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William Frawley

Age: 79 (passed away Mar. 3rd, 1966)
Height: 5' 7"

Birth Place: Burlington, Iowa, USA
Born: Dec. 31st, 1969

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William Frawley's Main TV Roles

Show	Character(s)
I Love Lucy	Fred Mertz
The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour	Fred Mertz
Summer Playhouse	Cameo (4)
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse	Fred Mertz

NOTE: Complete List of Works can be found at IMDB

BIOGRAPHY:

William Frawley was born in Burlington, Iowa. As a boy he sang at St. Paul's Catholic Church and played at the Burlington Opera House. His first job was as a stenographer for the Union Pacific Railroad. He did vaudeville with his brother Paul, then joined pianist Franz Rath in an act they took to San Francisco in 1910. Four years later he formed a light comedy act with his new wife Edna Louise Broedt, "Frawley and Louise", touring the Orpheum and Keith circuits until they divorced in 1927. He next moved to Broadway and then, in 1932, to Hollywood with Paramount. By 1951, when he contacted Lucille Ball about a part in her TV show "I Love Lucy" (1951), he had performed in over 100 films. His Fred Mertz role lasted until the show ended in 1960, after which he did a five-year stint on "My Three Sons" (1960). Poor health forced his retirement. He collapsed of a heart attack on March 3, 1966, aged 79, walking along Hollywood Boulevard after seeing a movie. He is buried in San Fernando Mission Cemetery.

TRIVIA:

Both he and 'Vivian Vance' (qv) had nothing but contempt for each other during the run of _"I Love Lucy" (1951)_ (qv), which is probably what filtered into their TV characters and made them work so beautifully. The two were given the opportunity to move into their own "Fred and Ethel" spin-off once "Lucy" had run its course in 1959. Despite his animosity towards her, Frawley saw a lucrative opportunity and was quite game, but Vance nixed the idea, having no interest in ever working with Frawley again. Vance got her own series, _"Guestward Ho!" (1960)_ (qv), which failed, but went on to make sporadic appearances on 'Lucille Ball' (qv)'s sitcoms and in films throughout the 1960's. Frawley hit it big as Bub on _"My Three Sons" (1960)_ (qv).
When he died in 1966, his gross estate totaled $92,446, and his assets were on track to grow after he died. He had a residual deal for _"I Love Lucy" (1951)_ (qv), which was unique to performers of the day; he was to be paid in perpetuity. His estate and heirs were paid for decades for rerun revenues.
Is portrayed by 'John Wheeler (I)' (qv) in _Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter (1991) (TV)_ (qv)
By almost all accounts, Frawley's off-screen personality was not all that much different from his on-screen one. A notorious misanthrope, with one brief failed marriage behind him and a fondness for the bottle, he lived in the same spare bachelor apartment for most of his years in Hollywood.
He said he introduced the classic song "(Nothing Could Be Finer Than to Be in) Carolina in the Morning" in the Broadway Musical Revue "The Passing Show of 1922", which ran at the Winter Garden Theater in New York September 20 - December 2, 1922. As of this writing (May 2008), this has not been positively confirmed, as he is not listed in the Internet Broadway Database as being a cast member of that show.
Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith, pg. 168-169. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387
Never felt comfortable with the out-of-sequence filming method used on _"My Three Sons" (1960)_ (qv) after doing _"I Love Lucy" (1951)_ (qv) in sequence for years.
In 1912, he was the first person to sing the classic, 'My Melancholy Baby.' He was appearing at the Mozart Cafe in Denver, Colorado. He happened to visit a pub on Curtis Street, where he knew the proprietor. Knowing Bill was looking for a new song for his act, the proprietor directed him to the pub's back room, where George Norton and Ernie Burnett were in the process of composing 'My Melancholy Baby.' He introduced the song that very night at the Mozart Cafe. In the audience that night was writer Damon Runyan, well-known for his drinking. After he introduced the song, Runyan, drunken and maudlin, called out 'Get Frawley to sing 'Melancholy Baby'!' repeatedly throughout the rest of the evening. Bill sang many encores. The comedy staple of a drunk requesting 'My Melancholy Baby' actually has a basis in fact!.