supposedly a teenager attending Space Academy to become an officer of the Solar Guard. In 1956, Thomas and his now-retired parents returned to California, where he appeared in a few radio series such as Suspense and wrote soap-opera scripts. He turned his hobby of bridge into a career, becoming the editor of several bridge-related periodicals and president of the American Bridge Teachers' Association. He wrote several books on bridge. Thomas traveled the country to compete in bridge tournaments and to instruct in the game's strategies. In 1957, Thomas was once again connected with Nancy Drew when he starred as Carson Drew in a pilot for CBS. He co-starred with Roberta Shore and Tim Considine. The series was to be based on the 1930s films he starred in as Ted. In the late 1970s he began writing and publishing novels and short-story collections featuring consulting detective Sherlock Holmes. During the last decade of his life Thomas appeared as a celebrity guest at conventions on old-time radio, the Golden Age of Hollywood, and the Golden Age of Television. He often appeared wearing his original Tom Corbett uniform, which he still fit into. Death Frankie Thomas died in 2006 at age 85 at a Sherman Oaks, California, hospital of respiratory failure, following a stroke. At his request, he was buried in his Space Cadet uniform. He rests beside his parents at Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills. His wife, Virginia, had preceded him in death in 1997. Partial filmography Film Bibliography References Holmstrom, John (1996). The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995. Norwich: Michael Russell, p. 103-104. Willson, Dixie (1935). Little Hollywood Stars. Akron, OH, e New York: Saalfield Pub. Co. External links Frankie Thomas interview 1921 births 2006 deaths 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American male child actors American mystery writers American male novelists Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers American male stage actors 20th-century American male actors Film serial actors United States Coast Guard personnel of World War II United States Coast Guard officers Deaths from respiratory failure