Frankovich was the adopted son of actor Joe E. Brown and his wife, Kathryn.

[1][2] Frankovich attended Belmont High School in Downtown Los Angeles.

He was working at Republic Pictures when his career was interrupted by service in the Army Air Corps during World War II.

[5] A devout Catholic, Frankovich married his first wife, Georgiana (or Georgianna) Feagans, on January 15, 1938.

[4] Among his more than 30 productions of film and for television were: Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969), Cactus Flower (1969), There's a Girl in My Soup (1970), Butterflies Are Free (1972), The 42nd Annual Academy Awards (1970), and John Wayne's last film, The Shootist (1976).