Has there ever been a more beautiful woman than Vivian Vance in her prime?

yes, many

Of all the opportunities to include a poll with Vivian Vance as an option...

Great gams, beautiful gams?

More like USDA prime.

OP = Mary Wickes

Only Ethel Kennedy came close.

Was Mrs. O'Leary's cow not an option?

Ein Backpfeifengesicht!!

Never!

She really was very beautiful

Let me think.

No.

Thread closed.

[quote]A Gardner, G Garbo, M O'Hara, Liz, O DeHaviland . . .

... all pale in comparison!

Marsha P. Johnson

Merle Oberon

A young Deborah Kerr

The young Vanessa Regrave of the 1960s

And, fuck me, the greatest of them all: the young Julie Christie.

Vanessa Redgrave?!

Viv's eyes were interesting, and her mouth and smile were beautiful.

But there's something about the length/shape of her face (a bit... horsey?) and her nose in particular that always kept her from being truly pretty.

I wonder if she'd ever looked into rhinoplasty, which was around in Hollywood since the talkies, at least.

Now THIS is a bad angle...

I think you have the wrong Vivian.

She had a lovely bustline and a winning smile.

Viv had Bette Davis eyes.

(insert Kim Carnes sound here)

[Quote]Has there ever been a more beautiful woman than Vivian Vance in her prime?

YES.

r17 she actually had a facelift and rhinoplasty to fix the hump in her nose after her divorce from Phil Ober.

I think she knew she was no classic beauty and was also self-conscious about her appearance. That's probably why she resented the Ethel role. Also, she probably felt like shit about herself and was not inclined to do much with her appearance. She seemed to put more effort into it as she got older.

Ethel Mae Potter - we never forgot 'er!

"Beautiful" and "Vivian Vance" don't belong in the same sentence. Hell, in the same paragraph. I suppose she could have been passable if she hadn't been so clumsy and kept injuring her face by walking into doors and falling down the stairs.

Blondell wasn't too dissimilar from the type embodied by Joan and Constance Bennett, who were considered beauties in the 1930s: they had the packed but smooth tiny figures perfect for those slinky dresses, good bones, petite features, and beautiful skin.

Cagney, in his autobiography, mentioned taking note of Bennett's beautiful figure.

Blondell, however, got hard-looking and floozie-like quickly and ended up in those parts rather than the classier comedienne roles that the Bennett sisters got (although both landed some serious roles in films noir, as well).

I recently watched the 1939 version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame with Charles Laughton in one of his most memorable performances, and a young Maureen O'Hara as Esmeralda. I was blown away by how gorgeous she was, and how clearly authentic her beauty was even in black and white. She was 18, it was her first Hollywood role, and it was Laughton who brought her over.

In the mid-1940s, around the time she had her breakdown

Viv looked better with longer hair. The short styles of the 1950s did her no favors.

I don't know what it is, but there's something very off about her looks. I can't quite put my fist on it.

You certainly had no problem spending my money, r30

Viv, now you know that's not true. I've always been very frugal with money. You, more than anyone else, should know how tight-fisted I am.

Okay, I'll admit r32 made me laugh.

She aged better than Lucille, I'll give her that

^Lucille who?

Lucille Méthé, Rose

Lucille 2.

Lushille

That cunt Lucille LeSueur and her rotten peas.

Never heard of this woman and she looks average to me so I would say no.

R40 You've never heard of Vivian Vance?!

r40 needs to turn in her gay card IMMEDIATELY

Okay I just looked her up and saw she was in I Love Lucy with Lucille Ball who I do know. I'm 30 years old just for reference.

She's no Mary Wickes.

She was rather plain in high school

Who do so many people look middle aged in old high school pictures?

Here she is in her 40s, easily looking like a woman in her 50s.

She looked better a decade later, when she actually was in her 50s.

I'll say this about Vivian. She was a survivor. She learned to roll with the punches.

r48 don't you have an ash heap of history to attend to?

She could have a certain prettiness with the right camera angle and lighting but she was not a true beauty like Vivien Leigh, Elizabeth Taylor, Gene Tierney, etc.

I knew Frawley was older than Viv. But TWENTY-TWO YEARS is a bit of a surprise. He was 64, she 42 when the show began. Lucy was also 42, and Desi 34. I also knew Desi was younger than Lucy.

It's no wonder Viv felt awful about the age difference. But they did work very well onscreen. I guess stardom and big salaries eventually helped.

She looked matronly even at 42

How did Vivian Vance become a DL idol in the first place?

She was an insatiable bottom.

r53 because she had a lovely bustline and a winning smile.

r53, have you been to an oculist lately?

Why did I read r55 as "because she had a busted smile"? Oh, the tricks the eyes sometimes play.

Maybe if you'd spent more time on your acting career rather than making tasteless quips on DL, then you'd be remembered as something more than a two-bit supporting actor and wife beater, r57

r53 Vivian's last husband was the proto-DLer

While people remember Lucille and Desi fondly, Vivian has become a punchline.

Don't you have a hooker-- bought and paid for with MY MONEY -- to rough up r60?

I read Vivian's comment at r61 as "You have a great left hook." There go my eyes deceiving me again.

The very essence of beauty!

^Yeah, she was a real knockout!!!

Only DL would have a Phil Ober troll.

She was a fat whore, who didn't appreciate the sexual prowess of an older man.

I'm 60 and look 30 and I've never heard f this women either.

How can anyone post on DL for longer than 30 seconds and NOT know who Vivian Vance is?

Why weren't you arrested more r64?

gay men can't evaluate feminine beauty. she looks like one of your most hated enemies - a "T"

Because I wasn't cut out for the slammer, r69.

... or theater, film, and television, r71

I assume r70 doesn't know who Vivian Vance is either

Chic and so lovely!

Weren't we a lovely pairing? As a couple, we were unbeatable, until she found herself on a smash hit television series and decided she could blow me off.

She looks good here. Her nose doesn't seem as objectionable.

Can we give this woman a REST???????

r77, are you saying you've had sufficient?

R77 But she really did have a certain something, don't you agree?

r79 gets it

A LIFETIME OF HEARTBREAK

R81 Renowned for her loveliness, yet so few know of her bravery and resilience.

^...not to mention her clumsiness.

Don't you ever get tired of everyone hating you, r83?

[quote]Has there ever been a more beautiful woman than Vivian Vance in her prime?

There has not.

Never.

I don't know, but I DO know that she played Ethel Mertz on I Love Lucy. How many people know THAT?