Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Hometown Manager Has Eyes For New Owner in “It Happened in Flatbush,” With William Frawley


Lloyd Nolan and Carole Landis star in this vintage baseball romantic comedy, also featuring a future legend of the early TV era.

by Rich Watson

This post is part of what’s known as a blogathon. That’s when a bunch of bloggers gather to write about a given topic. This one is called “The What a Character Blogathon,” devoted to supporting actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood. In my previous blog I took part in it for years, and 2021 marks its tenth anniversary. At the end I’ll tell you where you can read more entries in this event.

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In 1951, William Frawley was sixty-four, a veteran of not only a hundred-plus movies, but vaudeville as well. Rumor had it, though, he was an alcoholic and difficult to work with. It seemed he was approaching the end of his career in entertainment.

Then he heard about an opportunity in the new medium of television: a sitcom about a ditzy housewife and her musician husband. The show was looking for a duo to play their neighbors, an older married couple. Frawley, eager to land the role of the husband in the older couple, called the lead actors and co-creators of the new program: Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. 

CONTINUE


10 comments:

  1. Excellent choice for your new blog and the character blogathon.

    It Happened in Flatbush lets us down on a lot of movie fronts but the next time we cross paths I will remember what you said about its Brooklyn credentials.

    Frawley was certainly worth the trouble. So glad he was cast in these roles and that he kept his word regarding I Love Lucy.

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  2. I didn’t wanna give up on blogathons. The problem was in finding the right opportunity for one.

    I liked doing this post because it permitted me to talk about the Dodgers in more depth. The Mets built CitiField practically as a tribute to Ebbets Field, and perhaps it acknowledges that era a bit more than it should, but eh. While researching this post I read an article which argued Mets fans have become Brooklyn Dodger fans in spirit.

    Frawley was great in LUCY but I could never understand what Fred and Ethel saw in each other to begin with!

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  3. I am loving the hisotry on baseball and Brooklyn here, Rich. Thanks for this! And for joining us.

    Aurora

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  4. Hi Aurora. So far, my new blog hadn’t provided many opportunities to join in a blogathon, but when I saw What a Character was celebrating its tenth I had to make an effort. I was lucky to find a subject that fit—I had no idea William Frawley made so many sports movies.

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  5. This guy fit into sports movie like a hand in glove - there's just something about him. Actually, he seemed to fit in just right no matter where he was. Such a great choice for the blogathon!

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  6. Which is unusual since Frawley wasn’t an athlete.

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  7. I loved this tribute to William Frawley, along with all the Booklyn+baseball info. He was a diehard fan, indeed, if he negotiated Time Off for playoffs in his contract.

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  8. I might’ve done the same if I was him.

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  9. This was so enjoyable! I loved the history on Brooklyn and of course, William Frawley. It's hard to imagine what the movies and I Love Lucy would have been without him. He's irreplaceable.

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  10. Thanks a lot. Come by again anytime.

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