Vivian Vance said that young actors were ''embarrassed'' by comedy

"They want to 'toss' the lines away!"

February 26, 2025, 3:50PM By MeTV Staff

CBS Television Distribution

The saying goes that you can bring a horse to water, but you can't make them drink. You can help someone as much as you possibly can, but you can't do anything for them.

In the sphere of physical comedy, Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance were unmatched. Together, they were Lucy and Ethel of I Love Lucy, one of the finest comedic duos on television.

According to an interview with The Buffalo News, Vance and Bal once decided to use their comedic powers for good and teach an acting class to a group of young professionals.

Shockingly, Vance revealed that of their students, many of them had a greater interest in self-preservation than in any sort of good humor.

"We were astounded by the lack of interest young actors have in comedy," said Vance. "Comedy embarrasses them. It's beneath them. Like one fellow said, 'You want me to overplay everything, like you do on TV?' They want to 'toss' the lines away! You can't toss a line away until you can overplay it."

However, working in the industry taught Vance and Ball how to persevere. "We put 'em on their feet," said Vance. "They were all sitting there taking a lot of notes. I told 'em, 'You can't get through a producer's door taking notes.' We put 'em on their feet!"

No matter her age, Vance stayed determined and eager.

"I could have given into laziness easily," said the actor. "All I had to push me along was work. My drive just hasn't been as great as a lot of people's. I'd always rather have stayed home and read a book or mended the curtains or fixed the flowers."