Ernest Frankel obit

ERNEST FRANKEL HAS DIED

He was not on the list.

ERNEST (“ERNIE”) FRANKEL, 97, PASSED AWAY AFTER A BRIEF ILLNESS, AT HIS HOME IN LOS ANGELES ON SEPTEMBER 19, 2020.

Born in Brooklyn, NY and raised in Charlotte, NC to Beatrice and  Irving Frankel, he attended the University of North Carolina, where he  was president of his fraternity, Tau Epsilon Phi and the editor of the  college newspaper The Daily Tarheel.  Following graduation, he was  commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the US Marines, married the love  of his life, Louise Lazarus Frankel, and was stationed in the Pacific  Theatre of World War II as a platoon commander in the invasion of  Okinawa.                             

He returned to active service during the  Korean conflict, recruiting and training troops for combat.  While  living in Hendersonville, NC In the years following the War, he wrote  two novels:  Band of Brothers — published in 1958, the story of the  battle for the Chosin Reservoir in the Korean Conflict and Tongue of  Fire , published in 1960, after being suppressed in the heat of the  McCarthy Era.  

In 1960, he moved with his wife and two  daughters to Southern California where he wrote and produced films about  the Apollo Project at North American Aviation.  After a fortuitous  meeting with his neighbor, Arthur Marks, a director on the Perry Mason  Show, he entered the world of network television, subsequently writing,  and later producing such shows as  I Spy, Mannix, Mod Squad and Movin’  On. 

During this time he remained in the  Marine Reserves and in 1969 he was ordered to Vietnam for a special  assignment producing a film for the Marine Corps.  He was later awarded  the Legion of Merit by President Gerald Ford and retired as a full  Colonel in 1982.

Upon his retirement from the television  industry, he served on the board of the Evan M. Frankel Foundation,  which endowed a Chair at the UCLA English Department and was  instrumental in the establishment of the UCLA School of Law's Evan M.  Frankel Environmental Law & Policy Program.    He also served as chairman of security in his hilltop community, Mountain Gate, where he earned the love and respect of his neighbors,  local politicians and the security personnel in his charge.

While in his nineties, he researched,  wrote and published his final novel Gateway to Everywhere, and at the  time of his death he was considering starting a new novel.

Predeceased by his wife of seventy years,  Louise, and his brothers Jerry and Earl, he is survived by his  daughters Sherry Musika and Elin Schwartz (Steven).  Also by  grandchildren Michael, Allyson (Brendan), Jennifer (Yair), Rachel  (Edoardo), Sarah (Aaron)  and Abigail as well as seven great  grandchildren.  He was loved and cared for through his last days by his  devoted friends and caregivers, Linda and Tacito Reyes.

Ernie was an ardent Democrat and cared  deeply for his country.  His pride in serving this country as a United States Marine, his  commitment to the less fortunate, his unwavering devotion to his family ,  exemplified a life of accomplishment, purpose and service.

 

Writer

Quandaries

TV Series

devised by

1988

24 episodes

 

The Country Western Murders (1979)

The Country Western Murders

4.8

TV Movie

Writer (as Ernie Frankel)

1979

 

Nashville 99 (1977)

Nashville 99

8.2

TV Series

created by

written by (creator, as Ernie Frankel)

1977

4 episodes

 

Claude Akins, Frank Converse, and Merle Haggard in Movin' On (1974)

Movin' On

7.3

TV Series

written by (as Ernie Frankel)

1976

1 episode

 

Monte Markham in The New Perry Mason (1973)

The New Perry Mason

5.4

TV Series

teleplay

written by (as Ernie Frankel)

1973–1974

3 episodes

 

Peggy Lipton, Michael Cole, and Clarence Williams III in Mod Squad (1968)

Mod Squad

7.0

TV Series

written by (as Ernie Frankel)

1971–1972

2 episodes

 

The Reluctant Heroes (1971)

The Reluctant Heroes

7.1

TV Movie

Writer (as Ernie Frankel)

1971

 

Mike Connors in Mannix (1967)

Mannix

7.4

TV Series

written by

1971

1 episode

 

My Friend Tony (1969)

My Friend Tony

7.5

TV Series

writer

1969

2 episodes

 

Bill Cosby and Robert Culp in I Spy (1965)

I Spy

7.2

TV Series

written by

1967–1968

3 episodes

 

Dundee and the Culhane (1967)

Dundee and the Culhane

6.1

TV Series

writer

1967

1 episode

 

Raymond Burr in Perry Mason (1957)

Perry Mason

8.3

TV Series

story consultant

written by

teleplay

1965–1966

26 episodes

 

Producer

North Beach and Rawhide (1985)

North Beach and Rawhide

7.1

TV Movie

supervising producer (as Ernie Frankel)

1985

 

Ramblin'Man (1979)

Ramblin'Man

4.9

TV Series

executive producer (as Ernie Frankel)

1979–1981

3 episodes

 

The Concrete Cowboys (1979)

The Concrete Cowboys

6.0

TV Movie

executive producer (as Ernie Frankel)

1979

 

Ebony, Ivory and Jade (1979)

Ebony, Ivory and Jade

4.9

TV Movie

executive producer (as Ernie Frankel)

1979

 

The Country Western Murders (1979)

The Country Western Murders

4.8

TV Movie

executive producer (as Ernie Frankel)

1979

 

John Joseph Thomas in Young Dan'l Boone (1977)

Young Dan'l Boone

7.1

TV Series

executive producer (as Ernie Frankel)

1977

4 episodes

 

Good Against Evil (1977)

Good Against Evil

3.8

TV Movie

executive producer (as Ernie Frankel)

1977

 

Nashville 99 (1977)

Nashville 99

8.2

TV Series

executive producer (as Ernie Frankel)

1977

4 episodes

 

Claude Akins, Frank Converse, and Merle Haggard in Movin' On (1974)

Movin' On

7.3

TV Series

producer (as Ernie Frankel)

1975–1976

22 episodes

 

Monte Markham in The New Perry Mason (1973)

The New Perry Mason

5.4

TV Series

producer (as Ernie Frankel)

1973–1974

15 episodes

 

My Friend Tony (1969)

My Friend Tony

7.5

TV Series

producer

1969

1 episode

 

Additional Crew

Quandaries

TV Series

created by (1988)

1988

 

Raymond Burr in Perry Mason (1957)

Perry Mason

8.3

TV Series

story consultant

1965–1966

8 episodes