tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10862718.post1623003446725500797..comments2023-10-29T01:29:19.974-07:00Comments on Everything Lucy (Lucille Ball): The Very Brief Reunion of Lucy Ricardo and Fred MertzVRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13877583305982137757noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10862718.post-86723856487942819192010-03-01T03:26:13.417-07:002010-03-01T03:26:13.417-07:00I don't think it's entirely accurate that ...I don't think it's entirely accurate that you characterize Frawley as being "fired." The producers wanted desperately to keep him on the show, but because he was in such a bad physical state, he could not pass the insurance exam. The Doctor on the lot was known to pass anybody who had a pulse, and told Producer John Stephens that Frawley should have been dead a year before. Still, they desperately wanted Frawley, as he was a big star at the time, so they gambled on letting him do half of the next season (a huge risk, considering he could drop dead at anytime) and finally found a suitable replacement in William Demerest. While Frawley wasn't pleased, it certainly shouldn't be characterized as "fired." Perhaps "written off the show," or "left the show due to health reasons." <br /><br />Frawley felt a great affection for the cast and crew of My Three Sons. He often treated the boys as his own children that he never had. Buying them nice gifts, taking them to ball games and being essentially a grandfather. However after being replaced, he was understandably upset, after having put so many years into a show that he loved with people whom he cared about. <br /><br />It didn't help that he never got along with Bill Demerest, even from their early years in films together. So he often visited the set and gave "critiques" about how inferior he thought Demerest's performance was. Alas he was asked to please keep quiet during filming and rehearsals, or not return to the set. He chose the latter. <br /><br />Shortly after this, he had prostate surgery, and required a male nurse to accompany him everywhere he went. Even so, he shot a great guest spot on "I've Got a Secret" and the cameo on "The Lucy Show." On March 3, 1966, he saw a movie on Hollywood Boulevard (Inside Daisy Clover). After leaving the theatre, he was politely signing autographs to fans and had begun to continue walking where he collapsed at the Hollywood/Ivar intersection. His male nurse dragged him to the nearby Knickerbocker Hotel (where'd he'd lived for almost 30 years, but had recently moved out of), where he was laid on a couch to wait for help. <br /><br />Unfortunately, by the time he arrived at the Hollywood Receiving Hospital on nearby Wilcox, he was dead.<br /><br />Fred MacMurray and the Executive Producer of My Three Sons, Don Fedderson (in addition to Desi Arnaz), were among his pallbearers. He kept great relationships until the end.Justinnoreply@blogger.com