William Frawley
Born: 1887-02-25 in Burlington, Iowa, USA
Died: 1966-03-03
Known For: Acting
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.
Filmography
2016
- I Love Lucy Christmas Special as Fred Mertz
2000
- Lucille Ball: Finding Lucy as Self (archive footage)
1962
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as Self
- The Lucy Show as Trainer
- Safe at Home! as Bill Turner
1960
- My Three Sons as Bub O'Casey
1957
- The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour as Fred Mertz
1956
- The Gale Storm Show as Jim Comstock
- Lucy's Really Lost Moments as Fred Mertz
1954
1953
- Letter to Loretta as Sam
- I Love Lucy: The Movie as Fred Mertz
1952
- This Is Your Life as Self
- Rancho Notorious as Baldy Gunder
1951
- I Love Lucy as Fred Mertz
- The Lemon Drop Kid as Gloomy Willie
- Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man as Det. Roberts
- Rhubarb as Len Sickles
1950
- The Bob Hope Show as Self
- Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye as Byers
- Kill the Umpire as Jimmy O'Brien
- Blondie's Hero as Marty Greer
- Pretty Baby as Corcoran
1949
- Red Light as Hotel Night Clerk
- The Lady Takes a Sailor as Oliver Harker
- Home in San Antone as O'Fleery
- East Side, West Side as Bill the Bartender
- Chicken Every Sunday as George Kirby
- The Lone Wolf and His Lady as Inspector Crane
- The Ed Wynn Show as Self
1948
- The Ed Sullivan Show as Self
- Good Sam as Tom
- Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven as Agent
- The Babe Ruth Story as Jack Dunn
- The Girl from Manhattan as Mr. Bernouti
- Joe Palooka in Winner Take All as Knobby Walsh
1947
- Miracle on 34th Street as Charlie Halloran
- Monsieur Verdoux as Jean La Salle
- My Wild Irish Rose as William Scanlon
- Mother Wore Tights as Mr. Schneider
- Down to Earth as Police Lieutenant
- Blondie's Anniversary as Sharkey the Loen Shark
- I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now as Jim Mason
1946
- The Virginian as Honey Wiggen
- Rendezvous with Annie as General Trent
- The Inner Circle as Det. Lt. Webb
- Crime Doctor's Man Hunt as Police Inspector Harry B. Manning
1945
- Lady on a Train as Desk Sgt. Brennan
- Flame of Barbary Coast as Wolf Wylie
- Ziegfeld Follies as Martin (segment "A Sweepstakes Ticket")
- Hitchhike to Happiness as Sandy Hill
1944
- Going My Way as Max Dolan, Publisher (uncredited)
- The Fighting Seabees as Eddie Powers
- Lake Placid Serenade as Jiggers
1943
- Whistling in Brooklyn as Detective Ramsey
- Larceny with Music as Mike Simms
- We've Never Been Licked as Traveling Salesman
1942
- Gentleman Jim as Billy Delaney
- Wildcat as Oliver Westbrook
- Roxie Hart as O'Malley
- Treat 'Em Rough as 'Hotfoot'
- Give Out, Sisters as Harrison
- It Happened in Flatbush as Sam Sloan
- The Yankee Doodler
- Moonlight in Havana as Barney Crane
1941
- Cracked Nuts as James Mitchell
- The Bride Came C.O.D. as Sheriff McGee
- Gangs Of The City as Bang
- Blondie in Society as Waldo Pincus
- Footsteps in the Dark as Det. 'Hoppy' Hopkins
- Six Lessons From Madame La Zonga as Chauncey Beheegan
1940
- Golden Gloves as Emory Balzar
- One Night in the Tropics as Roscoe
- The Farmer's Daughter as Scoop Trimble
- Rhythm on the River as Mr. Westlake
- Sandy Gets Her Man as Police Chief J. A. O'Hara
- Those Were the Days! as Prisoner
- Dancing on a Dime as Mac
- Opened by Mistake as Matt Kingsley
- Untamed as Les Woodbury
- The Quarterback as Coach
1939
- Ambush as Inspector J.L. Weber
- Night Work as Bruiser Brown
- Ex-Champ as Mushy Harrington
- St. Louis Blues as Major Martingale
- Grand Jury Secrets as Bright Eyes
- Persons in Hiding as Alec Inglis
- Rose of Washington Square as Harry Long
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as The 'Duke'
- Stop, Look and Love as Joe Haller
1938
- Professor Beware as Snoop Donlan
- Touchdown, Army as Jack Heffernan
- Mad About Music as Dusty Turner
- Sons of the Legion as Uncle Willie Lee
1937
- Blossoms On Broadway as Francis X. Rush
- Something to Sing About as Hank Mayers
- Double or Nothing as John Pederson
- High, Wide and Handsome as Mac
1936
- Desire as Mr. Gibson
- F-Man as Detective Rogan
- The Princess Comes Across as Benton
- Strike Me Pink as Mr. Copple
- The General Died at Dawn as Brighton
- Three Married Men as Bill Mullins
- Rose Bowl as 'Soapy' Moreland
1935
- Beautiful Dreamer
- Harmony Lane as Edwin P. 'Ed' Christy
- Car 99 as Training Sgt. Barrel
- Ship Cafe as Briney O'Brien
- Roberta as Bartender (uncredited)
- Welcome Home as Painless
- It's a Great Life as Lt. McNulty
- College Scandal as Chief of Police Magoun
- Hold 'Em Yale as Sunshine Joe
- Alibi Ike as Cap
1934
- Bolero as Mike DeBaere
- Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen as Captain Murphy
- Here Is My Heart as James Smith
- The Lemon Drop Kid as William Dunhill aka The Professor
- Shoot the Works as Larry Hale
- The Crime Doctor as Fraser
- The Witching Hour as Jury Foreman
1933
- Moonlight and Pretzels as Mac
- Hell and High Water as Milton J. Bunsey
1927
- Ventriloquist as 'Hoak' salesman
1925
- Should Husbands Be Watched? as Beat Cop