Vivian Vance. Can you think of any other celebrities whose first and last names both begin with "V"? I think not. This grande dame of television is so often overshadowed by her good friend and co-star Lucille Ball, yet was a gifted and much-loved comic actress in her own right. The fact that she willingly chose to sublimate her own great talents so that Lucy's star could shine shows that she was definitely following the path of the bodhisattva. She was truly a special individual! Born on July 26, 1909 (or 1913!) as Vivian Roberta Jones, she eventually left Cherryvale, Kansas for the bright lights of Manhattan, New York, where she set her sights an a career as a Broadway actress. She did experience a modicum of success, until, in the late '40s, she suffered from what so many divas have before: a nervous breakdown. She never fully recovered, suffering from depression for the majority of her life. Who knew that the woman who played the wacky Ethel Mertz was severely depressed? Who knew? I ask you...She was such an excellent actress that she won two Emmy Awards for her work, even though she and William Frawley (Fred Mertz) hated each other all the while. Who knew?...Lucy, a bit jealous of the fact that Viv was a year younger than she, had it written into her contract that she must be at least 10 pounds overweight for the run of the show. Vivian complied, saint that she was. Again, who knew?...About Ethel Mertz, Vivian once said "Ethel is a frump. She's frowsy, blowsy, and talks like a man." She at first resented the fact that audiences confused the actress for the role, but eventually grew to appreciate the attention. She died on August 17, 1979, but her comic spirit lives on in reruns for, apparently, eternity......Ethel may have been a frump, Viv was anything but!
VIVIAN VANCE IS A DIVA NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN!!!
