Gerold Frank
Encyclopedia
Gerold Frank was an American author
and ghostwriter
. He wrote a number of celebrity memoirs and was considered a pioneer of the "as told to" form of biography
. His two best-known books are The Boston Strangler, 1966, later made into a movie
starring Tony Curtis
and Henry Fonda
, and an investigation into the assassination of Martin Luther King in An American Death.
and later moved to Greenwich Village
with the hope of becoming a poet. Later he landed a job on a newspaper in Cleveland and published pieces in The New Yorker
and The Nation
.
He married Lillian, and had two children.
Mr Frank wrote about the lives of the Jews of Eastern Europe before the Holocaust
. In 1934 he made a film about Jewish life in a Polish shtetl
. The film had rare scenes of the Warsaw Ghetto
which he later donated to the Yivo Institute for Jewish Research.
During World War II
, he worked as a war correspondent in the Middle East
, and he collaborated with Bartley Crum
in the work Behind the Silken Curtain, an account of the work of the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry on Palestine.
He wrote a biography of Judy Garland
entitled Judy and one of Zsa Zsa Gabor
entitled Zsa Zsa Gabor: My Story.
His book I'll Cry Tomorrow, co-written with Lillian Roth and Mike Connolly was a bestseller, selling seven million copies in more than twenty languages. It was later adapted for the movies by Frank and Susan Hayward
, who played the starring role.
Frank won two Edgar award
s from the Mystery Writers of America
for his works The Boston Strangler, and The Deed, a book about the assassination of Lord Moyne.
According to Mr Frank's son, he ghostwrote at least 17 books.
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and ghostwriter
Ghostwriter
A ghostwriter is a professional writer who is paid to write books, articles, stories, reports, or other texts that are officially credited to another person. Celebrities, executives, and political leaders often hire ghostwriters to draft or edit autobiographies, magazine articles, or other written...
. He wrote a number of celebrity memoirs and was considered a pioneer of the "as told to" form of biography
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
. His two best-known books are The Boston Strangler, 1966, later made into a movie
The Boston Strangler (film)
The Boston Strangler is a 1968 film based on the true story of the Boston Strangler and the book by Gerold Frank. It was directed by Richard Fleischer, and stars Tony Curtis as Albert DeSalvo, the strangler, and Henry Fonda as John S...
starring Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in over 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama...
and Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins...
, and an investigation into the assassination of Martin Luther King in An American Death.
Life
Frank was born in 1907 in Cleveland. His father was a tailor and owned a dress shop. Frank graduated from Ohio State UniversityOhio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
and later moved to Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
with the hope of becoming a poet. Later he landed a job on a newspaper in Cleveland and published pieces in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
and The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
.
He married Lillian, and had two children.
Mr Frank wrote about the lives of the Jews of Eastern Europe before the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
. In 1934 he made a film about Jewish life in a Polish shtetl
Shtetl
A shtetl was typically a small town with a large Jewish population in Central and Eastern Europe until The Holocaust. Shtetls were mainly found in the areas which constituted the 19th century Pale of Settlement in the Russian Empire, the Congress Kingdom of Poland, Galicia and Romania...
. The film had rare scenes of the Warsaw Ghetto
Warsaw Ghetto
The Warsaw Ghetto was the largest of all Jewish Ghettos in Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II. It was established in the Polish capital between October and November 15, 1940, in the territory of General Government of the German-occupied Poland, with over 400,000 Jews from the vicinity...
which he later donated to the Yivo Institute for Jewish Research.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he worked as a war correspondent in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, and he collaborated with Bartley Crum
Bartley Crum
Bartley Cavanaugh Crum was a prominent American lawyer.Bartley Crum was a confidant of William Randolph Hearst and the 1940 U.S. Presidential candidate Wendel Willkie...
in the work Behind the Silken Curtain, an account of the work of the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry on Palestine.
He wrote a biography of Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
entitled Judy and one of Zsa Zsa Gabor
Zsa Zsa Gabor
Zsa Zsa Gabor is a Hungarian-born American stage, film and television actress.She acted on stage in Vienna, Austria, in 1932, and was crowned Miss Hungary in 1936. She emigrated to the United States in 1941 and became a sought-after actress with "European flair and style", with a personality that...
entitled Zsa Zsa Gabor: My Story.
His book I'll Cry Tomorrow, co-written with Lillian Roth and Mike Connolly was a bestseller, selling seven million copies in more than twenty languages. It was later adapted for the movies by Frank and Susan Hayward
Susan Hayward
Susan Hayward was an American actress.After working as a fashion model in New York, Hayward travelled to Hollywood in 1937 when open auditions were held for the leading role in Gone with the Wind . Although she was not selected, she secured a film contract, and played several small supporting...
, who played the starring role.
Frank won two Edgar award
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
s from the Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America is an organization for mystery writers, based in New York.The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday....
for his works The Boston Strangler, and The Deed, a book about the assassination of Lord Moyne.
According to Mr Frank's son, he ghostwrote at least 17 books.
Selected titles
- The Boston Strangler
- Judy
- An American death; the true story of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King
- The Deed
- Zsa Zsa Gabor: My Story with Zsa Zsa Gabor
- U.S.S. Seawolf, Submarine Raider of the Pacific
- I'll Cry Tomorrow with Lillian Roth and Mike Connelly
- Beloved Infidel with Sheila Graham
Books made into films
- Boston Strangler (1968)
- Beloved Infidel (1959)
- Too Much, Too Soon (1958) Full title: "Too Much, Too Soon: The Daring Story of Diana Barrymore"
- I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955)