
the best episodes are with lucy and vive when they live together without their husbands.
The096757 1 month ago
I love Vivian Vance, she was absolutely amazing.
sonn5858 1 month ago
Actually Lucy's best friend was the original Mrs Ziffle from Green Acres. I think her last name is Pepper. She past after a couple of seasons on Green Acres, and she is on one episode of I love Lucy.
Dcot41 1 month ago
@Dcot41 She never really played the part.....the network didn't hire her because of her drinking problem
Techincally, Bea Benaderet was Lucy's original best friend..
babyboi1002 1 month ago
@Dcot41 She's in a bunch of episodes
GummedUpTheWorks 1 month ago
She was fantastic.
VelvetCyberpunk 2 months ago
What a classy, lovely lady. Great interview. Thank you for posting it.
1EvilScooterKitty 2 months ago
What a beautiful and talented lady Miss Vivian was. We all loved Lucy, but we could say we all loved Vivian too.
weatherboi 3 months ago 2
I love Lucy could never have been as great as it was without Vivian Vance.
louspintoo 3 months ago
Is that jazz singer Nancy Wilson to the left?
cjzzzzz 3 months ago
@cjzzzzz yes
sexymama1966 1 month ago
A very sweet classy lady.. thanks viv
NFitalianGuy 3 months ago
Vivian Vance will never be forgotten. Great woman, even better actress.
gldnglow 4 months ago
i would love to see all of this I just have always loved Vivian Vance
Prizm2356 4 months ago
What a beautiful and talented women, even at 61 yrs old!!
RIP Vivian Vance
xso61673 4 months ago
I adoorreeee Viv ! ♥ In every single ways !!
She really is my idol :) She and Lucy = Perfect Team
The best of friends in the entire world
I think they are really the models for every BFFs
Even though they had fights they loved each other
But you do you want who doesnt fight ??? :D
LadyEthelMertz 5 months ago
So down to earth.
starlightperkins330 5 months ago
@starlightperkins330 yeah.. i heard that was her m.o. everyday person
alexaadap 5 months ago
Mike Douglas was an institution - how did we forget about him?
gayforlife2020 5 months ago
@weightfeather1
.... I didn't know that. Thanks for your good answer.
Viv had a uniqueness to her, she never was boring to watch, always a treat.
cheeriosinabowl 5 months ago
i can't believe that just after 9 years after this interview....she passed away. Its unbelievable especially since she looked so young and fresh in this interview!
namrata221 6 months ago
Very smart woman. By this time, she had learned to accept her role as Ethel, Viv because before she hated being associated with Ethel Mertz and William Frawley. I'm glad she can recognize that her fans were always there and along with Desi hand picking her for the role of Ethel MADE her career! Lucy did not appreciate her enough, in my opinion.
MultiJRobert 6 months ago
She looks great here. It's sad that in less than ten years, she would be gone.
MissMom4evr 6 months ago
I love Lucy but Vivian was great too :)
jess00821 6 months ago
Smart funny and nice woman!
DA90027 6 months ago
In the last years of her life, Lucille Ball often revealed how much she really loved and admired Vivian. Lucy could be very difficult, and the only other woman who could successfully work with her on a longterm basis was Viv. I loved Lucy but I am also happy that with the passage of time more people have recognized the great talent who immortalized "Ethel Mertz". Thank you for reading my comment.
Pectoris4 6 months ago 4
@Pectoris4 You are correct. From the Lucille Ball biographies I read, and the one of Vivian Vance, Lucy sometimes insulted Vance and vice versa. But, deep down, they respected each other's talents and kept coming back into each other's lives. I just think Vance needed occasional breaks, because Ball was a bit of a control freak.
gymnastix 4 months ago
@Pectoris4 Also, Vance had periods of psychological problems stemming from her difficult relationship with her mother, exarcerbated by her long-standing feud with co-star William Frawley. Ironically, that feud may actually have helped the acting chemistry of "The Mertzes."
gymnastix 4 months ago
@Pectoris4 Lucy was able to work long-term with another actress, though--Mary Jane Croft, who more or less replaced Vance as Ball's second, female banana after Vance left "The Lucy Show," and also on "Here's Lucy." But their level of contact was not as much as had been with Vance, since Lucy's real second banana after Viv departed was Gale Gordon (the original choice for "Fred Mertz," by the way).
gymnastix 4 months ago
@Pectoris4 From what I read, Ball's only other, really close female friend (besides Vance) was character actress Mary Wickes, who was at Lucy's bedside when she was dying. Wickes made guest appearances on all Lucy's shows, most prominently as the ballet teacher on "The Ballet" episode of "I Love Lucy."
Wickes was perhaps best known for her portrayal of man-chasing spinster "Esther Cathcart," on the "Dennis The Menace" TV series starring Jay North.
gymnastix 4 months ago
Do you have any more of this episode of "The Mike Douglas Show?" I loved Viv, and Mike too. The daytime talk shows today don't match up to Mike's and Merv' Griffin's.
For that matter, the late-night talk shows don't either. Give me Johnny Carson, and especially Dick Cavett, Jack Paar and Tom Snyder, over Leno and Letterman, or those idiots Conan and Fallon, any day of the week.
In those days, guests and hosts actually had dialogues, not just there to plug latest projects of the guests.
gymnastix 6 months ago
@gymnastix You are so right. They had conversations, and it was wonderful.
defundthewar 4 months ago
notice that nobody dislikes Viv on the buttons!. She was sensational.
scotnick59 6 months ago
"Oh, I speak 52 languages — fluently." Viv always knew how to deliver a line.
gdwriter 7 months ago
Viv looks great here, she looks so young here considering she would be about 61 years old in this interview.
Viv, oh Viv. Always loved, forever missed.
cheeriosinabowl 7 months ago
i was born in 1970..
thegoat48 9 months ago
We'll always remember her as Ethel Mertz
primogennaio 9 months ago
what a lovely woman, that show wouldn't have been the same w/o her...
allanfisch 10 months ago
I wish there were more interviews like this of Vivian Vance.
love4myclarks7 11 months ago 4
This has been flagged as spam show
She's so beautiful.
meganXamyXtinaX4ever 11 months ago
You gotta love Vivian Vance. She was a gal's gal.
walwaad 11 months ago 3
Hello uncle Oscar' this is little Ethel......LITTLE!!!
xPUNISHER84x 1 year ago 3
omg i love Viv!! she seems like she was sos sweet and caring on and off screen! could you post the whole interview? that would be great! if you cant where did you get it from?
ilovelucy1992 1 year ago
greatly enjoyed this - please post the whole interview if you have it, and any other MD shows - really good and interesting conversations (not like on todays tv).
Presgipper 1 year ago
This interview frm Viv is a gem! Seldom see Viv does interviews. Is this frm The Lucy Show DVD?
illnsp08 1 year ago
Viv looks great! She is also a great comedian actress & will always be remembered!
illnsp08 1 year ago 32
@illnsp08
I second that emotion! A gifted actress, lovely lady & class act all the way!
:-)
JubalCalif 3 months ago
love VIV! RIP Viv Vance!
judithlightrox 1 year ago 14
I miss the Mike Douglas Show...and Merv!!!! Thanks for this....
newstart2009 1 year ago 3