
William Frawley
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.
Acting (108 movies)

Blondie in Society
1941

Blondie's Anniversary
1947

Blondie's Hero
1950

Lady on a Train
1945

The Fighting Seabees
1944

Roberta
1935

The Princess Comes Across
1936

The Lemon Drop Kid
1951

Miracle on 34th Street
1947

Red Light
1949

Welcome Home
1935

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man
1951

Flame of Barbary Coast
1945

Rancho Notorious
1952

One Night in the Tropics
1940

Rhubarb
1951

The Babe Ruth Story
1948

Gentleman Jim
1942

Rose of Washington Square
1939

Mad About Music
1938

Footsteps in the Dark
1941

The Crime Doctor
1934

Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
1950

The Inner Circle
1946

Rose Bowl
1936

Professor Beware
1938

Whistling in Brooklyn
1943

Double or Nothing
1937

Something to Sing About
1937

Roxie Hart
1942

Crime Doctor's Man Hunt
1946

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
1939

Desire
1936

The Virginian
1946

Mother Wore Tights
1947

Moonlight and Pretzels
1933

Rhythm on the River
1940

Golden Gloves
1940

Strike Me Pink
1936

The Dirty Look
1954

Alibi Ike
1935

The Lady Takes a Sailor
1949

Safe at Home!
1962

Here Is My Heart
1934

Pretty Baby
1950

The Lone Wolf and His Lady
1949

Bolero
1934

Chicken Every Sunday
1949

Blossoms On Broadway
1937

Shoot the Works
1934

Moonlight in Havana
1942

Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen
1934

Sons of the Legion
1938

The Witching Hour
1934

Three Married Men
1936

College Scandal
1935

Dancing on a Dime
1940

Car 99
1935

We've Never Been Licked
1943

Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven
1948

Hitchhike to Happiness
1945

Wildcat
1942

F-Man
1936

The Bride Came C.O.D.
1941

My Wild Irish Rose
1947

Should Husbands Be Watched?
1925

High, Wide and Handsome
1937

Cracked Nuts
1941

Down to Earth
1947

Those Were the Days!
1940

I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now
1947

Grand Jury Secrets
1939

The Farmer's Daughter
1940

Untamed
1940

Going My Way
1944

Rendezvous with Annie
1946

It's a Great Life
1935

Monsieur Verdoux
1947

It Happened in Flatbush
1942

Harmony Lane
1935

Stop, Look and Love
1939

Ambush
1939

Persons in Hiding
1939

The Quarterback
1940

Six Lessons From Madame La Zonga
1941

Give Out, Sisters
1942

Larceny with Music
1943

St. Louis Blues
1939

East Side, West Side
1949

I Love Lucy: The Movie
1953

Home in San Antone
1949

Good Sam
1948

Lake Placid Serenade
1944

Kill the Umpire
1950

The Lemon Drop Kid
1934

The General Died at Dawn
1936

Sandy Gets Her Man
1940

Lucy's Really Lost Moments
1956

The Yankee Doodler
1942

Night Work
1939
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