Facts About William Frawley
The friction between the Fred and Ethel Mertz was real.
I’ve mentioned before that when I was a kid I liked to watch “I Love Lucy.” One reason was I like the Fred Mertz character. Even as a kid, I thought Fred was funny. I’ve learned a little bit more about the man who played Fred, William Frawley.
Not all I found out about William was flattening, but some of the things Frawley did were things I could relate to. So, here are some things you might not have known about William Frawley.
1: Frawley had a long and successful acting career despite having an unpleasant personality and a drinking problem.
It seems that Frawley wasn’t just a mean drunk. He was also a mean sober. Does that mean drinking didn’t affect him?
2: Lucille Ball and Dezi Arnaz were leery about having Frawley join the cast of “I Love Lucy.”
Arnaz was direct with Frawley. He said Frawley’s first misstep would be tolerated. The second would result in a severe reprimand. His third mishap would get him fire. Dezi had his own three strikes and you're out program.
