"I know that voice" I said to myself when I heard him speak. Sure enough, it was William Frawley, who was later immortalized as Fred Mertz on the "I Love Lucy" show and Bub on "My Three Sons".
Now I remembered watching "I Love Lucy" back when I was a kid, and I'd always liked that gruff but helpful Fred Mertz. What I didn't know back then was that by the time that show was cast in 1951, Frawley had starred in over 100 Hollywood movies, including "Flame of Barbary Coast" with Wayne.
Born in Iowa 1887, he almost never made it to the big screen as his deeply religious mother was aghast at the idea of his involvement with any type of show business. So he started out working on the Union Pacific Railroad and then moved to Chicago to become a court reporter. He landed a singing part in a musical but his mother was so upset that he moved to St.Louis and took another railroad job. That didn't last long though, and he returned to singing and acting in vaudeville shows with his brother Paul. This lasted six months before his mother found out and ordered Paul back to Iowa. But William kept on, actually making it to the big screen in two silent films in 1916 before heading to New York City and Broadway. He returned to Hollywood in 1933 and signed with Paramount, becoming a well-known character actor in many films, including "Miracle on 34th Street".
Sadly, by the end of 1950, Frawley's career as an actor was virtually over due to his chronic drinking. However he fought hard to get the part of Fred Mertz in the new show being produced by Desi Arnez and Lucille Ball, prompting a somewhat reluctant Arnez to give him the spot (since Arnez's first choice of Gabe Gordon was unavailable) over the objection of CBS executives with the warning that if he showed up drunnk or missed work more than once due to his drinking, he'd be off the show and blacklisted in Hollywood. Frawley kept his word and his drinking was never a problem, and eventually he and Arnez became very close friends. However he never did get along with Vivian Vance, the woman who played Fred's wife Ethel on the show, and the pair hated each other bitterly during the show's entire run. Frawley also had it written into his contract that he didn't have to work during the World Series if the New York Yankees were playing, such was his love of that team.
William Frawley died of a heart attack on March 3rd, 1966 while walking down Hollywood Boulevard after seeing a movie. His friend and former co-star Desi Arnez took out full-page ads in all three Hollywood trade publications featuring a picture of Frawley bordered in black, the dates of his life and death, and the caption, "Buenas Noches, Amigo!" Lucille Ball stated: "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."(However when word of Frawley's death reached Vivian Vance as she dined out with her husband, she reportedly shouted "Champagne for everybody!")
As is often the case with old movies, sometimes the co-stars can pique one's interest more than the main players, and when I saw Frawley starring in this movie with Wayne, I just had to research him a little bit more. I'm glad that I did, and hopefully someone else will find this interesting as well.
It's interesting when you learn the back story behind those so-very-familiar icons of your childhood.
ReplyDelete"Fred and Ethel Mertz hated each other for real? Who knew?"
In a similar vein, I once read somewhere that all was not peaches and cream between Andy Griffith and Frances "Aunt Bee" Bavier.
Next thing I'll probably find out that Timmy used to pull Lassie's tail until she got even by biting his scrawny ass.