The following essay discusses Norman Panama and Melvin Frank.

Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, authors of more than thirty films, have achieved a unique position among successful Hollywood writing teams. By becoming not only the coauthors but also the coproducers and codirectors of their films, Frank and Panama have gained a large measure of control over their screenplays. Since their earliest collaborations writing for radio, Frank and Panama have been closely associated with major comic performers. They have carefully tailored films to the particular talents of Bob Hope (seven films), Danny Kaye (three films), and Bing Crosby (five films), and have provided material for such performers as Lucille Ball, Red Skelton, Zero Mostel, and Goldie Hawn. Their films--notably Knock on Wood (1954), The Court Jester (1956), and The Road to Hong Kong (1962)--often center on characters who are performers or entertainers. Frank and Panama's comedy films are often fantasies in...