Ethel Mertz.html



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Ethel Mertz is a fictional character played by Vivian Vance in the 1950s American television sitcom I Love Lucy, where she was one of the four main roles. Ethel was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her maiden name was Ethel Roberta Louise Mae Potter. She was married to Fred Mertz, whose character was played by William Frawley. Ethel was Lucy's landlady, and Ethel and Lucy were always scheming though Ethel generally provided the voice of reason as a counterpart to Lucy's more hairbrained ideas.

Background

Like her tenant Ricky, Ethel had a music/acting career in vaudeville along with her husband Fred, but they settled down and bought a brownstone apartment in the late 1940s. As a result, some of Ricky's shows included one or both of them in the production, making Lucy even more determined to get into the act.

In personality, Ethel was unsentimental, warm, sharp-tongued, proud and extremely loyal. She was blonde, somewhat dumpy, and supposedly a beauty in her youth. She had a fine soprano voice and other artistic talents but unlike Lucy, had no ambitions in her forties beyond being a housewife. She was somewhat lonely and devoted to Lucy and Lucy's family. Though she constantly complained about Fred's penny-pinching and other faults, she deferred to him much more than Lucy did to Ricky. She was a bit of a gossip and an inveterate snoop, often steaming open Lucy's mail. At times she was slightly vain, as in one episode when a concert in New Mexico went to her head. On the other hand she had a much thicker skin than Lucy and was seldom insulted. Fred often made disparaging comments about Ethel that she parried without further ado.

Ethel and Lucy, despite being landlady and tenant, were the best of friends. The two would often gossip and support each other during difficult times. They went into several business ventures together, including being the proprietors of a dress shop and a restaurant. Though not uncritical of Lucy, especially when Lucy's schemes created trouble for others, Ethel would always bail her friend out. There were occasional episodes of competition between Ethel and Lucy, mostly in relation to show business. Sometimes Ethel and Lucy wanted the same part and Ethel, having actual experience, always had the edge over Lucy. This in turn would make Lucy refer to her friend's greater age and weight. Despite their spats, Ethel and Lucy always made up again by the end of the show. Lucy relied a great deal on her friend's more practical nature and calmer disposition.

Along with Lucy's husband Ricky and her own husband, Fred, Ethel travelled to many places in the United States and Europe, such as England, France, Italy and Germany.

The Ethel Mertz character is memorialized in the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center in Jamestown, New York. (See also SaveLucyDesiCenter.org.)