Farewell, James Frawley

James Frawley was a master of wonderfully silly entertainment, starting his directorial career by handling nearly half of The Monkees, including such stand out episodes as the Emmy-winning debut episode "Royal Flush", "One Man Shy," "Captain Crocodile," "Monstrous Monkee Mash," the poignant "Emmy-nominated "Devil and Peter Tork", and the innovatively low-tech "Fairy Tale". Prior to that gig, Frawley had been a guest actor in such series as Gunsmoke, Perry Mason, Dr. Kildare, and The Dick Van Dyke Show (and Monkees fans will also remember Frawley's on screen appearances in a few episodes, most notably "The Monkees Blow Their Minds"). 

Following The Monkees, Frawley mostly continued directing TV (including episodes of That Girl, Magnum PI, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Cagney & Lacey, Law & Order, Picket Fences, and Grey's Anatomy). However, he made one major contribution to the big screen when he put his talents for managing music, comedy, and an anarchic cast when he directed the marvelous Muppet Movie in 1979. Sadly, Frawley died at the age of 82 this past Tuesday. According to his wife, Cynthia, Frawley had a serious lung condition and recently suffered a heart attack.