Frank Dolan, 92, Longtime Actor, Film Critic

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From the Boston Globe2017-12-16

A former theater and film critic for radio stations WEEI, WHDH, and WRKO and a nationally syndicated film critic for Associated Press radio news, Frank Dolan died of pneumonia Nov. 15 in JML Care Center in Falmouth. He was 92 and had been a longtime Boston resident…

In 1977, he and his wife, Muriel, originated the title characters on WCVB-TV’s social issues sitcom “The Baxters,” which Norman Lear subsequently bought and recast to broadcast nationally. Mr. Dolan was also a host of WBZ-TV’s “Yankee Magazine.” …

Mr. Dolan, who donated tapes of his reviews to the Harvard Theatre Collection, developed a reading program of poetry and prose later in his career for public libraries. His son established a website, www.frankfavorites.com, to promote the program and chronicle Mr. Dolan’s career…

Accompanying Mr. Dolan to a show he was reviewing had special meaning for his son Andrew. “To this day,” Andrew said, “I feel I’m missing something if I’m not close to the stage.”

From Fred Barzyk

It is always sad when someone you have known and worked with for over 50 years passes.

Frank Dolan and I first met when he was doing community theater back in 1960. I invited Frank and his wife to one of my “Learn to Act for TV” courses I did  at WGBH in the early days. Since I had convinced the management to let me do dramas, I needed to find volunteer actors. Frank and his wife were some of the first to join.

Frank appeared in two Jean Shepherd dramas and in my last drama done a few years ago “The Waiting Room.” His laugh, good cheer and professionalism will be missed.

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