Frank Capra Junior
Executive Producer

Frank Capra Junior
(March 20, 1934 – December 19, 2007)

Goodbye Frank
By Steven Rumbelow
February 15, 2009

It's been a very tough few years. 2003 my Mum goes, 2004 a year to the day after Mum my dearest daughter Marin is killed, 2006 my Canadian mentor and world famous publicist and Renegade steering committee member Gino Empry goes then in December co-founder and dear friend Frank Capra Jr. goes. It's taken me this long to be able to sit down and write this for practical reasons but mostly for emotional ones. In less than four years I've lost four dear, dear friends. Renegade has to move forward aggressively in this time of growth whilst holding firm to some of Frank's values.

I first met Frank about 20 years ago working on a production called Punkula.
I was enormously impressed by his easy going demeanor and lack of pompous attitude. Definitely the kind of people I love to have in the Renegade family. In the early 90's he and I got together with his family's old retainer Pete Falco and we founded Renegade. Frank didn't look for a cent.

It was all to do with the intention and purpose and content of what we were doing. Always seeking to explore the humanity in our stories and always seeking to tell the stories in a new way. All that whilst working on a budget that didn't allow for the games played by the standard industry scammers and skimmers. Always diligent to truly facilitate a Renegade film outfit working both north and south of the boarder. Yet even with all that Frank insisted that we write into our contract that no matter what it was a principal to "have fun" in our work process.

Throughout Frank's moments of trial over the two decades that I knew him and there were truly some big trials... throughout those moments Frank never lost his ability to smile. No one can project that sense of ease in adversity without enormous internal strengths. Truly heroic strengths.

Everything he ever told me led me to believe he truly loved his father. I was also made aware that he was basically brought up caccooned from life by the nanny that brought him up in a wonderful beach house. From what he said I had the impression that his Father wanted him to be objective to the fantasy world of LA. A world that his Father was perhaps the greatest Captain of in the last century. His love of the common man extended to a love of horses, a love of boats and a disturbing love for chasing hurricanes.

One could always see his Father's influence on him. Frank certainly shared his Father's love of the common man and how that common man sense of honor can lead to true nobility and true heroism.

This was something he brought into the scripts he worked on and I remember once after reading my script "Obsessions" he came back to me and said "It's all good Steve except you can't have that horse being mistreated in that scene. You'll lose everyone at that point." It was a small moment in a passing scene... barely noticeable. Then he said "would you mind if I send the script to Terry Gilliam?" which told me he had completely understood this very surreal script.

He was a wonderful man who was proud of some pretty wonderful achievements.
At one time he was a Producer of four of the worlds highest earning indies.
Pictures like "Fire Starter", "Escape from New York" and for me, one of the top 100 films ever made: "Time Bandits". He was rightfully proud of these films but also his work with people like Dino De Laurentis and the studios he built that people predicted wouldn't stand longer than a year or two.
Studios which eventually house Corolco and then Screen Gems which he became President of over a decade ago. Towards the end of his life, aside from mentoring outfits like Renegade, running Screen Gems and managing his Father's extensive libraries of films he also fed back into the film industry that he loved so much by serving on Academy Awards committees and lecturing regularly at the University.

I miss you Frank. I'm sorry you missed this last election. You are irreplaceable and humanity is less without you. You'll not be forgotten.

Steven