William Frawley
Date of Birth
26 February 1887,
Burlington, Iowa, USA
Date of Death
3 March 1966, Hollywood, California, USA (heart attack)
Birth Name
William Clement Frawley
Nickname
Bill
Height
5' 7" (1.70 m)
Mini 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 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.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu>
Vivian Vance
Date of Birth
26 July 1909,
Cherryvale, Kansas, USA
Date of Death
17 August 1979, Belvedere, California, USA (breast and bone cancer)
Birth Name
Vivian Roberta Jones
Height
5' 6" (1.68 m)
Mini Biography
She was born Vivian Roberta Jones, with a brother and four sisters. After the family moved from Cherryvale to Independence, Kansas, she studied drama under Anna Ingleman and
William Inge. Their next move, to Albuquerque, New Mexico brought her to the Albuquerque Little Theatre, which provided her the money she needed to study under
Eva Le Gallienne in New York. After arriving in 1932 she had trouble finding stage work until she began a two-year stint in
Jerome Kern and
Oscar Hammerstein's "Music in the Air." She next understudied
Ethel Merman in the hit "Anything Goes." Her first starring role was as
Kay Thompson's last minute replacement in "Hooray for What!" starring
Ed Wynn. Other
Broadway costars included
Danny Kaye,
Eve Arden and
Nanette Fabray. In 1945 while starring in a touring company of "Voice of the Turtle" she had a nervous breakdown. After undergoing psychotherapy and limited movie work, she returned to the play at the La Jolla (California) Playhouse, where she was seen by
Desi Arnaz who decided she was perfect for the role of Ethel Mertz (the Arnaz' first choice,
Bea Benaderet was unavailable) in the
"I Love Lucy" (1951) television series. At first she didn't want the part (too frumpy), and she always hated being cast as the wife of
William Frawley (she was 42, he was 64; the two never got along). Frawley, an alcoholic and then on the professional skids, had actively campaigned for the role of Fred Mertz after learning that
Gale Gordon was also unavailable. The runaway success of the series forced the two to work together, but their scenes often barely mask their mutual dislike. After
"I Love Lucy" (1951) ended she divorced her third husband, married again, and moved to Stamford, Connecticut. In 1962, she began work on a different show,
"The Lucy Show" (1962), but the pressures of long-distance commuting didn't suit her, so after three years she limited her herself to guest appearances. In 1974, she and her husband moved to Belvedere (just north of Francisco Bay) so she could be near her sister. Five years later she died there, of cancer.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu>
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