Rating: 
Summary: Interesting to say the least!
Review: This is an interesting book and a great biography about one of the most talented character actresses ever: Vivian Vance. Here you'll read about her strict upbringing, her illustrious theatrical career, her crowning achievement as comely neighbor Ethel Mertz on the hit sitcom "I Love Lucy" and her later battles with mental illness. You'll also get to read about her early stage triumphs and the turmoil on the "I Love Lucy" set. This book makes the reader feel as if they knew Ms. Vance personally like she was a friend. It goes on to show that Vivian was more than just a "second banana" but a talented and gifted actress who was a star in her own rite. The book also proves that Vivian lived an interesting and extraordinary life before and after "Lucy". Buy this book right away!
Rating:
Summary: Very insightful!!
Review: As a true lover of Lucy--I was so looking forward to reading about the life of Vivian Vance-since she was such a big part in the success of I Love Lucy. It was very interesting learn of her childhood, and the road that led her to TV stardom. This book was a genuine page turner and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved her sassy side-never afraid to speak her mind or to go after what she wanted. It was also interesting to learn of her later years after the show and how she perceived herself. After reading the book you will find yourself studying the character of Ethel Mertz closer, and realize the fine actress and comedic talent that was Vivian Vance.... I really loved this book...
Rating: 
Summary: The best second banana in the business
Review: She chaffed when people called her Ethel in public places, sometimes even exploding in anger, especially if they asked where Fred was. ("He's dead, thank God," was her reply in later years after he died.) Her blessing was her curse. Vivian Vance was such a fine actress, she convinced TV's millions that she was Ethel Mertz. Only a small percentage of her audience ever saw her on stage or in remembered her few forays onto the big screen, so we might be forgiven for not realizing how talented she really was. With the recently released "Ball of Fire" Lucy fans might want to read about Ball's talented side-kick. Vance had a successful acting career before that fateful evening when Desi Arnaz first saw her on stage in La Jolla, and would continue her stage career after her years as Lucy's sidekick (Vivian Bagley in The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy being but a prettier, more sophisticated version of Ethel). Most Lucy fans already know quite a bit about those years from the many books about Lucy, but this concise book fills in what happened before and after. The authors do an excellent sleuthing job. They highlight Vance's religious upbringing and trace some of her later emotional problems to her conflict arising from desire to be on the stage and her mother's admonitions that it was the road to perdition. They cover her early experiences on the stage in New York and then in New Mexico as well as her few films. From this, they illustrate her versatility and trace the roots of some of her funniest moments on "I Love Lucy." Only in the bibliography do we learn that they most of the extended quotes are from Vance's unpublished memoirs. Unwilling to reveal names or hurt anyone, she offered little cooperation to her assigned ghost writer and the project fell through. That's a pity, given the viewpoint she had in one of TV's greatest comedy series and what she reveals about herself in the excerpts. This was one courageous woman who had more than a little business savvy. No matter though, her excellent work as one of the most famous second-bananas in show business speaks for itself.
Rating:
Summary: She's not Ethel Mertz!
Review: It came as a surprise that there had been no previous biography of the actress Vivian Vance before this. We all came to know her as the beloved sidekick and "best friend" of Lucy Ricardo on the long running "I Love Lucy" television show. It came as little surprise that the wise cracking, laughing person we all grew to love from TV was actually a person beset by family problems and anxiety. This is a well researched and written book. Following Vivian Vance's growing up in a small town, her early days in theatre, her disappointments in love, and her crossing paths with Desi Arnez, this book doesn't disappoint. Vivian Vance is shown to be a multifaceted, complex performer, trying to come to terms with the perpetual second bannana roll that became her offering in life. There are some particularly poignent sections dealing with the actress's struggle with depression and breakdowns, and touching tales of how she was the first to speak out about depression and mental illness, and how she reached out to others. This was a much needed glimpse into the life of someone we all thought we knew and loved.
Rating:
Summary: VIVIAN VANCE....
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: The best second banana in the business
Review: She chaffed when people called her Ethel in public places, sometimes even exploding in anger, especially if they asked where Fred was. ("He's dead, thank God," was her reply in later years after he died.) Her blessing was her curse. Vivian Vance was such a fine actress, she convinced TV's millions that she was Ethel Mertz. Only a small percentage of her audience ever saw her on stage or in remembered her few forays onto the big screen, so we might be forgiven for not realizing how talented she really was. With the recently released "Ball of Fire" Lucy fans might want to read about Ball's talented side-kick. Vance had a successful acting career before that fateful evening when Desi Arnaz first saw her on stage in La Jolla, and would continue her stage career after her years as Lucy's sidekick (Vivian Bagley in The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy being but a prettier, more sophisticated version of Ethel). Most Lucy fans already know quite a bit about those years from the many books about Lucy, but this concise book fills in what happened before and after. The authors do an excellent sleuthing job. They highlight Vance's religious upbringing and trace some of her later emotional problems to her conflict arising from desire to be on the stage and her mother's admonitions that it was the road to perdition. They cover her early experiences on the stage in New York and then in New Mexico as well as her few films. From this, they illustrate her versatility and trace the roots of some of her funniest moments on "I Love Lucy." Only in the bibliography do we learn that they most of the extended quotes are from Vance's unpublished memoirs. Unwilling to reveal names or hurt anyone, she offered little cooperation to her assigned ghost writer and the project fell through. That's a pity, given the viewpoint she had in one of TV's greatest comedy series and what she reveals about herself in the excerpts. This was one courageous woman who had more than a little business savvy. No matter though, her excellent work as one of the most famous second-bananas in show business speaks for itself.
Rating:
Summary: Vivian's Life With & Without Ethel
Review: Vivian Vance is created in your eyes when you read this book. The authors did an excellent job for making her life seem real to the readers. I enjoyed this book especially the chapter "Ethel, I've Got An Idea!" and "I'm not Ethel Mertz, the Name Is Vivian Vance!" the only reason why I liked the last chapter is because it talked about "The Great Race," with Natalie Wood which I adore. She made an appearance on that movie-that's why it's in there. You have to love Viv if you love Ethel. Great book.
Rating:
Summary: Nice biography of Vivian Vance
Review: I don't normally read celebrity biographies but as a die-hard I Love Lucy fan, I wanted to find out more about the woman known by the world primarily as Ethel Mertz. Vance's talent deserved more regognition than she's gotten and this book helps to shine the light on her a bit more. It's a well-written, entertaining book which explores Vance's life fromchildhood to her death a few yearsago. It tends to drag a bit after Vance's exit from show business but overall, it's definitely worth reading and a nice tribute to a fine actress
Rating:
Summary: Not at all boring!
Review: Ditto that "about time" for a book about my favorite Lucy character. Her wise cracking "second banana" was my hero growing up.
Reading about her early life...her drive and ambition, her courage and determination to succeed...I felt an even deeper admiration for the complex woman that was Vivian Vance.
Her lifelong struggle with depression illustrates vividly that (with inner strength and resolve) one can find a way to survive mental illness when the world (through ignorance and fear) refuses to understand and accept.
Three cheers to the authors for revealing the life of a much loved and little understood lady. And that she was...a real lady.
Rating:
Summary: Finally...............
Review: How wonderful it was to finally hear about Vivian Vance, the most under-rated performer of all time maybe. She had something very special that many people didn't realize was in her. In reading this book, you find out about how Vivian struggled through her darkest fears and finally accepted herself. You learn of her friendship with Lucille Ball, and how at times it was very trying, her admiration for Desi Arnaz and lets face it, haterd towards William Frawley. This is an excellent book.
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