Frankie Thomas (Tom Corbett, Space Cadet), 1921-2006
Laurie Mann
of respiratory failure while recovering from a stroke.
Frank Thomas was Tom Corbett, Space Cadet. Not just on the show. He
was the one and only Tom Corbett.
Frank M. Thomas, Jr. was the son of two actors, Frank Thomas and Mona
Bruns, both of whom had quite respectable careers on stage and in films
and television. Ironically enough, the mother of Tom Corbett appeared
as the mother of the Video Ranger (and his brother Hal) on "Captain
Video". In addition to his parents, his aunt and uncle were also actors.
So it was only natural for Frankie, as he was known, to fall into the
family business, working as an actor on radio and stage in New York. He
started out on stage in "Carrie Nation", working with a young Jimmy
Stewart. After a few other small roles, he appeared in "Wednesday's
Child", in the longest role ever written for a child performer to this day.
Selected as one of the Ten Best Plays of the Year, the rights to it were
picked up by RKO Pictures, which brought Frankie to Hollywood to recreate
his starring role. His mother and father also each appeared in the film.
>From then on, Frankie bounced back and forth between Los Angeles and New
York. Movies were here. Theater and radio (and, eventually, the early
days of television) were there. And Frankie did a lot of all of them.
Plays like "Remember the Day" on Broadway. Radio programs like "Stella
Dallas". And movie after movie.
Over the course of his career, Frankie Thomas appeared in 35 movies,
working with the likes of Spencer Tracy, Ginger Rogers, Mickey Rooney, Ann
Sheridan, Ray Milland, and Ronald Reagan. His films include "A Dog of
Flanders", "Tim Tyler's Luck" (as Tim Tyler), "Boys Town", and "The Major
and the Minor". And a series of Nancy Drew movies in which he co-starred
with Bonita Granville.
During World War II, he volunteered for service and spent five years in the
Navy. Returning to New York after his tour of duty, he found himself
working steadily in radio, doing over 1500 shows. As dramatic radio fell
before television, Frankie switched channels and moved into the world of
television. Liking actors with a background in live theater - after all,
television of the time was live and anything could happen -- he did guest
appearances on all the shows of the period including "Studio One" and the
first five-days-a-week soap opera "A Woman to Remember". It was his stage
work and his experience in a daily show that Frankie believed helped him
get the lead in "Tom Corbett, Space Cadet" in 1950.
Not long after the end of the "Tom Corbett" series, Frankie left the world
of acting.
After that he took up teaching bridge, something he called "a good way for
a former actor to find an audience". He became president of the American
Bridge Teachers' Association, editor and publisher of "The Quarterly"
bridge magazine, and associate editor of "Popular Bridge" magazine. And he
also joined the ranks of professional writers. Surprisingly perhaps, his
writings weren't in the universe of science fiction. Under the name of
Frank Thomas, he wrote a dozen Sherlock Holmes novels, including "Sherlock
Holmes and the Sacred Sword", "Sherlock Holmes and the Golden Bird",
"Sherlock Holmes and the Masquerade Murders" and, combining two of his
passions, "Sherlock Holmes, Bridge Detective".
But, of course, he'll most be remembered for bringing "Blast Off!" into the
English language on "Tom Corbett, Space Cadet".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Craig Miller Wolfmill Entertainment cr...@wolfmill.com
aka Bob
<spamc...@adelpia.net> magnanimously proffered:
>Frank Thomas, Jr. died sometime during the night of Thursday, May 11th,
>of respiratory failure while recovering from a stroke.
>
>Frank Thomas was Tom Corbett, Space Cadet. Not just on the show. He
>was the one and only Tom Corbett.
Interview & pic:
http://www.slick-net.com/space/interviews/thomas.phtml
Pic: http://users3.ev1.net/~pugdad/MFF3/Thomas.jpg
More recent pic: http://www.swapsale.com/Frankie_Thomas_3.jpg
A strange website for Space Cadets + link to an old Space Patrol radio
show: http://www.swapsale.com/frankie_thomas_jan_merlin.htm
"It's not that I'm afraid to die. I just don't want to be there when it happens." - Woody Allen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brad Ferguson
<spamc...@adelpia.net> wrote:
> Frank Thomas, Jr. died sometime during the night of Thursday, May 11th,
> of respiratory failure while recovering from a stroke.
>
> Frank Thomas was Tom Corbett, Space Cadet. Not just on the show. He
> was the one and only Tom Corbett.
At the end of the last episode of "Space Cadet," Thomas -- who was at
heart a writer, and a very good one -- reached down and came up with
something poetic, suitable, and memorable. With the last problem
solved and the last crisis averted, everyone was in their seats aboard
their patrol ship, ready for take-off. The last scene, as scripted,
was not memorable at all. In the ad-libbed version that went on the
air, one of Corbett's sidekicks says, "All set, Tom. What's our
course?"
"Out, boys," says Corbett. "Farther than we've ever gone before."
And, indeed, there he goes. Spaceman's luck to him.
Alan Follett
pastiches it has been my misfortune to have encountered. Nevertheless,
I salute him for the memory of many pleasant early-Fifties Saturday
mornings, including the one on which I went under the aether for my
then-obligatory tonsillectomy, with /Tom Corbett, Space Cadet/ playing
in the background.
Did Heinlein ever express an opinion on this series, nominally based on
his juvenile novel?
Alan Follett
Louis Epstein
: Frank Thomas, Jr. died sometime during the night of Thursday, May 11th,
:
: Frank Thomas was Tom Corbett, Space Cadet. Not just on the show. He
: was the one and only Tom Corbett.
My only direct contact with Corbett has been getting
the first of the tie-in novels,with their 24th century
culture mixing intergalactic flight and vacuum-tube
radios.
: Frank M. Thomas, Jr. was the son of two actors, Frank Thomas and Mona
: Bruns, both of whom had quite respectable careers on stage and in films
: and television. Ironically enough, the mother of Tom Corbett appeared
: as the mother of the Video Ranger (and his brother Hal) on "Captain
: Video". In addition to his parents, his aunt and uncle were also actors.
Of course "Frank Thomas" is ALSO the name of two
significantly-accomplished baseball players.
Is there any other name that has been borne by
two or more people of prominence in each of two
or more different fields of endeavor?
: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
: Craig Miller Wolfmill Entertainment cr...@wolfmill.com
Craig Miller of course being closely affiliated with LACon III,
at which Frankie Thomas was to have been a special guest.
-=-=-
The World Trade Center towers MUST rise again,
at least as tall as before...or terror has triumphed.
James Neibaur
RIP
JN
Bar...@thethunderchild.com
> He was great in Boys Town.
And Frankie's best friend, Jan Merlin (who played Roger Manning in the
series), has recently had published a book about the filming of Boys'
Town, called MGM Makes Boys Town, with his co-writer William Russo.
I met Frankie and Jan for the first time at the Williamsburg Film
Festival in early March of this year...Frankie still had, and wore, his
original costume from Tom Corbett: Space Cadet, and he and Jan
performed a radio play Jan had written called Project Enigma, with Ben
Cooper as Cadet Alfie (taking over John Fiedler's role) and Jimmy Lydon
as Captain Strong, with amateur actors in the other roles. It was a
wonderful show and Frankie and Jan were wonderful guys...as were the
other actors, too, of course, making sure their fans had a good time at
the convention.
For an article on Frankie's last appearance as Tom Corbett at this
festival, please visit:
http://thethunderchild.com/Conventions/Virginia/Williamsburg/W2006Wednesday.html
After the radio play, Jan and Frankie had a panel in which they talked
about their careers and answered a few questions from the audience.
Their affection for each other was so palpable it was a joy to see.
Brad Ferguson
Follett <AFol...@webtv.net> wrote:
> Did Heinlein ever express an opinion on this series, nominally based on
> his juvenile novel?
>
> Alan Follett
I think I remember something in one of Heinlein's essays (this might
have been in "Expanded Universe," but I haven't cracked that one open
in more than twenty years) about how he said he let the Hollywood
people do whatever they wanted, and he happily cashed the checks.
R H Draney
>
>Of course "Frank Thomas" is ALSO the name of two
>significantly-accomplished baseball players.
>Is there any other name that has been borne by
>two or more people of prominence in each of two
>or more different fields of endeavor?
There's a cookbook author named Michael Jackson, and a software engineering guru
(who even has a kind of design diagram named for him) with the same name....
I seem to recall hearing about yet another fellow with that name...sings or
something....r
--
I may not know much about art, but I know
what they tell me I'm supposed to like.
Jed
wrote:
>Louis Epstein filted:
>>
>>Of course "Frank Thomas" is ALSO the name of two
>>significantly-accomplished baseball players.
>>Is there any other name that has been borne by
>>two or more people of prominence in each of two
>>or more different fields of endeavor?
>
>There's a cookbook author named Michael Jackson, and a software engineering guru
>(who even has a kind of design diagram named for him) with the same name....
>
>I seem to recall hearing about yet another fellow with that name...sings or
>something....r
And an LA talk show host...
King Daevid MacKenzie
> Louis Epstein filted:
>> Of course "Frank Thomas" is ALSO the name of two
>> significantly-accomplished baseball players.
>> Is there any other name that has been borne by
>> two or more people of prominence in each of two
>> or more different fields of endeavor?
>
> There's a cookbook author named Michael Jackson, and a software engineering guru
> (who even has a kind of design diagram named for him) with the same name....
>
> I seem to recall hearing about yet another fellow with that name...sings or
> something....
...and that's not even mentioning the Los Angeles broadcaster whose
career predates the lot of them!...
...also:
Tom Snyder (one is the retired news anchor and chat show host, the other
is the computer software guy)
Larry King (one's the CNN talker, another wrote THE BEST LITTLE
WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS, and yet another was Billie Jean King's husband for
several years)
Eddie Schwartz (one's the rock musician, the other is the longtime
Chicago broadcaster and columnist)
David Horowitz (one's a great consumer advocate, the other's a
right-wing megaputz)
Paul Simon (one's the musician, the other was the late Illinois senator)
Jerry Lewis (one is the entertainer, the other is the California
congressman)
Jimmie Rodgers (one was the country singer of the '20s and '30s, the
other is the pop singer of the '50s and '60s)
Linda Blair (one's the movie star and animal welfare activist, the
other's an Associate Chief of the FCC's Enforcement Bureau)
--
King Daevid MacKenzie, WLSU-FM 88.9 La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA
heard occasionally at http://www.radio4all.net
http://www.myspace.com/kingdaevid
"You can live in your dreams, but only if you are worthy of them."
HARLAN ELLISON
Alan Follett
> Louis Epstein filted:
>> Of course "Frank Thomas" is ALSO the
>> name of two significantly-accomplished
>> baseball players. Is there any other name
>> that has been borne by two or more people
>> of prominence in each of two or more
>> different fields of endeavor?
> There's a cookbook author named Michael
> Jackson, and a software engineering guru
> (who even has a kind of design diagram
> named for him) with the same name....
> I seem to recall hearing about yet another
> fellow with that name...sings or something....r
dado...@spamcop.net (R H Draney) wrote:
> Louis Epstein filted:
>> Of course "Frank Thomas" is ALSO the
>> name of two significantly-accomplished
>> baseball players. Is there any other name
>> that has been borne by two or more people
>> of prominence in each of two or more
>> different fields of endeavor?
> There's a cookbook author named Michael
> Jackson, and a software engineering guru
> (who even has a kind of design diagram
> named for him) with the same name....
> I seem to recall hearing about yet another
> fellow with that name...sings or something....r
At least two more prominent Michael Jacksons come to mind: the eminent
beer writer (and star of the TV series /The Beer Hunter/ ten or fifteen
years ago); and Lt.-Gen. Sir Michael Jackson, who commanded NATO forces
in Kosovo.
If the fictional can be admitted to the club, there's also Mike Jackson,
the cricketer hero of the 1909 P.G. Wodehouse school novel /Mike/, who
later made the transition (in the shadow of his much more colorful
friend Rupert Psmith) to two or three of PGW's early adult novels.
We might also note the two Oliver Wendell Holmeses, pere et fils,
respectively essayist and jurist. (Or is an actual family relationship
cheating?)
Alan Follett
Louis Epstein
: dado...@spamcop.net (R?H?Draney) wrote:
:
:> Louis Epstein filted:
:
:>> Of course "Frank Thomas" is ALSO the
:>> name of two significantly-accomplished
:>> baseball players. Is there any other name
:>> that has been borne by two or more people
:>> of prominence in each of two or more
:>> different fields of endeavor?
:
:> There's a cookbook author named Michael
:> Jackson, and a software engineering guru
:> (who even has a kind of design diagram
:> named for him) with the same name....
:
:> I seem to recall hearing about yet another
:> fellow with that name...sings or something....r
:
:
:> Louis Epstein filted:
:
:>> Of course "Frank Thomas" is ALSO the
:>> name of two significantly-accomplished
:>> baseball players. Is there any other name
:>> that has been borne by two or more people
:>> of prominence in each of two or more
:>> different fields of endeavor?
:
:> There's a cookbook author named Michael
:> Jackson, and a software engineering guru
:> (who even has a kind of design diagram
:> named for him) with the same name....
:
:> I seem to recall hearing about yet another
:> fellow with that name...sings or something....r
:
: At least two more prominent Michael Jacksons come to mind: the eminent
: beer writer (and star of the TV series /The Beer Hunter/ ten or fifteen
: years ago); and Lt.-Gen. Sir Michael Jackson, who commanded NATO forces
: in Kosovo.
There are FIVE well-known Michael Jacksons...
Pop singer
Radio host
Beer writer
General (now four stars and in a higher post)
and the British TV executive (successively head of BBC 1,Channel Four,
and then crossed the Atlantic to head the USA Network...and he was born
the same year as the pop singer)...
: If the fictional can be admitted to the club, there's also Mike Jackson,
: the cricketer hero of the 1909 P.G. Wodehouse school novel /Mike/, who
: later made the transition (in the shadow of his much more colorful
: friend Rupert Psmith) to two or three of PGW's early adult novels.
:
: We might also note the two Oliver Wendell Holmeses, pere et fils,
: respectively essayist and jurist. (Or is an actual family relationship
: cheating?)
...however,just about every response has missed my essential challenge.
Two or more people with the same name,
IN EACH OF TWO OR MORE DIFFERENT FIELDS.
Two baseball players named Frank Thomas,AND two actors (family
relationship OK) named Frank Thomas.
None of the Michael Jacksons are in the same field.
So are there any other instances of,e.g.,
two prominent bankers named Joe Schmoe,AND two prominent admirals named
Joe Schmoe?
Brad Ferguson
<l...@main.put.com> wrote:
> So are there any other instances of,e.g.,
> two prominent bankers named Joe Schmoe,AND two prominent admirals named
> Joe Schmoe?
When I was at CBS, we had a correspondent in Rome named Richard Roth.
CNN also had a correspondent in Rome named Richard Roth. The CBS Roth
routinely demanded that CNN Roth change his name, because CNN Roth was
getting some of the embassy invitations, etc., that CBS Roth was
supposed to be getting. CNN Roth, like other CNN personnel at the
time, was not in AFTRA or NABET or any of those, so same-name rules
didn't apply. I know that CNN found all of this funny; the secret is
that we did, too.
When I was working for the Civil Service Leader in NYC, Frank Prial of
the competing Chief would get a lot of the really good wine sent to
Frank Prial, wine critic of the New York Times. I mean, they would
send him huge crates of it.
I've long since found that bradferguson.com is owned by a fellow in
Texas who makes chastity jewelry for parents to give their teenagers to
enforce a (presumably coerced) promise that they don't screw before
marriage. To tell you the truth, I find this somewhat embarrassing.
Ed Varner
Louis Epstein wrote:
> There are FIVE well-known Michael Jacksons...
> Pop singer
> Radio host
> Beer writer
> General (now four stars and in a higher post)
> and the British TV executive (successively head of BBC 1,Channel Four,
> and then crossed the Atlantic to head the USA Network...and he was born
> the same year as the pop singer)...
>
There is Michael Jackson, who was a star linebacker in the 1970s for
the Washington Huskies. He was a 2 time All American and then played
for 8 seasons for the Seattle Seahawks. He was recently inducted to
the University of Washington Hall-of-Fame.
Ed
King Daevid MacKenzie
> There are FIVE well-known Michael Jacksons...
> Pop singer
> Radio host
> Beer writer
> General (now four stars and in a higher post)
> and the British TV executive (successively head of BBC 1,Channel Four,
> and then crossed the Atlantic to head the USA Network...and he was born
> the same year as the pop singer)...
...which in turn reminds me of the three Mike Mansfields: the longtime
Senate Majority Leader from Montana, the British pop music TV series
producer of the 1970s, and the current-day noted British criminal
barrister...
Ed Varner
Also, there is Michael "Mike" Jackson, who was a relief pitcher from
1986-2004. He played for several teams including the Phillies,
Mariners and Indians and finished his career with 142 saves.
http://www.baseballreference.com/j/jacksmi02.shtml
Ed
King Daevid MacKenzie
> I've long since found that bradferguson.com is owned by a fellow in
> Texas who makes chastity jewelry for parents to give their teenagers to
> enforce a (presumably coerced) promise that they don't screw before
> marriage. To tell you the truth, I find this somewhat embarrassing.
...it can't be as embarrassing as that felt by the consumer advocate
David Horowitz in reference to the
professional-Marxist-asshole-turned-professional-fascist-asshole David
Horowitz. The consumer advocate still does a weekly radio show and has a
website at http://fightback.com/ where downloads of the show can be
gotten. And it annoys him no end that he's being confused with a
namesake peddling the worst political snake oil...
David Carson
wrote:
>I've long since found that bradferguson.com is owned by a fellow in
>Texas who makes chastity jewelry for parents to give their teenagers to
>enforce a (presumably coerced) promise that they don't screw before
>marriage. To tell you the truth, I find this somewhat embarrassing.
There is a rather notable graphics artist named David Carson. I used to
get his e-mail with some regularity. Most of it was very nice and
complimentary, and made it made me feel good to read it, even though it
wasn't really for me.
David Carson
--
Why do you seek the living among the dead? -- Luke 24:5
Who's Alive and Who's Dead
http://www.whosaliveandwhosdead.com
David Samuel Barr
Depending on how one defines prominence, one can likely find thousands
of other examples. In my own routine experience, I'm always running
into 4 different Peter Kings: one a congressman from Long Island, NY;
another a senior writer for Sports Illustrated; still another a British
jazz saxophonist; and of course, the CBS News reporter/anchor (my best
friend for over 40 years), although in his case it's a stage name.