William Frawley

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William Clement Frawley (February 26, 1887 – March 3, 1966) was an American stage entertainer and television actor best known for playing landlord Fred Mertz in the American television sitcom I Love Lucy and Bub, which was a television comedy film starring George Mertz. Frawley and his wife, Edna Louise Broedt, began their careers in vaindeville in 1914.

The comedy troupe, "Frawley and Louise," continued until their separation in 1927.

Frawley appeared on Broadway several times and then joined Paramount Studios in 1916 to appear in silent films.

Over 35 years, he appeared in more than 100 films.

Early life

Frawley was born in Burlington, Iowa, as the second son of four children of Michael A. Frawley (1857–1907) and Mary E. Frawley (1859–1921). He attended Catholic schools and performed in the choir at St. Paul's Catholic Church. As he grew older, he took part in small theater performances at the Burlington Opera House and appeared in amateur shows, but his mother, a deeply religious woman, discouraged such participation.

Frawley's first job was as a stenographer in an Omaha, Nebraska, Union Pacific Railroad's office. Two years later, he found work as a court reporter in Chicago, and—against his mother's hopes—he earned a singing role in a musical comedy, The Flirting Princess. He moved to St. Louis, Missouri, to work for another railroad company to appease his mother.

He wished to be a professional entertainer as well as being unfull in that career. He and his brother Paul (1889–1973) formed a vain act, but Paul's mother told him six months later that they had to return to Iowa. During the meantime, William wrote a script titled Fun in a Vainville Agency and sold it for over $500.

Frawley, a scriptwriter, wanted to go west, settling in Denver, where he was hired as a singer at a café and collaborated with pianist Franz Rath. "A Man, a Piano, and a Nut" was the pair's show in San Francisco shortly after. Frawley performed and helped popularize the songs "My Mammy," "My Melancholy Baby," and "Carolina in the Morning" during his vaindeville stint. Bill Frawley Sings the Old Ones, a man from 1958, recorded a collection of his old stage hits on an album.

Personal life

Edna Louis Bloedt, a 1914 vaudevillian, married Frawley. They produced "Frawley and Louise," an act that they produced all over the country. Their performance was described as "light comedy, with singing, dancing, and patter." In 1921, the couple were divorced (later divorcing in 1927). They had no children at the time. Paul Frawley (1889–1973), his brother, was also an actor on Broadway but with limited success in motion pictures.

Frawley had a reputation for being both cantankerous and difficult, which was likely exacerbated by a drinking disorder. He was banned from Broadway's That's My Baby for punching actor Clifton Webb in the nose in 1928.

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Early career

Frawley's debut in the Broadway theater was the first time they appeared in a Broadway theater. Merry, Merry, Merry was his first musical performance in 1925. In 1932, playing press agent Owen O'Malley appeared in the original production of Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur's Twentieth Century. He continued to perform at various theatres until 1933.

He had appeared in two short subject silent films in 1916. He appeared in three more films before deciding not to pursue a cinematic career until 1933, when he appeared in some short comedies and the feature film Moonlight and Pretzels (Universal Studios, 1933). He then moved to Los Angeles, where he signed a seven-year deal with Paramount Pictures.

He performed in comedies, dramas, films, Westerns, and romances, with some actors playing him. He appeared in Miracle on 34th Street (1947) as Judge Harper's political advisor, who warns his client in advance of the repercussions if there is no Santa Clause. In Joe E. Brown's Alibi Ike (1935), the wedding host in Charlie Chaplin's Monsieur Verdoux (1947), and a hard-nosed insurance investigator in My Home in San Antone with Roy Acuff and Lloyd Corrigan were two of his other notable film roles.

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