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Vivian Vance Photos

What's in the name: Vivian Vance?

Before Television Success

I Love Lucy & Fred Mertz

Life After I Love Lucy

Everyone's favorite landlord and next door neighbor, Fred Mertz!

William Frawley

In the 1950's he would become known as Fred Mertz, to television viewers all over the world. The show lives on in re-runs and is considered a favorite to this day. Frawley will forever be remembered as the landlord to Lucy and Ricky, but prior to that, William Frawley already had a successful career under his belt.

Frawley worked in Vaudeville theatre throughout the twenties, moving to Hollywood, and signing a deal with Paramount Pictures, in the 1930's. He appeared in over 100 films, including the 1944 Oscar winner for Best Picture, Going My Way. Frawley was a character actor, and the roles he often played were those of bossy, brash types. In Going My Way, he is about to foreclose on the church, if Bing Crosby can't get the choir boys entertaining soon!

Frawley was one of the actors that frequently appeared in films, but who nobody really knew. His bulldog looks had him typecast as the cantankerous bully, often playing beat cops and heavies. He appeared with Mickey Rooney in Huckleberry Finn (1939) and as the political advisor in the classic, Miracle on 34th Street. He has worked along side some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including John Wayne, Bette Davis, Rita Hayworth and Gary Cooper.
In 1950 he contacted Lucille Ball about a part in her new TV series. He was 64 years old at the time, and Frawley was considered to be a nasty alcoholic. He was even gaining a reputation for being difficult on the set. Desi Arnez hired Frawley on the condition that if he miss one day of work, he would be fired. Frawley never did take a day off. The show was an instant success, and is still regarded as one of the best sitcoms ever.
By 1960, the series ended, and he took a role on My Three Son's. That show lasted five years. On March 3, 1966, William Frawley dropped dead of heart failure right on Hollywood Boulevard, after coming out of a movie theatre.