Frank B. Gilbreth Jr., with his sister Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, wrote in the 1940s and 1950s the best-sellers Cheaper by the Dozen and Belles on Their Toes. Both were made into major motion pictures: Cheaper by the Dozen starring Clifton Webb in 1950 and Belles on Their Toes starring Myrna Loy in 1952. Dramatic Publishing Company published the acting editions in those same years. In 2003 and 2005, the motion pictures Cheaper by the Dozen and Cheaper by the Dozen II starring Steve Martin were released. Gilbreth's other books include I'm a Lucky Guy, Held's Angels, Innside Nantucket, Of Whales and Women, How to Be a Father, Lobolly, He's My Boy and Time Out for Happiness. His lifelong career was in journalism, mostly at The Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C., where he retired in 2001 as assistant publisher and vice president. His daily column, "Doing the Charleston," written under the pen name of Ashley Cooper, was a Charleston staple for 50 years. Gilbreth graduated from the University of Michigan and served in the Navy during World War II, earning a Bronze Star. Gilbreth died in 2001 at age 79, in Charleston, where his widow and three children reside. His sister, Ernestine, died on November 4, 2006.
