I Love Lucy: Rare Picture of Cast

Here's an extremely rare color picture of the I Love Lucy cast after a scene.

 

 

I'll like to clarify once again that the dislike that William Frawley and Vivian Vance had for each other was exaggerated. Please remember that it was the period where the whole world loved this television program. Everyone bought merchandise that would remind them of I Love Lucy. It's like the Titanic craze, remember? Everyone bought t-shits, key chains, notepads, erasers-- anything that would remind them of the (awesome) movie.

Of course people would exaggerate things.

It's known to many that Vivian Vance indeed said "champagne for all!" in a club upon hearing the passing of Bill Frawley. However, the publicity people conveniently left out the second part, "it's a pity that (...) the world lost a deeply humorous... and talented man."

Vivian just didn't want to be romantically linked with an unattractive older man on television. Bill was at the age where he had lost his charm and former suaveness, so he got offended. So, Viv would be sarcastic to him, Bill would play childish tricks on her. And Desi and Lucille and the I Love Lucy family would roll their eyes. That's all.

Vivian Vance and William Frawley

People always think that Vivian Vance and William Frawley hated each other outside of I Love Lucy.They did dislike each other's guts, but "hate" is simply too strong a word. You don't just hate a person fully after going through the building of a phenomenal show like I Love Lucy.

Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball ignored the two when they squabbled. The crew and the writers simply rolled their eyes whenever they see Bill and Viv wrangle and tangle. All of them knew that the quarrel meant nothing, that it was like children's hatred- childish, harmless and a waste of time. Hell, even Bill's pranks on Viv was childish. For instance, he would scare her while she was rehearsing.

In fact, Bill was a gruff character: he was Fred Mertz. His bark was worse than his bite; beneath the rough and grumpy character lay a compassionate heart. He even took care of his spinster sisters until his death.

Beneath that complicated relationship Bill and Viv shared lay a grudging respect.

We often hear this famous quote that Viv made after she heard the news of Bill's death: "Champagne for everyone!" But what many of us don't know is Vivian also said this:

"There's a great big amusing light gone out of this world."

Yes, Vivian Vance said that about William Frawley.

Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance

"I've had stress in my life-- recently quite a bit of it. The loss of my work... just quitting work was very stressful for me, and I missed it. I was in limbo. And then Vivian died." -- Lucille Ball, Parade magazine, 1980

"I'm not going to try alone now what I've done with my partners in the past. My partners (Desi, Vivian and Bill) are in heaven. No one could take the place of Vivian Vance in my life. She was the greatest partner anyone could ever have." 

Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance: Friendship

I really love the episode in I Love Lucy where the two women sing Cole Porter's song, Friendship. Those two wonderful ladies display so much chemistry that I'm just moved.

It's true that Lucille tries to contain her emotions and finds it difficult to express her love, loyalty and deep devotion for others. Lucille only knew how to display her outbursts of temper and irritability, but she was shy at nature. Yes, Lucy was a shy person!

However, it's just clear that she loved Vivian Vance. After Viv's death, Lucille could not mention her name without bursting into tears. Watch the interviews of Lucille after Viv's death, you'll weep too. I can't imagine how it's like to lose your best friend/sister forever.

Vivian Vance once told a wonderful story that showed just how much Lucille loved her.

"One Christmas, Lucille presented me with a scrapbook, embossed on the cover with This is Your Life - Vivian Roberta Jones. She'd put it together herself, with baby pictures, photographs of Mom and Dad and the family, including uncles and aunts. It had taken weeks of telephoning them - as well as my psychiatrists along the route- before she got together all the souvenirs to sort and paste in. Then, she threw a party at the studio and had everyone at Desilu attend. At the climax, she handed over the scrapbook."

Eugh! Lucille Ball, Vivian Vance and William Frawley

I love this photo! Vivian Vance and William Frawley did Lucille Ball's trademark "Eugh" to amuse the studio audience after a take!

Can you guess which I Love Lucy episode this picture belongs to?

I Love Lucy: Ricky Sells the Car

I really enjoyed the scene where Lucy wants to take back the train tickets she has given Fred and Ethel Mertz earlier on. Her hand gets stuck, and Ethel walks in and does a double take, and asks,"what are you doing?" 

Vivian Vance is a really great actress! She has Lucy's flair of being able to conjure certain expressions that are so funny!

In Dean Martin's Celebrity Roasts where Lucille Ball was the guest celebrity, Gale Gordon said this right into her face, "Lucy, Vivian Vance is a greater actress than you are!" Lucy simply laughed because she knew what he was talking about.

Vivian Vance's Friendship with Lucille

I thought I'd do up a post to explain more about Vivian and Lucille's friendship because I've been asked on this subject several times on Instagram (@welovelucilleball). Here goes...

Vivian Vance and Lucille Ball shared a special and complex friendship that could never be destroyed. When Vivian first went to Desilu studios to meet Lucille, she was so terrified because she was going to be playing second banana to the legendary movie star, Miss Ball. Of course, she wore formal clothes as she thought that Lucille would dress like that, and she wanted to give Lucille a good impression.

Everyone could remember their first meeting. There was sophisticated looking Viv, and there was Lucille, who dressed in her normal oversized blouse and black slacks. Lucille had worn a scarf that covered her red hair, and her face was bare. Basically, she looked like anything but a great movie star.

Lucille looked at Viv up and down and asked, "what part will you be trying out for?"
"For the landlady, honey," Desi said.
"She doesn't look like a landlady. She looks glamorous. Her hair's the same color as mine," Lucy stated.
"I can dye it. I don't care. It doesn't matter to me."
"I don't know. I want a dumpy, peroxide-blonde with curlers in her hair and a terry cloth robe and fuzzy slippers. That's what I want."
"You got her. I look just like that in the morning when I get out of bed."

Lucille laughed. Now if you can make Lucille laugh, you've worn her respect.

When rehearsals officially started, the two girls discovered that they had so much chemistry. That was the start of their enduring friendship. They enjoyed rehearsing so much that they they had a ball.

Lucille was tough on Viv. She would direct Viv and give her lots of instructions to follow while rehearsing. She knew that Viv needed someone to be strong and tough to straighten her out. Prior to being starred as Ethel Mertz in I Love Lucy, Viv had suffered a psychological breakdown and was in recluse and her life was filled with episodes of visiting psychiatrists. Much of her mental anguish came from her then-husband, Philip Ober. He would beat her up and call her ugly names that made her feel small.

Eventually, Vivian learned from Lucille to be independent, strong and tough too. Viv knew that Lucille had struggled with her marriage for very long yet remained spirited and formidable, and Lucille always provided Viv advice on her own marriage. She eventually convinced Viv to muster enough courage to file for divorce from her abusive husband.

While most were intimidated by Lucille's bluntness, Viv would take no shit from her. She knew that beneath Lucille's tough exterior, she was a soft, kind and dependent lady who was extremely afraid of being hurt. She also knew that Lucille often tested people by provoking them to see if they would fight back. So, Viv always fought back when Lucille became too willful, and Lucille loved that. Additionally, while others couldn't get away with trying to direct Lucille or to offer suggestions or directions, Viv always did, and Lucille always listened to her. It was astounding how they two ladies always helped each other bring out the best of their characters in I Love Lucy and The Lucy Show.

If you're wondering why Vivian said "the greatest straight woman in show business" while thanking Lucille, here's why: Viv's husband felt threatened by their friendship. Knowing how conservative Viv was, he told her once that rumors have started in Hollywood, saying that Lucille and Vivian were so close that it seemed like they were lesbians, "a couple of cats in heat". Vivian was so affected that she drove 50 miles to her psychiatrist for a talk. Of course, his vindictive efforts didn't manage to break up their friendship.

Desi, Lucille and Viv remained close friends throughout their lives (William Frawley had spent his last years dealing with his health and finally passed away in 1966). After Desi and Lucille's divorce, Desi produced the first 6 episodes of The Lucy Show. On the first day of rehearsals, Desi sat at his chair, looked at Lucille rehearsing and promptly burst into tears. Viv went and hugged Desi, "it's never the same again, isn't it?"

Having gone through so much to produce the most phenomenal show on earth, I Love Lucy, it was impossible to just erase one another from their lives.

A famous quote from Vivian Vance that I'm sure fans have come across is "We fought like sisters and made up like sisters. We adored each other's company."

I Love Lucy: Breaking the Lease

In this episode, you see a rare moment where both Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball laughing at Vivian Vance's and William Frawley's get ups.

They commented on how they almost ruined the scene after the filming. Desi couldn't control himself and Lucille had to bite the inside of the cheeks. The cast of I Love Lucy had always tried to spring surprises to keep reactions real. It was the first time Desi and Lucy saw Bill and Viv in these costumes!

Sexy Vivian Vance

Vivian Vance often mentioned that she didn't like being typecast into Ethel Mertz in I Love Lucy. In her Broadway musicals prior to I Love Lucy days, Viv had always played "the other women" roles. She was the glamorous, sexy, beautiful and seductive other woman, and playing Ethel Mertz forever "ruined her career", as she had mentioned in Dean Martin Roast Lucy. In this video, you catch a glimpse of how the other side of Ethel Mertz really is.

The biggest blessing for making I Love Lucy was to meet Lucille Ball. Not only had they become sisters, Lucy also taught Viv to be stronger emotionally. Lucy played a role in encouraging Viv to file for divorce from her abusive husband, Philip Ober. Of course, Viv went on to marry a writer and lived happily after.

Vivian Vance

According to Vivian Vance in an interview, she actually felt that 3 out of the 4 cast members of I Love Lucy were miscast. Vivian Vance had always played the other woman in Broadway shows, William Frawley was a vaudevillian, Desi Arnaz was an orchestra leader.

However, that was what made the situational comedy so fantastic. The three of them were the few people who could handle Miss Ball. Bill had never tried to please anyone and in fact he had been known to be extremely ornery at times; Desi had a special knack of treating his wife, and he would give her tasks that others would never dare to, and Lucy had trusted his judgment wholeheartedly. And Viv, I love her! Viv had always been a forthright person who spoke her mind, and with a sardonic sense of humor at that. She had been known to be just as blunt to Lucy as Lucy did with her.

Viv's husband had always abused her emotionally and physically. Once, he taunted her with gossips about Lucy and Viv being lesbians, and she had been so emotionally affected that she almost experienced a breakdown. However, strong as she was, and with the mental support, when Vivian Vance accepted her Emmy award, she said in her thanks "I would like to thank Miss Lucille Ball, the greatest straight woman in the world!" and that clarified things. Imagine addressing this sensitive issue back in the 1950s, on television!Viv could actually represent the modern woman!

I suppose these tough people really made Lucy respect them. She respected people who had spunk and not cower in fear when they had to work with her.

"I'm going to learn to love that bitch!" -Vivian Vance.

Of course, Vivian and Lucille had clashes, but they adored each other like sisters. I mean, think about it: people who don't have clashes with others are great hypocrites. The more you love another individual, the more occasions there will be where you just have to fight with him or her.

Vivian Vance's Weight

There was a long time ago when I thought that Vivian Vance's contract had stated that she had to gain a substantial amount of weight in order to look fatter on television. I was quite disturbed by it because it's inherently wrong, but thankfully, I delved more into this gigantic rumor by reading books, autobiographies and watching those television shows that sparked off this rumor. Today, I find it sad it that many people think members of the Desilu Productions would be so nasty enough to force Vivian Vance to gain 20 pounds of weight. I've read several books and autobiographies and it confirmed that THIS IS NOT TRUE at all. It is simply a huge misconception and once and for all, I would like to clear it.

There are many ways to make a person look fat and frumpy on television. Vivian was forced to wear bras of smaller cup sizes, tighter skirts and girdles, and to dye her hair a dishwater blonde and to style it unfashionably, but she was never ever forced to gain weight. You know how nasty gossips can fuel and go down in history books as "facts". Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball themselves have disproved this piece of gossip. The only thing they ever did was to give her a gag gift at a party. Desi and Lucy both knew the emotional insecurities Viv had and wanted to help her, and Viv herself, just like Lucy, like to encourage certain gossips. Later on, during a television talk show, Vivian brought the fake contract gag gift and read it out loud but had clarified that it was a joke. However, since then, people misunderstood about it.

Here's an immediate proof, from IMDb. I mean, IMDb won't publish things that don't ring true, would it?
Legend has it that a clause in her television contract required her to stay 10 pounds heavier than costar/producer Lucille Ball. Actually, this contract never existed, at least not in legal, binding form. It was a mock contract given to Vance by Ball as a gag gift sparking the legend it was a real contract.

http://m.imdb.com/name/nm0888573/trivia

The second evidence is an excerpt from a book, Lucy A to Z: The Lucille Ball Encyclopedia. The author, Michael Karol had no reason to lie. He had spoken to people who had been present at the party when the gag gift was given, and he had viewed the TV show when the contract was read out.

Lastly, I would like to point out that even the "girl writer", Madelyn Pugh Davis, never believed that Vivian Vance was forced to gorge herself with food to look fatter. She is the best source because she had a longstanding professional relationship with the big stars and she knew their tendency to exaggerate things was phenomenal.

If you still aren't convinced by me, I can present more evidences.

No one ever pointed out to Viv that she had been lying, because of the personal relationship that the cast and crew members had shared. People knew about her frequent emotional breakdowns. Playing Ethel Mertz, the second banana to Lucy Ricardo wasn't easy. On top of it, she had been romantically linked to Fred Mertz, a man much older than herself. She felt that it was unglamorous and she disliked it.Vivian had lied that she was younger than Lucille, but in fact, she was 3 years older.

I feel that there's nothing wrong with lying about all of these. These are all harmless gossips, not slandering or hurtful. After all, big celebrities faced (and still face) astounding levels of stress that you and I will never fathom. It also goes to show that they're only human. 

If you're interested in knowing about this wonderful actress who loved Lucille Ball, take a look at the trivia: http://www.whosdatedwho.com/tpx_30094/vivian-vance/trivia

30 Days of Lucille Ball-- Day 6

6. Favorite FEMALE co-star of Lucille Ball

As an avid fan of I Love Lucy, this goes without saying. VIVIAN VANCE, the queen of second bananas! Coming to think of it, I think Viv was the only female co-star with Lucille. They fought like sisters, and loved each other deeply like sisters.

Of course, in many ways, Viv was the more emotionally independent one, and Lucy was the more emotionally dependent one. She had many insecurities; luckily, she knew she could count on a few people in her life. This is why she treated those who were loyal to her ten times better. She definitely taught Viv how to be tougher and stronger to conquer her fears from her parents and ex husband.

Vivian Vance is such a great actress!

Classic Film Survey

In answer to Frankly My Dear, here are my answers to the well asked questions.

1. Favorite classic Disney?

I would say, Beauty and the Beast. My friend Aishah lent me the DVD and I'm grateful for her kindness! What a way to see if the love for someone is genuine or based on superficial desires! I was really touched by the film, but I'm touched by all classic Disney films. I always end up in tears. But that's just me.

2. Favorite film from the year 1939?

That goes without asking-- Gone With the Wind! I cried a few times and I must say Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable were just fabulous! A true portrayal of a woman's life from having everything, to nothing, to everything, and losing what mattered most to her. I hope that eventually Rhett Butler was convinced by Scarlett O'Hara's love. What a great movie.

3. Favorite Carole Lombard Screwball role?

Mr. and Mrs. Smith cracked me up. But I only watched a few segments from YouTube.

4. Favorite off screen couple? (It’s ok if it ended in divorce.)

Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, my all-time favorite couple! It was an affair of the heart, and it doesn't matter that their marriage ended in divorce, because they loved each other till their dying day. Their attraction was fatal, but you get the feeling that their passion for each other helped them stay together for two decades. More amazingly, their love grew stronger after divorce, which is the evidence of true love! God, I love them!

How about Joe Dimaggio and Marilyn Monroe, Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn? I'm looking at true love, and these couples shine through many.

I wouldn't choose Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Somehow I don't really sense a great enduring love between them. 

5. Favorite pair of best friends? (i.e: Barbara Stanwyck and Joan Crawford)

I get the feeling that the stars were all lonely, that they probably had many great and supportive friends, but no best friends. Or is it my lack of knowledge?

Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, after their divorce. I'm sorry, I just couldn't help choosing them again. It's so sweet that they became best friends after the divorce, talking on the phone a few times a week, placing each other with such importance that they would drop everything to help the other out. 

Or Bob Hope and Lucille Ball? They did help each other out many times out of tough spots. After all, no one but Bob got Lucy out of hiding from the press to perform with him a few months before she died. She did it because he asked her to. That's friendship!

I get the feeling that Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy were best friends too. She was the soul mate whom he could pour all his feelings and problems out. I'm glad they found each other.

6. Favorite actor with a mustache? 

Clark Gable! It makes him mischievous, mature, distinguished, wild and sexy!

7. Favorite blonde actress?

It took me a long time to choose between Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe. Purely based on films, Grace Kelly has more talent. Is it because Marilyn Monroe was stereotyped to do bimbo roles, and didn't had the opportunity to do more dramatic roles?

If this is based on television, I would say Vivian Vance. She's severely underrated. If you were to observe her closely-- her actions, expressions, stance, tone and speech-- you would realize that she has a natural talent in acting. She's truly a professional.

8. Favorite pre-code?

I only watched The Saturday Night Kid. Actually, I don't really fancy the pre-code era, the lack of censorship and control, though fascinating, was appalling.

9. Which studio would you have liked to join?

MGM! My childhood was accompanied by lots of lions roaring whenever I watched Tom and Jerry, maybe that's why I'm inclined to choose it. 

It used to produce lots of successful musicals, and since technicolor was perfected by MGM, the stars would look gorgeous in it. After all, I might be able to work with Gene Kelly, Red Skelton, Judy Garland, Fred Astaire... AND LUCILLE BALL! MGM was the motion picture studio that gave Lucy her break in A list movies. She looked so gorgeous in DuBarry was a Lady!

Second choice: 20th Century.
Third choice: Paramount

10. Favorite common on screen pairing that SHOULD have gotten married? 

On screen, Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy shared a great chemistry. Off screen, their love story is both sweet and sad.

11. Favorite I Love Lucy episode?

Can I choose more than one? In actual fact, I love each and every one of the episodes! They either bring me laughter, or touch my heart when Desi and Lucy's true love surface above the scripts. 

I would choose Lucy Does a TV Commercial, the famous Vitameatavegamin episode. I remember the first time I watched it, I literally cried with laughter! All her expressions and actions were just so cute! I can even remember the lines. I'm serious! 

Hello friends, I'm your Vitameatavegamin girl. Are you tired, run down, listless? Do you poop out at parties? Are you unpopular? The answer to all your problems is in this little bottle-- Vitameatavegamin. Yes Vitameatavegamin contains vitamins, meat, vegetables and minerals. Yes with Vitameatavegamin, you can spoooon your way to health. All you have to do is take a great big tablespoonful after every meal. It's so tasty too, just like candy. So why don't join the thousands of happy peppy people and get a great big bottle of Vitameatavegamin tomorrow? It's vita-meata-vegamin. *Winks* 

 

Most importantly, I was so touched that Desi Arnaz had to bite the inside of his cheeks till he tasted blood to stop from laughing out loud when his beloved wife was acting adorably. He loved her, he did. He was crazy about her. 

12.  Out of these actresses which one do you like best: Lucille Ball, Ingrid Bergman, Natalie Wood, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Greer Garson, Grace Kelly, or Katharine Hepburn?

Lucille Ball, hands down! I can rave about her all day, all night. She's dedicated, hardworking, determined, enormously talented, drop dead gorgeous, and severely underrated before she went into television.

Katharine Hepburn in Stage Door was great too.

13. Shadowy film noir from the 1940’s or splashy colorful musicals from the 1950’s?
Splashy colorful musicals from the 1950s, like Ziegfeld Follies! Those timeless songs are present today, thanks to those musicals! Film noir basically had femme fatales coming in and out of pictures. I guess I cannot appreciate film noirs much. But The Dark Corner was kinda cool!

14. Actor or actress with the best autograph (photo preferred).
LUCY! Her "L" in Lucille, and "B" in Ball were so beautiful and classy! I would do anything to have her autograph!

15. A baby (or childhood, or teenage) photo of either your favorite actress or actor (or both, if you’d like.)

The bow on her head just gets me, right here in my heart. Lucille Ball! 

Or...

It's not because it's cute, but it represents a whole era of innocent Norma Jean Mortensen, also known as Marilyn Monroe before the external environment and Hollywood ruined her. All children look beautiful. It's a shame because in this case, Marilyn not only had a heart made of gold, she was also not the stereotypical dumb blonde. Her Intelligence Quotient (IQ) was actually as high as Albert Einstein's! 

Stopping at Childhood

One of my postulations as to why Lucille Ball was so successful at situational comedies is that she retained a childlike way of looking at the world, at situations and at people.

Why?

I guess that all along, she had missed her carefree early childhood, when her doting father was still alive and her mother had no worries but to make the family happy. As a child, Lucy had to mature quicker than her age. She had to deal with the premature death of her father, the birth of a new baby which was a difficult adjustment for an only child, a new stepfather who treated her as if she wasn't there, being sent to an older couple who were so strict on her that she felt mentally tortured, the unlawful accusation of her grandfather which made her distrust the law forever, and many more sad events... With a life full of traumatic events, it was no wonder that a part of her stopped forever at the age of  4, where things were warm and rosy.  

As she had mentioned, in order to be convincing and to evoke knee-slapping laughter, the actor has to believe in the situation and the actions that are called for. What makes it better than to analyze the situation from a child's point of view? A child's logic is sweetly simple and naive, and it's no wonder people are always drawn to children. It's that compelling naivety that Lucille had managed to convey to the audience that makes even the most hardhearted person alive laugh endearingly.

Through her childhood and adolescence, Lucy had utilized her powers of observation. Most comedians can only work from a certain angle; Lucy could be anything and everything. She could be the doting screwball housewife, the nervous gal about to get it, the glamorous showgirl, the sexy Marilyn, the amnesic child, the clown, hell, she could even peel a potato convincingly!

Of course, having a husband Desi Arnaz with a knack for identifying what was funny and what was not, a supporting actress Vivian Vance with great chemistry, and a comedian William Frawley who was funny even just standing and doing nothing made the sitcom even more successful.