Ethel Mertz was born in Albequerque and was born under the sign of Leo. Although Ethel claimed she was a very popular young girl, she managed to get into a distasteful relationship and marriage with Fred Mertz.
   During the show, Ethel had many different middle last names (these were obviously bloopers). Ethel Mae Potter became her official full name in "Ethel's Hometown".
   To the Ricardo's, Ethel was a lovable, friendly and down to earth friend and landlady, however, her relationship with Fred was usually despicable, as he made fun of her 'overweight' condition and older age.

   Ethel is majorly focused on in the episode "Ethel's Hometown". The gang stops in Albequerque on the way to New York and she deliberately tells her father that she is the one who is going to Hollywood.
   Ricky and Lucy (including Fred) are astonished as Ethel is treated like a queen in her hometown. The photo to the right was shown in this episode, as it was supposed to be Ethel as a teenager. Meanwhile, it was really Vivian Vance, too.

Ethel's Worst Faults:
- Ethel had a very big mouth. The gang could never trust her to keep a secret because she always let the cat out of the bag, even without meaning to.
- Ethel always nagged Fred until he got so frustrated that he developed an immunity to her. However, we don't blame Ethel for nagging Fred sometimes…
- Ethel likes to eat - a lot. Fred once complained that she ate like a horse, which got her pretty upset. Ethel was always hungry and never turned down an offer to have a snack or a meal.

Ethel's Good Side:
- Ethel was a great and friendly neighbour.
- She was not cheap like her husband, Fred.
- She always helped Lucy with her crazy schemes.
- Ethel was an outstanding performer.