[ bird caws ] im jamie colby, driving through east stroudsburg, pennsylvania, about 100 miles north of philadelphia. Im headed to a fantasy world that sprang from the mind of an artist whose name you may not know, but whose work youve surely seen. My name is bill frazetta. My father was an incredibly successful artist and a great dad, but not such a great estate planner, so when he died, he left my siblings and me a valuable inheritance that nearly tore us apart. Im jamie. Hi, jamie. How are you . Bill frazetta. I meet bill in front of the costume shop hes been running for 36 years. Can we go in . Come on in. On the third floor, bill leads me to what he calls his private horror bar. Id like to show you a couple of Oil Paintings that my dad did. These were done back in the 60s. You got wolf moon here. This was the sea monster. What do you call these . Ive never seen art like this. This is sciencefiction art, fantasy art. The true story of this fantasy art begins in the Sheepshead Bay section of brooklyn, new york, where Frank Frazetta is born in 1928. What do you know about his childhood . He loved sports, loved playing stickball. He loved the streets of brooklyn. When hes not playing ball, little frank enjoys drawing and coloring. From the time he picked up a crayon, it was just a godgiven talent. Holly frazettataylor is franks eldest daughter. His grandma would give him a penny every time, and he would draw on toilet paper. Whatever there was he could find, he would draw on it. In grade school, frank shows off for classmates by sketching his favorite comicbook heroes. One of his teachers actually got mad at his father why arent you doing something with this boy . They couldnt believe how good he was, and thats when they put him into art school. So young frank studies pencil sketching, oil painting, and watercolors. But when the art school shuts down, frank, now 16, strikes out on his own. He creates this original comic story about an axwielding snowman. His works good enough to land him a job at a bustling comicstrip production house in manhattan. Frank gets his snowman comic published his first year in the biz. He was very versatile. He could do realistic war stories, crime stories. He could do westerns. In 1952, a neighborhood cutie with a comicbook name ellie kelly takes an interest in the 24yearold artist. And who can blame her . With this physique, the kid could have been his own model. They get married in 1956. They had moviestar good looks, both of them. They were a really, really handsome couple. With, in due course, four gorgeous kids, including holly and bill. The great thing about being an artist, you can work from home. He loved playing with us all the time and drew at night a lot of times when wed go to bed. Frank contributes to bigname titles like buck rogers and flash gordon. Then as a ghost illustrator on the weekly strip lil abner. It was a really good paycheck for the day, but he just got tired of doing the same. There was no creativity in it, and he just wanted to do something else. So frank leaves his salary job with lil abner in 1961 and takes a shot at freelancing. Banking on his reputation, he waits for the phone to ring. It doesnt. Wow. What happens when you have kids at home, and you go from being very successful with a nice paycheck to nothing . Mom was furious. Im sure there was a lot of fighting going on. [ laughs ] but, you know, i mean, then it turned around. What happened next . He did an ad in a mad magazine. On the back cover of mad magazine, frank creates a parody ad for a mens shampoo called blecch, featuring the famous beatle, ringo starr. That nice full head of hair that ringo had, big full lips, the nose was you know, everything was a little overexaggerated. That was mad magazine. That was. Somebody in hollywood saw it and loved it and immediately hired him to start doing movie posters. Frazettas first go is this poster for the 1965 comedy whats new pussycat . , starring peter otoole and woody allen. Its a hit. Dozens more follow, including Hotel Paradiso and the secret of my success. The movie posters started really setting his career off. Next thing you know, frank is creating a new world of barbarians, blades, and babes many we wouldnt think of airing on a family program. He brought the sex and violence of the pulps of his youth to a whole new level. The most bruising fight, however, wont be fought on franks canvases, but over them. How bad did it get . This whole story, it brings back a lot of bad memories. Thats next. But first, our strange inheritance quiz question. The answer after the break. Its a highly contagious disease that can be really serious. Especially for my precious new grandchild. Its whooping cough. Every Family Member, including those around new babies, should talk to their doctor or pharmacist about getting vaccinated. The great beauty of owning a property is that you can create wealth through capital appreciation, and this has been denied to many south africans for generations. This is an opportunity to right that wrong. The idea was to bring capital into the Affordable Housing space in south africa, with a fund that offers families of modest income safe and good accommodation. Citi® got involved very early on, and showed an enormous commitment. And that gave other investors confidence. Citis really unique, because they bring deep understanding of whats happening in africa. I really believe we only live once, and so you need to take an idea that you have and go for it. You have the opportunity to say, ive been part of the creation of over 27,000 units of housing, and to replicate this across the entire african continent. So, which bikini was inspired by Frank Frazettas work . Its b. Princess leias slave costume is recognized as being influenced by this frazetta book cover. Its 1966, and 38yearold artist Frank Frazetta is creating movie posters for hollywood. A new york publisher approaches him to do original cover art for the release of a paperback book series featuring conan the barbarian. My dad said, if im gonna do conan, its gonna be done my way. With oil on canvas, a hulking hero emerges, conan the adventurer. When he did this first conan here, thats when he was put on the map, and its almost like everythings jumping off the canvas at you. Its got everything weaponry, chains, the damsel in distress. This is everything that came right out of his mind. He was so powerful as a person that he put himself into a lot of his barbarians. With conan, he saw a Great Potential to put himself into it, the wilder side of frank. Frank goes on to do seven more conan covers, including conan the conqueror, the buccaneer, and the avenger a mix of of muscles, gore, and girls. The frazetta covers help sell more than 10 million copies and spawn a whole new style of fantasy art. Younger people today have no idea that this entire visual genre traces back to this one artist. Franks so in demand, that ellie, who runs the business, is able to insist that they only accept projects where they hold on to the original artwork, including the rights to reproduce prints. My dad and my mother loved the art pretty much the same. My dad didnt want to give up any of his art and neither did mom. You know, when i look at the female characters that dad did, theyre like, uh, buxom and pretty sexy, curvy girls. Mom was okay with that . She did not mind that at all. She thought the body was beautiful to see on canvas the way he painted it. In 1971, frank decides to pack up the family in brooklyn and head to the country for some space and serenity. They land near east stroudsburg, pennsylvania, and buy an Old Farmhouse on 80 acres. What was it like growing up in the country . Oh, it was so nice cause we had like no neighbors, so it was just a big play land out there. Nestled in the pocono mountains, frank churns out more otherworldly scenes. His influence keeps creeping across american culture. Tv series like Battlestar Galactica commission his work for their advertisements. And in 1983, his art hits the big screen in the animated adventure film fire and ice. Then, in 1986, the army iii corps, nicknamed the phantom warriors, adopt his death dealer character as their symbol. They even erect a bronze statue outside their fort hood headquarters in texas. With an inventory of about 170 Oil Paintings on hand, Ellie Frazetta opens a Frazetta Museum in 2000 on the grounds of the family estate in the poconos. You would get people with phds, and you would get bikers, and everything in between, and they just had an absolute reverence for seeing these originals. But franks professional career comes to an end when, in his late 60s, he suffers a series of debilitating strokes. It was horrible. I lost part of him. He was never the same you know, not being able to get the right words out and speak, and it would frustrate him. Then franks wife of 53 years loses her battle with cancer. In 2009, Ellie Frazetta dies at 74. But even as the family mourns moms death, a feud begins brewing. It will flare up into a fight as fierce as anything on franks canvases. Billy called, and hes like, oh, my gosh. The alarms going off at the museum. What happened . Thats next. Heres another quiz question for you. Who used Frank Frazettas the brain as an album cover . The answer when we return. Potsch you each drive a ford pickup, right . in unison russ, leland, gary yes. Gary i have a ford f150. Michael ive always been a ford guy. Potsch then i have a real treat for you today. Michael awesome. Potsch im going to show you a next generation pickup. 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And biometrics. In 574 branches. All done by. Yesterday. Banks arent just undergoing a face lift. Theyre undergoing a transformation. A data fueled, security driven shift in applications and customer experience. Which is why comcast business delivers Consistent Network Performance and speed across all your locations. Hello, mr. Deets. Every Branch Running like headquarters. Thats how you outmaneuver. So, who used the brain as an album cover . Its b, nazareth. The groups 1977 release, expect no mercy, was one of many albums that featured frazettas work. Legendary fantasy artist Frank Frazetta depicted hundreds of epic, otherworldly battles. But in 2009, the conflict comes home. After his wifes death, and with frank recovering from a series of strokes, his kids begin feuding over the rights to his valuable paintings. Did mom leave instructions of what she would want to happen to dads art if she passed . I wish i could say yes, but she didnt. She really kind of left us a little clueless. There was no communication going on amongst us. It was a really bad, dark, dark time. For more than a decade, bill and hollys older brother, frank jr. , who declined to be interviewed for this program, had been working with their mother, running the frazetta fantasy empire. She let junior run the business with her because i think it was old school, firstborn, and we all wanted to have a part of it. I think thats where frankie felt entitlement because he did it so long with mom that it was his. And, of course, you know, sure, frankie, you can have the art. [ laughs ] i dont think so. In despair over the family strife, 81yearold Frank Frazetta steps in, creating a trust so that all his children will benefit from his art and the business. But that settles nothing. How bad did it get . Well, theres so much i could tell you, i could make a movie out of this. On december 9, 2009, bill receives a phone call from a security company. The alarm had been tripped at his fathers museum. As bill drives onto the scene, he comes upon his older brother, frank jr. , leaving the museum in his truck pulling a trailer. He was coming towards you . Coming towards me. Whatd you do . Put a stop to it. How . Blocking him. I kind of met him head on. It was just a tap, but enough for me to wave to him, youre not going nowhere. Police look inside the trailer and discover that frank jr. Took about 90 paintings from the museum. Hes arrested and charged with burglary and trespassing. It was just a tough time in my life, ill tell you. [ sniffles, sighs ] i bet really hard to tell your dad, too. It was. [ sniffles ] its hard sometimes to talk about it because, you know, im not close to my brother anymore, you know, and we dont talk, and family is supposed to be everything, and its just sad when it things fall apart. Frank jr. Claims his father gave him written instructions to remove the paintings from the museum. My goal was to hopefully get my father back control to protect him, and thats all simple as that. I love my father dearly. I wish i could see him. Its painful for any father to go through Something Like this, you know, but, once again, hopefully, somehow we can work things out. Charges are eventually dropped by the family. Five months after the incident, Frank Frazetta sr. Dies of a stroke. Hes 82. The pouring out of the fans, it was overwhelming. I knew how much he inspired millions of people out there. He was a gift to all of us. In the months following his death, the frazetta family infighting only intensifies. Each sibling has a different idea of how to capitalize on their fathers lucrative legacy. Tension was very thick. Sara frazettataylor is Frank Frazettas oldest grandchild and hollys daughter. There was a little bit of rivalry between the boys and the girls because of different beliefs on how the art should be handled. What was the issue with each one . There was no way that all four siblings could agree to do a business together, licensing, merchandising, selling the artwork. In july 2010, with legal costs mounting, the family decides to sell one oil painting conan the destroyer. The private sale brings in one and a half million dollars, a record price for fantasy art. Unfortunately, bill says the family sees very little of the proceeds. Sadly to say, a lot of it ended up going towards lawyers. So granddaughter sara says she volunteers to try and broker a peace among her warring elders. I wasnt a lawyer, and i think i was like their last hope to some kind of resolution. What made you want to get involved in what had become a real family mess . Ive always been a natural mediator. Ive always seen both sides of every argument, and i could remain neutral. The assumption was always theyd keep the collection together, but maybe its best for franks kids to divvy up the 160 artworks equally. Whats step one . There was a lot of confusion. How do you split pieces of art that are worth so much money, and how do you even put a value to them . Sara consults with each Family Member individually. Using a tier system, the heirs take turns picking their favorites, from the highend conan and death dealer Oil Paintings all the way down to lesserknown penandink drawings. Howd that go . Well, the process caused me to be in extreme adrenal fatigue because of so much stress. So, if the picks were conflicting, and they both wanted the same thing, thats when there would be a little bit of turmoil, and we would have to decide what was fair. When the dust settles, each frazetta heir walks away with about 40 artworks, including Oil Paintings, pencil sketches, and ink drawings. No one wanted to fight anymore. That was the truth of it. Were you satisfied . I was very satisfied because the pain wasnt worth what we were going through. Now everyones free to do as they wish with their strange inheritances. Hold them. Hang them. Even sell. And they know just where the buyers are. Tell me about the deals that youve done for the family. Whats your strange inheritance story . Wed love to tell it. Send me an email or go to our website, strangeinheritance. Com. Parodontax, the toothpaste that helps prevent bleeding gums. If you spit blood when you brush or floss you may have gum problems and could be on the journey to much worse. Help stop the journey of gum disease. Try parodontax toothpaste. Now back to strange inheritance. Its 2016, and Frank Frazettas catalog of 160 art pieces has been split up among his four children. The epic family feud has subsided. So frazettas heirs can really find out what its all worth. Today im at one of the Worlds Largest comic conventions, new york comiccon, and catch up with vincent zurzolo, coowner of metropolis collectibles. He tells me that frazettas art is still influential, popular, and very valuable. This is spectacular. Whats this one called . This is called warrior with ball and chain. Tell me about the deals that youve done for the family. One of the pieces i recently sold was the painting called spider man, and its not the amazing spiderman, its a barbarian killing a spider, and we recently sold that for 350,000. Ive also sold the Battlestar Galactica painting for about 150,000. Then theres franks 1974 piece, at the earths core, sold by Holly Frazettataylor through heritage auctions. And how much did it sell for . About 1. 1 million. Another recent sale, bill frazettas sea witch brings in 750 grand. The next generation of frazettas, meantime, is promoting their grandfathers work. What are you doing exactly with your mom now . Well, five years ago we decided that we were going to start frazetta girls, llc. Were making tons of different prints like canvas prints, textured art prints, patches, pins just my goal is for everyone to know who Frank Frazetta is, the godfather of fantasy art. At a booth here at comiccon, i meet with danielle frazetta, bills daughter and saras cousin. She, too, runs her own business, selling her grandfathers art. Do younger people recognize this as a frazetta . Either they know who he was, and theyre just like, this is the master, or they dont, and theyre just like in complete awe. What is your dads legacy . Just being the greatest fantasy illustrator that ever walked the face of the earth. I think hes gonna be remembered as someone that just touched the world with his art. The family tells me that amid the fighting and bickering over the division of their fathers art, one piece stood apart his selfportrait. Back in 1962, frustrated and unable to find work, 34yearold frank channeled his anger and put it to the canvas. What emerged was a portrait of determination, a precursor of his success to come. Today Holly Frazetta owns the original portrait, and she guarantees its one that will never go up for sale. Im jamie colby. Thanks so much for watching strange inheritance. And remember you cant take it with you. Beautys in the eye of the beholder. So meet the beholders. These paintings just did not appeal to me. And i dont think they appealed to my wife, either. I said, well, i guess the Salvation Army is as good as anyplace. We dont want them. But one mans trash. It just knocked my socks off. We have 50,000. Within a few weeks, everybody knew about it. Is anothers treasure. Did you ever consider stopping . There is a point we all have to stop. But no