Meet the Mertzes: The Life Stories of I Love Lucy's Other Couple

Who didn't love the Mertzes!.......they play off the Ricardos so brilliantly. Frawley had a long career and hardly ever stopped working until his death. I remember he was living at the Knickerbocker Hotel (now a senior residence) which at one time was quite the place, even Elvis stayed there. Great writing, lots of information about two talented people. Can't be easy to work together when you don't get along but the pay was good.

This is a must-have and a must-buy for any "I Love Lucy" fan or if you simply are just a fan of Vivian Vance or William Frawley. Here is the true story of both stars in their beginnings. How they almost did not and eventually were destined to be "The Mertzes" for nine years. Here you will read Vivian Vance's and William Frawley's individual stories. Also what happened to one another after "I Love Lucy" (1951-1957)/ "The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Comedy Hour" (1957-1960) came to an end. Every movie, every television episode and work Vivian Vance did before she died is here. The same for William Frawley. Also read the story of when Lucille Ball saw Vivian Vance for the last time when Viv was sick. Also read when William Frawley worked with Lucille Ball one last time as a guest on "The Lucy Show" in 1965. Five months later he unexpectedly passed away after he collapsed (a heart attack) near Hollywood & Vine St. Note: William Frawley's son, James Frawley became a director for "The Monkees" tv series.

Watching I LOVE LUCY and THE LUCY SHOW as a kid growing up in Europe, I was naturally not aware of Hollywood hierachy. I didn't know that there were stars and then there were the Second Bananas. In fact, I thought Lucy almost too noisily American and preferred Ethel's (and later Viv's) quiet, no-nonsense approach to life. Having working in the entertainment field for years and even lived in Los Angeles on occasion, I now realize the gulf that must have existed between the stars and their jovial support. So much more welcome is this wonderful dual biography, which finally gives Vivian Vance and Bill Frawley their well-deserved due. And although they both fought personal demons (and don't we all?), what emerges from the pages of this lovingly written biography are two top-notch professionals, whose long careers stand as testaments to their versatility. Let's hear it for the Second Bananas!

I have been a fan of I Love Lucy ever since I could walk. I have read just about all the books on Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz and the show, yet very little has been written about Vivian Vance and Willaim Frawley. I liked the Vance biography that was published last year, and I also enjoyed this book, too. There is insight into Vance, her career, and what made her tick, and there was fascinating stuff on Frawley. I loved all the anecdotes about Frawley from the My Three Sons cast members. Many had me laughing out loud. I would say that if you are as big a fan of I Love Lucy as I am, you will definitely want to check out this book.

This is an informative and entertaining double biography. I've always loved Fred and Ethel-- and this book is loaded with information and anecdotes about the actors who played them. I particularly loved all the stories about Frawley. What a character!

Very little has been written about William Frawley and Vivian Vance. As a life-long I Love Lucy fan, I was anxious to read their life stories. This book offers a full-bodied, three-dimensional portrait of the pair. I was fascinated to learn about their lives pre-and post-Lucy, and I loved the book's anecdotes, especially all those involving Frawley and Vance's mutual dislike and Vance's relationship with Lucille Ball.