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- Full Name: William Clement Frawley
- Born: February 26, 1887
- Place of Birth: Burlington, Iowa
- Died: March 3, 1966 in Hollywood, California as a result of a heart attack
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William Frawley was a vaudeville stage entertainer, film and television actor. Having played character roles in over one hundred films, the majority between 1933 and 1951, Frawley achieved greater fame playing landlord Fred Mertz in the landmark television sitcom I Love Lucy.
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I Love Lucy
The original choice of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz for the character of Fred Mertz was Gale Gordon, who was unable to accept the role due to prior contractual obligations. Frawley lobbied heavily for the role, but Lucy and Desi were reluctant to consider him because of his reputation for heavy drinking. By 1951, Frawley was virtually unemployable thanks to a combination of his fondness for alcohol, and his disagreeable personality.Desi Arnaz agreed to consider Frawley, with the stipulation that if he showed up drunk for work more than once, he would not only be fired from the program but blacklisted throughout the entertainment industry. He readily agreed to this condition and never showed up drunk on the set. Arnaz became one of his very few close friends, taking out a full page ad on his death in the trade papers, consisting of Frawley's picture, edged in black, and three words: "Buenas noches, amigo!".
Frawley and Vivian Vance, shared a great comedic and musical chemistry onscreen, and nothing but mutual contempt off-screen. Part of it was the age difference of 22 years between the two, but it essentially was a clash of two strong personalities. Frawley was once heard to say: "She's one of the finest girls to come out of Kansas, but I often wish she'd go back there."
It is said that Vance and her fourth husband were dining out when they heard Frawley had died. Upon receiving the news, Vance reportedly shouted, "Champagne for everybody!".
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My Three Sons
Frawley appeared in the sitcom My Three Sons in the role of grandfather Michael Francis "Bub" O'Casey beginning in 1960. Starring Fred MacMurray, the series focused on a widower raising his three sons.Frawley was never comfortable with the out-of-sequence filming method used on the show after filming I Love Lucy in sequence. Each season's episodes were arranged so that MacMurray could shoot all of his scenes during two blocks within a total of 65 days on the set. The rest of the cast worked the remaining scenes during the remainder of the production schedule.
Poor health forced his retirement from My Three Sons after five years when the studio could no longer obtain insurance on him. He was replaced by actor William Demarest in the role of Uncle Charlie.
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William Frawley Questions
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What happened to Captain William Bligh after his crew Mutiny in Tahiti? 1 AnswerAfter the mutiny on the Bounty, Captain Bligh navigated a longboat about 3700 miles. There were 19 men on board. They landed safely on the Island of Timor. No o... read more -
How does Deron Williams style compare with John Stockton? 1 AnswerDeron Williams is quite different from John Stockton. John stockton was a pure passer who was also deadly from the outside and who was very good at steals. He w... read more
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What year was Hank Williams born? Where is Audrey Williams? 1 AnswerHank Williams was born on September 17, 1923 in Mount Olive, Alabama. Hank Williams, Jr. was born on May 26, 1949 in Shreveport, Louisiana. Hank Williams III wa... read more -
William Harvey first described what important bodily function or system? 1 AnswerWilliam Harvey was the first to describe the circulatory system. I have included a few links below with additional information. http://www.encyclopedia.com/top... read more
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William Frawley Timeline
- Note: The majority of the links in this timeline are to IMDb, which has pop-ups.
- February 26, 1887: Born
- 1916: Lord Loveland Discovers America
- 1929: Fancy That
- 1933: Hell and High Water
- 1934: The Lemon Drop Kid
- 1936: Strike Me Pink
- 1938: Professor Beware
- 1940: The Farmer's Daughter
- 1942: Gentlemen Jim
- 1949: The Lone Wolf and His Lady
- 1951: Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man
- 1951-57: I Love Lucy
- 1957-60: The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour
- 1960-65: My Three Sons
- March 3, 1966: Dies
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William Frawley DVDs and Merchandise
- eBay: William Frawley DVD's | William Frawley Memorabilia
- Amazon.com: William Frawley Movies | Memorabilia
- MovieGoods.com: William Frawley Merchandise
- Overstock.com: William Frawley DVDs
- Yahoo! Shopping: William Frawley Merchandise
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On Twitter powered by Twitter
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Four words I never want to see: "William Frawley Sex Tape."
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@ronsese Vivian Vance & William Frawley absolutely despised each other, so the mean moments between the Ethel/Fred relationship wasn't hard
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@aalgar See, William Frawley is awesome. (I agree with him on that out of sequence thing. Who does Fred MacMurray think he is?)
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@mscrav00 Also, I prefer my William Frawley in Bub form, in early My Three Sons episodes.
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"champagne for everyone!" a definitive '66 quote from vivian vance after learning of the death of costar william frawley.
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