Vivian Vance

[Gothampc]

Posted: 7/21/12 at 10:33pm

I wanted to praise the brilliance of Vivian Vance. I was watching this episode of I Love Lucy tonight and she was such a huge talent.

I am so impressed by how smoothly she changes in vocals on this song from legit to belt. Not many actresses could manage that.




Link

Updated On: 7/21/12 at 10:33 PM

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 7/21/12 at 10:49pm

This is my most favorite Ethel moment (updated as the other one cut off before the end!) Updated On: 7/21/12 at 10:49 PM

[Gothampc]

Posted: 7/21/12 at 10:55pm

And an actress that can hold her own against Lucille Ball has to be a huge talent.
Link

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/21/12 at 11:48pm

I can stare at that gif for hours.

Updated On: 7/21/12 at 11:48 PM

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 7/22/12 at 12:13am

I didn't even have to click on the link to know what you were referring to Lily of the Valley! ha! I love that episode!!! "i am the good prince lancelot, i love to sing and dance a lot"... awesome!

my favorite Ethel moment is when she's rebuilding the bbq with Lucy and she says "if this is what it means to be a friend then I'd a signed up to be an enemy"... CLASSIC! makes me laugh every time!

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 7/22/12 at 12:50am

I didn't realize that was actually her singing.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 7/22/12 at 1:21am

If I recall correctly, she had a career in vaudeville and on Broadway before Lucy made her a legend. The name Ethel will forever be associated with the face of Vivian Vance.

I own the series of I LOVE LUCY on DVD. Time to rewatch before Fall television starts.

[clever name]

Posted: 7/22/12 at 1:22am

This is my favorite. She's so damn funny in this scene

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe8p5r3aQxU&feature=related

[Sonia&Vernon]

Posted: 7/22/12 at 2:11am

Vivian was Ethel Merman's understudy in Anything Goes and Red, Hot, and Blue. She did a national tour of Anything Goes as Reno opposite Victor Moore and William Gaxton. Other Broadway credits include Hooray For Love (where she introduced "Down with Love") and Let's Face It!

I've always loved this number Vivian did from The Lucy Show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d-pCNQ0xNg

[Yawper]

Posted: 7/22/12 at 6:52am

She also replaced Kay Thompson on Broadway in Hooray for What!

Posted: 7/22/12 at 8:43am

Viv was about the same age as Lucy and a looker, but was told to gain some weight, dressed in frumpy clothes and paired with a much older actor so that Lucy & Desi were the only attractive young couple on the show.

[canmark]

Posted: 7/22/12 at 9:09am

Love Ethel! And love the rhymes in that song, such as "swell beau" with "elbow." Sondheim could not have done better.

Updated On: 7/22/12 at 09:09 AM

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 7/22/12 at 11:13am

I love Vivian Vance. Ethel is my favorite character on I LOVE LUCY.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 7/22/12 at 11:39am

"my favorite Ethel moment is when she's rebuilding the bbq with Lucy and she says "if this is what it means to be a friend then I'd a signed up to be an enemy".

She also has a line in another episode that goes "With friends like you who needs enemies?"

[Brian07663NJ]

Posted: 7/23/12 at 10:15am

Absolute classic television. Ethel was amazing and agree that she is a true talent to be the sidekick of Lucille Ball.

I was thrilled to find I Love Lucy on TV this weekend. It used to be on frequently and then completely disappeared. I own it on DVD too. It was always fun to flip through the channels and come across it like a diamond in the rough - considering the crap that is on TV with the million channels we have.

Would have loved to see her live on stage in a non-I Love Lucy show.

[WestVillage]

Posted: 7/23/12 at 12:05pm

I saw Vivian Vance in My Daughter, Your Son at Papermill, after its short-lived Broadway run. Dodie Goodman starred opposite her. It was an absolute thrill to see Vance on stage. It was kind of a "Mothers-in-Law" type story ... don't really remember much of it, but do remember being in awe that I was watching Vivian Vance on stage,