Hero of the Month: Frankie Thomas
It is tough being a child actor, especially if you are the child of acting parents (just ask Josh Brolin). One of the few who did okay was Frankie Thomas. The son of stage stars Frank Thomas and Mona Bruns, it was inevitable that he would enter the profession early, and made his Broadway debut at age eleven in Carry Nation (1932). Two years later he made his film debut, recreating his stage role for the film Wednesday Child (1934).
His only serial was Universal’s adaptation of Lyman Young’s jungle adventure comic strip Tim Tyler’s Luck (1937), playing the teenage title character searching the jungle for his lost scientist father and fighting ivory poachers with The Ivory Patrol. The rest of the thirties was spent playing nice guy Ted Nickerson in the short lived Bonita Granville starring Nancy Drew mystery series and playing tough street kids in films like Boys Town (1938) and Angels Wash Their Faces (1939).
The early forties were a prophetic time as Thomas played in several military cadet films like Air Cadets (1941) and The Major and the Minor (1942) before entering the Navy during WWII. After the war he relocated to New York and began working in radio. Eventually this led to his being cast as the lead in the popular Tom Corbett, Space Cadet (!950-55) TV show, beating out Jack Lemmon for the part.
After the show ended Thomas left acting and embarked on a new dual career. He gained recognition as a writer, writing many Sherlock Homes mystery, and as an expert bridge player, touring the bridge playing circuit and giving classes in recreational bridge.
Like Bela Lugosi had done in the fifties, when Thomas passed away in 2006, he requested to be buried in the costume fans remembered him best for, his Tom Corbet jumpsuit.
