Frankie Thomas, Acting - KorPlix:Korean Person Archives

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Frankie Thomas
Acting

Frankie Thomas
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1921-04-09,New York, New York, USA
Gender
Male
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Frank Marion Thomas Jr. (April 9, 1921 – May 11, 2006), credited as Frankie Thomas, was an American actor, author and bridge-strategy expert who played both lead and supporting roles on Broadway, in films, in post-World War II radio, and in early television. He was best known for his starring role in Tom Corbett, Space Cadet. He was only 11 when he accompanied his mother to a casting office, where he stood in the background while his mother asked about possible openings in new Broadway shows. The agent replied, "I have nothing that suits you, Mona, but I can use the boy." Thomas wound up in a small part in Carry Nation (1932), where Jimmy Stewart was cast as a constable. Thomas appeared in six other Broadway plays between 1932 and 1936, including Little Ol' Boy with Burgess Meredith, Thunder on the Left, Wednesday's Child, The First Legion, Remember the Day, in which he appeared with his father, and Seen But Not Heard. In Wednesday's Child he played the role of Bobby Phillips, the longest stage part ever written for a child performer. Thomas also developed a lifelong fascination with the character of Sherlock Holmes during this period, when he saw William Gillette perform the part during his farewell tour. Thomas's last "A" film was Boys' Town (1938) with Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney. Thomas was Freddy Fuller, Boys' Town's mayor, and was not asked to appear in the sequel, Men of Boys' Town (1941). He then appeared in a string of "B" films such as Little Tough Guys in Society and Nancy Drew... Detective (both 1938), Nancy Drew... Reporter, Code of the Streets, Nancy Drew… Trouble Shooter, The Angels Wash Their Faces, Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase, On Dress Parade and Invisible Stripes (all 1939). In 1941 Thomas had small parts in Flying Cadets and One Foot in Heaven. His last film roles were small roles in Always in My Heart and The Major and the Minor (1942), where he played a military school cadet who flirted with Ginger Rogers' character. After World War II, Thomas moved into television. In the fall of 1950 he became the idol of millions of children when he played the starring role in Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, beginning on CBS and transferring to ABC in January 1951. Thomas had beaten out Jack Lemmon for the part.

Filmography

Nancy Drew... Reporter

6.2

Nancy Drew... Reporter
1939-02-18

Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase

6.7

Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase
1939-09-09

Nancy Drew… Detective

6.3

Nancy Drew… Detective
1938-11-19

Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter

6

Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter
1939-06-17

The Major and the Minor

7

The Major and the Minor
1942-09-16

Always in My Heart

6

Always in My Heart
1942-03-14

Angels Wash Their Faces

6.4

Angels Wash Their Faces
1939-08-26

Wednesday's Child

3

Wednesday's Child
1934-10-26

6.7

Boys Town
1938-09-08

A Dog of Flanders

7

A Dog of Flanders
1935-03-22

Tim Tyler's Luck

0

Tim Tyler's Luck
1937-12-27

Little Tough Guys in Society

0

Little Tough Guys in Society
1938-11-01

Code of the Streets

7

Code of the Streets
1939-04-13

On Dress Parade

6.3

On Dress Parade
1939-11-18

Invisible Stripes

6.1

Invisible Stripes
1939-12-30

3

Flying Cadets
1941-10-24

One Foot in Heaven

6.6

One Foot in Heaven
1941-11-01

A Woman to Remember

0

A Woman to Remember
1949-02-21

5

First Love
1954-07-05

4.2

Suspense
1949-01-06