Melvin Frank | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1913-08-13)August 13, 1913 |
| Died | October 13, 1988(1988-10-13) (aged 75) Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Education | University of Chicago (BA) |
| Occupation(s) | Screenwriter,film director,film producer |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 3; includingElizabeth |
Melvin Frank (13 August 1913 – 13 October 1988) was an American screenwriter, film producer and film director. He is known for his partnership withNorman Panama and their work on films such asMr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948),White Christmas (1954), andThe Court Jester (1956). He also directed films such asBuona Sera, Mrs. Campbell (1968) andA Touch of Class (1973).
Born to a Jewish family,[1] Frank met his future collaboratorNorman Panama in 1933 when they were both at theUniversity of Chicago.[2] After graduating, they formed a partnership in 1935 which endured for four decades; first writing forMilton Berle before becoming writers forBob Hope's radio show. In 1941, they sold their first script toParamount Pictures,My Favorite Blonde (1942), which starred Hope.[3]
They worked for Paramount for five years where, among others, they wroteRoad to Utopia (1946), starring Hope andBing Crosby, for which they received anAcademy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.[3] They moved toColumbia Pictures makingIt Had to Be You (1947) andThe Return of October (1948) and also wroteMr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948) forRKO.[3]
In 1950, they signed a writing, producing and directing deal withMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer and made films together as co-writers, co-directors and co-producers.[3] They started withThe Reformer and the Redhead (1950) and also madeKnock on Wood (1954) andThe Court Jester (1956), both withDanny Kaye, with the former earning them another Academy Award nomination. They also co-wroteWhite Christmas (1954) withNorman Krasna. They wrote a Broadway play together in 1956, later adapted intoLi'l Abner (1959), directed by Frank. They received another Academy Award nomination forThe Facts of Life (1960) and also worked onThe Road to Hong Kong (1962).[3]
Frank went on to a successful solo career as a film director, most notably directing the acclaimed romantic comedyA Touch of Class (1973), starringGeorge Segal andGlenda Jackson. The film was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Picture andBest Writing, Story and Screenplay Based on Factual Material or Material Not Previously Published or Produced (withJack Rose) and Jackson won theAcademy Award for Best Actress for her role. Subsequent films directed by Frank includeThe Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox (1976) andLost and Found (1979).
Over the course of his career, Frank was nominated for fiveAcademy Awards. In 1984, he received theLaurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement from theWriters Guild of America.
Frank had open heart surgery on October 12, 1988, and died the following day.[3]
Frank's first wife was Anne Ray, younger sister of actressJigee Viertel.[4] At the time of his death he was still married to his second wife, Juliet. He had three children,Pulitzer Prize-winning writerElizabeth Frank and sons Andrew and James.[2][5]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | My Favorite Blonde | No | Story | No |
| 1946 | Road to Utopia | No | Yes | No |
| Monsieur Beaucaire | No | Yes | No | |
| 1947 | It Had to Be You | No | Yes | No |
| 1948 | The Return of October | No | Yes | No |
| Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 1950 | The Reformer and the Redhead | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1951 | Strictly Dishonorable | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Callaway Went Thataway | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1952 | Above and Beyond | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1954 | White Christmas | No | Yes | No |
| Knock on Wood | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1956 | The Court Jester | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| That Certain Feeling | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1959 | Li'l Abner | Yes | Yes | No |
| The Trap | No | Yes | Yes | |
| The Jayhawkers! | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1960 | The Facts of Life | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1962 | The Road to Hong Kong | No | Yes | Yes |
| 1965 | Strange Bedfellows | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1966 | Not with My Wife, You Don't! | No | Yes | No |
| A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 1968 | Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1973 | A Touch of Class | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1975 | The Prisoner of Second Avenue | Yes | No | Yes |
| 1976 | The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1979 | Lost and Found | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1987 | Walk Like a Man | Yes | No | No |
