| “ | We got a chance here to get back on track. We gotta get rid of the rhino. | „ |
| ~ Frank Stokes to Burke Bennett about the Smoochy problem. |
Marion Frank Stokes, or simply Frank Stokes, is the secondary antagonist of Death to Smoochy. He is a TV producer for children's television network Kidnet and an associate of Merv Green and his corrupt charity group known as the Parade of Hope.
He is portrayed by Jon Stewart, who also voiced Zeebad in Doogal.
Biography[]
After Rainbow Randolph's public disgrace, Stokes is ordered by the executives of Kidnet to find a satisfying replacement. And so he found the "squeaky clean" Sheldon Mopes and his character, Smoochy the Rhino. Meanwhile, in an effort to return to the spotlight, Randolph hatches several unsuccessful schemes to bring down Mopes in hopes of reclaiming his time slot.
Mopes becomes enraged to learn that Burke signed him up to star in a Smoochy ice show; he feels that the event will exploit children. Burke and Merv Green, the heads of the corrupt charity running the ice show, unsuccessfully warn Mopes from backing out of the event. Soon afterward, a disguised Randolph dupes Mopes into doing a Smoochy act at a neo-Nazi rally that is raided by the police. Smoochy is labeled a racist and fired. However, when Randolph accidentally lets it slip to Nora that he framed Smoochy, he is arrested. Smoochy's reputation and show are restored.
Smoochy commits to the ice show. He decides that all proceeds will go to both the drug rehab clinic he used to work at, which was closed due to lack of funding and to child literacy enhancement programs; the kids will be given free souvenirs and healthy snacks. Because this means that the Parade of Hope won't see any of that money, Burke and Green retaliate by plotting to kill Mopes and hire a new host who will cooperate with their profit skimming. However, Green and his men accidentally kill Spinner in his Moochy costume; Merv Green was discovered, captured, and killed by Tommi Cotter.
Frank Stokes and Burke Bennett were behind Smoochy's attempted assassination.
Stokes tells Burke that he is reluctant to go through with killing Mopes because Green's head was found at the Grand Concourse. Both of them hire heroin addict Buggy Ding Dong, another former host, to assassinate Mopes during his ice show (though Stokes was reluctant at this due to Buggy's addiction). Buggy steals a backstage pass to get inside. However, Randolph, who has been summoned to the ice show, tackles Buggy just as he tries to shoot Mopes from the rafters. Randolph and Buggy struggle for the sniper rifle, until Buggy falls to his death. After Mopes realizes that Burke and Stokes set him up, he chases after Burke into an alley while Frank was left behind.
When Sheldon and Nora corner Burke in an alley, Tommi Cotter and her men bring Frank with them to have them both pay for what they have done to Spinner. Both Frank and Burke are at Tommi's mercy while Sheldon and Nora left.
Deleted scene[]
In the last deleted scene at the end of the movie, after Tommy Cotter asks Stokes and Burke "You boys ever traveled together before?", she and her boys took care of the two scared crooks for the murder of her cousin Spinner. Sheldon and Nora on their way out heard the gunshots. Nora shrugs and says, "They were a--holes" as they both walk out.