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Harry Hart "Pat" Frank (May 5, 1907 – October 12, 1964) was an American newspaperman, writer, and government consultant. Perhaps the "first of the post-Hiroshima doomsday authors",[1] his best known work is his post-apocalyptic novel Alas, Babylon (1959), which depicted the outbreak of a nuclear war and the struggles of its survivors in a small central Florida town.

Key Information

Journalism

[edit]

Frank was born in Chicago in 1907. Named after his father who reportedly died of influenza while he was still young,[2] Frank used and wrote under the nickname "Pat" throughout his life. He attended the Peddie School, a private prep school in New Jersey, then moved with his mother to her native northeastern Florida. Frank attended the University of Florida, took journalism courses and worked as a cub reporter for the Jacksonville Journal in Atlantic Beach, where his family had a beach house.[3][4][5][2] In a self-told anecdote, because Atlantic Beach was short of news, Frank had reported everything of interest, and the job paid by the word, he invented a local wealthy family, regularly reported on their activities, and even managed to keep his job after the hoax was revealed.[5] Frank went north in the late 1920s and wrote for the New York World and New York Evening Journal before moving on to the Washington Herald. But he again got bored by his beat, later describing it as follows:[3]

I was in attendance at every major throat‐slitting, husband poisoning, and "I killed him because I loved him" episode on the Atlantic Seaboard, plus kidnappings, floods, the World Series and the opening days of Congress and at Pimlico. That sort of thing went on for years. Munich and marriage changed my interests, and I began to cover the War and Navy Departments, the State Department, and finally the White House.

Frank neglected to mention his reporting on politicians and bureaucrats in the Herald, subjects that persisted even as he pursued his new interests in war, diplomacy, and foreign places. When the European war began in 1939, he signed on as the new Washington correspondent for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency news service, then became Washington bureau chief for its new subsidiary, the Overseas News Agency (ONA).[5] In 1941 he joined the predecessor of the Office of War Information and served as an OWI political warfare propagandist in Australia and Turkey. Ever restless, Frank then became a war correspondent for the ONA in Italy and covered postwar events in Austria, Hungary, and Germany.[3][4][5]

Novelist

[edit]

In 1946 Frank published Mr Adam, a comic, satirical novel on the response of politicians, bureaucrats, and the media when it is discovered that only one man on Earth has survived sterilization after an accidental nuclear explosion destroys most of Mississippi. Frank's light-hearted look at a grim new topic sold more than two million copies and was published in over a dozen countries.[6][3] On its proceeds Frank soon retired from newspaper reporting, returned to northeast Florida, and began a second career writing novels, short stories – he had had stories published since before the war – and freelance magazine pieces.[2][3]

His second novel, An Affair of State (1948), a spy thriller set in Washington and Soviet-occupied Hungary, appeared just four months after the start of the Berlin Airlift that signaled for most Americans the onset of the Cold War.[7] Its protagonist was an ex-serviceman bureaucrat, a junior Foreign Service officer assigned to set up a stay-behind network in Budapest, and the CIA reckoned that it was the first work of fiction to mention the agency.[8] It was followed by Hold Back the Night (1951), a Korean War novel about a frontline Marine unit in which Frank, perhaps unwisely, applied his World War II experiences to a country and a war he had not yet seen. It nonetheless likely got Frank a stint in Korea to help the U.S. Government with a propaganda documentary and to set up a Korean film unit.[9] He recounted his experiences in Florida and the Far East in an autobiographical travelogue, The Long Way Round (1953). For his next book, Frank returned to the thriller with Forbidden Area (1956), which featured the landing on a north Florida beach of a group of Soviet agents specially trained to pass as Americans. Their sabotage in preparation for an invasion leads to the brink of nuclear war.

That war arrived in Frank's most popular and enduring work, Alas, Babylon (1959). One of several contemporaneous novels treating nuclear war or its aftermath – Tomorrow!, On The Beach, Red Alert, Fail-Safe, A Canticle for Leibowitz – it recounts the war's outbreak and subsequent impact on Fort Repose, a small town in north-central Florida modeled on Mount Dora, near where Frank wrote the book.[10] Part countdown-to-war drama, part survivalist tale, the book inspired numerous similar works and remains in print.[11]

Film and television

[edit]

A film version of Hold Back the Night was released in 1956, and one of his short stories, "The Girl Who Almost Got Away", was the basis for Howard Hawks' 1964 comedy Man's Favorite Sport?. Forbidden Area was adapted by Rod Serling for the 1957 debut episode of the television anthology series Playhouse 90, directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Charlton Heston. The penultimate April 3, 1960, episode of Playhouse 90 featured Alas, Babylon, starring Don Murray and Dana Andrews.[12] Several efforts to get it onto the big screen were unsuccessful.

Frank wrote the screenplay for the film We Shall Return (1963), a drama starring Cesar Romero as the patriarch of a Cuban refugee family newly arrived in Florida and their effort to organize a Bay of Pigs–type overthrow of the recently installed Castro regime.

Politics and government

[edit]

After his first two novels, critics were less kind to Frank's books. But if his later work got Frank pigeon-holed as a writer of "atomic potboilers",[1] their popular success and topicality ultimately afforded their author opportunities inside government. A lifelong Democrat, he served as a speechwriter for the Democratic National Committee during the 1960 Kennedy campaign and after. In 1961 he received the American Heritage Foundation's Outstanding Citizenship Award in an era when it focused primarily on voter registration and civic participation.[13] In 1961 he was a part-time consultant to the National Aeronautics and Space Council.[14] Frank applied his experience with government and his investigatory and story-telling skills to How to Survive the H-Bomb ... and Why (1962),[1] a book whose reading suggests a non-fiction version of his research for Alas! Babylon. Frank was critical of the Eisenhower civil defense bureaucracy in those books, but in How to Survive the H-Bomb he praised the recent changes made by the Kennedy Administration.[15] In 1963 Frank joined the team: he helped organize information operations for the Office of Civil Defense and was later named its public information director, resigning just before his death to work on a new book.[14][3][4]

During the 1964 Presidential race, Frank edited The Goldwater Cartoon Book, a collection of newspaper clips featuring the Republican candidate Barry Goldwater.[3] Posthumously appeared Rendezvous at Midway: U.S.S. Yorktown and the Japanese carrier fleet (1967), an account and analysis of the 1942 battle jointly authored with U.S. Navy journalist Joseph D. Harrington.[16]

Apparently a fast-living, fast-spending alcoholic during his second career,[2] Frank died at age 57 of acute pancreatitis on October 12, 1964, in Atlantic Beach.[3][4][5] He is buried at Oaklawn Cemetery, Jacksonville.[17]

Published works

[edit]
  • Mr. Adam (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1946)
  • An Affair of State (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1948)
  • Hold Back the Night (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1951)
  • The Long Way Round (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1953)
  • Forbidden Area (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1956), also published as Seven Days to Never (London: Constable and Co, 1957)
  • Alas, Babylon (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1959)
  • How to Survive the H-Bomb...and Why (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1962)
  • The Goldwater Cartoon Book (Editor). (National Publishing Company, Washington, DC, 1964)
  • Rendezvous at Midway: U.S.S. Yorktown and the Japanese carrier fleet (with co-author Joseph D. Harrington)(New York: The John Day Company, 1967)

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Pat Frank

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Pat Frank is an American journalist, novelist, and government consultant best known for his post-apocalyptic novel Alas, Babylon. Born Harry Hart Frank on May 5, 1907, in Chicago, Illinois, he adopted the pen name Pat Frank for his writing and spent much of his early career as a newspaperman, beginning as a reporter for the Jacksonville Journal in Florida before serving as a war correspondent and in the Office of War Information during World War II. His experiences with government bureaucracy, military affairs, and Cold War-era nuclear anxieties deeply informed his fiction and nonfiction. Frank's literary career gained prominence with novels that blended satire, thriller elements, and speculative scenarios. His debut novel Mr. Adam (1946) satirized government procedures in the aftermath of a fictional nuclear disaster, while Forbidden Area (1956) explored the threat of atomic sabotage. His most enduring work, Alas, Babylon (1959), vividly depicts the survival and modest rebuilding efforts of a small Florida town following a full-scale nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union, offering a cautiously hopeful vision amid widespread devastation that resonated with contemporary fears of nuclear holocaust. His 1951 novel Hold Back the Night, set during the Korean War, drew from his World War II experiences. He also wrote the nonfiction How to Survive the H-Bomb, and Why. Beyond writing, Frank held several advisory positions reflecting his expertise in national security and public affairs, including service on the United Nations mission to Korea in 1952, membership on the Democratic National Committee in 1960, consultancy to the National Aeronautics and Space Council in 1961, and advisory work for the Department of Defense from 1963 until his death. He received the American Heritage Foundation Award in 1961. Pat Frank died on October 12, 1964, in Florida.

Early Life and Background

Birth, Family, and Education

Pat Frank, whose real name was Harry Hart Frank, was born on May 5, 1907, in Chicago, Illinois. The nickname "Pat," which he adopted as his pen name, dated from his school years. His father died when Frank was young, possibly from influenza, prompting him to relocate with his mother to northeastern Florida, an area that later influenced settings in his writing. He attended the Peddie School in New Jersey and took journalism courses at the University of Florida without graduating. He transitioned directly into newspaper work following his education.

Journalism and Wartime Career

Early Newspaper Work

Pat Frank began his journalism career in Florida as a cub reporter for the Jacksonville Journal while attending the University of Florida in the mid-1920s. Initially paid on space rates, he boosted his income by inventing stories about a fictional aristocratic Southern family, Mr. and Mrs. Fitzhugh Montgomery Kirby-Lee, who supposedly attended high-society events; the hoax was eventually exposed. In the late 1920s and through the 1930s, Frank moved north and worked for several prominent newspapers, including the New York World, the New York Journal, and the Washington Herald (later the Washington Times-Herald), where he covered a range of topics including politics, crime, sports, and Congress. These assignments built his experience in national reporting and government affairs. In 1939, he became Washington correspondent and bureau chief for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and the Overseas News Agency, covering the White House, War Department, Navy Department, and State Department amid rising international tensions. His reporting for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency focused particularly on Nazi activities in the United States and diplomatic developments in Washington. These pre-war journalistic experiences in Washington provided Frank with firsthand knowledge of government operations and bureaucracy that later influenced themes in his fiction writing.

World War II and Post-War Correspondent Roles

Pat Frank's involvement in World War II began with his service in government propaganda roles, including work for the Office of War Information (OWI) as a political warfare propagandist. He represented U.S. interests in Australia and Turkey in wartime assignments. In 1944 he transitioned to war correspondent duties for the Overseas News Agency, earning a commendation from the War Department for his efforts. He reported directly from the Italian front during the winter of 1944-1945, gaining firsthand experience of combat conditions in Europe. As a correspondent, Frank covered key events in Italy, where he observed the chaotic aftermath of the conflict, including viewing Benito Mussolini's body displayed in Milan. In the immediate post-war years, he continued freelance and correspondent reporting, focusing on the emerging Iron Curtain across Eastern Europe, including developments in Austria, Hungary, and Germany. These experiences exposed him to bureaucratic inefficiencies and geopolitical tensions that later influenced his writing. Frank also undertook a brief correspondent role during the Korean War, with related experiences informing his autobiographical travelogue The Long Way Round (1953). He gradually shifted away from journalism toward full-time fiction following the 1946 success of his first novel.

Literary Career

Early Novels and Short Fiction

Pat Frank launched his fiction-writing career with his debut novel, Mr. Adam, published in 1946. The satirical work imagines the consequences of a nuclear accident that causes global male sterility, leaving one fertile man as the center of scientific and societal frenzy to restore humanity's future. He followed with An Affair of State in 1948, a thriller following a young American diplomat in Cold War Budapest who grapples with loyalty, romance, and international intrigue while involved in a secret resistance effort. In 1951 Frank published Hold Back the Night, a Korean War novel depicting the grueling retreat of U.S. Marines from the Chosin Reservoir amid brutal winter conditions and enemy pressure. His 1953 book The Long Way Round is an autobiographical travelogue recounting his global journeys. Frank returned to nuclear-era anxieties with Forbidden Area in 1956 (released in some editions as Seven Days to Never), a suspense novel centered on a Soviet plot to sabotage American nuclear bombers and trigger catastrophic retaliation. During this early phase he also produced short fiction, including "The Girl Who Almost Got Away," which appeared in Redbook magazine in July 1950. Several of these early novels and stories later served as the basis for film adaptations.

Major Works and Themes

Pat Frank's most prominent and enduring work is the novel Alas, Babylon (1959), a post-apocalyptic narrative that portrays the aftermath of a devastating nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union, focusing on the survival and rebuilding efforts of residents in the small Florida town of Fort Repose. The story highlights how ordinary people, isolated from the rest of the world and stripped of modern conveniences like electricity, fuel, and supply chains, must rely on resourcefulness, cooperation, and leadership to endure famine, disease, and societal collapse. Themes of nuclear anxiety, survivalism, and small-town resilience permeate the book, with Frank presenting a cautiously hopeful vision of human adaptability and community strength—particularly through interracial and cross-social alliances—in the face of total catastrophe. Following the widespread success of Alas, Babylon, Frank shifted toward magazine and journal writing, using these outlets to express his concerns about nuclear proliferation, government policies, and civil defense. He continued to engage politically, serving in advisory roles for government bodies. In 1962, he published the non-fiction work How to Survive the H-Bomb and Why, a practical guide addressing civil defense strategies and the rationale for preparedness amid the ongoing threat of hydrogen bomb attacks. Posthumously, the co-authored Rendezvous at Midway (1967) appeared, reflecting his interest in historical and military subjects. Frank's later output reinforced his recurring preoccupation with nuclear peril, bureaucratic shortcomings, and the potential for individual and communal endurance in extreme circumstances.

Film and Television Contributions

Adaptations of His Novels and Stories

Several of Pat Frank's novels and short stories were adapted for film and television during the 1950s and 1960s, reflecting the popularity of his Cold War-era fiction and wartime narratives. His 1951 novel Hold Back the Night, depicting a Marine company's retreat during the Korean War, was adapted into a 1956 feature film directed by Allan Dwan and starring John Payne. In the 1950s, Frank's works frequently appeared in live television anthology dramas. These included an adaptation from one of his novels on Studio One in 1952, a story adaptation on Danger in 1954, an original story on Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre in 1956, story adaptations on Alcoa Theatre between 1957 and 1960, and a story on Studio 57 in 1957. Frank's 1956 novel Forbidden Area, a thriller about Soviet sabotage ahead of a potential nuclear attack, was adapted as the premiere episode of the CBS anthology series Playhouse 90. Airing on October 4, 1956, the episode featured a screenplay by Rod Serling and starred Charlton Heston as an Air Force colonel uncovering the plot. Frank's most famous novel, Alas, Babylon (1959), which explores survival in a small Florida town following a nuclear war, was adapted for Playhouse 90 in a 1960 episode airing April 3. The production starred Don Murray and Dana Andrews. A short story by Frank, "The Girl Who Almost Got Away," originally published in Cosmopolitan magazine in 1950, provided the basis for the 1964 comedy film Man's Favorite Sport?, directed by Howard Hawks and starring Rock Hudson. Despite the success of the Playhouse 90 adaptation and ongoing interest in Alas, Babylon as a landmark post-apocalyptic narrative, attempts to adapt the novel into a feature film have proven unsuccessful.

Original Screenplays and Direct Credits

Pat Frank's direct contributions to film and television screenwriting were limited, focusing on original material or story elements rather than adaptations of his novels. He received screenplay credit for the original script of the 1963 drama film We Shall Return, directed by Philip S. Goodman and produced by United International Pictures. The film, shot on location in Saint Augustine and Daytona Beach, Florida, follows a wealthy Cuban planter and his family who flee to Miami ahead of the Bay of Pigs invasion, where family tensions arise over anti-Castro activities and betrayal. Frank also earned a story credit for the 1964 romantic comedy Man's Favorite Sport?, directed by Howard Hawks and starring Rock Hudson, which was based on his 1950 short story "The Girl Who Almost Got Away" originally published in Cosmopolitan magazine. In television, his direct credits were sparse and included story or co-writing contributions to episodes of the anthology series Alcoa Theatre (1957–1960), such as "On Edge" (1957) and "Capital Gains" (1960).

Government Service and Later Activities

Consulting and Public Information Roles

In the early 1960s, following the success of his novel Alas, Babylon (1959), Pat Frank applied his knowledge of government bureaucracy, military affairs, and nuclear threats to several consulting and public information roles in the Kennedy administration era. These positions reflected his Democratic affiliations and expertise in public affairs, building on earlier experiences that had shaped his fictional explorations of survival and civil preparedness. In 1960, Frank served as a member of the Democratic National Committee and worked on John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign. In 1961, he served as a consultant to the National Aeronautics and Space Council. That same year, he received the American Heritage Foundation Award. From 1963 to 1964, Frank worked as a consultant to the Department of Defense. This consultancy proved to be his final government service.

Personal Life

Family, Residences, and Personal Details

Pat Frank had at least two marriages. From an earlier marriage, he had two children: a son, Pat Frank Jr. (also known as Patrick Gene Frank), and a daughter (Perry Frank, who was married to Joseph Pylka at the time of his death). His last wife was named Dodie, with whom he lived in Tangerine (near Mount Dora), Florida, during the period when he wrote Alas, Babylon. They later divorced around the time of the novel's success in 1959 or shortly thereafter. No wife is listed among his survivors in his 1964 obituary, consistent with his divorced status. At the time of his death in 1964, both children resided in Gainesville, Florida. Following his World War II service, Frank settled in northeast Florida. He lived for a period in Tangerine, Florida, and spent significant time in Atlantic Beach, Florida, where his family had a beach house. He died of acute pancreatitis on October 12, 1964, at St. Vincent's Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. His Florida homes provided the backdrop for his writing, and his experiences in the region influenced the realistic small-town settings depicted in works such as Alas, Babylon. Personal details beyond these family and residential facts are limited in public sources, which primarily emphasize his professional achievements.

Death and Legacy

Death and Immediate Aftermath

Pat Frank died on October 12, 1964, in Jacksonville, Florida, at the age of 57 from acute pancreatitis after a brief illness that led to his hospitalization the previous day. He was buried in Oaklawn Cemetery in Jacksonville, Florida. His work Rendezvous at Midway, co-authored with Joseph D. Harrington, was published posthumously in 1967.

Influence and Recognition

Pat Frank is recognized as an early post-Hiroshima doomsday author whose speculative fiction captured the intense nuclear anxiety of the Cold War era through depictions of atomic devastation and its aftermath. His works drew their emotional force from the deep fears of nuclear devastation many Americans experienced during the 1950s, positioning him as a key figure in early nuclear-disaster narratives. Alas, Babylon remains Frank's most enduring contribution to literature, widely regarded as a classic of post-apocalyptic fiction that continues to resonate with readers. The novel has maintained lasting popularity, staying in print for decades, appearing regularly on high school reading lists, and attracting new generations of readers through its blend of harrowing realism and guarded hopefulness in portraying community survival after nuclear war. It has influenced the development of survivalist and post-apocalyptic fiction by offering a relatively optimistic vision of resilience amid catastrophe, standing alongside other major works in the nuclear-warfare-in-fiction tradition. Frank's literary recognition was limited, with his primary accolade being the American Heritage Foundation Award he received in 1961. While adaptations of his works appeared in television formats during the 1950s and 1960s, they received no major film or television awards. His legacy rests chiefly on the cultural and ongoing impact of Alas, Babylon as a prescient exploration of nuclear themes in speculative fiction.

References

  1. https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/frank_pat
  2. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/pat-frank
  3. https://www.bookreporter.com/authors/pat-frank
  4. https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/alas/context/
  5. https://www.librarything.com/author/frankpat
  6. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/110777767/h-h-frank
  7. https://findingaids.uflib.ufl.edu/repositories/2/resources/743
  8. https://www.nytimes.com/1964/10/13/archives/pat-frank-dead-wrote-mr-adam-exnewsman-made-fortune-on-single-book.html
  9. https://www.florida-backroads-travel.com/pat-frank.html
  10. https://www.jta.org/archive/pat-frank-former-j-t-a-bureau-chief-in-washington-dead-at-57
  11. https://www.ozatwar.com/propaganda/owi.htm
  12. https://www.jacksonville.com/story/lifestyle/2009/06/15/pat-frank-s-alas-babylon-50-years-later/15982686007/
  13. https://gutenberg.ca/ebooks/frankp-mradam/frankp-mradam-00-h.html
  14. https://www.strandbooks.com/mr-adam-9780062421760.html
  15. https://www.amazon.com/Affair-State-Pat-Frank/dp/B000NPWHKI
  16. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12636955-an-affair-of-state
  17. https://www.amazon.com/Hold-Back-Night-Pat-Frank/dp/B00005W286
  18. https://catalog.freelibrary.org/Author/Home?author=Frank,%20Pat.
  19. https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/forbidden-area_pat-frank/13575966/
  20. https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/22724
  21. https://variety.com/1963/film/reviews/man-s-favorite-sport-1200420603/
  22. https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alas-babylon-pat-frank/1102239056
  23. https://books.google.com/books?id=VqDfAAAAMAAJ
  24. https://archive.org/details/howtosurvivehbom00fran
  25. https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21475.Pat_Frank
  26. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0291046/
  27. https://archive.org/details/SCV2_2
  28. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053581/
  29. https://classictvhistory.wordpress.com/2012/08/23/among-the-missing-alas-babylon/
  30. https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/18977
  31. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058324/fullcredits/
  32. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0507894/
  33. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2086016/
  34. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2354877.Rendezvous_at_Midway
  35. https://reactormag.com/scorched-with-great-heat-alas-babylon-by-pat-frank/
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