Ethel Mae Mertz (née Potter) (alternately Ethel Louise, Ethel May, and Ethel Roberta), played by Vivian Vance, is one of the four main fictional characters in the highly popular 1950s American television sitcom I Love Lucy. Ethel is the middle-aged landlady of the main character, Lucy Ricardo, played by Lucille Ball. Ethel was most likely born about 1905, and was raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is married to Fred Mertz, played by William Frawley, with whom she had a career in vaudeville. The two female characters are close friends, habitually scheming together; Ethel is generally the voice of reason as a counterpart to Lucy's harebrained ideas. Background Ethel was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where her father, Will Potter, owned a sweet shop and soda fountain with the slogan "You can lick our cones, but you can't beat our sodas!". Ethel went on to a career in music and acting, yet got her start at Albuquerque's Little Theater, singing her signature number "Shortnin' Bread". Although Ethel's mother is apparently alive and well during the first season, viewers never meet Mrs. Potter. A flapper in the 1920s, Ethel eloped and married Fred Mertz on May 3 in either 1933 or 1927; the length of their marriage changed during the series. Ethel worked in vaudeville with Fred before settling down and purchasing their own brownstone apartment building in New York City, containing the apartment they rent to Ricky and Lucy Ricardo, though it is stated that the building is solely in Ethel's name. Some of Ricky's shows have included Ethel and/or Fred in the production, with the effect of making Lucy determined to get in on the act. In appearance blonde and supposedly a beauty in her youth, Ethel is unsentimental yet warm, proud, and extremely loyal, with her tendency to be sharp-tongued leading to moments of hilarity. She has a fine soprano voice, among other artistic talents, but unlike Lucy, is now unambitious and content as a housewife and landlady. Somewhat lonely, she is devoted to Lucy and her family. Despite her common sense, she is often fascinated by the possibilities for excitement opened up by Lucy's mad schemes. Although continually complaining about Fred's penny-pinching and other faults, she defers to him far more than Lucy does to Ricky. Something of a gossip and an inveterate snoop, she often tries to read Lucy's mail, especially postcards, which she claims are