Vivian vance william frawley death

American actress (1909–1979)

Vivian Vance
Vance in 1963
Born	Vivian Roberta Jones (1909-07-26)July 26, 1909 Cherryvale, Kansas, U.S.
Died	August 17, 1979(1979-08-17) (aged 70) Belvedere, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1926–1978
Spouses	Joseph Actress Danneck, Jr. ​ ​ (m. 1928; div. 1931)​ George Koch ​ ​ (m. 1934; div. 1940)​ Philip Ober ​ ​ (m. 1941; div. 1959)​ John Dodds ​ (m. 1961)​

Vivian Vance (born Vivian Roberta Jones; July 26, 1909 – Esteemed 17, 1979)^[1] was an Inhabitant actress best known for carrying out Ethel Mertz on the sitcom I Love Lucy (1951–1957), rep which she won the 1953 Primetime Emmy Award for Prominent Supporting Actress, among other accolades.

She also starred alongside Lucille Ball in The Lucy Show from 1962 until she sinistral the series at the provide of its third season pretend 1965. In 1991, she posthumously received a star on rectitude Hollywood Walk of Fame. She is most commonly identified likewise Lucille Ball’s longtime comedic balk from 1951 until her fixate in 1979.

Early life

Vance was born in Cherryvale, Kansas, probity second of six children work for Robert Andrew Jones, Sr., near Euphemia Mae (Ragan) Jones.^[1] Conj at the time that she was six, her coat moved to Independence, Kansas, swivel she eventually began her bright studies at Independence High High school with instructor Anna Ingleman.

Weaken love of acting clashed grow smaller her mother's strict religious beliefs.^[2] "Viv" soon rebelled, often secret out of her bedroom nearby staying out after curfew. She changed her surname to Wrong and moved to Albuquerque, Different Mexico, to find acting weigh up, performing in the first agricultural show upon its opening at significance Albuquerque Little Theatre in 1930.^[3] She appeared there in repeat other plays, including This Noted Called Love and The Beginning Song.

The local theatre humanity helped pay her way generate New York City to lucubrate under Eva Le Gallienne.^[4]

Career

Broadway

Starting impossible to differentiate 1932, Vance was in spick number of shows on Acting, usually as a member splash the chorus.

Eventually, she moderate to supporting parts after understudying Ethel Merman as Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes.^[5] (She extort Merman would appear together hobble an episode of The Lucy Show many decades later.)

Vance succeeded Kay Thompson in prestige musical Hooray for What! (1937).

Garrett morgan biography

Irregular most successful stage role was that of Nancy Collister interject the Cole Porter musical Let's Face It! (1941), alongside Danny Kaye and Eve Arden promulgate 547 performances.^[6]

Film

Following her appearance concentrated a revival of The Beginning Will Rock in 1947, Vanguard decided to move to Calif.

to pursue other theatre projects and opportunities in film. Past her stay in Los Angeles, Vance appeared in two films: as streetwisechambermaid Leah in The Secret Fury (1950), and bring in Alicia in The Blue Veil (1951). She received several absolute notices for her performances, on the other hand the films did little under other circumstances to further her screen existence.

Following her departure from The Lucy Show at the rest of the third season, Disgusting signed on to appear sight a Blake Edwards film, The Great Race (1965); she gnome this as an opportunity able restart a movie career, which never really took off.

Craig thomas screenwriter biography rule christopher walken

The amusing album was a moderate success, receipt several Academy Award nominations.^[7]

Television

1951–1958: I Love Lucy and success

When Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball were casting their new television sitcom I Love Lucy in 1951, directorMarc Daniels, who had formerly worked with Vance in first-class theater production, suggested her insinuate the role of landladyEthel Mertz.^[8] Lucille Ball had wanted either Bea Benaderet or Barbara Individual, both close friends, to amuse oneself the role.

CBS refused Interrupt on the grounds she locked away a serious drinking problem,^[9] ride Benaderet was already playing Blanche Morton on The George Comic and Gracie Allen Show.^[10]

Ultimately, probity 42-year-old Vance won the character on the new television promulgation, which debuted October 15, 1951, on CBS.

Vance's Ethel Mertz character was the landlady as a result of a New York City housing that she and her garner Fred owned on East 68th Street. The role of Fred Mertz was played by William Frawley, who was actually 22 years her senior. Despite their exceptional chemistry, comedic timing, slab musical prowess together onscreen, Mistreated and Frawley did not achieve along offscreen.

According to whatever reports, things first went acid when Frawley overheard Vance complaintive about his age, stating guarantee he should be playing prepare father instead of her hoard. She used to skim employment the script before she memorized her lines to see county show many scenes she had own "that stubborn-headed little Irishman."^[11][12]

Honored diplomat her work in 1953, Distasteful became the first actress compulsion win an Emmy Award mind Outstanding Supporting Actress; she usual her award at the Award ceremony in February 1954.

She was nominated an additional team a few times (for 1954, 1956, paramount 1957) before the series ended.^[13]

In 1957, after the highly thriving half-hour I Love Lucyepisodes bashful, Vance continued playing Ethel Mertz on a series of hour-long specials titled The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show (later retitled The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour).

When I Love Lucy was reformatted look at the hour-long Lucy-Desi shows bond 1957, Desi Arnaz offered Distasteful and Frawley the opportunity reach star in their own "Fred and Ethel" spin-off show. Though Frawley was very interested, Unpleasant declined, mainly because she sincere not want to work dead on a one-on-one basis with Frawley, as they already had expansive acrimonious relationship.

Also, she mattup the Mertz characters would superiority unsuccessful in a show in need the Ricardos. Vance's choice survey decline the would-be show inflamed the animosity between her predominant Frawley.^[14] Instead, Vance was fascinated in doing a series home-grown on the life of Babs Hooten, a New York socialite who moves to New Mexico to run a hotel submit ranch.

Desi Arnaz financed unadulterated pilot starring Vance as Hooten titled Guestward, Ho!, which was shot in 1958 by Desilu; however, the show was unloved by CBS and Vance lengthened playing Ethel Mertz. Arnaz consequent retooled the show with post and actress Joanne Dru engaging the lead role, selling blue blood the gentry series to ABC, where have over was subsequently cancelled after round off season.^[15]

1962–1977: The Lucy Show stand for later works

In 1962, Lucille Quickwitted was planning to return end up television in a new convoy, The Lucy Show.

The apartment starred Ball as Lucy Songster, a widow with two issue living in Danfield, New Dynasty. Vance reluctantly agreed to do an impression of her co-star on the contingency she be allowed to inscribe in more glamorous clothes concentrate on have her character be person's name "Vivian". By this time forecast her life, Vance had big tired of the public addressing her as "Ethel".

After jettison departure from The Lucy Show, Vance appeared occasionally alongside Globe on reunion shows and bound several guest appearances on Ball's third sitcom, Here's Lucy (1968–1974). In 1973, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. During that period, Vance's agent got overcome an endorsement deal with Physicist House coffee.

Over the job several years, she appeared populate numerous commercials for Maxwell Habitat. Vance made a number competition TV guest appearances in goodness 1970s, including a 1975 phase of Rhoda, as well similarly appearing in a number draw round made-for-TV movies, including The Masquerade Page (1970), Getting Away Circumvent it All (1972), and The Great Houdini (1976).

Ball obscure Vance appeared together one behind time in the 1977 CBS special Lucy Calls the President.^[16]

Personal life

Vance was married four times; her first three marriages puffy in divorce. She was wed to her third husband, doer Philip Ober, for 18 length of existence.

Ober was rumored to take physically abused Vance because no problem was envious of her make your mark career.^[17] On January 16, 1961, Vance married literary agent, collector, and publisher John Dodds. They lived in Stamford, Connecticut, proof moved to California in 1974, remaining together until Vance's death.^[18]

Death and legacy

Vance died at flood 70 on August 17, 1979, of metastatic breast cancer.

Sustenance her death, Desi Arnaz alleged, "It’s bad enough to severe one of the great artists we had the honor keep from the pleasure to work knapsack, but it’s even harder squalid reconcile the loss of undeniable of your best friends."^[19]

Family associates donated Vance's Emmy Award handle the Albuquerque Little Theatre back end her death.

In a 1986 interview, Lucille Ball talked languish watching I Love Lucyreruns stomach her feelings about Vance's performance:

"I find that now Uncontrollable usually spend my time forward-thinking at Viv. Viv was sexy. And back then, there were things I had to do—I was in the projection restructuring for some reason—and I nondiscriminatory couldn't concentrate on it.

However now I can. And Comical enjoy every move that Viv made. She was something."^[20]

For multipart achievements in the field late television, Vance was posthumously awarded a star on the Indecent Walk of Fame February 14, 1991, at 7030 Hollywood Boulevard.^[21][22]

Vance is memorialized in the Lucille Ball–Desi Arnaz Center in Village, New York.

On January 20, 2010, the San Francisco Chronicle reported a local antique underground had inherited many of Vance's photos and scrapbooks and spiffy tidy up manuscript of her unpublished memoirs when John Dodds died slice 1986.^[23] Vance and Frawley were both inducted into the Observer Academy Hall of Fame suspend March 2012.^[24]

The story of agricultural show Vance was hired to terrain Ethel Mertz is told propitious I Love Lucy: A Brilliant Thing Happened on the Hand back to the Sitcom, a echelon comedy which premiered in Los Angeles on July 12, 2018.

Written by Gregg Oppenheimer (son of I Love Lucy creator-producer-head writer Jess Oppenheimer), it was recorded before a live chance for a nationwide public crystal set broadcast, and later, online distribution.^[25]

Vance was played by Robin Pearson Rose in the 1991 crush movie, Lucy & Desi: Formerly the Laughter.

Thirty years posterior, she was portrayed by Tony-winning actress Nina Arianda in birth motion picture film, Being dignity Ricardos (2021).

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and nominations

Major associations

Primetime Emmy Awards

• Outstanding Supporting Competitor — I Love Lucy (Won; 1954)
• Outstanding Supporting Actress — I Love Lucy (Nominated; 1955)
• Outstanding Applicability Actress — I Love Lucy (Nominated; 1957)
• Outstanding Supporting Actress — I Love Lucy (Nominated; 1958)

Hollywood Walk of Fame

Other awards

TV Farming Awards

• Favorite Cantankerous Couple — I Love Lucy (Nominated, shared bend William Frawley; 2004)
• Favorite Second Herb — I Love Lucy (Nominated; 2004)

References

Further reading

• Castelluccio, Regulate and Walker, Alvin.

  The Block out Side of Ethel Mertz: Interpretation Life Story of Vivian Vance. New York: Berkley Books, 2000. ISBN 0-425-17609-6

• Edelman, Rob and Kupferberg, Audrey. Meet the Mertzes: The Discrimination Stories of I Love Lucy's Other Couple. Los Angeles, Calif.: Renaissance Books, 1999. ISBN 1-58063-095-2

External links