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.

Biography

Frankovich attended Belmont High School in

Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the central business district of the city of Los Angeles. It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents ...

. He played football for

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

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 Abbott and Costello were an American comedy duo composed of comedians Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, whose work in radio, film, and television made them the most popular comedy team of the 1940s and 1950s, and the highest-paid entertainers in t ...

's '' Buck Privates'' (1941), in which "Mike Frankovich" reports the army war games to the radio audience. He was working at

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures is currently an acquisition-only label owned by Paramount Pictures. Its history dates back to Republic Pictures Corporation, an American film studio that originally operated from 1935 to 1967, based in Los Angeles, California ...

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 Gertrude Maud Barnes (25 March 1903 – 27 July 1998), known professionally as Binnie Barnes, was an English actress whose career in films spanned from 1923 to 1973. She was known for as a leading lady in films such as ''The Private Life of He ...

. He became managing director of

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

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. He served as president of the

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (also known as the Los Angeles Coliseum or L.A. Coliseum) is a multi-purpose stadium in the Exposition Park, Los Angeles, Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. Conceived as a hal ...

Commission in the early 1980s, and helped to bring the

Los Angeles Raiders The Los Angeles Raiders were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). The Raiders played in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994 before relocating back to Oakland, California, where the team played from its inaugural ...

football team and

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

to Los Angeles. He received the Academy Awards'

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award is awarded periodically by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) at the Governors Awards ceremonies for an individual's "outstanding contributions to humanitarian causes". Prior to 2009 and ...

in 1983.

Family

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. 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 ''Forty Carats'' is a play by Jay Presson Allen. Adapted from the French original by Pierre Barillet and Jean-Pierre Gredy, the comedy revolves around a 40-year-old American divorcee who is assisted by a 22-year-old when her car breaks down ...

'', in which she portrayed

Liv Ullmann Liv Johanne Ullmann (born 16 December 1938) is a Norwegian actress and filmmaker. Recognised as one of the greatest European actresses of all time, Ullmann is known as the muse and frequent collaborator of filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, whom she date ...

's mother.

Death

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

Producer

Among his more than 30 productions of film and for television were: ''

Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice ''Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice'' is a 1969 American comedy-drama film directed by Paul Mazursky, written by Mazursky and Larry Tucker (screenwriter), Larry Tucker, who also produced the film, and starring Natalie Wood, Robert Culp, Elliott Gould, ...

'' (1969), '' Cactus Flower'' (1969), ''

There's a Girl in My Soup ''There's a Girl in My Soup'' is a 1970 British romantic comedy film directed by Roy Boulting and starring Peter Sellers and Goldie Hawn. Terence Frisby wrote the screenplay based on his 1966 stage play of the same name. Plot Robert Danve ...

'' (1970), ''

Butterflies Are Free ''Butterflies Are Free'' is a 1972 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Milton Katselas from a screenplay by Leonard Gershe, based on Gershe's 1969 play. The film stars Goldie Hawn, Eileen Heckart, and Edward Albert. It follows ...

'' (1972), ''

The 42nd Annual Academy Awards The 42nd Academy Awards were presented April 7, 1970, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California. For the second year in a row, there was no official host. This was the first Academy Awards ceremony to be broadcast via satelli ...

'' (1970), and

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

's last film, ''

The Shootist ''The Shootist'' is a 1976 American Western film directed by Don Siegel and based on Glendon Swarthout's 1975 novel of the same name,Swarthout, Glendon (1975). ''The Shootist'', New York, New York: Doubleday. and written by Miles Hood Swart ...

'' (1976).

Select filmography

* ''

Jesse James Rides Again ''Jesse James Rides Again'' is a 1947 American Republic Western film serial. Plot Gunfighter Jesse James is framed for a Missouri bank job and murder by a black-cowled outlaw gang, known as "The Black Raiders". Unable to clear his name, he an ...

'' (1947) (serial) * '' The Black Widow'' (1947) (serial) * ''

G-Men Never Forget ''G-man'' (short for "government man", plural ''G-men'') is an American slang term for agents of the United States Government. It is especially used as a term for an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). ''G-man'' is also a term ...

'' (1948) (serial) * ''

Dangers of the Canadian Mounted ''Dangers of the Canadian Mounted'' is a 1948 Northern Republic film serial. Plot A criminal gang discovers a Genghis Khan treasure ship on the Canada-Alaska border. However, the treasure itself is hidden on land. In their efforts to find the ...

'' (1948) (serial) * '' Fugitive Lady'' (1950) * ''

Decameron Nights ''Decameron Nights'' (also known as ''Tres Historias De Amor'') is a 1953 British-American anthology Technicolor film directed by Hugo Fregonese and starring Joan Fontaine and Louis Jourdan. It was written by George Oppenheimer based on three ...

'' (1953) * '' Malaga'' (1954) * '' Footsteps in the Fog'' (1955) * '' Joe MacBeth'' (1955) * '' Spin a Dark Web'' (1956) aka ''Soho Incident'' * '' The War Lover'' (1962) * ''

'' (1969) * '' Marooned'' (1969) * '' Cactus Flower'' (1969) * '' The Looking Glass War'' (1970) * ''

'' (1970) (TV special) * ''

'' (1970) * '' Doctors' Wives'' (1971) * '' The Love Machine'' (1971) * '' $'' (1971) * '' Stand Up and Be Counted'' (1972) * ''

'' (1972) * ''

'' (1973) * ''

'' (1973) (TV series) * ''

Report to the Commissioner ''Report to the Commissioner'' is a 1975 American crime drama film based on James Mills' 1972 novel. It involves a rookie cop ( Michael Moriarty) in the New York City Police Department who is assigned a special missing person case, which in fact ...

'' (1975) * ''

From Noon Till Three ''From Noon till Three'' is a 1976 American Western film released by United Artists. It stars Charles Bronson and his wife, Jill Ireland. It was written and directed by Frank D. Gilroy, based on his novel. Plot In the late 19th century A ...

'' (1976) * ''

State Fair A state fair is an annual competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population, usually held in late summer or early fall. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in t ...

'' (1976) * ''

'' (1976) * '' Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women'' (1978) * ''All Star Party for Lucille Ball'' (1984) * ''All-Star Party for Clint Eastwood'' (1986) (TV Special)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Frankovich, Mike 1909 births 1992 deaths People from Bisbee, Arizona Sportspeople from Arizona Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award winners 20th-century American businesspeople Deaths from pneumonia in California Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in California Catholics from Arizona Film producers from Arizona United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II British film studio executives