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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