Vivian Jones, second daughter of Robert and Euphemia Ragan Jones, was born on July 26, 1909 in Cherryvale, Kansas. From a young age, Vivian enjoyed performing, and relished being the center of attention.

Vivian became involved in drama at Independence High School in Independence, Kansas. She enjoyed being a cheerleader, and was involved in beauty contests. After she graduated from high school, Vivian changed her last name to Vance, after Vance Randolph, a member of her Independence theatre clique.

In September 1932, twenty-three year old Vivian arrived in New York for the first time. Her first job there was as a member of the cast of Music in the Air, for which she was paid $35 a week. In 1934 Vivian was cast in the Broadway hit Anything Goes as a chorus member and understudy to the show's star, Ethel Merman. Several years later she won her first major Broadway role opposite comedian Ed Wynn, in Hooray for What!

In the summer of 1951 Vivian received a phone call from actor/director Mel Ferrer, who was putting together a new production of Voice of the Turtle. At first Vivian had no interest in this play, but she was finally convinced to take the part that would transform her life. On July 28, 1951, I Love Lucy director Marc Daniels took Desi Arnaz and writer Jess Oppenheimer to see Voice of the Turtle. Daniels knew Vance, had seen her perform, and thought she would be perfect for the role of landlady and best friend, Ethel Mertz. By the end of the first act, Arnaz and Oppenheimer both agreed that they had found their Ethel.

Vivian was never completely happy with her role of Ethel Mertz. Although she loved the performing and the accolades she received (she won the Best Series Supporting Actress Emmy in 1953), she was distressed that her character was perceived as older, overweight and frumpy, and she hated the fact that she was "married" to much older Bill Frawley.

Vivian Vance died of bone cancer on August 17, 1979 at the age of seventy. She is remembered by TV viewers as second banana to Lucille Ball, but in the hearts of her fans worldwide, she will always be the beloved and unforgettable Ethel Louise Roberta Mae Potter Mertz.

© Excerpted from Elisabeth Edwards, Author, I Love Lucy: Celebrating 50 Years of Love and Laughter. Published by Running Press Book Publishers, Philadelphia, PA. Reprinted with permission of the Author and the Publisher.