FRANK WILCOX

March 13, 1907 

Frank Reppy Wilcox was born in De Soto, Missouri, although he was raised primarily in Atchison, Kansas. He attended the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, for a year, where he was a fraternity brother of newsman John Cameron Swayze. He graduated in 1933 from St. Benedict’s College in Atchison. Wilcox came to California in the 1920’s and helped to establish a theater company.  From 1917 to 1947 he appeared in nearly 20 plays on Broadway. 

He made his screen debut as the Postmaster General in the movie Postal Inspector in 1936 starring Bela Lugosi. In 1939, he began more regularly appearing in films.  He appeared in three Best Picture Academy Award winners: Gentleman’s Agreement (1947), All the King’s Men (1949) and The Greatest Show on Earth (1952).

His first television appearance was in a May 1949 episode of “The Philco Television Playhouse” with Shakespeare’s “MacBeth”.  

He first appeared with Lucille Ball in the 1946 film Her Husband’s Affairs. Wilcox played a department store floorwalker, an uncredited role. The film also featured future “Lucy” cast members Mabel Paige, Edward Everett Horton, Pierre Watkin, and Harry Cheshire. 

In 1950, he played Roberts (again uncredited) in Lucille Ball’s The Fuller Brush Girl.  The film also featured future “Lucy” cast members Eddie Albert, Jerome Cowan, Gail Bonney, Mary Emery, Barbara Pepper, Red Skelton, Bert Stevens, Amzie Strickland, and Mary Treen. 

Most memorably for Lucy fans, Wilcox played Frank Spaulding, the first owner of the Westport home purchased by the Ricardos when “Lucy Wants To Move To the Country” (ILL S6;E15) in January 1957. 

Mrs. Spaulding was played by Eleanor Audley. 

Audley and Wilcox both appeared in the 1950 films Three Secrets and Gambling House as well as appearing together on a 1958 episode of “Jane Wyman’s Fireside Theatre” and a 1962 episode of “The Beverly Hillbillies,” in which Wilcox was a recurring character. After this episode of “I Love Lucy” it seems they were fated to be mated. They would again play husband and wife in a 1964 episode of "The Cara Williams Show” and again in two episodes of "Pete and Gladys” (1961 and 1962) – but not as the same couple!

Wilcox appeared in three episodes of Desilu’s “December Bride” from 1955 to 1958 and “The Ann Sothern Show” in 1958. Although Desi Arnaz appeared in an episode of the former, and Lucille Ball in an episode of the latter, it was not with Wilcox. 

In 1959, Wilcox was part of the original cast of “The Untouchables” pilots seen on the “Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse” playing Beecher Asbury, a role he reprised for 20 episodes when the show was picked up for series. In 1961, he played a Judge on Desilu’s “Angel”. 

Wilcox married Joy Langston in April 1953 and they had three children. 

His final screen role was playing Judge Moon on a 1973 episode of “Kung Fu” guest-starring Jodie Foster.

He died on March 3, 1974, at the age of 66.

His hometown of De Soto, Missouri, hosts the Frank Wilcox Film Festival every March during the weekend closest to his birthday.