MLGG: Pop Culture News, Reviews and Interviews

I was too old to be the target audience for Power Rangers even when the first series debuted in the mid-90s.

However, with my lifelong love of cheesy Kaiju movies, the hypnotic mixture of Super Sentai footage with earnest, kitschy American teen drama and adventure was something that really appealed to me.

Green Ranger Tommy was one of the best characters by far too. First debuting as an evil Ranger before turning face and joining the good guys, Tommy was played with youthful enthusiasm by a gifted young martial artist named Jason David Frank. Like the rest of the cast, he was a good looking, athletic person – plus, like just about everyone else in the show, his charisma outweighed his acting ability.

Nevertheless, the fact that these teenagers weren’t great actors, at least initially, only added to the cheesy charm of the show.

Jason David Frank went on to make many more appearances as Tommy Oliver, notably returning in 2004’s Power Rangers: Dino Thunder as a grown up paleontologist.

The Green Ranger and the character of Tommy Oliver meant an awful lot to fans who spent many years watching the adventures of the Power Rangers and, as pop culture conventions exploded in popularity, Jason David Frank made as many appearances at Cons as was humanly possible.

His presence at conventions always drew big queues, especially as the fact that his legendarily friendly and welcoming nature grew. He always made sure to spend time with each and every fan who queued up for an autograph, accommodating even the most bizarre fan requests politely and making sure to take a selfie of himself with each fan, using their phone.

I watched him taste strange snacks that fans had brought him, saw him get emotional as a fan gifted him with a purple Power Rangers helmet they’d made for his mom, who was ill with cancer at the time. He even recorded a video message for his mother with the fan who made the incredible helmet for her!

The queue was long but everyone in it chatted to each other as if we had known each other for years. We all watched as fans lined up to speak to the Green Ranger and saw how politely he greeted each person and humbly reacted to their praise and gratitude.

He always seemed so thankful, so blessed that his role in what could have been a forgettable, cobbled together TV show, meant so much to so many people.

He signed my Funko Pop Vinyl figure of the Green Ranger; when he asked my name I even made a joke about having a good, strong name just like him.

Though I can’t say I knew Jason David Frank personally, I’m grateful that I got to tell him that I was a big fan – and that I got to shake his hand and have him take a photo of us together.

He wasn’t a perfect human being. None of us are.

He meant well and he was never less than gracious to his many legions of fans, who had enjoyed his work for close to thirty years.

Jason David Frank passed away on November 19th 2022. The cause of death has not yet been confirmed.

He was 49.

He will be missed.

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