Do you think Lucille Ball really felt threatened by Vivian Vance?

[quote]looks

Ha.

Hell, that bitch probably felt threatened when she worked with The Three Stooges.

r2 = Lucie Arnaz

Probably not in terms of looks, but talent, stage experience, gravitas, singing ability, yes.

Based on all the stories that have come out, Lucy was apparently an insecure, envious, and jealous person.

Today, people would call her a narcissist and someone who needed to be the center of attention.

So yes, I do think she was threatened by anyone who might "steal her shine."

Lucy contractually kept VV overweight and dressed frumpy. Vivian was capable of revising lines to improve the show. The much-quoted "I have sufficient" is purely a VV addition.

When The Lucy Show went into production VV insisted on an increase of the budget for her wardrobe. She left the show because she didn't like the weekly coast-to-coast commutes.

In her autobio, Barbara Eden related two stories of working with big stars:

when she was on Ann Southern's show, that actress spent most of time grousing about the attention being paid Eden.

when Eden was on ILL, Ball herself spent time sewing sequins onto Eden's dress. That was because she thought the better Eden looked, the better the show would be.

N. o

[quote]Ball herself spent time sewing sequins onto Eden's dress.

That was just to keep Eden away from Desi.

[quote]Today, people would call her a narcissist and someone who needed to be the center of attention.

Lucille wasn't a "center of attention" type off-screen and certainly not with her peers.

I wonder if Vivian ever saw Mame

Forgot to add:

Lucy ran a theater group in Desilu. This promoted people new to the acting. One of the people there was Robert Osbourne. When the acting thing wasn't working out, Lucy suggested he become an writer. That eventually led to him becoming TCM's host.

While being Desilu's CEO, she greenlit 2 shows: Mission Impossible and Star Trek. Yes, she could be a big ego, should have quit years before she did and made a terrible mistake with Mame. But there was another side to her.

Thanks for sharing, r11 -- I never knew that

I think people want to create issues between Lucy and Viv, but I think the truth is they had a long, and sometimes complicated, relationship like most people. Lucy was talented and Viv made her better. No one was threatened.

All actors are insecure

They should not have spouses, children or friends

They don’t know how

I was very threatened, r13.

This is sweet

I wish Viv had lived longer, or at least been in good health in the 1970s.

Thank god she didn't live long enough to see Life With Lucy

R6: The contract clause about being overweight was revealed to be fiction long ago. Eden likes to make much of her very small association with Lucy via appearing on ILL. I wouldn't believe anything she said about Lucy or Sothern. No one has managed to stay in the public eye on the basis of so little from her era as Eden.

According to Lucie Arnaz, VV and Ann Sothern were the only people who could stand up to her mother. If Lucy was threatened by Viv, Vance knew it and knew how to exploit it. Vance could carry a tune and resumably could pull off drama on stage--Lucy could do neither.

R20- Lucille Ball was friends with Ethel Merman- I’m sure EM could stand up to her.

Another Lucy thread

[quote]No one has managed to stay in the public eye on the basis of so little from her era as Eden.

Pick a Brady. Or a Walton. Or a Friend.

[quote]Do you think Lucille Ball really felt threatened by Vivian Vance?

Only when salary discussions came up and Viv started carrying a switchblade.

When they started filming ILL there was no guarantee it would be the success it was and the foundation for Desilu Production's success yet to come. I have no doubt Lucy wanted all eyes on her. She did not need or want another woman sharing the spotlight. And they had to minimize the age difference between Ethel and Fred - they couldn't make WF look younger so they made VV look older.

I met Eden when she was living in Chicago. She lived in her own fantasy world and I wouldn't believe a thing she said about anyone.

Madelyn Pugh said that Lucy would do most forms of physical comedy. However, she was acutely aware that she had a nice body, and she would not do anything that she perceived made her less attractive.

R26- The episode with Fipps Department store- she walked in to the living room in a burlap dress 👗 and her hair in an 80’s FRIZZ- she looked VERY unattractive.

I said anything that she PERCEIVED looked unattractive, r27

How would Lucy have any time to be threatened by Viv, when Desi was bringing home STIs every other week.

‘Lucy Gets a Shot of Penicillin’

A Very Special Episode