VIVIAN VANCE TIMELINE: July 26, 1909 - Vivian Vance born into a family of 4 sisters and a brother (sisters named Venus, Maxine, and Dorothy) She would be 91 in 2000. October 6, 1928 - Marries Joseph Shearer Danneck, Jr. 193? - Working at same supper club (Vogue Club) as Delores Hope in Manhattan. April 21, 1931 - Divorces Danneck January 6, 1933 - Marries George Koch November 22, 1934 - In play "Anything Goes" on Broadway with Ethel Merman October 30, 1936 - In play "Red, Hot & Blue" (with Bob Hope, Ethel Merman) December 2, 1937 - In play "Hooray for What" January 14, 1939 - In "Kiss the Boys Goodbye" at the Erlanger Theatre, Buffalo, NY October 12, 1939 - In play "Skylark" May 6, 1940 - In play "Out from Under" June 9, 1940 - Member of workroom committee of American Theater Wing War Service July 1940 - Divorces Koch August 12, 1941 - marries Phil Ober October 29, 1941 - Vivian Vance on Broadway with Danny Kaye and Eve Arden in "Let's Face It" 1945 - Vivian Vance suffers nervous breakdown February 4, 1947 - In play "It Takes Two" December 27, 1947 - In play "Cradle Will Rock" February 21, 1950 - Movie, "Secret Fury" 1951 - Movie, "The Blue Veil" July 28, 1951 - Vivian Vance "discovered" to be Ethel Mertz while performing "Voice of the Turtle" in San Francisco (with Diana Lynn, Mel Ferrer) September 3, 1951 - Vivian Vance meets Lucille Ball for the first time October 15, 1951 to April 1, 1960 - I Love Lucy as Ethel Mertz November 12, 1951 - Vivian Vance's husband, Phil Ober, appears on ILL ep "The Quiz Show" as Lucy's long lost "husband" February 5, 1953 - Won Emmy for best supporting actress February 11, 1954 - Vivian Vance wins an Emmy for her portrayal of Ethel Mertz May 4, 1954 - on Milton Berle Show October 3, 1954 - guest on Toast of the Town March 21, 1955 - Phil Ober appears as Dore Schary in "Don Juan is Shelved" on ILL May 12, 1955 - "Shower of Stars", episode `High Pitch' May 1955 - McCall's magazine article: "I Don't Run Away Anymore" 1959 - Appeared on "I've Got A Secret" 1959 - On "Arthur Murray Party NBC 1959" March 30, 1959 - Vivian Vance is sued for divorce by Phil Ober April 24, 1950 - Divorce is final from Ober December 12, 1959 - "The Deputy", episode `Land Greed' 1960's - appeared on "Jack Paar Show" "Candid Camera" 1960 - "Red Skelton Show: Applyby's predictions" CBS 1960 - "Red Skelton Show: Applyby's Fallout shelter" CBS 1961 - "Candid Camera" 1961 - "Red Skelton Show: Applyby's Sleepwalk" CBS January 16, 1961 - Vivian Vance marries John Dodds (a publisher) October 1961 - On "I've Got a Secret" (her secret was she wanted to try out a new word game (Password) on the panel. (She mentioned how happily married she was on the air, after trying to give the clue for the word "henpecked".) 1962 - "Candid Camera" CBS 1962 - "Jack Paar" NBC 1962 - "Red Skelton Show - Iceman Cometh" CBS 1962 September 24, 1964 - Password (Lucy & Gary Morton/Vivian Vance & Peter Lawford compete 1965 - Movie, "The Great Race" October 1, 1962 - "The Lucy Show" (Vivian Bagley) to April 12, 1965 July 1, 1965 - versus Jim Backus on Password 1965 - "ABC Nightlife" 1965 1965 - "Mike Douglas Show" Nov. 8, 1965 - "The Match Game" 1966 - "I've Got A Secret" 1966 - Viv's ex (Phil Ober) is seen as Mr. Simmons in `The Ghost and Mr. Chicken' January 9, 1967 - Guest appearance on The Lucy Show (Viv Visits Lucy) 1968 - Dick Cavett ABC January 1, 1968 - Lucy and Viv Reminisce (guest appearance) February 26, 1968 - Lucy and the Lost Star (guest appearance) (w/Joan Crawford) December 16, 1968 - Here's Lucy "Lucy the Matchmaker" (guest) May 14, 1969 - In play "My Daughter Your Son" December 29, 1969 - Love American Style (Love and the Medium) (ABC) Viv portrayed fake medium "Madame Zygmundt" (w/George Gobel) January 19, 1970 - Here's Lucy "Lucy and Lawrence Welk" (guest) January 26, 1970 - Here's Lucy "Lucy and Vivian Vance" (guest) January 31, 1970 - "The Front Page" (special)(Mrs. Grant) 1970's - Maxwell House Coffee lady, Maxine April 9, 1970 - Appears as a guest on The Mike Douglas Show May 22, 1970 - The Mike Douglas Show (guest) February 15, 1971 - Here's Lucy part 1 "Lucy Goes Hawaiian" (guest) February 22, 1971 - "Lucy Goes Hawaiian" part 2 January 18, 1972 - TV movie, "Getting Away from it All" February 14, 1972 - "With Viv as a Friend, Who Needs an Enemy?" Here's Lucy (guest) April 29, 1975 - "Dinah" appearance with Lucy November 24, 1975 - Rhoda - "Rhoda's New Neighbor" CBS ("Friends and Mothers") [Rhoda's Mom is jealous of Rhoda's friendship with Vivian's character Maggie Cummings.] June 21, 1976 - "Rhoda--Friends and Mothers" is repeated. October 8, 1976 - TV movie, "The Great Houdinis" ABC, as Minnie November 28, 1976 - CBS Salutes Lucy--the first 25 Years special November 14, 1977 - on "Over Easy" November 21, 1977 - Vivian Vance's last tv appearance with Lucy "A Lucille Ball Comedy Special" CBS April 18, 1978 - "Sam" (tv series) CBS February 17, 1979 - Saturday Night Live sketch "Twilight Zone"-- Jane Curtin may be "Ethel" in this (needs confirmed) August 17, 1979 - Vivian Vance dies (cancer) Reportedly she was cremated and her ashes scattered at sea September 13, 1982 - Phil Ober (Viv's ex) dies March 2, 1987 - "Kate & Allie" do a spoof of Lucy & Ethel August, 1989 - Excerpts from Vivian Vance's unpublished memoirs are published in National Enquirer September, 1989 - More excerpts are published in National Enquirer 1992 - Vivian Vance gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (location: in front of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on the south side of Hollywood Blvd. between Sycamore Street and Orange Drive) May 13, 1996 - "Ethel Mertz" is remembered in the future on Babylon 5 July 10,11,12, 1998 - "The Other Side of Ethel Mertz" may debut at Lucy convention October 1998 - Vivian Vance biography "The Other Side of Ethel Mertz" to be published. Additions? Need date of Saturday Night Live when Jane Curtin did Ethel Mertz/Vivian Vance. Updated 8/10/05