Lucy and her friend Mary Wickes

A great picture of Lucy, Viv Vance, Mary Wickes, Mary Jane Croft, Hazel Pierce, and Carole Cook in an episode of The Lucy Show.

Mary Wickes was a veteran character actress and comedienne of numerous stage and film performances. Some of her most memorable rolls include:
Emma the housekeeper in the holiday classic White Christmas
Nurse Preen in The Man Who Came to Dinner
and Sister Mary Lazarus in Sister Act

but, one of my favorite roll of hers was that of Madame LeMonde, the dance instructor who attempted to teach Lucy Ricardo the basics of ballet in a first season episode of "I Love Lucy". Lucy's antics opposite Mary were hilariously memorable (I can still see her hanging off that bar up-side-down!). From that first show together, Lucy and Mary remained life-long friends.

Mary's last roll was that of the voice of gargoyle Laverne in the animated feature The Hunchback of Notre Dame. She completed taping only 3 days before she died, with over 50 years of acting under her belt. We miss her, but happily have her wonderful legacy to remember her by.