Vance got her career-changing break in 1951. She was offered the role of Ethel Mertz in I Love Lucy after Desi Arnaz discovered her when he saw her performing in the play, The Voice of the Turtle.

I Love Lucy made its historic debut on television in 1951. The show, the brainchild of Ball and a group of writers and collaborators, was a long time in the making.

It didn’t start out that way. Desi Arnaz first saw Vivian in a play at the La Jolla Summer Playhouse with I Love Lucy ’s producer and director in 1950 just as they were casting Ethel.

Paige Peterson grew close to Vance after the actress rented her mother's home in Belvedere, and speaks to PEOPLE about "the ...

Watching the "I Love Lucy' gang -- Lucy, Ethel, Ricky and Fred -- remains a favorite pastime. (Meunierd/Bigstock) It was the early ’70s when I sat with Grandma to watch “I Love Lucy.” We’d sit on the ...

There is no question that Vivian Vance is an icon of classic television, and that's largely because of her role of Ethel Mertz besides Lucille Ball's Lucy Ricardo on I Love Lucy. Yet as beloved as ...

The Freezer Season 1 Episode 29 When Lucy and Ethel decide to make some money by buying a walk-in freezer, they mistakenly purchase two sides of beef, 700 pounds. To get rid of the meat before ...

I’ve got to say that William Frawley was not what I expected from Fred. J.K. Simmons: As Nina said, we all had plenty of footage of I Love Lucy to watch.

I Love Lucy influenced all of TV, even a modern millennial hit like Broad City. For Lucille Ball's birthday, here's how the show predicted Abbi and Ilana's adventures.

LIFESTYLE 'I Love Lucy' turns 70: Fans can celebrate by traveling here Tour Lucille Ball’s hometown of Jamestown, in southwestern New York, where the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum is located ...