Franchot Tone: Reserved Loner or Master Prankster?

Franchot on They Gave Him a Gun set. Original photo from my collection.

While making They Gave Him a Gun in 1937, Franchot was asked about his personality. As he talked about himself, Spencer Tracy and W.S. Van Dyke provided their own humorous interpretations. 

Franchot said about himself:

"But I never have liked to go around slapping people on the back and glad-handing them. I'm just not the type. For that reason I'd be the worst salesman in the world. I get my own enjoyment out of the quieter forms of entertainment and I feel silly and self-conscious when I try to whoop it up."

Costar Spencer Tracy interjected:

"Don't let him kid you. He puts on that innocent, refined air to conceal the fact that he's really at the bottom of almost every practical joke that's pulled around here. Get him to tell you about the time he was kicked out of school for just that same sort of thing."

Director W.S. Van Dyke added:

"Franchot Tone would make a perfect villain. He has that smooth, well-bred exterior which would let him masquerade as the perfect gentleman, while at the same time he would probably be pocketing the silverware, except for the fact that there isn't enough money in pocketing just silverware. We cast him as the heavy in 'They Gave Him a Gun' and he's showing up all the rest of the heavies in the business. That proves my point."

Franchot grinned at Van Dyke's comment and explained further:

"I like to make friendships slowly and hang onto them. One of my theories of life is absolute sincerity and I don't seem to be able to dissemble my feelings and become somebody's old, old pal after I've known them for only about five minutes."

When all of the other guys on set passed the time with card games, Franchot would wander off to the beach:

"Just because I'm not a nut on card games and I do get a lot of childish delight in poking around among the rocks and fishing shells out of the tidal pools and watching the sea anemones. Though I suppose that didn't help my reputation as a mixer, either."

Spencer Tracy laughingly told a different story:

"What a line that guy can spin. What he was really doing down on the beach was coaxing an Irish setter to come up to the hotel so that he could hide him until after I'd gone to sleep and then push him into my room. I woke up about 3 a.m. and the darned dog was just like a muff around my neck. Nobody but that shy, reserved, retiring Mr. Tone could have pulled that one."

 Source:
"Franchot Tone No Back-Slapper But Those Who Work With Him Say He Plays Practical Jokes." The Evening Independent. April 1, 1937.