1Hey Whatever Happened to Vivian Vance

Whatever Happened to Famous Folks with Kansas Connections. The first show of the season is on Vivian Vance from Cherryvale, Kansas. The show includes audio clips from Tina of Cherryvale and Vivian's sister LouAnn, as well as photographs from Viv's scrapbook from LouAnn.

[@MrQbenDanny]

Bravo!! Gentlemen!!! For this magnificent reportage on a true classic comedian, the great Vivian Vance. She is as beloved as Lucy. Many years ago I met Desi Arnaz at a book signing in NEW YORK he had written a book titled" A Book". Being Cuban myself, we spoke in rapid fire Cuban style Spanish and he humbly credited Vance as "The Anchor", in the I love Lucy show. Arnaz was so gracious and a gentleman. I will never forget our meeting and talking about the historical show. Gracias!!!

[@1lricardo]

Wow... lucky you! Anyone that ever met Desi Arnaz always expressed how gracious and courteous he was. I have read "A Book" at least 5 times. He had such a horrific life changing event at age 16, & had to start over in a strange country . Yet, he managed to pick himself up and become even more successful here. I admire him so greatly. Thank God, and thanks to "I Love Lucy ", Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha the Third will never be forgotten. We're still watching and thinking of you, Desi! 🌻

[@linapagliari8003]

She was a class act Vivian ty for sharing this beautiful story 😁🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

[@videox222ify]

thank you for paying tribute to this lovely lady

[@MyTimeOutt]

It would be nice if there were a memorial sign indicating the house in Cherryvale, Kansas, where she was born.

[@love4myclarks7]

Wow! :) This is thee best biographical video on Vivian Vance on youtube to date. Thank you so much GrassrootsRacingShow. Its very informative! Its in depth and authentic, with excerpts from family members and Vance historians. It sparkles with stunning pictures and fun graphics. Awesome awesome awesome. Thank you again for sharing!

[@diamondleigh7280]

I agree

[@ruthjesse6759]

Dearly enjoyed watching this video of Vivian Vance. She was a very wonderful actress. Ever so funny on the Roast for Lucy Ball.

[@garylowery6216]

Thank you so much for this we loved Vivian her and Lucy was so funny together....We love and miss you so Vivian...

[@pamelamayfield8489]

I was born and raised in Independence, Kansas, so of course I knew about Vivian Vance being born in Cherryvale, but I never new she graduated from Independence High School. IHS should at least have a little display about Vivian at the school.

[@thebobsmith1991]

Ask them to perhaps?

[@patmelton43]

Wow! How many of you feel like you have aged way more than you thought you had? Where did the years go? Seems like yesterday. God bless these performers. They helped us to laugh.

[@kriseuribe3783]

For real. Time goes so fast

[@daddy2299]

Ms, Vance was a true professional with loads of talent and class. She never got the recognition she deserved in the shadow of the mugging of steel-spined Lucy.

[@vascoemyer]

So many happy - hilarious - memories Vivian has gifted me, I hope where-ever she is now she's happy and maybe enjoying a few memories with Lucy? How lucky we are to have her body of work memorialised on celluloid.

[@jerrygillespie1214]

Two things. Lucy originally wanted Bea Benederet for Ethel but Bea was Gracie Allen's sidekick on Burns and Allen show. Also Vivian Vance was singer John Sebastian's Godmother

[@MrVidaeverdade]

The statement at 10:48 that Vivian Vance only appeared in 7 of 26 episodes of "The Lucy Show" during the 1964-65 season is incorrect. She appeared in TWENTY episodes, not just seven. There were a total of only six episodes that season in which she did not appear.

[@ChefRonLock]

Lou Ann (Vance) Graham died in New Mexico Nov 6, 2016 at the age of 90

[@ImSPOTon]

she was funny ...delivered that very well !

[@steved3387]

GREAT show! Thank you!

[@BDS_Productions_Entertainment]

Kevin - Thank you for your message, very helpful. We will try to remember that. Thanks.

[@MrVidaeverdade]

Vivian Vance was not 39 as the start of the series; she was 42. She was born on July 26, 1909; "I Love Lucy" went into production in September 1951. William Frawley, born February 26, 1887, was 22 years older than her, not 25 years older.

[@SharonAFox]

+MrVidaeverdade Her death certificate says she was actually born in 1915. So if she was born in 1915 and Frawley was born in 1887 that would be a 28 year difference.

[@MrCJ-qz9dl]

Sharon A. Fox Her sister Lou Ann specifically stated that Viv was born in 1909.

[@fintan3563]

A lovely presentation! Thank you. ❤️❤️❤️

[@HH-bi1yl]

It really was hard to believe she would be married to someone that much older than her......but she pulled it off and made it convincing. Just proof she was a great actress. I remember when I was a kid, I thought he was the old landlord and that Ethel was the single neighbor lady and friend of Lucy until Mom told me those two were actually playing roles as husband and wife. I was in shock and I was only about 6 years old. 😀

[@thebobsmith1991]

I didn't notice..she always had the look of my grandmother which was timeless.

[@godrocksha482]

I love Vivian

[@atbragdots8852]

So many great pics .. but it was like watching it in fast motion. I kept stopping to see the rare pics of one who seemed to be a very nice individual . Thanks much :)

[@Prizm2356]

Vivian Vance (Ethel Mertz) was always my favorite

[@stephenmatthews9182]

I am impressed. Well put together and informative. I wish I lived in Kansas so I could use one of your sponsers.

[@mariagoumas6135]

I LOVE HER I STILL WATCH HER SHOW IN UTUBE I WONDER IF SHE WAS MARRIED OR KIDS??? IM DEAF N I WISH U HAVE ENGLISH SUBTITLES FOR DEAF?? I STILL MISS HER

[@margolou2010]

They said she was married four times, but she never had kids, because she felt that show business is no place for kids. She was very close to her siblings and their kids, though.

[@foxgloved1]

Maria Goumas she was married for times,no children

[@lucygirl4926]

@margolou2010 One of her husbands appeared as Dory Schary (the studio producer) when the Ricardos and the Mertzes went to California.

[@diamondleigh7280]

God Bless you ma'am ❤️ Hoping you have your captions turned on.....

[@lestorhaslam]

A golden era.

[@salparadise5335]

When Frawley died, VV shouted with glee, "Champagne for everyone!"

[@elizabethroberto7862]

Vivian Vance...... July 26, 1909--------- Aug. 17, 1979 died at the age of...... 70

[@brucehauge1391]

There were conflicting dates on both William Frawley who some reports his DOB was 1893 but later revealed his actual date of birth was 1887. Vivian I saw dates of birth as 1912 and didn't realize she was born in 1909.

[@MrRJMGREEN]

My grandmother worked for years with a woman named Pat, who was Vivian's neighbor. It was most definitely in Vivian's contract to remain overweight. Also, Vivian did her work at the studio and left. She did not take part very much in activities after filming, or on weekends with her fellow cast mates.

[@nickdecarlo76]

she also had to look less attractive than Lucy too

[@margolou2010]

As much as I liked Lucille Ball, I didn't think that was right. Vivian Vance was a beautiful woman. If you wanted some older frump, you should have hired Marjorie Main or someone like that.

[@nickdecarlo76]

margolou2010 It wasn't right, but that's just how Lucy was in the early days, because she had to be the pretty one and the Landlady, had to be the les attractive. But as the show progressed, Vivian started to dress a lot nicer and wore more make up, that's because her and Lucy became really close friends.

[@margolou2010]

***** Yes, I notice also on "The Lucy Show" and "Here's Lucy" that she looked nicer.

[@nickdecarlo76]

Yes because when the Lucy Show came to be, Lucy didn't want to do it without Vivian and pratically begged her to do the show. And Viv said she would do it only if she got to wear nice modern clothes, have a nice hair style or her chosing, wear more make up and demanded to be called Viv. Lucy agreed and Vivian did the show. But by the end of the 1963 season, Vivan wanted to go back home to New York to be with her new husband because she was tired of flying back and forth from New York to LA and Lucy didn't want her to go, because the show wouldn't be the same. That's why the format was changed for the 1964-1968 seasons of Lucy moving to California and MaryJane becoming her new friend.

[@TheDobier66]

It's pronounced Ben-eh-dare-et, not Bernadette, Law-ton not Lawfton, and Danfield was in Connecticut. not New York.

[@BNforever2009]

very interesting. Nice

[@StevenOsburnHollywood]

Vivian left Kansas for Tulsa, Oklahoma before she even thought about New Mexico or California.

[@AllenMQuinn]

I think you got the facts mixed up. She didn't appear in 7 of the 26 episodes that season, not the other way around.

[@warp9p659]

That's correct. Ann Sothern appeared as the Countess Framboise in several of the episodes that Vance was absent from in season 3.

[@RayPointerChannel]

GREAT research. I don't think this has been told in quite this level of detail. By the way, television is a "medium" (singular). "Media" is plural! And Bea was pronounced"Ben-a-derit." The story about GUESTWARD HO was that Viv froze up on camera and felt unbalanced without Lucy. The show was recast with Jo An Du as Babs Hooten and ran for one season on ABC in 1960-61.

[@litterbox3648]

Actually it's not great research at all. The guy is just reading Vivian Vance's Wikipedia page word for word...

[@RayPointerChannel]

I know it wasn't. I was being sarcastic. The research is consistent with the rest of the piece-flawed. It's a well-meant attempt by an amateur.

[@liammorgan2155]

How could you overlook her appearance in the movie The Great Race?!

[@deanadiedrich9304]

I agree this is a great biography on Vivian Vance. l believe l love Lucy wouldn't work and probably would have been cancelled if Vance didn't take the part...she was the back bone of that show.....and so was William Farley.. they understood the humor! Even thou they didn't get along.... they were professional actors...that said a lot. l have every episode of that show.

[@suzycreamcheesez4371]

Barbara hooton was considered to be a socialite??

[@auaiao9]

It isn't Bea Burnadette.

[@SuperWoodyboy]

Not Bernadet...Bea Benadaret

[@lindakilbride6755]

The pic you showed of 'Bernadette is actually Joan Rivers

[@phyllislardieri6377]

Though you may think it looks like Joan Rivers in the picture, it actually is Bea Benaderet (also known for Petticoat Junction).

[@LoriWolfcat]

Sooo, they get all this info from relatives who only know half of the story, instead of Vivian herself? Yeah, real reliable. -.-

[@charlottebuchanan3193]

Its hard to believe she was married FOUR times and never got pregnant. Especially for those days. I loved VV in ILL but am I the only one who thinks VV seemed kinda b*tchy in real life? This was a really nice documentary by the way. Very informative.

[@cosmos34]

She did get pregnant early in her marriage to Phil Ober, but had a miscarriage.

[@golden8972]

Read the book "The Other Side Of Ethel Mertz".

[@c.joyceb.8991]

Nice Remembrance of Miss Vance. I always watched i love lucy. I thought too william looked liked Vivian's father. Gale Gordon better choice for husband.

[@rosecoloredtimes]

The weight thing in her contract was a joke...

[@auaiao9]

..a good documentary otherwise

[@c7i6abc]

The speaker says she had a nervous breakdown, I've heard that term most of my early life; but isn't that what's called depression nowadays?

[@susanmim9222]

Or it could be an anxiety and stress disorder

[@c7i6abc]

@@susanmim9222 good morning. I left my comment 5 years ago, you replied yesterday, December 11, 2020. It's interesting in that we never know when someone will respond or post a comment. A decade ago or so, KZbin offered us a mailbox where we could communicate with each other, but you know how it goes, if it works, quick change it! Oh and by the way, Vivian Vance (read years ago) didn't get along with Lucy, also she had a high level of dislike for William Frawley who played her tv husband, the post went so far as to say she "Hated" him. Signed: Eric A. Jollymore, aka c7i6abc (which was an error in 2007)

[@susanmim9222]

@@c7i6abc I've just seen the video that day and I didn't pay attention to the date of your comment. As for Vivian, working in those conditions you mentioned (and also her problems at home, I read that somewhere too) so it's logical to have a mental breakdown or two especially if she didn't have a place where she could feel safe and happy.

[@upthedown1]

I always hated that Ethel's husband was old enough to be her father didn't make any sense to me.

[@jaysilverheals4445]

she croaked.

[@salparadise5335]

Bea BENADERET

[@TheDobier66]

She was married 3 times not 4.

[@cosmos34]

Incorrect, she has an early marriage when was around 19. It was annulled, if I remember correctly.

[@auaiao9]

I hate the way this guy says "theater".

[@watchgoose]

Bernadette? Nope. It was Benaderet Be na de ret (rey). and "lothed"? no again. It's loathed (lo thd)

[@frederickcombs8661]

AAAA ++++

[@edwardgeorge4881]

🇦🇺💐🇺🇸

[@artwallace9323]

This woman was a wonderfull tallent that was abused by the producers and DesiLou.

[@mariagoumas6135]

.

[@glennjoseph5598]

Qa

[@marymason7373]

Sad she only gets 20 minutes. Lucy gets 150

[@larkpraise]

This narrator is extremely annoying!! He smacks his dentures when he talks.

[@charlottebuchanan3193]

I never noticed that.

[@saltychips4866]

I didn't notice the dentures, however he mispronounced several names and words.

[@bradsmack1]

Hey, whatever happened to literate voice-over artists? Who on earth is this rube doing the voice-over who mispronounces some celebrities' names and many well-used words?!? Charles "Loff"-ton? Bea "Bernadet"? Claudette "Colbert," instead of the French pronunciation, "Col-BARE"? He somehow got Marjorie Lord correct! Plus, TV was an emerging "medium," not media! "Postumunously," instead of posthumously? What a great way to cheapen an otherwise well-done and interesting production! Vivian would be aghast and embarrassed! Couldn't blame her!

[@MrCJ-qz9dl]

bradness l agree he made some blunders in pronunciation and names. But let's give the guy a break. It was obvious he was reading it, and he was doing the best he could.

[@bradsmack1]

No one's arguing he WASN'T doing the best he could, and I have no problem with anyone READING anything. My contention is that was HE, literally, the only one available to read that script on that day? I know it was a labor of love, and a "closed" group of folks putting it together, but the blunders are so blatant, obvious, numerous, and completely avoidable (by finding someone who actually knew how to pronounce these commonly known words and names), I'd be embarrassed to show this to anyone in the Vance family. And, the careless plundering through the script completely cheapens an otherwise loving creation. My beef is more about why more thought and consideration didn't go into the "soundtrack" as apparently and beautifully as it did regarding the visual content and, yes, even the script!

[@MrCJ-qz9dl]

Yes Bradness...I do agree with you and I thought about it later and realized that there are some narrations that are very irritating to me as well; especially "robotic" narrations. I usually give them the "thumbs down" if I disdain their way of speaking. I have heard Bea Benederet's name mispronounced for years. In one of her biographies it was mentioned that even Jack Benny called her Bea "Ben-a-da-RAT" and others called her Bea "Burnadette". I think I defended this narrator because he sounded so humble and sounded like he was a rookie who was trying his best. I'm an English professor in Korea, so I am accustomed to overlooking some minor mistakes, however, the narrator here is a native speaker. Believe it or not, I really do appreciate the fact that you pointed out errors that we are exposed to every day.

[@charlottebuchanan3193]

Bradness youre a jerk! No one is perfect.

[@dianemarino-webster576]

Therr is no doubt in my mind that Lucille Ball was a genius and she has have many more years of showing the comedians of today How to make people laugh without using bad language. BUT seems to me that Desi was. Ignored. If he wasn’t ad good as he was Lucy wouldn’t be near as funny. He was the very best second banana snd he made her look really good. So without Desi she wouldn’t as good as she was. I personally was crazy for him snd their provide like eas nome of my business or anyone else for that matter. Come on people 20 years of marriage. She stayed with him for what reason? She loved him but saying she didn’t but here she is trying to change him. I never hears him say one bad word about her.

[@itstheburnz]

Like CUT all the over detail that the entire world knows about I Love Lucy show!!..duh... it was like saying, the world is round and the sun is in the sky....Horrid reader too.

[@c7i6abc]

:-). Interesting comment, Brent. Someone had to say it. (c7i6abc is Eric A. Jollymore, Hubbards, NS, Canada)