Fred Mertz

Frederick Hobart Mertz,, played by William Frawley, is a fictional character in the 1950s American sitcom I Love Lucy.

He is originally from Indianapolis before his relocation to New York City. He is a World War I veteran and often talks about his times in the war. He is married to Ethel Mae Potter Mertz (Vivian Vance), and they often jokingly make fun of each other. Ethel often calls Fred a "fat old goat", and in return Fred calls Ethel the "bottomless pit" as she eats often though Fred is sometimes the one who wants to eat while Ethel is willing to wait. Having lived through the Great Depression, he is a penny-pincher and gives Ethel very little money, and he treats his friends the same way though it is the Ricardos that get the brunt of that action. The most notable example was when he bought a blue 1923 Cadillac convertible for the quartet's trip to California.

When he was younger, he was in show business with his friend, Barney Kurtz, and later, his wife. Eventually, Fred and Ethel retired and bought a brownstone apartment in New York City. In 1942, Lucy and Ricky moved into the brownstone apartment building where Fred, Ethel, Lucy, and Ricky quickly became friends. Fred's best friend, Ricky Ricardo, and Ricky's wife, Lucy, live in the apartment house. However, Fred guests, along with Ethel, on a show of Ricky's if asked.

When Ricky does something to upset Lucy, she plots revenge and drags Ethel into her plan, often against her will. Ethel almost always blabs to Fred, who tells Ricky, and the two come up with their own plan to get even with their wives. Once in a while, it is Ethel that is away and it is Fred that is dragged into Lucy's scheme.

The Fred Mertz character and the actor who portrayed him (William Frawley), including some of their costumes, are memorialized in the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center in Jamestown, New York (Lucille Ball's real-life hometown).