William Frawley, aka Fred Mertz

[Kman0072]

[SIZE=6]William Frawley[/SIZE]

AKA William Clement Frawley
Born: 26-Feb-1887
Birthplace: Burlington, IA
Died: 3-Mar-1966
Location of death: Hollywood, CA
Cause of death: Heart Failure
Remains: Buried, San Fernando Mission Cemetery, San Fernando, CA

Gender: Male
Religion: Roman Catholic
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Actor
Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Fred on I Love Lucy
Brother: Paul
Wife: Edna Louise Broedt (m. 1914, div. 1927)

Hollywood Walk of Fame 6322 Hollywood Blvd.
Risk Factors: Alcoholism

[SIZE=-2]TELEVISION[/SIZE]
I Love Lucy Fred Mertz (1951-57)
The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour Fred Mertz (1957-60)
My Three Sons Bub O'Casey (1960-65)
[SIZE=-2]FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR[/SIZE]
Safe at Home! (13-Apr-1962)
Rancho Notorious (1-Mar-1952)
Rhubarb (30-Aug-1951)
The Lemon Drop Kid (8-Mar-1951)
Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (7-Mar-1951)
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (4-Aug-1950)
Kill the Umpire (27-Apr-1950)
East Side, West Side (22-Dec-1949)
The Babe Ruth Story (6-Sep-1948)
Good Sam (1-Sep-1948)
My Wild Irish Rose (24-Dec-1947)
Down to Earth (21-Aug-1947)
Mother Wore Tights (20-Aug-1947)
I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now (23-Jul-1947)
Miracle on 34th Street (2-May-1947)
Monsieur Verdoux (11-Apr-1947)
The Virginian (17-Apr-1946)
Ziegfeld Follies (8-Apr-1946)
Lady on a Train (24-Aug-1945)
Flame of Barbary Coast (28-May-1945)
The Fighting Seabees (10-Mar-1944)
Gentleman Jim (25-Nov-1942)
Roxie Hart (20-Feb-1942)
The Bride Came C.O.D. (12-Jul-1941)
Footsteps in the Dark (8-Mar-1941)
One Night in the Tropics (30-Oct-1940)
Rose of Washington Square (5-May-1939)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (10-Feb-1939)
Something to Sing About (30-Sep-1937)
The Princess Comes Across (22-May-1936)
Desire (11-Apr-1936)
Strike Me Pink (16-Jan-1936)
The General Died at Dawn (1936)
Alibi Ike (15-Jun-1935)
Bolero (23-Feb-1934)

Does anyone else here besides me think that he MADE I Love Lucy? Well, along with Vivian Vance, of course.

He was my favorite, hands down.

[Jazbabee]

I certainly could not imagine the show without him. However, it bothers me that everything I have read about him as a person is not very flattering (drunk obnoxious asshole)

[Katie]

I liked him as an actor. This is one of those times, that I wished I didn't know so much of his personal life. He always seemed like the teddy bear type, that would have been a great grandfather.

[Cettie]

I certainly could not imagine the show without him. However, it bothers me that everything I have read about him as a person is not very flattering (drunk obnoxious asshole)

It seems that there a lot of drunk obnoxious assholes in show business, probably comes with the territory.

[xoxojessicaxoxo]

i really enjoy his work. i love fred.

[Noelle Page]

"Married 1914, div. 1927"----!!!

[lisalouver]

Wow, I knew he was old, but he really was old when he was filming I love Lucy!

[Reecy]

As a former alcoholic people make mistakes. I loved Fred. He made that show really HOT. I am so happy that Desi chose him. Lucy wanted Fred Mertz to be played by Gale Gordon but Desi put his foot down. They knew he was a drinker and Desi told Fred too slow it down with the booze for the show's sake. Lucy said but he's too old. Desi chose him anyway and the show became a HIT!

[Cathy J.]

I liked him as an actor. This is one of those times, that I wished I didn't know so much of his personal life. He always seemed like the teddy bear type, that would have been a great grandfather.

Same here. He WAS Fred Mertz..period..that was according to Lucille Ball.

About his drinking and such..well that was the way it was back then. Almost everybody drank and smoked. I think it was Readers Digest that said some time ago that back in 1953 ( when I Love Lucy was America's top TV show )..some 95% of adults smoked and almost that number drank as well. People smoked in supermarkets while shopping, kids had no problem getting a six pack at the corner market, the army gave out free smokes, even doctors I heard had cocktail parties..at the hospital..often when they are still on duty. No one cared !!!

It really was a different era.

[cachluv]

My Mom had 4 kids between 1952 and 1963. She smoked during all 4 pregnancies. Her doctor used to light her cigarettes and smoke with her during the exams!

All 4 of her kids have sinus/bronchial problems. HHhhhhmmmmmmmm...

[choff]

My mom is from Buffalo, NY. Back in the 50s she used to work at an AM&A Department Store ( Buffalo's version of Macys and Bloomingdales..no longer in business ).

Back then not only were customers allowed to smoke while they shopped but the staff were required to offer an ashtray to smoking customers and the staff offered to light their cigarettes too.

Also during their Christmas parties, AM&A's would bring in the booze for their employees to drink and quite often the store was still open and sometimes the customers were offered a drink too.

Imagine a store, any store doing that today.

And people want to know why there were so many smoking scenes on I Love Lucy and why so many of the stars of that period of time..drank like a fish. And keep in mind too that booze and cigarettes were much stronger then than they are now.

[johnny]

here is fred singing. he started as a song and dance man.
he also has a nice ad lib at the start.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xfbrSzaQOs

[Suzanne30]

here is fred singing. he started as a song and dance man.
he also has a nice ad lib at the start.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xfbrSzaQOs

Aw, I really enjoyed that clip! Thank you for posting it.

[johnny]

i thought it was kind of cool to see him get emotional.
at the end they talk about the fact that he also was the first to introduce 'nothing could be finer than to be in caroliner in the morning'
he did a nice job of 'covering' the notes he couldn't really hit anymore.

here is a funny ww2 period piece with him for war bonds
you can tell he is very comfortable onstage singing. (not PC for sure!!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OVpLEeAZSg

[Opeth32]

Sometimes knowing about your favorite actors or singers personal life can really put a damper on how people view there work. Look at how people think of Tom Cruise now. I still love the Fred Character on ILL. A mean spirited drunk or not no one else could have played Fred.

[hell0kitty]

as a child, and as an adult, i felt bill frawley took i love lucy to new heights. he was absolutely versatile, sweet when he needed to be, an old skinflint when he had to be, and he got off some great shots on ethel, as his wife lmao! what a lovely man, i don't give a hoot and a holler what he was in private life, we all have private lives, but he made my 'comfort show' aka i love lucy, a delight!

[Noelle Page]

"Comfort show"--great way to put it, it works for me that way too. And he was absolutely wonderful....but so was each and every cast member, that's the brilliance!

[mr.wanttohaveitall]

As a former alcoholic people make mistakes. I loved Fred. He made that show really HOT. I am so happy that Desi chose him. Lucy wanted Fred Mertz to be played by Gale Gordon but Desi put his foot down. They knew he was a drinker and Desi told Fred too slow it down with the booze for the show's sake. Lucy said but he's too old. Desi chose him anyway and the show became a HIT!

Gale Gordon was Lucy's first choice to play Fred Mertz but Gale couldn't accept because he was already under contract for "Our Miss Brooks". Then Bill Frawley contacted Desi/Lucy and asked to be considered. Lucy knew him from her old movie days and was happy to have him be on the show. Bill was a well known alcholic at the time so Desi said he'd hire him on the condition that his drinking NEVER interfere with his work on the show. If it did Desi said he would fire him. Bill accepted that and never drank on the days he was working on the show. On his days off he drank like a fish. I read this in "The Other Side Of Ethel Mertz" and other Lucy bios.

[mr.wanttohaveitall]

He had a nice long career but will forever be known as Fred Mertz.



RIP William Frawley

[Kman0072]

No one, and I mean NO ONE, could have played that part as well as him. He made that role his own. He and Vivian Vance were terrific together, even if they did hate each other.





-K.

[Cathy J.]

Frawley also did a few Blondie & Dagwood movies.

Blondie's Anniversary and Blondie in Society

Often overlooked but then again a lot of people on purpose do overlook those old Blondie and Dagwood flicks from the 40s.

[Jack-O-Lantern]

No one, and I mean NO ONE, could have played that part as well as him. He made that role his own. He and Vivian Vance were terrific together, even if they did hate each other.
-K.

That probably actually had something to do with the magic that came out on the screen. I LOVE Bill Frawley, he was perfection in the role. Without Fred & Ethel, there would be no "I Love Lucy," imo.
One sad thing: in many episodes it is very clear that his hands shook violently. Wonder if this was the alcoholism or if he had a neurological disorder of some kind?

[Noelle Page]

Yes, agree the tension was part of the dynamic.....but shaky hands? Hmmm, never noticed that (amazing in itself) but I do believe he liked a drink...

[norah]

That probably actually had something to do with the magic that came out on the screen. I LOVE Bill Frawley, he was perfection in the role. Without Fred & Ethel, there would be no "I Love Lucy," imo.
One sad thing: in many episodes it is very clear that his hands shook violently. Wonder if this was the alcoholism or if he had a neurological disorder of some kind?

I've always noticed that quite a bit as well. I thought maybe it was some sort of age-related issue or something. Wonder what it was.

[Jack-O-Lantern]

I've always noticed that quite a bit as well. I thought maybe it was some sort of age-related issue or something. Wonder what it was.

It seems to happen most noticeably when he's handing something to someone...and only in certain episodes. Always makes me sad when I see that...

[Katie]

I use to notice it too. I didn't know for years that he was a drunk, but I did know that he was much older than Vivian Vance.

[imogene schlogenwockle]

He was wonderful on I Love Lucy and on My Three Sons, but he was no teddy bear type. On the contrary he was a rather mean drunk.

[Danny62]

Yes, agree the tension was part of the dynamic.....but shaky hands? Hmmm, never noticed that (amazing in itself) but I do believe he liked a drink...

Sad way for him to go thru life. I think he was my favorite on the show. Even over Lucy herself.

[Daisy'sMom]

Have you ever watched Lucy when 'Fred' was talking? She looked liked she adored him.

[crazedfemale]

Smoking was the "in" thing. My mom said it was a social thing. Everyone smoked - and I mean everyone! Many television shows were sponsored by cigarette companies (including I Love Lucy, sponsored by Philip Morris). If you have ever seen the game shows they show on GSN overnight, it was almost a ritual. Lighting one's cigarette is like opening a door for someone, an act of courtesy. They give cigarettes to the contestants. I was lucky, my parents didn't smoke, and one side of my family, everyone smoked, and the other side, didn't. I always hated the stuff and I am glad I never had the desire to have the cancer stick.

Bill Frawley was one of those perfect castings in TV history. Like Don Knotts, for Barney Fife, or Carroll O'Connor for Archie Bunker. Who else could have played those roles? I Love Lucy was and is an incredible show. My favorite episode, "Hollywood at Last" was on TV land Sunday morning. Lucy meeting Bill Holden at the Brown Derby. One hilarious skit, and I have seen it tons of times!

[Morty]

Anyone else see a resemblence?

[hell0kitty]

THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE EPISODES, LUCY AND THE GANG PUT ON AN OPERETTA, AND THIS IS SUNG BY FRED:

THE INN ON THE RIVER OUT



Squire Quinn: [Spoken]

Well, what a bunch of pleasant peasants you are.

Squire Quinn:

I'm the good Squire Quinn and I want to shout
about my Inn on the River Out.

Pleasant Peasant Ladies:

You can easily see the shape Squire Quinn is in,
but wait'll you see the shape his Inn is in.

Squire Quinn:

The rooms are lovely and full of space.
There's running water in every place.

Pleasant Peasant Ladies:

Yes, there's lots of water if you can stay
long enough for a rainy day.

Squire Quinn:

Every room has a beautiful view
of sailing boats on the river blue.

Pleasant Peasant Ladies:

You can watch the boats when the wind blows,
but the Squire didn't put in windows.

Squire Quinn:

Lots of ale and stout are on my shelf
and I take a drop or two myself.

Pleasant Peasant Ladies:

A drop he says. The Squire's got the gout.
The stout makes him ail and the ale makes him stout.

Squire Quinn:

So ends my story and I think that this'll
be a good time to wet my whistle.

Squire Quinn and the Pleasant Peasant Ladies:

That's all there is and it leaves no doubt
that the Squire's in his Inn and his Inn's on the Out.

[Maruz83]

THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE EPISODES, LUCY AND THE GANG PUT ON AN OPERETTA, AND THIS IS SUNG BY FRED:

THE INN ON THE RIVER OUT



Squire Quinn: [Spoken]

Well, what a bunch of pleasant peasants you are.

Squire Quinn:

I'm the good Squire Quinn and I want to shout
about my Inn on the River Out.

Pleasant Peasant Ladies:

You can easily see the shape Squire Quinn is in,
but wait'll you see the shape his Inn is in.

Squire Quinn:

The rooms are lovely and full of space.
There's running water in every place.

Pleasant Peasant Ladies:

Yes, there's lots of water if you can stay
long enough for a rainy day.

Squire Quinn:

Every room has a beautiful view
of sailing boats on the river blue.

Pleasant Peasant Ladies:

You can watch the boats when the wind blows,
but the Squire didn't put in windows.

Squire Quinn:

Lots of ale and stout are on my shelf
and I take a drop or two myself.

Pleasant Peasant Ladies:

A drop he says. The Squire's got the gout.
The stout makes him ail and the ale makes him stout.

Squire Quinn:

So ends my story and I think that this'll
be a good time to wet my whistle.

Squire Quinn and the Pleasant Peasant Ladies:

That's all there is and it leaves no doubt
that the Squire's in his Inn and his Inn's on the Out.

Is this the epi where in the middle of the show everything gets repo'd ????

[hell0kitty]

Is this the epi where in the middle of the show everything gets repo'd ????

yep thats the one lol!

[ethelmaepotter]

Regarding the subject of alcoholism, there is such a thing as a "functioning" alcoholic. Some people can just hold their liquor better than others. If Frawley was a true alcoholic, he couldn't have controlled it even to do the show. I believe Vivian Vance was once said Frawley had a horrible time memorizing his lines. Coupled with his age and his drinking, the show's writers had to be mindful of Frawley's capabilities. He didn't always recite his lines "verbatum" but said his lines mostly as "paraphrasing". The other actors had to deal with that.

Although I can't imagine Gale Gordon playing Fred Mertz, or Bea Benaderet as Ethel Mertz. I don't think they would have been as memorable as Vance & Frawley.

[Robert Vesco]

Regarding the subject of alcoholism, there is such a thing as a "functioning" alcoholic. Some people can just hold their liquor better than others. If Frawley was a true alcoholic, he couldn't have controlled it even to do the show. I believe Vivian Vance was once said Frawley had a horrible time memorizing his lines. Coupled with his age and his drinking, the show's writers had to be mindful of Frawley's capabilities. He didn't always recite his lines "verbatum" but said his lines mostly as "paraphrasing". The other actors had to deal with that.

The work week for the actors on "I Love Lucy" was Monday through Thursday, with the first read-through on Monday morning and the final taping on Thursday night.

1. After the show was taped, Frawley would go out and get completely smashed on Thursday night, and all day Friday and Saturday.
2. When he woke up Sunday morning, he quit drinking and drank nothing all day.
3. He showed up sober as a judge and ready to work on Monday morning.
4. He stayed sober through Thursday night, then returned to step 1 and repeated this pattern each week.

He probably went on a three month continuous bender when the series went on summer break.

Frawley had a brother who was such an alcoholic that he was pretty much permanently institutionalized, so this could possibly have been genetic.

[Overtaxed]

I never quite got why Lucille Ball was so enthralled with Gale Gordon.

[Blurgle]

My Mom had 4 kids between 1952 and 1963. She smoked during all 4 pregnancies. Her doctor used to light her cigarettes and smoke with her during the exams!

All 4 of her kids have sinus/bronchial problems. HHhhhhmmmmmmmm...

True. When people say "My mom smoked and I am FINE so all this smoking during pregnancy is politically correct BULLSHIT", I always want to point out that the children who were born too sick to survive because of their mother's smoking aren't here to reply. Neither are the children miscarried - smoking is a frequent cause of miscarriage of otherwise healthy embryos.

I don't get how anyone with any brains can smoke in this day and age. Just *don't smoke*; it's not that hard. Don't buy them and you can't smoke them.

[Cathy J.]

I don't get how anyone with any brains can smoke in this day and age. Just *don't smoke*; it's not that hard. Don't buy them and you can't smoke them.

Sadly among many young people smoking is back to being "cool" again only today its not so much cigarettes they are smoking but rather cigars !!!

My husband is a manager of a Safeway and he was telling me that his store ( actually Safeway in general ) is having serious problems with kids coming into their stores trying to buy Black & Mild and Phillies Blunt Cigars.
Of course they can't stop selling them since such products are VERY popular among legal smokers between 18 and 26. Actually at his store alone Black & Mild cigars far outsell Marlboros among that age group.

And those things are far stronger than most cigarettes !!

I wonder how many of those young people will end up regretting those cigars say ten years from now?

[Sampiro]

There was some show- possibly PENN & TELLER'S BULLSH!T!, that was dedicated to psychic mediums and their claims of communicating with the other side. In this particular episode they took the channelers to the hotel lobby where William Frawley died to see if they could make contact or get any feel of what famous person died there. They made not contact or connection.

I've read that at the time of his death he was involved romantically with a dancer who was young enough to be his granddaughter. I don't know if she inherited any of his estate.

His and Vance's legendary dislike of one another seems, from what I've read, to have been mostly one sided- apparently she despised him but he, while certainly not in love with her, wasn't nearly as strong in his dislike of her. When they were offered a very hefty contract to do a spin-off of Fred & Ethel after I LOVE LUCY was cancelled (IIRC it was $50,000 each just for a pilot and then a fat contract if it was made into a series) he was all for it, while Vance refused flat-out; she said no amount of money could make her work with him again. I'm not sure if he was such a terrible person or if she was that neurotic in her hatred of him (she definitely had some mental hangups).

I think Fred and Ethel may have been the first couple on TV to make jokes about their sex life, though very very subtextually. There was one episode, for example, where Fred and Ricky both thought their wives were pregnant (erroneously- this was before Little Ricky) and when it was revealed what the boys thought Ethel said something to the effect of "Are you out of your mind Fred!?", and the audience roared. She spoke the line in a Helen Roper to Stanley Roper "our water bed is the Dead Sea" deadpan that let you know why it was an insane notion she was expecting.

[ethelmaepotter]

I never quite got why Lucille Ball was so enthralled with Gale Gordon.

I never understood her infatuation with him either. Before he became a regular on "The Lucy Show" in 1963, Lucy had worked with him two decades earlier on radio. She liked him and Bea Benaderet, a very underrated character actress, very much. However, after Vivian Vance left "The Lucy Show" in 1965, and it became Lucy and Gordon, it just wasn't as funny. Mr. Mooney was just a loud, obnoxious jerk. It didn't work.

[ROBERT63]

I never understood her infatuation with him either. Before he became a regular on "The Lucy Show" in 1963, Lucy had worked with him two decades earlier on radio. She liked him and Bea Benaderet, a very underrated character actress, very much. However, after Vivian Vance left "The Lucy Show" in 1965, and it became Lucy and Gordon, it just wasn't as funny. Mr. Mooney was just a loud, obnoxious jerk. It didn't work.

when they changed The Lucy Show to Here's Lucy Gale was Harry Carter brother-n-law and boss to Lucy Carter and uncle to her kids Kim & Craig Carter [played by Lucy's real life kids Lucie Arnaz & Desi Arnaz JR] i think Gale was in Lucy's last short lived sitcom Life With Lucy i never saw that show.

[Chevyheaven]

Fred rocked! Your missed buddy!! Keep em laughin in heaven.

[Lynn]

As Sampiro alludes, there was a bit of a scandal with Frawley's will. He was very close to a far younger actress, Patricia Barry, who had guest starred on "My Three Sons," and he left her the bulk of his estate. At the time, Frawley had two elderly brothers living in a nursing home who could have used the money, and there may have been a lawsuit about it.

[More Cheese Please]

Good thread with some great information. I looked around for details on the final outcome and disposition of his will but found nothing. Anybody else have info? Did Patricia Barry indeed wind up with the bulk of the estate? Is this the same Patricia Barry?

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0058117/

Upon his death Lucy made the following statement... "I've lost one of my dearest friends and show business has lost one of the greatest character actors of all time. Those of us who knew him and loved him will miss him."

I adore "Fred Mertz" and no one, but no one, could've been Fred but Bill Frawley.

[Jod6cindy]

What a cantankerous old curmudgeon Frawley was. I heard he treated Viv like dirt.

Loved the way Fred Mertz used to wear his pants jacked up to just under his chin! He had a real "Beer Barrel Belly"! LOL

[coconn04]

Frawley was 64 years old when he joined 'I Love Lucy"

Bill Frawley telephoned Lucy personally asking her if there was a role for him on her new show.
Lucy, who had only briefly known Frawley from her days at RKO, suggested him to both Desi and CBS.

CBS balked at the idea of Frawley, fearing that his excessive drinking, which was well known in Hollywood, would interfere with him doing a live show.

Desi nonetheless liked Frawley who seemed to personify the character, which had been retailored as less financial successful and more curmudgeony in contrast to Gale Gordon's Mr. Atterbury.

CBS relented only after Desi contractually bound Frawley to complete sobriety during the production of the show. Not once during Lucy's nine seasons did Frawley's drinking ever interfere with his performance.

[BiloxiBelle]

That probably actually had something to do with the magic that came out on the screen. I LOVE Bill Frawley, he was perfection in the role. Without Fred & Ethel, there would be no "I Love Lucy," imo.
One sad thing: in many episodes it is very clear that his hands shook violently. Wonder if this was the alcoholism or if he had a neurological disorder of some kind?

I noticed the hand shaking too. It seemed more pronounced when they were filming the Hollywood shows. He also seemed to keep his hands in his pockets a lot. I still watch I Love Lucy every chance I get.

[unihikid]

i thought i was the only one who noticed that,i never mentioned that to anyone because i didnt want them saying you watch too much tv

[Pegasus]

Enjoyed reading about good ol' Fred , once again. Remembered getting interested in Bill Frawley about 3 , 4 years age . Looked up a bunch of stuff on him. True , Bill Frawley and Vivian Vance didn't get along . I think it was more Viv than Bill. I remember reading a while back that when the show was first being put together , Viv was under the impression that Frawley was to play her father . ( 22 years older) She was not happy and angry that he wound up being cast as her husband. So, maybe this is where it all started from. Bill was a drinker , was crude and had a fowl mouth on him . He probably needled her on when ever she got her brissles up about something. At the end of ' I Love Lucy ' , there was talk of a spin-off . Just Fred and Ethel . Now , spin-offs are mostly unsuccessful . Characters that are strong together in a series are too weak individually to carry a show . I would think that this would be one spin-off that would have been very successful. Smellin' big bucks , Bill was all for it but Viv would have none of it. To bad they didn't have a good off-screen relationship . What a great show they could have made. Don't know what it was but they had a great screen presence together as man and wife inspite of the age difference , it worked. Frawley was a big baseball fan and the New York Yankees was his team. I am only thinking this but as a reward for his honoring his pledge to not let alcohol interfer with his work on the show he was allowed to have in his contract , that whenever the Yankees were in the World Series , he would be allowed to attend the games. It's a nice thought though. Loved old Bill Frawley , but he was no teddybear. Buried in Mission Cemetary in San Fern. Calif. very close to his brother and sister.