Vivian Vance
Actor · Died August 17, 1979, aged 70 · Cherryvale, Kansas, USA
Vivian Vance (July 26, 1909 – August 17, 1979) was an American actress and singer from Kansas, best known for her role as Ethel Mertz on the American television sitcom I Love Lucy (1951–1957).
Biography from TMDB.
- July 26, 1909
- August 17, 1979 (aged 70)
- Cherryvale, Kansas, USA
- Actor
- 8 on Motif · 23 credits in all
What are Vivian Vance's films like?
Across their 8 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Society.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 0 · Earnest 5
Light 4 · Serious 0 · Dark 2
A split, not a type: Grounded 3 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 2
A split, not a type: Gentle 3 · Charged 2 · Intense 1
Steady 5 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 4
Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0
Casual 4 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 4 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 1
Resolved 5 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
Usually the Ally: 3 of 4 analyzed roles.
- Allyas Ethel Mertz in I Love Lucy (1951)
- Allyas Vivian Bagley in The Lucy Show (1962)
- Heraldas May Brodey in Getting Away from It All (1972)
- Allyas Viv in Lucy Calls the President (1977)
Moods and endings
- Happy4
- Bittersweet2
- Ambiguous1
- Cyclical1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Vivian Vance's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 8 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).
Subscription and free streaming for Vivian Vance's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
23 credits, 8 with a Motif page; 10 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
I Love Lucy Christmas Special (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2016)
Television: The First Fifty Years (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1999)
Lucy Calls the President(1977)
Motif score: 68th percentile of all films
The Great Houdinis (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1976)
Rhoda (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1974)
The Lorax(1972)
Motif score: 95th percentile of all films
Getting Away from It All(1972)
Motif score: 31st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Love, American Style (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1969)
Here's Lucy (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1968)
The Great Race(1965)
Motif score: 86th percentile of all films
The Lucy Show(1962)
Motif score: 60th percentile of all shows
Password (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1961)
The Deputy (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1959)
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1958)
The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1957)
The Bob Hope Chevy Show (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1956)
Motif score: 64th percentile of all films
I Love Lucy: The Movie (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1953)
The Blue Veil (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1951)
I Love Lucy(1951)
Motif score: 93rd percentile of all shows
The Secret Fury(1950)
Motif score: 61st percentile of all filmsTake a Chance (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1933)
The Patent Leather Pug (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1925)
Career shape
Star power in the 87th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 23 titles from 1925 to 2016; peak year 1965.
Film career
Peak 1965 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 2 Motif titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1951Screen debut· I Love Lucy
- 1965First film· The Great Race
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Motif score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.
How do Vivian Vance's films land?
Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 66th percentile, the median of all 6; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 57th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up3
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th1
Shape of the crowd
3 of their 8 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved2
- Crowd Pleaser3
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the acting 68/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles; fans 77, detractors 46. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Vivian Vance work with?
People who share at least 2 of Vivian Vance's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Lucille Ball shares the most, 4.
Actors
- Lucille BallShared titles: Lucy Calls the President (1977), The Lucy Show (1962), Lucy's Really Lost Moments (1956), I Love Lucy (1951)See all 4 shared titles with Lucille Ball
- Gale GordonShared titles: Lucy Calls the President (1977), The Lucy Show (1962)See all 2 shared titles with Gale Gordon
- Mary Jane CroftShared titles: Lucy Calls the President (1977), The Lucy Show (1962)See all 2 shared titles with Mary Jane Croft
- Hazel PierceShared titles: The Lucy Show (1962), I Love Lucy (1951)See all 2 shared titles with Hazel Pierce