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Frank Mankiewicz
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Frank Mankiewicz
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.
Frank Mankiewicz was born in New York City 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.
After graduating from Beverly Hills High School, he briefly attended Haverford College before dropping out to join the army infantry during World War II. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge.
After the war, Mankiewicz received a bachelor's degree 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. He had also served as regional director for the Peace Corps in Latin America, presidential campaign press secretary in 1968 to U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, 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 described Mankiewicz more positively than many other political operatives, though Mankiewicz was outraged by Thompson's characterization of him as a "rumpled little man who looked like a used-car salesman."
On June 5, 1968, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California, presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, having won the California primary election during his 1968 campaign for the U.S. presidency and given his victory speech, was gunned down just after midnight in the kitchen area as he was heading for a press conference. The Senator was taken first to Central Receiving Hospital, then Good Samaritan Hospital. Once Kennedy was admitted to GSH, news correspondents set up temporary press headquarters in a nearby gymnasium.
Throughout the day, Mankiewicz provided medical bulletins to the news media as received. One of his first reports came after 7 a.m., approximately four hours after surgery was completed to remove fragments of the bullet from Kennedy's brain; Mankiewicz reported that his vital signs were impaired but the senator was breathing on his own. However, by 1:30 p.m., Kennedy's condition had been downgraded from "critical" to "extremely critical". Several hours later, Mankiewicz returned to the news media headquarters with this report:
The team of physicians attending Senator Robert Kennedy is concerned over his continuing failure to show improvement during the post-operative period. Senator Kennedy's condition is still described as extremely critical. There will be no further regular bulletins until early tomorrow morning.
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Frank Mankiewicz
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.
Frank Mankiewicz was born in New York City 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.
After graduating from Beverly Hills High School, he briefly attended Haverford College before dropping out to join the army infantry during World War II. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge.
After the war, Mankiewicz received a bachelor's degree 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. He had also served as regional director for the Peace Corps in Latin America, presidential campaign press secretary in 1968 to U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, 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 described Mankiewicz more positively than many other political operatives, though Mankiewicz was outraged by Thompson's characterization of him as a "rumpled little man who looked like a used-car salesman."
On June 5, 1968, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California, presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, having won the California primary election during his 1968 campaign for the U.S. presidency and given his victory speech, was gunned down just after midnight in the kitchen area as he was heading for a press conference. The Senator was taken first to Central Receiving Hospital, then Good Samaritan Hospital. Once Kennedy was admitted to GSH, news correspondents set up temporary press headquarters in a nearby gymnasium.
Throughout the day, Mankiewicz provided medical bulletins to the news media as received. One of his first reports came after 7 a.m., approximately four hours after surgery was completed to remove fragments of the bullet from Kennedy's brain; Mankiewicz reported that his vital signs were impaired but the senator was breathing on his own. However, by 1:30 p.m., Kennedy's condition had been downgraded from "critical" to "extremely critical". Several hours later, Mankiewicz returned to the news media headquarters with this report:
The team of physicians attending Senator Robert Kennedy is concerned over his continuing failure to show improvement during the post-operative period. Senator Kennedy's condition is still described as extremely critical. There will be no further regular bulletins until early tomorrow morning.