Celebrity Biographies
James Frawley
In the 70s we thought that “The Atomic Bus” was a minor film, a parody without many pretensions, which was nevertheless quite funny. When over time the genre has led to monstrosities like “Casi 300” or “Scary Movie”, we have realized that that film had a certain quality, and many movie fans still remember “El Cunetas”, a priceless co-pilot. Its creator, filmmaker James Frawley, died on January 22, 2019, at the age of 82, at his residence in Indian Wells, California, after suffering a heart attack as a result of a fall.
Born on September 29, 1936, in Houston (Texas), James Frawley was the youngest son of actor William Frawley , popular in the United States because he played Fred Mertz, one of the secondary characters in the legendary series I love you, Lucy . He wanted to follow in his footsteps as an actor, so in 1961 he enrolled at the Actors Studio, where he received classes from Lee Strasberg himself . He made his Broadway debut in a big way, in “Beckett,” starring none other than Laurence Olivier and Anthony Quinn .
Despite the fact that he took part in various series, success as an interpreter was difficult for him, so he became a director again with the series Los Monkees , a parody of The Beatles at the height of the British group, for whose pilot chapter he received an Emmy award, which it made him realize that he was much better at this other profession. After lavishing himself on various cathodic fictions, he debuted on the big screen with the dramatic comedy Franklin and Cinthia , with Beau Bridges as tennis champion.
In 1976 he triumphed with The Atomic Bus , which sharpened the clichés of disaster movies, then in fashion. In the film, Professor Baxter designs a nuclear-powered bus that speeds from New York to Denver non-stop. After an attack, the driver Dan Torrance, disgraced because he had to eat a human foot to survive, and El Cunetas, a guy with a propensity to fall asleep at the wheel, will try to take it to its destination without suffering further mishaps. The film is important, since it was four years ahead of the also funny Land as You Can , which would revolutionize comedy, for the worse, since later a barrage of unfunny by-products would arrive.
Jim Henson , a great admirer of his, invited him to come to the set of The Muppets to meet him. He ended up recruiting him to direct The Muppet Movie, the first landing on the big screen of Kermit the frog, Mrs. Piggy and company, who got into a car to tour the United States with the aim of reaching Hollywood and becoming stars .
During the 80s and 90s, James Frawley dedicated himself body and soul to the best-known series, being responsible, for example, for the Ally McBeal pilot , or several of the most outstanding chapters of Grey’s Anatomy , with which he he said goodbye to the industry in 2009. That year, he bought a house in the small Californian town where he died, and retired there with his wife of 35 years.