Gary Franklin
Gary Franklin (September 22, 1928 Leipzig, Germany - October 2, 2007 Chatsworth, California) was a well known German American film critic based in Los Angeles. [1] Franklin worked at a number of television and radio stations throughout his career, but was most associated with KABC-TV. He used a 1-to-10 ratings scale (10 being the best) for his movie reviews. [1]
Gary Franklin was born to a Jewish family in Leipzig, Germany, on September 22, 1928.[1] His family moved to the United States in 1938 to escape persecution by the Nazis.[1] Franklin earned a bachelor's degree in film at the City College of New York.[1] He worked as a cameraman for the U.S. Army during the Korean War.[1] He began creating documentaries in New York and Canada following his return for the war.[1]
Franklin began his reporting career with his first on-air broadcasting job in Virginia in 1954.[1] He later became an on-air movie reviewer, rating his movies on the so-called "Franklin Scale" of 1 to 10.[1] he became a well known reviewer, especially in the 1980s.[1]
Gary Franklin suffered four separate strokes in the final years of his life.[1] He died on October 2, 2007, at his home in Chatsworth, California, at the age of 79.[1]