Frank began her writing career after World War II, under Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's young writer's training program, where she first met her future husband.

After initially being suggested by Ravetch to direct The Long, Hot Summer (1958), Ritt eventually drew the couple out of inactivity on three occasions, hiring them to write the screenplays for Norma Rae (1979), Murphy's Romance (1985) and Stanley & Iris (1990).

She has a prominent, fictionalized role in the stage play Writer's Cramp, written by her other nephew, the playwright Joshua Ravetch and performed at The Geffen Playhouse with Holland Taylor and Robert Forster in the A.S.K.

Harriet Frank Jr. was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, the daughter of Edith Frances (Bergman) and Sam Goldstein, a shoe store owner.

[5][6] The couple married in 1946, but worked independently for over 10 years, with Frank writing for projects such as A Really Important Person (short, 1947), Whiplash (1948) and Run for Cover (1955).

[5][6] In 1953, Frank also wrote the novella The Man From Saturn, a humorous science fiction tale that first appeared in Amazing Stories magazine, and was later published as a chapbook.

[5] Frank and Ravetch reunited with Martin Ritt to write the screenplay for Hud (1963),[5] adapted from the novel Horseman, Pass By (1961) by Larry McMurtry.

The couple reunited with Martin Ritt to write the screenplay for Conrack (1974), based on the autobiographical book The Water Is Wide, with Frank also working as producer.

As well as with her husband and Martin Ritt, Frank collaborated extensively with actors such as Paul Newman, writing for three of his film appearances (The Long, Hot Summer, Hud, and Hombre).