William "Bill" Frawley

William Frawley was born in Burlington, Iowa on February 26, 1887. Bitten by the acting bug, the young bill used to sing at his church and play at the town opera house. As you would know from watching I Love Lucy, Bill was a vaudvillian. He toured with his brother paul, not Barney/Ted Kurtz as you would expect. They toured all over the USA and maybe even played at the Palace (The finest theater in Jamestowm, NY) .

After joining a piano band, Bill made up a comedy act with his wife Edna. It was called Frawley and Louise. They toured "the Orpheum and Keith circuits" (www.imdb.com) until they divorced in 1927.

Soon after, in the early 1930s, Bill moved to Hollywood with movie aspirations. Although he wasn't a household name until 1951, he had parts in some very famous movies. Eg: Going My Way with Bing Crosby, Miracle On 34th Street with Maureen O'Hara and Natalie Wood, and The Bride Came C.O.D. with James Cagney and Bette Davis.  But his big break came in 1951 when he "called up" Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and asked for the part of crotchedy, penny-pinching Fred Mertz in I Love Lucy. And the rest-as they say- is history.

When Lucy ended in 1960, Bill was offered a part in the highly successful program My Three Sons with Fred Macmurray. He accepted and from 1960- c.65 he played yet another crotchedy character by the name of Bub O'Casey. His job on the show was to look after the kids and clean the house. Now - in all honesty - could YOU see Fred Mertz doing that??!!

Bill retired from Hollywood in 1965 due to poor health.He collapsed on March 3, 1966 on the sidewalk near Grauman's Chinese Theater where just over a decade before, his character, Fred, watched his wife and his wacky neighbour steal John Wayne's footprints. The Lord works in mysterious ways.