Frank Mandel

Frank Armand Mandel (1884 – April 20, 1958) was an American playwright, book writer, and producer whose career spanned Broadway and Hollywood. Born in San Francisco, California, he attended the University of California, where he participated in the Students' Congress, the debating team, the public speaking society, and the Glee Club, the last alongside Richard Walton Tully. He graduated in 1904 with a Bachelor of Letters degree and subsequently enrolled at Hastings Law School. Following his education, Mandel worked selling suits with his father and pursued real estate before turning his attention to playwriting. When the real estate market collapsed in the aftermath of the 1905 earthquake and fire, he assembled $5,000 and traveled east to pursue a career writing plays.

Mandel's theatrical output as a book writer and co-author was extensive. His earlier works include Our Wives (1912), co-written with Helen Kraft from Ludwig Fulda's 1897 German play Jugendfreunde, which was later adapted into the Victor Herbert musical comedy The Only Girl. He co-wrote My Lady Friends (1919) with Emil Nyiray, and collaborated with Otto Harbach on Mary, with a score by Louis Hirsch, as well as The O'Brien Girl (1922). His collaboration with Harbach continued with No, No, Nanette (1925), one of his most prominent credits. Additional Broadway works include The Five Million, The New Moon, The Desert Song, Tickle Me, and East Wind, as well as Captain Jinks, Bosom Friends, and The High Cost of Loving.

Following No, No, Nanette, Mandel formed a producing partnership with Laurence Schwab known as Schwab and Mandel. Together they produced Follow Thru (1929), Good News, The Firebrand, and America's Sweetheart (1931), among other productions. Several works connected to Mandel were adapted for the screen, including The Desert Song (1929 and 1953), No, No, Nanette (1930), New Moon (1930), Follow Thru (1930), Good News (1947), and Tea for Two (1950). UCLA's libraries hold a collection of his papers. Mandel died on April 20, 1958, in Hollywood, California.