After Bea Benaderet proved unavailable, Barbara was seriously considered for the part of "Ethel Mertz" on friend Lucille Ball's classic sitcom in 1951, two years after Barbara's husband was killed. But by this time, the depressed Barbara had developed a chronic alcohol problem. With William Frawley ("Fred Mertz"), whose fondness for the bottle was legendary, already cast, executive producer Desi Arnaz felt he couldn't take the chance of having to keep two people in line. Vivian Vance, of course, eventually got the part.
Barbara had two sons with Craig Reynolds: Dennis and John.
Pepper and Lucille Ball met early in their careers when they were both "Goldwyn Girls" and remained lifelong friends.