BYRON FOULGER

August 27, 1899

Byron Kay Foulger was born in Ogden, Utah. He attended the University of Utah and started acting through in community theatre. He made his Broadway debut in March 1920 in a production of Medea featuring Moroni Olsen (the Judge in “The Courtroom”), and performed in four more productions with Olsen on the ‘Great White Way’, back-to-back, ending in April 1922. He then toured with Olsen’s stock company, and ended up at the Pasadena Playhouse, where he both acted and directed.

Foulger made his film debut in 1933 for RKO, just like Lucille Ball. Oddly, the two never appeared together despite him doing nearly 300 films from 1933 to 1952. In 1940, he did three films with William Frawley (Fred Mertz).  

In 1952, Lucy and Foulger were both part of a color Westinghouse industrial film called Ellis in Freedomland.  Foulger played a night watchman in a department store while Lucy was the voice of Lina the Launderette (aka Washing Machine).  

BYRON (to Lucy): “You don’t have any friends, do you?”
LUCY (tearing up): “No, I don’t!” 

Foulger’s television career featured nearly 100 appearances but Lucy fans are bound to remember him as the spokesman of The Friends of the Friendless in “Lucy’s Last Birthday” (ILL S2;E25) in 1953. 

DORIS: “Oh, shut up, Fred!”

It took a dozen years for Fouger to re-team with Lucy, in 1965′s “My Fair Lucy” (TLS S3;E20). He played Fred Dunbar, the henpecked husband of Doris (Reta Shaw).

The character is named after Lucy’s brother, Fred, who also gave his first name to the landlord on “I Love Lucy.” 

FRED: “Oh, shut up, Doris!” 

The Countess (Ann Sothern) recruits Lucy Carmichael to con the Dunbars into financing her charm school by pretending to be transformed a la Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. Foulger also worked with Sothern on two episodes of “My Mother the Car” in 1965 and 1966. 

MR. TRINDLE (pointing excitedly to Lucy): “Yes!  That’s the one! I’ll never forget in a thousand years!  That’s her!” 

Two years later, Foulger was back on “The Lucy Show” to play Mr. Trindle, owner of a jewelry store supposedly robbed by Lucy in “Lucy Meets the Law” (TLS S5;E19). This would be his last appearance opposite Lucille Ball. 

FOULGER at DESILU!

Three years after his appearance on “I Love Lucy,” Foulger was seen on an episode of “Our Miss Brooks” with Eve Arden and Gale Gordon, filmed on the Desilu lot and aired on CBS. 

In 1957 and 1958, he did two episodes of the CBS Desilu sitcom “December Bride” starring Verna Felton and Harry Morgan. 

In 1958, he did two episodes (as different characters) on “The Danny Thomas Show” filmed at Desilu Studios. 

In 1959, he did an episode of Desilu’s hit mobster series “The Untouchables”. 

In the mid-1960s Foulger was on the Desilu lot to film three episodes of “The Andy Griffith Show” playing different characters each time. 

Foulger was seen on all three of CBS’s inter-connected rural sitcoms: “The Beverly Hillbillies” (1962 & 1965), “Green Acres” (1966), and the recurring role of Mr. Guerney and Wendell Gibbs on 22 episodes of “Petticoat Junction” (1965-69). 

From 1926 until his death he was married to actress Dorothy Adams, having one child, Rachel. Foulger died of heart trouble on April 4, 1970 at the age of 70.