The Film Archives's video: Frank Mankiewicz on Technological Advances

Frank Fabian Mankiewicz II (May 16, 1924 – October 23, 2014) was an American journalist, political adviser, president of National Public Radio and public relations executive. His memoir: https://amzn.to/3att0Kg Frank Mankiewicz was born in New York City[1] and grew up in Beverly Hills, California, the son of Sara (Aaronson) and screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz, who co-wrote Citizen Kane. His uncle, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, directed such films as All About Eve and Cleopatra. His brother was television writer Don Mankiewicz. They grew up near the Marx Brothers, and Harpo Marx was a presence at Mankiewicz family Passover Seders. "He would pick up the Paschal lamb bone and lead a parade around the table," Frank Mankiewicz recalled.[2] He briefly attended Haverford College before dropping out to join the army infantry during World War II and fought in the Battle of the Bulge.[3] After the war, Mankiewicz received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from University of California, Los Angeles in 1947; a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 1948; and an LL.B. from University of California, Berkeley in 1955. He was president of National Public Radio from 1977 to 1983, overseeing the creation of Morning Edition and the expansion of the network. He resigned due to a $6 million debt that required NPR to be bailed out by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and member stations.[4] He had also served as regional director for the Peace Corps in Latin America, presidential campaign press secretary in 1968 to United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy, D-N.Y, and campaign director for 1972 Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern. Mankiewicz is a recurring figure in Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72. Thompson describes him more positively than many other political operatives, though Mankiewicz is jokingly outraged by Thompson's characterization of him as a "rumpled little man who looked like a used-car salesman." His work in politics earned him a place on the master list of Nixon's political opponents. He was also an unsuccessful candidate for the United States House of Representatives in Maryland in 1976. In 1974, Mankiewicz acted as a secret emissary, carrying messages from Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to Fidel Castro, and then reporting back to Kissinger. In January 1975, Mankiewicz and Lawrence Eagleburger held a clandestine meeting with Castro's representative Ramón Sánchez-Parodi at LaGuardia airport. This secret diplomacy failed to produce a political breakthrough.[5] An animated parody of him appeared in the Comedy Central television series Freak Show as a parking garage attendant at the Pentagon. In 1984, Frank Mankiewicz wrote for Quarante magazine owned by Kathleen Katz of Arlington. A piece he wrote for Quarante in 1985 was one of the first to point out how television coverage of politics had changed. The article was titled, "Politics and Media: In Search of An Angle". He wrote: As part-time advisor to Senator Gary Hart's presidential campaign in 1984 — the first I had participated in actively since 1972 — I was struck by the minutiae of the press's questions. The authorship of a speech — the identity of the speechwriters — seemed far more important than its content. Strategy was a primary concern — which votes are being sought? How much money has been raised for television commercials? Who will produce the commercials? ... Rarely if ever does the question turn on such things as "does he have the right ideas?" or "would he make a strong — or even good — president?" Mankiewicz lived in Washington, D.C. with his wife, novelist Patricia O'Brien, who also writes under the pseudonym of Kate Alcott. His son Josh Mankiewicz is an NBC News correspondent, while his son Ben Mankiewicz is a Turner Classic Movies host and a host on The Young Turks, who also served from September 2008 to September 2009 as co-host (with Ben Lyons) of At The Movies.[6] Both Josh and Ben Mankiewicz live in Los Angeles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Mankiewicz