The Other Side of Ethel Mertz: The Life Story of Vivian Vance

Very good!

Wow, I'm almost (almost) speechless, but. . .I went to Jamestown this summer – the land of Lucy – Lucy's hometown, final resting place and the location of the Desilu Studios Museum. Which I where I took a good look at Ethel Mertz (err, I mean Vivian Vance). From the I Love Lucy show, you'd never guess all the drama going on (and not just in the theater way) behind the scenes. But, let me back up.I was looking at a display in the Desilu Studios Museum and there was an Ethel/Vivian section. There were some pictures of Vivian Vance in her younger years, way before I love Lucy was even conceived as a show. She was so gorgeous, so glamourous. I was kind of shocked by her beauty as Vivian was nothing like Ethel, in fact Ethel was the complete opposite of Vivian. When I walked into that museum, all I knew of Vivian was in relation to Lucille Ball and from the Maxwell House commercials she did in her later years.Vivian was spectacular, it turns out. When I came home from Jamestown, I purchased this book immediately and couldn't put it down. Vivian was one complex woman. I have so much respect for her talent and struggles after reading this well-written, well-researched biography. Her whole life was complex – work and love and emotional struggles and a host of other issues pre, post and during the production of I Love Lucy.I think we all know she hated being called Ethel Mertz as much as she hated her on-screen husband, William Frawley, with whom she had a somewhat acrimonious working relationship – she even hated him after his death! I Love Lucy was a double edged sword. It made her a household name but in some ways, it hurt her as well. Most of the viewers never knew she was such an accomplished stage actor and singer, who achieved a level (however without ever reaching the pinnacle) of notoriety known only to those in theatre circles. In fact, it was Desi Arnaz who "discovered" her while she was performing in a play in California and set his sights on her for the role of Ethel. Desi was genius, as far as I'm concerned. I've learned a lot about him as well since my trip to Jamestown.The authors of this book spent years researching Vivian's life, painstakingly getting the goods on her way back to her childhood. With pictures! Some of the information came from family (siblings) and neighbors as well as Lucie Arnaz and a lot of information that came right from Vivian, herself, through a draft of a memoir that was never published.One of the things young Vivian struggled with was her fervently religious mother, who disapproved of pretty much everything Vivian did as well as every dream Vivian had. I think her relationship with her mother was the basis of a lot of her emotional problems later in life. Years of being told that you're going to hell takes a toll on you, even if it's on a subconscious level.Vivian had quite a career in the theatre – first in the Little Theatre in Albuquerque and reaching the lights of Broadway and pretty much everywhere great theater was performed, including the USO (which turned out to be a disaster for her – although it was there she met a talented, unknown performer named. . . BURT LANCASTER!). She worked with people like Danny Kaye, Jimmy Durante, Bob Hope, Ethel Merman and so many other BIG names while holding her own in the process. She was able to become her characters. She was not only extremely versatile but proved herself to be a person who navigated the system with finesse.Vivan's love life was also somewhat rocky. As was her relationship with Lucille Ball at times (though it's clear they really loved each other despite moments of turmoil in their long relationship).To Vivian's dismay, the years post I Love Lucy were somewhat hard as she was forever associated with Ethel, something she despised and was not afraid to voice. After the I Love Lucy and subsequent Lucy-themed shows, Vivian went back to the theater and shifted out of mainstream television work. Despite the fact that there is so much less information on Vivian's work post "Lucy," this is a must-read for anyone who, like me, grew up with Lucy and Ricky and Fred and Ethel.Such an amazing book about one of the great entertainers of the 20th Century. Recommend.

I really did enjoy this book. Made it to the end just to start crying. I guess I knew it was coming, after all it is the life’s story of the beloved entertainment figure Vivian Vance. I found myself relating to many things throughout the book which angered, surprised, saddened and excited me. She was such a complex individual, so very different from the character we’ve all come to love from the show I love Lucy. When I first began watching I Love Lucy instantly I felt a connection to Vivian Vance. I think it was the way she portrayed Ethel. She was never in the spotlight but still I found my eyes glued to her throughout my binge of the show. Of course Lucille Ball was the star but I became rather fascinated with the “second banana” thats why I bought the book. Despite knowing much about her from my copious amount of google searches. This book added depth and allowed me to humanize Vivian. She was indeed an amazing human. She had faults but then again who doesn’t. I’m glad I was able to get to know her a little more and I totally recommend the book.

When I ran across a softback edition of this book, I was floored. I had no idea a book had been written about Vivian Vance. Where had I been? I bought it thinking ,well, it'll be superficial at best. Boy, was I wrong. This is an excellent, in depth and very revealing life story of one of television's best loved ladies. Alvin Walker and Frank Castelluccio have written one of the best biographies on a legend I've ever read. And Vivian Vance is a legend, if an often overlooked one. From her humble showbiz beginnings, to a Broadway career, to her fateful reading with Lucille Ball for the part of Ethel Mertz---I could not put this book down. Vivian Vance came to life on those pages and I learned that there's a lot more to a "second banana" than just the character they play. Vance never escaped her role as Ethel, but she lived a full and complete life worthy of this book and was a more accomplished actress than given credit for. Her years of baffling mental problems, the estrangement with her mother, her extensive stage work, her often rocky relationship with Lucille Ball (not to overlook William Frawley) are all here as well as the huge amount of humanitarian work she did for mental health later in life. This is a highly recommended read for anyone who loved watching Ethel as well as Lucy. It reveals the fascinating woman behind the "mask" of Ethel Mertz, a landmark television icon and an American showbiz legend known as Vivian Vance.

This book covers Vance's life and, as you'd expect, goes into considerable detail.Any fan of the Lucy show's pretty much knows all there is of Vance's backstory, from her roots in Kansas and her early career in show business. This book goes beyond the classic outline to show us what Vance was like, the trajectory of her life and what see must have been like had you known her.For example, the book details her life long struggle with mental illness and how it affected her as a person. The book attempts to give us an idea of what it must have been like for her to have the illness and then compete, and prosper, in a very public career. For me, those details were interesting and kept my interest.The authors give us the usual detailed accounts of her career and then relationship with Ball. From reading, its clear theirs was a rather complex relationship with many ups and downs. As evidenced by the shows, Vance was always Ball's second banana. Given Vance's desire to be a 'major star' her role's with Ball never gave her a chance to prosper in that role. Instead, Vance learns to become the best 'second banana' there was. Knowing that, it's almost hard to watch her 'yes man' role in the shows, and you can almost feel sorry for her. It's almost as she made of a career, on the shows, of kissing Ball's rear end and never showing us what she was really like.From reading the book you also get the idea that Vance was, to a tee, a champion suck-up using her female skills to get ahead. Once determined to be in show business, it did seem as if nothing would stop her. That determination included doing what 'it takes' to get aheaad. You also get the impression that Vance lived her life in unreal terms, never really getting what she wanted but acting as if she was indeed happy with life. It's almost as if she, outside of show business, was lost and never really showing us what she was like. That may be why she was, as the book notes, such a good second banana.Overall, a very good book and written in a direct, non fawning style. It's not a fan rag, but, rather a detailed history and biography of Vance. The writing style and detail, I feel, is important in cutting through image and all of the distortion built up around her through the years. But, if your a fan of that image, you may not like this books hitting on the truth page after page. Personally, I prefer this type of book over the fawning type.