1980's

The decade of the 80's began auspiciously with an invitation by Ralph Bakshi to come to Hollywood and co-produce a new animated film based on Frazetta concepts. Bakshi was a longtime fan and admirer of Frank and always thought his art should be seen on the big screen. Frazetta accepted Bakshi's offer and moved to Hollywood. They hired a team of animators to draw and paint; with live performers so that select scenes could be rotoscoped. Frazetta wanted the film to feature realistic and believable action. Many action scenes were Frank himself doing the falling, kicking and rolling over because some of the stunt men said it couldn't be done. Well, Frank proved some of Hollywood's top stuntmen wrong.

Frank sculpted several clay models of the key characters for use by the staff. Frazetta also painted a large oil for the movie poster and a number of stunning pencil illustrations that were used in the opening sequence of the film. [ Buy the Fire & Ice movie poster ] Frazetta worked furiously on this project night and day. Alas, because of poor marketing and distribution irregularities, it was not the success he had hoped for. Too many cooks had spoiled the broth.

Undaunted by this disappointment Frazetta returned to his estate in Pennsylvania and purchased a 10,000 sq. ft. building in downtown East Stroudsburg. Initially Frank's two sons started there own business at this location with Ellie devoting herself to open the new Frazetta Art Museum. This was a longtime dream of his wife, Ellie, and she threw herself into the project until it was completed. The museum tastefully displayed his most famous works. Accented with African art and wildlife bronzes, it was an unprecedented showcase for any living artist, much less for one categorized merely as an "illustrator". In April of 1985 the new museum opened with much fanfare. A lavish opening day party was thrown and it was attended by many local politicians, Ian and Betty Ballantine, Frank's longtime friends, Dave Winiewicz, and Nick Meglin, Frank's mother, father, aunt, uncle, and scores of fans. Frank repainted a new version of the standing "Masai Warrior " oil for the museum. It dominated one wall. The museum became a kind of mecca for the many fans who would travel long distances to see the many marvelous masterpieces on display.

"It was all Ellie's Idea," Frank explains. "We were always getting calls from the fans asking if they could come see the originals. The best we had done through the years was to have some exhibits at various conventions, but that got to be a risky hassle. We did the museum for all the people who have had fun with my art over the years. It wasn't for profit --- if I wanted to make money I would've sold the originals. My joy is in showing the work."

A fire on the lower floors of the building in 1995 closed the museum; fortunately none of the artwork was damaged. Announced plans to relocate the gallery to Boca Grande, Florida were changed at the last moment and Ellie plans, at this writing, to reopen the museum in East Stroudsburg in 1999.

But along with financial comfort and critical acclaim, the 1980's also brought health problems to the vigorous artist. "The first symptoms appeared about 1986 ," Frank relates. " I had three jobs going on at the same time and I was burning the midnight oil. Coincidentally I had bought some really inexpensive turpentine, real junk. The fumes were so terrible that it probably screwed my thyroid up. Nobody's quite sure what makes a thyroid malfunction or quit or go hyperactive, but they certainly know it can be affected by chemicals. I was working for about two weeks with this turpentine that just permeated my studio: my wife and kids wouldn't even come into the room it was so bad. But good ol' Frank just kept plugging away. "I'm tough, this won't affect me. " Around the time I was finishing the jobs I suddenly got this eerie, insidious taste in my mouth. It was almost as if Death had entered."