Vivian Vance Hated One Thing About Being On ‘I Love Lucy’
For millions of people, Vivian Vance is a beloved icon, forever etched in pop culture as Ethel Mertz, the wise-cracking, lovable landlady and sidekick on I Love Lucy. Her comedic timing, natural rapport with Lucille Ball, and her fiery on-screen relationship with William Frawley (Fred Mertz) made the Mertz duo an essential part of the show’s magic. However, despite the immense fame and adoration, Vance harbored a deep-seated frustration with her role, a feeling that stemmed from one specific, and for her, painful, aspect of her character.
While many know about her famous off-screen feud with William Frawley, it was something else entirely that truly tormented her: her appearance. Vance was a striking, beautiful woman in real life, a fact that was deliberately hidden for the sake of comedy. The way she was styled and the constant jokes about her looks became a source of great personal distress, turning her dream job into a source of private misery.
The Reality Behind the ‘Frumpy’ Persona
Before her life-changing role on I Love Lucy, Vivian Vance was a respected stage actress. She was known for her elegance and beauty, and she played a variety of glamorous and complex characters on Broadway. When she was cast as Ethel Mertz, she was 42 years old, still very much in her prime. However, the show’s producers, including Lucille Ball, had a specific vision for the character.
The idea was to create a stark visual contrast between the two female leads. Lucille Ball, with her glamorous clothes, perfect makeup, and signature red hair, was to be the star. Ethel Mertz, as her sidekick, was meant to be the “frumpy” one. This meant that Vance had to be dressed in dowdy clothes, with unflattering hairstyles and minimal makeup. This aesthetic choice was a constant source of discomfort for Vance, who prided herself on her appearance. She felt that the unflattering wardrobe and styling were not only unnecessary but also a blow to her professional identity.
This frustration was compounded by the jokes written into the script. The humor often came at the expense of Ethel’s appearance, with Fred Mertz (Frawley) frequently making quips about her weight and looks. While Vance was not an overweight woman, the scripts and styling conspired to make her appear heavier and less attractive, a fact that deeply bothered her. For a professional actress who had worked her entire life to get to the top, being reduced to a “frumpy sidekick” was a bitter pill to swallow.
The Feud and the Jokes: A Vicious Cycle
Vance’s unhappiness with her appearance was amplified by her contentious relationship with her co-star, William Frawley. Their off-screen feud is now a Hollywood legend. It began on the very first day of filming when Vance, looking at the 64-year-old Frawley, reportedly said, “How can anyone believe I’m married to that old man?” The comment got back to Frawley, and he never forgave her.
In retaliation, Frawley would reportedly improvise lines that took jabs at Vance’s weight and looks. While some of the insults were scripted, Frawley’s ad-libbed quips were a way for him to get back at her, turning their on-screen rivalry into a real-life feud. Vance was trapped in a difficult position. She had to play along and respond with her character’s trademark wit, but inside, she was seething. The jokes about her looks, combined with the fact that they were coming from a man she couldn’t stand, made her miserable.
It was a vicious cycle: the more she disliked him, the more he insulted her, and the more she hated the way she looked and the way she was treated. The on-screen comedy was brilliant, but for Vance, it came at a high personal price.
The Aftermath: A New Chapter and a Lasting Legacy
Vance’s resentment of her role and her constant bickering with Frawley came to a head when the show ended. Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball offered the two a chance to star in their own spin-off, a show centered on the Fred and Ethel characters. Frawley, despite his animosity, was eager to take the job. Vance, however, flatly refused, famously saying she would “never work with that man again.” She even turned down a lucrative bonus for the show, a testament to how deeply she despised working with Frawley.
When Vance joined Lucille Ball for her next show, The Lucy Show, she made one non-negotiable demand: her character would be named Vivian, she would be dressed in more modern and flattering clothes, and she would have a more elegant hairstyle. This was her way of reclaiming her identity and moving on from the “frumpy” persona that had defined her for so long.
While Vance was eventually able to find a new sense of peace and professional satisfaction on The Lucy Show, she never fully escaped the shadow of Ethel Mertz. To the public, she would always be the beloved sidekick, a role she, in many ways, resented. However, her performance was so masterful that it transcended her personal frustrations. She won an Emmy Award for her portrayal of Ethel Mertz, the very character that she both loved and hated.
In the end, Vivian Vance’s story is a complicated one. She was an incredible talent who gave the world one of its most cherished television characters. But her journey also serves as a poignant reminder that even in Hollywood, and even on the set of the world’s most beloved sitcom, the on-screen magic often comes at a high personal cost. The one thing Vivian Vance hated about being on I Love Lucy was the very thing that made her character so memorable.
