I Love Lucy star William Frawley crudely called his on-screen wife Vivian Vance a ‘miserable c**t’

‘I Love Lucy’ star William Frawley called his on-screen wife Vivian Vance a ‘miserable c**t’ when a fan asked what she was really like, according to the late actor’s former co-star.  

In an interview with Page Six, Tim Considine, 81, recalled how Frawley crudely insulted Vance on the set of their 1960s sitcom ‘My Three Sons’ during a visit from a lieutenant general and his adjutant. 

The actor, who played Frawley’s grandson, was in the Air Force Reserve at the time and was pleased that their lunch was a ‘great success’ — his gruff co-star hadn’t ‘said anything to put anyone off.’ 

However, Considine’s relief quickly turned to dismay when the lieutenant general asked Frawley what Vance was really like during their walk back to the studio lot.  

‘I saw it coming,’ he said. 

Frawley and Vance played Fred and Ethel Mertz on ‘I Love Lucy,’ which aired from 1951 to 1957

Considine alleged that Frawley bluntly replied: ‘That miserable c**t.’ 

Frawley and Vance played Fred and Ethel Mertz — Lucy and Ricky Ricardo’s landlords and best friends — on the beloved 1950s sitcom, which aired from 1951 to 1957. But it was well-known that they despised each other. 

Considine, 81, told Page Six that Frawley had crudely insulted Vance on the set of their 1960s sitcom ‘My Three Sons’

Gregg Oppenheimer, the son of ‘I Love Lucy’ producer and head writer, Jess Oppenheimer, wrote about their feud in his book ‘I Love Lucy: The Untold Story.’ 

According to his father’s recollection, Frawley and Vance had a fine working relationship until he overheard her make a disparaging remark about his age. 

‘Even though the entire world loved Lucy, everyone on I Love Lucy didn’t love everyone else,’ he wrote. 

‘For one thing, Vivian Vance couldn’t stomach Bill Frawley. Actually, they got along quite well at first. 

‘But before long, Viv became upset at the fact that people so readily accepted her lovely young self as the wife of “that old man,” as she called him.’

Oppenheimer said Frawley let it be known that he was hurt by Vance’s comment and found ways to exact his revenge. 

‘When Bill got wind of her complaints, he was offended, and retaliated by suggesting lines for himself that characterized Ethel as having “a figure like a sack full of doorknobs” or some other of a long list of insults,”‘ the writer explained. 

Considine, who played Frawley’s grandson on the show (far right), said a lieutenant general and his adjutant were visiting the studio lot at the time

When the lieutenant general asked Frawley (pictured in ‘My Three Sons’ in 1963) what Vance was really like, Considine said he bluntly replied: ‘That miserable c**t’

However, Desi Arnaz, who played Ricky on ‘I Love Lucy,’ wrote in his memoir, ‘A Book,’ that the feud between them was only one-sided, claiming Frawley had taken issue with Vance’s casting from the get-go

‘Where the hell did you find this b***h?’ Frawley asked, according to Arnaz. ‘She can’t sing worth a damn. … she bugs me.’

The actor also allegedly complained about her singing ability and how she tried to direct their dance numbers. Despite this, Arnaz wrote that Vance ‘never felt any animosity towards him.’  

Frawley had a reputation for being an alcoholic and difficult to work with, but Considine called him a ‘terrific guy’ while speaking to Page Six. 

He said it was his job to bring Frawley back to the ‘My Three Sons’ set from Nickodell, an old school Hollywood restaurant and drink spot favored by Paramount Studios actors and crew.  

It was well-known that Frawley and Vance despised each other while filming ‘I Love Lucy.’ He also had a reputation for being an alcoholic and difficult to work with

J.K. Simmons has been nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Frawley in the 2021 Amazon Studios film ‘Being the Ricardos’ (pictured)

‘Sometimes he’d fall asleep in the middle of a scene,’ Considine recalled.

To combat this, he said the writers would make sure Frawley’s character, ‘Bub’ O’Casey, was standing and doing something physical like sweeping a floor. 

‘Meet the Mertzes: The Life Stories of I Love Lucy’s Other Couple’ co-author Audrey Kupferberg said Frawley was ‘a mean, rough man’ and a ‘very, very bad alcoholic’ 

‘He’d blow a line and say, “Who writes this crap?”‘ Considine added with a laugh.  

Frawley died from a heart attack in March 1966 at the age of 79, while Vance passed away in August 1979 at age 70 following a battle with breast cancer. 

J.K. Simmons has been nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Frawley in the 2021 Amazon Studios film ‘Being the Ricardos,’ but author Audrey Kupferberg was upset by his toned-down version of the character. 

Kupferberg, who co-wrote ‘Meet the Mertzes: The Life Stories of I Love Lucy’s Other Couple’ with her late husband, Rob Edelman, told Page Six that Frawley was ‘a mean, rough man.’ 

While she commended Simmons for his acting in the role, she noted that ‘his character was just not like Frawley was.’   

‘They really warmed him up. The idea that he took a drink or two … he was really a very, very bad alcoholic,’ she said, explaining that he would drink day and night at Nickodell and later Musso and Frank. 

‘He was a woman-hater, known throughout Hollywood for very bad language and just antisocial behavior,’ she added.