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William Frawley
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 Fre…
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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.
Biography expanded
BODY OF WORK
William Frawley's Filmography
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I Love Lucy Christmas Special
as Fred Mertz
No Poster
Lucille Ball: Finding Lucy
as Self (archive footage)
Safe at Home!
as Bill Turner
Lucy's Really Lost Moments
as Fred Mertz
The Dirty Look
I Love Lucy: The Movie
as Fred Mertz / Self
Rancho Notorious
as Baldy Gunder
Rhubarb
as Len Sickles
The Lemon Drop Kid
as Gloomy Willie
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man
as Det. Roberts
Pretty Baby
as Corcoran
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
as Byers
Kill the Umpire
as Jimmy O'Brien
Blondie's Hero
as Marty Greer
East Side, West Side
as Bill the Bartender
The Lady Takes a Sailor
as Oliver Harker
Red Light
as Hotel Night Clerk
The Lone Wolf and His Lady
as Inspector Crane
Home in San Antone
as O'Fleery
Chicken Every Sunday
as George Kirby
The Girl from Manhattan
as Mr. Bernouti
Joe Palooka in Winner Take All
as Knobby Walsh
The Babe Ruth Story
as Jack Dunn
Good Sam
as Tom
Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven
as Agent
My Wild Irish Rose
as William Scanlon
Blondie's Anniversary
as Sharkey the Loen Shark
Monsieur Verdoux
as Jean La Salle
Down to Earth
as Police Lieutenant
Mother Wore Tights
as Mr. Schneider
I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now
as Jim Mason
Miracle on 34th Street
as Charlie Halloran
Crime Doctor's Man Hunt
as Police Inspector Harry B. Manning
The Inner Circle
as Det. Lt. Webb
Rendezvous with Annie
as General Trent
The Virginian
as Honey Wiggen
Ziegfeld Follies
as Martin (segment "A Sweepstakes Ticket")
Lady on a Train
as Desk Sgt. Brennan
Hitchhike to Happiness
as Sandy Hill
Flame of Barbary Coast
as Wolf Wylie
Lake Placid Serenade
as Jiggers
The Fighting Seabees
as Eddie Powers
Going My Way
as Max Dolan, Publisher (uncredited)
Whistling in Brooklyn
as Detective Ramsey
Larceny with Music
as Mike Simms
We've Never Been Licked
as Traveling Salesman
Gentleman Jim
as Billy Delaney
The Yankee Doodler
Moonlight in Havana
as Barney Crane
Wildcat
as Oliver Westbrook
Give Out, Sisters
as Harrison
It Happened in Flatbush
as Sam Sloan
Roxie Hart
as O'Malley
No Poster
Treat 'Em Rough
as 'Hotfoot'
No Poster
Gangs Of The City
as Bang
Blondie in Society
as Waldo Pincus
The Bride Came C.O.D.
as Sheriff McGee
Cracked Nuts
as James Mitchell
Footsteps in the Dark
as Det. 'Hoppy' Hopkins
Six Lessons From Madame La Zonga
as Chauncey Beheegan
One Night in the Tropics
as Roscoe
Sandy Gets Her Man
as Police Chief J. A. O'Hara
Dancing on a Dime
as Mac
The Quarterback
as Coach
Rhythm on the River
as Mr. Westlake
Golden Gloves
as Emory Balzar
Untamed
as Les Woodbury
Those Were the Days!
as Prisoner
Opened by Mistake
as Matt Kingsley
The Farmer's Daughter
as Scoop Trimble
Stop, Look and Love
as Joe Haller
Night Work
as Bruiser Brown
Grand Jury Secrets
as Bright Eyes
Ex-Champ
as Mushy Harrington
Rose of Washington Square
as Harry Long
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
as The 'Duke'
Persons in Hiding
as Alec Inglis
St. Louis Blues
as Major Martingale
Ambush
as Inspector J.L. Weber
Sons of the Legion
as Uncle Willie Lee
Touchdown, Army
as Jack Heffernan
Professor Beware
as Snoop Donlan
Mad About Music
as Dusty Turner
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
Rose Bowl
as 'Soapy' Moreland
The General Died at Dawn
as Brighton
Three Married Men
as Bill Mullins
No Poster
Three Cheers for Love
as Milton Shakespeare
The Princess Comes Across
as Benton
F-Man
as Detective Rogan
Desire
as Mr. Gibson
Strike Me Pink
as Mr. Copple
No Poster
Beautiful Dreamer
Ship Cafe
as Briney O'Brien
Harmony Lane
as Edwin P. 'Ed' Christy
It's a Great Life
as Lt. McNulty
Welcome Home
as Painless
College Scandal
as Chief of Police Magoun
Alibi Ike
as Cap
Hold 'Em Yale
as Sunshine Joe
Roberta
as Bartender (uncredited)
Car 99
as Training Sgt. Barrel
Here Is My Heart
as James Smith
The Lemon Drop Kid
as William Dunhill aka The Professor
Shoot the Works
as Larry Hale
The Witching Hour
as Jury Foreman
The Crime Doctor
as Fraser
Bolero
as Mike DeBaere
Miss Fane's Baby Is Stolen
as Captain Murphy
No Poster
Hell and High Water
as Milton J. Bunsey
Moonlight and Pretzels
as Mac
No Poster
Ventriloquist
as 'Hoak' salesman
Should Husbands Be Watched?
as Beat Cop