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M. J. Frankovich

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Mike Frankovich (born Mitchell John Frankovich, September 29, 1909 – January 1, 1992), also known professionally as M. J. Frankovich, was an American football player turned film actor and producer. Frankovich was the adopted son of actor Joe E. Brown and his wife, Kathryn.[1][2]

Mike Frankovich
Frankovich in 1965
Born
Mitchell John Frankovich

(1909-09-29)September 29, 1909
Bisbee, Arizona, U.S.
DiedJanuary 1, 1992(1992-01-01) (aged 82)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
Other namesMike Frankovich
Alma materUCLA
Occupation(s)Actor, producer
Spouse(s)Binnie Barnes (1940–1992; his death; 3 adopted children)
Georgiana (or Georgianna) Feagans (1938–19??)

Biography

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Frankovich attended Belmont High School in Downtown Los Angeles. He played football for UCLA and was inducted into UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 1986.

Frankovich began his motion picture career in 1935, as an actor. He usually played radio announcers or masters of ceremonies; today's audiences probably know him from Abbott and Costello's Buck Privates (1941), in which "Mike Frankovich" reports the army war games to the radio audience. He was working at Republic Pictures when his career was interrupted by service in the Army Air Corps during World War II. After the war, he returned to Republic and became a film producer. He supervised four adventure serials in 1947-48.

He moved to Europe with his wife, British actress Binnie Barnes. He became managing director of Columbia Pictures in Britain in 1955. Frankovich moved back to Los Angeles in 1963. In 1968 he gave up his position as vice president and became an independent producer at Columbia.[3]

He served as president of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission in the early 1980s, and helped to bring the Los Angeles Raiders football team and 1984 Summer Olympics to Los Angeles.[4]

He received the Academy Awards' Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1983.[5]

Family

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A devout Catholic, Frankovich married his first wife, Georgiana (or Georgianna) Feagans, on January 15, 1938. No details are available regarding that marriage or how or when it ended. Known descendants are his fourth cousins, Williamson Frankovich and Haley Frankovich. [6]

He married actress Binnie Barnes in 1940. They remained married until his death. He produced some of her late movies, including her last movie in 1973, 40 Carats, in which she portrayed Liv Ullmann's mother.[7][8]

Death

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He died of pneumonia on New Year's Day, 1992.[4]

Producer

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Among his more than 30 productions of film and for television were: Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969), Cactus Flower (1969), There's a Girl in My Soup (1970), Butterflies Are Free (1972), The 42nd Annual Academy Awards (1970), and John Wayne's last film, The Shootist (1976).[9]

Select filmography

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References

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  1. ^ "Life, Times, Family". Orson Pratt Brown. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  2. ^ "Joe E. Brown profile". Cemeteryguide.com. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  3. ^ "Mike Frankovich, Film Producer, 82, And a Civic Leader". The New York Times. January 4, 1992.
  4. ^ a b "Noted Movie Producer Mike Frankovich Dies". Los Angeles Times. January 3, 1992.
  5. ^ "Academy Awards Acceptance Speeches - Search Results | Margaret Herrick Library | Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences".
  6. ^ "Full text of 'The Film Daily (Jan-Mar 1938)'". Archive.org. January 1938. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  7. ^ "Binnie Barnes; Film Actress of '30s and '40s". Los Angeles Times. July 28, 1998.
  8. ^ "Hollywood Chief M. J. Frankovich, New Columbia Boss, Sketches Plan of Positive Action". The New York Times. March 15, 1964.
  9. ^ M. J. Frankovich at IMDb
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