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1-7 of 7
- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Melvin Frank was half of a famous screenwriting partnership. The other half of the collaborative effort was Norman Panama. The two men became close friends while attending the University of Chicago. Frank had initially pursued a degree in engineering, but was persuaded by Panama to switch to English instead. In 1938 he and Panama moved to Hollywood and embarked on a career writing radio scripts and gags for Bob Hope and Milton Berle. Specializing in light comedy, they came up with the original story line for Hope's My Favorite Blonde (1942). This opened the door for a joint screenwriting contract with Paramount (1941-46), their prolific work together culminating in an Oscar nomination for the popular Bob Hope-Bing Crosby vehicle, Road to Utopia (1945).
Continuing their run of witty comedies, Frank and Panama next wrote and produced the Cary Grant-Myrna Loy box-office hit Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948), adapted from a satirical novel by Eric Hodgins (about a couple whose dream of home ownership turns into a nightmare). From then on Frank and Panama alternated as directors and producers, first at MGM (1950-52), then at Paramount (1954-59). Of some ten top-grossing collaborations, their most rewarding effort was the highly entertaining medieval adventure spoof, The Court Jester (1955), starring Danny Kaye, lavishly filmed in VistaVision and Technicolor. They also turned out an award-winning Broadway play, "Li'l Abner", based on a comic strip by Al Capp. It premiered in November 1956 and ran for 653 performances over 87 weeks, before closing in July 1958. Frank and Panama brought it to the screen (Li'l Abner (1959)) the following year.
The successful partnership came to an end with the final installment in the Hope-Crosby "road pictures", The Road to Hong Kong (1962). Subsequently, Frank and Panama--cordially--went their separate ways, Frank becoming a solo director and (from 1965) producer, but continuing to write comedy scripts in conjunction with others. In retrospect, his career over the next two decades was by far the more productive of the two, encompassing as producer/director the bittersweet adaptation of a play by Neil Simon, The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975); and as producer/director/writer of the popular sex comedy A Touch of Class (1973), nominated for an Academy Award as Best Picture.- Irene Hunt was born on 22 February 1892 in New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Oliver Twist, Jr. (1921), The Stronger Man (1915) and One Flight Up (1915). She was married to Lester F. Scott Jr. and Walter Weyman. She died on 13 October 1988 in Paso Robles, California, USA.
- Art Department
Chris Biden was born on 20 September 1950. Chris is known for Police Academy (1984), Phobia (1980) and Utilities (1983). Chris died on 13 October 1988.- Alfredo Adami (Rome, July 2, 1915 - Rome, Aug. 2, 1989) was an Italian actor. Thin, tall, approaching the world of cinema no longer young, debuting in the film "Adua e le compagne", (1960), by Antonio Pietrangeli. Several appearances in major films of Italian cinema, including copyright, like "Roma", (1972), Federico Fellini, "Fantozzi", (1975), directed by Luciano Salce and "Polvere di stelle", (1973), Alberto Sordi, and numerous genre films of the seventies.
- Radomir Sobota was born on 7 February 1916 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia. He was an actor, known for Djavolje merdevine (1975), Cetiri kilometra na sat (1958) and Majstori (1972). He died on 13 October 1988 in Belgrade, Serbia, Yugoslavia.
- Milada Matysova was born on 9 April 1903 in Radonice, Cechy, Austria-Hungary [now Czech Republic]. She was an actress, known for Horské volání S.O.S. (1929), Ze soboty na nedeli (1931) and Operené stíny (1931). She died on 13 October 1988 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic].
- Angelika Meyer was born on 9 December 1963 in Vienna, Austria. She was an actress, known for Tatort (1970), Der Leihopa (1985) and Der jüngste Tag (1988). She died on 13 October 1988 in Vöcklabruck, Austria.