William Frawley

This was but one in a long line of gruff character roles, many of whom displayed a hidden soft side, that he played in more than 150 Hollywood films from 1931-1962.

The Iowa-born Frawley began his career in the heyday of vaudeville as a comic and singer. According to lore, he reportedly was the first performer to warble the now-American classic (and gag punchline) "Melancholy Baby". Although he made an isolated appearance in a 1916 silent …