tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53529282049299843022024-03-13T08:19:06.997-07:00Finding Franchot: Exploring the Life and Career of Franchot ToneA blog celebrating actor Franchot Tone.Franchot Tone Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03226358191027628680noreply@blogger.comBlogger264125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5352928204929984302.post-32217365508887182712021-06-30T17:39:00.001-07:002021-06-30T17:46:19.641-07:00Trail of the Vigilantes (1940)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha0y2DXoy4ONBZ1_C46hCuKy19rK6h1yygXD6u5Er7q5cK9e0vGWyLi8slM2ER1K1OfWA07HLYS1XHTO1-AxqU5cXR7058Jf8P1dAMvrqwFXLEyvK9HOs7oNgdOt4QSvxkKbP-DWMQncY/s825/Franchot-Trail.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="825" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha0y2DXoy4ONBZ1_C46hCuKy19rK6h1yygXD6u5Er7q5cK9e0vGWyLi8slM2ER1K1OfWA07HLYS1XHTO1-AxqU5cXR7058Jf8P1dAMvrqwFXLEyvK9HOs7oNgdOt4QSvxkKbP-DWMQncY/w400-h294/Franchot-Trail.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Warren William and Franchot Tone. Scan from my collection.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Franchot starred in the western comedy Trail of the Vigilantes in 1940. I love this movie for many reasons. It allowed Franchot to take on a role in a genre not offered to him in the previous decade. It paired Franchot with my other favorite actor of 1930s films, Warren William. Finally, it's a fun movie full of physical comedy and Franchot shines in it. Unfortunately, a high quality print of it is not available to watch, but you can view the movie in its entirety on Youtube (<a href="https://youtu.be/xaMsmqeB1b0">click here.</a>)</p><p>Author George Fenin, in his 1962 book The Westerns, wrote that the film:</p><blockquote><p>happily disposed of its somewhat witless lampooning in the first four reels, and thereafter got down to the serious business at hand. Much of the action was admittedly tongue-in-cheek, but it was so well-staged with all the customary Universal zip, that no one really minded.</p></blockquote><p>The 1940 publication The Movies...And the People Who Make Them deemed the picture a:</p><blockquote><p>delightful comedy-action western...wild brawls, hectic pursuits and forthright romance handled with a light farcical touch lift the proceedings far above the conventional level.</p></blockquote><p>Even reviewer Bosley Crowther, notorious Franchot detractor, seemed to enjoy Trail of the Vigilantes. He wrote:</p><blockquote>And now it seems to be getting so any one who sits long enough in a movie theatre will see every actor he ever knew appear up there on the screen in a Western. This time it is Franchot Tone, that erstwhile Group Theatre hopeful and star in many a super-soigné Eastern, who is playing the rootin' tootin' hero in Universal's "Trail of the Vigilantes," which pulled up yesterday at the Rialto. And, believe it or not, he's okay...The story is pretty routine, but performance is better than average. Mr. Tone wins his spurs in a good, fast Western. </blockquote><p>At the moment splitting his time between the stage and the screen, Franchot told reporter George Benjamin that he was enjoying being back on a studio lot and appreciative that he was being offered different roles this time around. He said:</p><p></p><blockquote>I enjoyed immensely playing in my first Western, Trail of the Vigilantes. Why didn't someone tell me about the horse operas before?</blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRwUglgxGmFcdnzGJF_6rOopuLFitmz5ne4fhW4ruEB7eXZF4L9snHGg6YrH4VEnm0_5Z5D4Ve38Z5n2vkvM8lfVWVV96FOUrGNLmYz8g6JAP5R_2CXD_T3OqO9qA1TG1a_ZDAwzbnqI/s2048/Franchot+Tone+Peggy+Moran+Emily+Scan.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1615" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRwUglgxGmFcdnzGJF_6rOopuLFitmz5ne4fhW4ruEB7eXZF4L9snHGg6YrH4VEnm0_5Z5D4Ve38Z5n2vkvM8lfVWVV96FOUrGNLmYz8g6JAP5R_2CXD_T3OqO9qA1TG1a_ZDAwzbnqI/w315-h400/Franchot+Tone+Peggy+Moran+Emily+Scan.jpg" width="315" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Franchot Tone and Peggy Moran. Scan from my collection.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div><br />Franchot's leading lady Peggy Moran, <a href="http://www.westernclippings.com/interview/peggymoran_interview.shtml">in an interview with Mike Fitzgerald for Western Clippings</a>, shared that she was surprised to find Franchot was not a known entity at conventions in which she participated. Peggy recalled:</div><blockquote><div>It was a spoof and of course a big picture—much bigger than the Bs I usually did. A few years ago, I went to Knoxville to a film festival. The late Robert Shayne had told me about stills—getting my best shots reproduced and all. I took some from each of the westerns. The scenes with Gene Autry and Roy Rogers were big sellers. But when it came to the shots of me with Franchot Tone, the fans would ask ‘Who’s that!?’ At first I was so taken aback, because he was a big star, much more so than Gene or Roy, at least at the time. But these fans know who they like—it’s Gene and Roy, not Franchot! But in its day, ‘Vigilantes’ did very well, especially in New York and the sophisticated areas. It was funny, with jokes. A real farce. Franchot would fall off a horse every time he tried to get on it. The dialogue was cute and the metropolitan areas ate it up. But at the festival, I could see what the other westerns meant in that part of the country. Franchot Tone and I dated for a while, but that was before I started going with my future husband.</div></blockquote><p>I think the fact that this was a western convention had something to do with Franchot not being recognized. If it had been a pre-code or 30s-related convention, I think Franchot would've received more love. Also, had the stills been of Franchot's television work in the 1950s and 60s, convention attendees would have surely recognized the older gentleman who starred in episodes of <a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/2015/04/bonanza-denver-mckee-1960.html">Bonanza</a>, <a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/2018/03/wagon-train-malachi-hobart-story-1962.html">Wagon Train</a>, <a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/2018/11/the-virginian-old-cowboy-1965.html">The Virginian</a>, and <a href="https://franchottone.blogspot.com/2017/12/bitter-heritage-1958.html">Bitter Heritage</a>.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Film</h3>After a newspaperman is murdered, special investigator Tim Mason, known as Kansas, is assigned to the case. Kansas (Franchot Tone) is required to trade in his tuxedo and city life for western wear and a horse. When Kansas arrives in the western town, it is in complete chaos. Horses, wagons and men run wild in the streets and there seem to be gunshots coming from every direction—the sheriff is even handcuffed to a building!
Within minutes of arriving, Kansas finds himself strung from the ceiling of the saloon. Ill-prepared for battle, Kansas fends off the posse in a mixture of pushing, quips, and occasional punches. <div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqzncSl4EDD-zPZdjsZUfyo3poG_iEaRw_FK2tbhpmjPq-hgqCpcZuLAkqEioXhNXz1uZwGaMep7oeJf70yy0sgmWO5ZFr6PJLEHR3pxV-snbXyZLWaepvk6IEmuGtoL1Jbckg19UZS0/s2048/Franchot+Tone+Trail+Emily+Scan.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1681" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqzncSl4EDD-zPZdjsZUfyo3poG_iEaRw_FK2tbhpmjPq-hgqCpcZuLAkqEioXhNXz1uZwGaMep7oeJf70yy0sgmWO5ZFr6PJLEHR3pxV-snbXyZLWaepvk6IEmuGtoL1Jbckg19UZS0/w329-h400/Franchot+Tone+Trail+Emily+Scan.jpg" width="329" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Franchot in Trial of the Vigilantes. Scan from my collection.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><div>During the squabble, ranch hands Meadows (Andy Devine) and Swanee (Broderick Crawford) befriend Kansas and get him a job as a ranch hand on Mr. Thornton’s farm. When Mark Dawson (Warren William) arrives on the scene, it is clear to Kansas that Dawson’s word is law and his influence important. He learns that Dawson is the head of the Cattlemen’s Protective Association and receives a payment from every single rancher in town in order to keep in his good graces.
But Thornton, Kansas’s new employer, has refused to join the CPA and faces regular vandalism on his property from Dawson’s gang. </div><div><br /></div><div>While learning the ropes (literally!) on the ranch, Kansas falls for the ranchman’s daughter Barbara (Peggy Moran).
Investigating a hunch, Kansas breaks into Dawson’s office and is arrested—but not before he discovers that Dawson has been stealing money from the Cattlemen’s Protective Association. Soon, the other cowboys learn that Kansas is an undercover investigator and help him take the Association’s money (a whopping $20,000) before Dawson can steal it for himself. When Dawson attempts to paint him as the bad guy, cowboys vouch for Kansas's character and testify on his behalf.</div><div><br /></div><div>As the movie progresses, the local sheriff becomes wise to Dawson's devious ways and Kansas must make an important decision: whether to return to the city life he's always known or remain a cowboy with Barbara by his side.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYz1d3p3Sobl6I04E4PXFSoVtcfxLZmCyT4jDhaqdiWU_ZW6yez6jPfMEGDFVJmQef7eGbRCAaybWkj5dE5mzgv3x_BnHxMmHXqD0cit82FlfoUov_YjBQ_mELa_mKM7zmB9XvfjS-JzI/s1540/Franchot+Tone+Trails+of+the+vigilante+mag+photo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1540" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYz1d3p3Sobl6I04E4PXFSoVtcfxLZmCyT4jDhaqdiWU_ZW6yez6jPfMEGDFVJmQef7eGbRCAaybWkj5dE5mzgv3x_BnHxMmHXqD0cit82FlfoUov_YjBQ_mELa_mKM7zmB9XvfjS-JzI/w208-h400/Franchot+Tone+Trails+of+the+vigilante+mag+photo.jpg" width="208" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: The Movies and The People Who Make Them (1940)</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sources:</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Benjamin, George. "Smoothie!" Modern Screen. June 1941</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Crowther, Bosley. "The Screen." New York Times. December 6, 1940.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Fenin, George N. The Westerns: From Silent to Cinerama. Orion Press. 1962.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Interview with Mike Fitzgerald: Peggy Moran. http://www.westernclippings.com/interview/peggymoran_interview.shtml</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Trail of the Vigilantes. The Movies and The People Who Make Them. 1940.</span></div></div>Franchot Tone Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03226358191027628680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5352928204929984302.post-60009530193470745022021-06-23T18:10:00.003-07:002021-06-23T18:24:07.993-07:00Her Husband's Affairs (1947)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfogXEAj1sXYfUm62S0UgXFyVFWgeEQQVK1LDc6l-LH5QeZqiya9u0W8fBb0waeSBFL5gU0Kd_IVaiflRbfD7EWw-mJ-v2Wn2jMI3oyrd7J1YoKhy7v-KEnN-lCApZjl8G3SDE6gowiPY/s2048/Franchot+Tone+Lucille+Ball+HHA.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfogXEAj1sXYfUm62S0UgXFyVFWgeEQQVK1LDc6l-LH5QeZqiya9u0W8fBb0waeSBFL5gU0Kd_IVaiflRbfD7EWw-mJ-v2Wn2jMI3oyrd7J1YoKhy7v-KEnN-lCApZjl8G3SDE6gowiPY/w400-h300/Franchot+Tone+Lucille+Ball+HHA.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her Husband's Affairs. Source: my collection</td></tr></tbody></table><p>1947 was Franchot's year for marriage-related comedies. He starred in <a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/2015/12/lost-honeymoon-1947.html">Lost Honeymoon</a> with Ann Richards and Tom Conway, <a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/2016/05/honeymoon-1947.html">Honeymoon</a> with Shirley Temple and Guy Madison, and Her Husband's Affairs with Lucille Ball. Her Husband's Affairs was directed by S. Sylvan Simon, who would direct Franchot again in the film noir I Love Trouble the following year.</p><p>In Her Husband's Affairs, Franchot plays Bill Weldon, an advertising man looking for his big shot at wealth and fame by latching on to the hare-brained schemes of inventor Emil Glinka (Mikhail Rasumny). Bill is clever and creative, but his wife Margaret (Lucille Ball) is the real innovative problem solver in the marriage—a fact that irks Bill and causes a great deal of marital tension throughout the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYm0hex8898">film, which is currently available to watch on Youtube.</a></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbnJYG5bC3Z0mjW6JbH5ACULOtsPwHRphJNOztND695kki52cIwMRij43dwcwDbx9k-vIp1ioBxzukdeueYF3PQZBlDqgjQpN_1uvWFJFOQoDsPpEVk3bxyxQu1BczYu0Nrvi3VV7UwQ/s2048/FT-1910.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1592" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbnJYG5bC3Z0mjW6JbH5ACULOtsPwHRphJNOztND695kki52cIwMRij43dwcwDbx9k-vIp1ioBxzukdeueYF3PQZBlDqgjQpN_1uvWFJFOQoDsPpEVk3bxyxQu1BczYu0Nrvi3VV7UwQ/w311-h400/FT-1910.jpg" width="311" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Franchot, Lucy, and director S. Sylvan Simon<br />clown around in this on set candid. <br />Source: my collection</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The comedy received mixed reviews when it was released in the fall of 1947. Bosley Crowthers, New York Times reviewer and never a big Franchot fan, called the movie a "featherweight farce" and wrote:</p><blockquote><p>To try to make any sense of it would be the most arrant foolishness, for it plainly was not intended to follow a coherent line. It is simply a lot of nonsense about a husband, his buttinsky wife and a thoroughly eccentric inventor...Except for occasional incidents which are good for explosive yaks—and in most of which, significantly, Mikhail Rasumny is involved—the humor is pretty labored, the going pretty rough. Lucille Ball, an able comedienne, works hard and adroitly as the wife, and Franchot Tone springs about as the husband, but they labor to little avail.</p></blockquote><p>Independent Exhibitors reviewers gave the film a mere two stars and called it "an insult to audience's intelligence" and said it was "based on a premise that might have been considered funny in the days of silent two-reel comedies." But The Film Daily disagreed. Film Daily praised the film:</p><blockquote><p>Tone and Ball have a field day in this wild and merry farce which rates plugging by wise exhibitors. This is one of the wildest, merriest farces to come to the screen in many moons. In addition to its laugh-provoking zany capers, it has a love story, with one or two near-censorable situations. In all, it adds up to an attraction that deserves plugging by wise exhibitors. </p></blockquote><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05VvQdTFjreVRcdapehFKNvyyxz1Hgef2GLfUGPH1Nn7SBXvrO5huTor2Y-vcE0Or_E9Y5g5816Hfb3gk98nnfbDRSaizz_SX3KXbUCToLYJSFoJ4uramHTFTsIde3NQq5yLDXOr3BUQ/s470/HHA2.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05VvQdTFjreVRcdapehFKNvyyxz1Hgef2GLfUGPH1Nn7SBXvrO5huTor2Y-vcE0Or_E9Y5g5816Hfb3gk98nnfbDRSaizz_SX3KXbUCToLYJSFoJ4uramHTFTsIde3NQq5yLDXOr3BUQ/s320/HHA2.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNhY5-iDYmD2wAFBKQJWpd7zXRR5aIsnmh7M1wgjZw_t-RbtX_2WDPjpZhb9OXc-pxyJ8rgdOMSOoH4g4oTmGr37r2d3L6VAQu-PifFVqNZ8reUrh2KW4tgXp6cvwHsAGmB09BrsVDOGM/s463/HHA3.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="463" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNhY5-iDYmD2wAFBKQJWpd7zXRR5aIsnmh7M1wgjZw_t-RbtX_2WDPjpZhb9OXc-pxyJ8rgdOMSOoH4g4oTmGr37r2d3L6VAQu-PifFVqNZ8reUrh2KW4tgXp6cvwHsAGmB09BrsVDOGM/s320/HHA3.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>The "near-censorable situations" that Film Daily refer to are many sweet, cuddling scenes in the Weldons' bed—definitely occurring more frequently than in other films of its time, and Franchot and Lucy look and act fabulous together. However, as forward as these scenes may seem in retrospect, the premise of the film—concerning a man jealous of his wife's creative ideas and not wanting her opinions, only her approval—is certainly of its time. Let's just say that the character Bill Weldon will never be upheld as an early feminist. <p></p><p> Bill (Tone) comes up with advertising ideas in the middle of the night, looking for the next big craze. He tells Margaret (Ball) that he is sick and tired of hats being sold for their durability, because what men require is a lightweight hat. As he weighs and tries on the hat and fires off possible slogans, Margaret responds with great feedback and suggestions for improvement. Bill replies:</p><blockquote><p>I love you very much, but these are my slogans. Let's not collaborate...Learn to respect my ability. I don't need any creative help from you, just your approval.</p></blockquote>Bill's so preoccupied with his work that he's postponed their honeymoon cruise to Bermuda four—soon to be five—times! With his latest lightweight hat notion, Bill knows he must stage a stunt for publicity. He aims to convince the mayor to wear the hat at the ball game and have a cameraman ready for the perfect shot. But the mayor refuses and without consulting her husband, Margaret decides to place the hat on the mayor's head during the national anthem. People grow angry with the mayor for keeping a hat on during the anthem and he responds, "I didn't know I was wearing one," exactly as Bill wanted, and all thanks to Margaret's quick thinking.<div><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie1V2EvJxSFbMFaUlrEMOBzdyW8Y3Dw0awXEZ0mOKArDFfdTiVVlWSu8go15kB5HaWQX7Ml9dtimaPrBrzLEiswpug0qiQdUbQSe_sdYAFOjoef1QnyMQGi4I03oBQl3OwULSpvWzwnyA/s448/hha4.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="305" data-original-width="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie1V2EvJxSFbMFaUlrEMOBzdyW8Y3Dw0awXEZ0mOKArDFfdTiVVlWSu8go15kB5HaWQX7Ml9dtimaPrBrzLEiswpug0qiQdUbQSe_sdYAFOjoef1QnyMQGi4I03oBQl3OwULSpvWzwnyA/s320/hha4.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div> As Bill's colleagues and supervisors praise Margaret, Bill grows jealous and embarrassed. He loses his temper and questions her, "You keep thinking I'm not able to handle my own affairs?" Margaret makes peace by calling him a genius and kissing him.<br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY5-X9C97F-PTxAwoaBjOLIAJdmIg03aKnkJ30MYLOeNGFZ2jW_jWpDnTSMEwJdVCKJB9sgOU_K4nOv6phWrJHSCcPCsnUgtY3MOhYer70UzTcsni3Jxd-41DGFfVWqx3TbwoGxRqpDwE/s466/HHA5.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="309" data-original-width="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY5-X9C97F-PTxAwoaBjOLIAJdmIg03aKnkJ30MYLOeNGFZ2jW_jWpDnTSMEwJdVCKJB9sgOU_K4nOv6phWrJHSCcPCsnUgtY3MOhYer70UzTcsni3Jxd-41DGFfVWqx3TbwoGxRqpDwE/s320/HHA5.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>Later, Bill meets with professor Emil Glinka, who has invented an embalming fluid that "converts people into glass...Every man will serve as his own headstone." Bill is smart enough to turn this new fluid down, but is swayed by Glinka's other new formula that removes hair effortlessly and destroys the gland extract. Bill convinces his company to move quickly on the product which he has named Off Again and Mr. Winterbottom (Gene Lockhart) shuts down his shaving cream plant immediately and plans a gala that very evening, inviting 750 prominent guests and requesting that they arrive unshaven.</div><div><br /></div><div>At the event, everyone applies the cream to their faces and is smitten with the results. Faces are soft, supple, and hairless across the room. Off Again is a success and Bill is a hero!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6H20y1zDlW1JzsaESyecJ0p1GcLSBMn8_rQdduZ-zR_GkkAlVEuA10PTCK7FphEBnjQvtKgektVnDgjqrb6NlUIZWgzEs55JlrdYGVcf7KdMdPu-8onpCSRS7rhY-6VVP4KpD2-9yJM8/s468/HHA6.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6H20y1zDlW1JzsaESyecJ0p1GcLSBMn8_rQdduZ-zR_GkkAlVEuA10PTCK7FphEBnjQvtKgektVnDgjqrb6NlUIZWgzEs55JlrdYGVcf7KdMdPu-8onpCSRS7rhY-6VVP4KpD2-9yJM8/s320/HHA6.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf10D6DXwxrjl9Mi4OxskKIM59B2I4S6On2K3Kl3HC20X9N5xGeNv8PkKMEgO-JvsNEuJJtSyL7CxOSiJ5YBL9DarmTe8drIU_KTDhg2WFj-CW9JS7CjAsCxz0Dimbb4VhnuHJJtzpYs0/s473/HHA7.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="473" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf10D6DXwxrjl9Mi4OxskKIM59B2I4S6On2K3Kl3HC20X9N5xGeNv8PkKMEgO-JvsNEuJJtSyL7CxOSiJ5YBL9DarmTe8drIU_KTDhg2WFj-CW9JS7CjAsCxz0Dimbb4VhnuHJJtzpYs0/s320/HHA7.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Bill and Margaret stay up all night dreaming of the money, maids, butlers, and trips they will soon have. But morning brings chaos. Every person who applied the cream the night before now has a full, bushy beard! One that grows back instantaneously when shaven or cut. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieRszmGAknWhVOJuFBH9fwx8mS22g2XolrxPLZT0pWF5E8XvDO7d-yYW2iDb098c2FKgalevidPm99khbdqeqzsX9oG-5wVBuqLVyMp9FKjiUlRCAVUvQcSt-iIR1BjkrBbiQo_zh4Eyc/s457/HHA8.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="457" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieRszmGAknWhVOJuFBH9fwx8mS22g2XolrxPLZT0pWF5E8XvDO7d-yYW2iDb098c2FKgalevidPm99khbdqeqzsX9oG-5wVBuqLVyMp9FKjiUlRCAVUvQcSt-iIR1BjkrBbiQo_zh4Eyc/s320/HHA8.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpTNOXbJdopH2f02yG49zGi-L4ahAGcJmnExSDEwBbwPhQvN7gzXsmy4gjULNjiNR_9mlVou4p-eYS857W-0FoVkaH-dODakbKAGnPuDPeMiIVrPq95ukkBFBLPm0VhDDr26gWYTJ6Ks/s463/HHA9.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="463" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpTNOXbJdopH2f02yG49zGi-L4ahAGcJmnExSDEwBbwPhQvN7gzXsmy4gjULNjiNR_9mlVou4p-eYS857W-0FoVkaH-dODakbKAGnPuDPeMiIVrPq95ukkBFBLPm0VhDDr26gWYTJ6Ks/s320/HHA9.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Rcf61t0sI3SLraABVRd2XhyphenhyphenKZxqExBoz2YgxCUSMNm8C2nqhbe8jMis0QqtuzdLawFnyIuT8HO6Db8Wn7XkpYeWGKika-ds4rv5hnVpq19vyqP8RqVkk7AiFeuQUvAvQGAUnVTPf0RQ/s468/HHA10.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Rcf61t0sI3SLraABVRd2XhyphenhyphenKZxqExBoz2YgxCUSMNm8C2nqhbe8jMis0QqtuzdLawFnyIuT8HO6Db8Wn7XkpYeWGKika-ds4rv5hnVpq19vyqP8RqVkk7AiFeuQUvAvQGAUnVTPf0RQ/s320/HHA10.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHo2QiSeEFh5467OfsN0DO41owok8ZrGEzBccgXYfVIJgyuRIoY3lWiJMmjosviCRnGG5Dfj_cv28aVjuQZVS_BAZuT9DL7-Q3VXW5IHi92ug6pAx5VDewJBl3EhawK8XfqqDac8ks9sE/s456/HHA11.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHo2QiSeEFh5467OfsN0DO41owok8ZrGEzBccgXYfVIJgyuRIoY3lWiJMmjosviCRnGG5Dfj_cv28aVjuQZVS_BAZuT9DL7-Q3VXW5IHi92ug6pAx5VDewJBl3EhawK8XfqqDac8ks9sE/s320/HHA11.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCdMgIpg2VEtftARniuQjR3-gmWOsCEWqdtOHKV0YdhP8-R3L6gXqChbd-9iybFEmURQTbD31sINpzy5fXOaGn6bR3gHpvfuSObxNw9Qi4jv842gewVn-bXCacKoU6AA9VpiflfaSMh7s/s467/beard.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="313" data-original-width="467" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCdMgIpg2VEtftARniuQjR3-gmWOsCEWqdtOHKV0YdhP8-R3L6gXqChbd-9iybFEmURQTbD31sINpzy5fXOaGn6bR3gHpvfuSObxNw9Qi4jv842gewVn-bXCacKoU6AA9VpiflfaSMh7s/s320/beard.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Winterbottom grows angry when he realizes that he will have to compensate every single person who tried the balm and threatens to throw Weldon in jail. Margaret, as always, saves the day. She suggests that Winterbottom simply change Off Again to On Again and use it as a hair growth balm for bald men. Everyone applauds the idea except Bill, who is embarrassed that he's been rescued by his wife once more. The men laugh and tell Bill he should just go home and knit while his wife takes care of business, which causes Bill to threaten divorce. Winterbottom cautions him, "Instead of standing here bellowing like an ape you ought to go down on your knees to your wife for what she’s done.”</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC7tW6zU2c0dfI2BdVWfOJ47AAKcUqOckF9lWqvk-7nAvNIbUuXBmZOLlP8XaAouapn6jbSZGWfqArYEJoHBl-TeTqtesqSamynpk_Pl0UKq8xwEe3BCDddJ8PCdjJl-kzPCmgW2cljvM/s1395/Franchot+Tone+Lucille+Ball+Emily.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1395" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC7tW6zU2c0dfI2BdVWfOJ47AAKcUqOckF9lWqvk-7nAvNIbUuXBmZOLlP8XaAouapn6jbSZGWfqArYEJoHBl-TeTqtesqSamynpk_Pl0UKq8xwEe3BCDddJ8PCdjJl-kzPCmgW2cljvM/w400-h305/Franchot+Tone+Lucille+Ball+Emily.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Film still. Source: my collection.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Soon, men all over town have full manes of hair, but Margaret's plan quickly hits a far-fetched snag. Because the formula is made of embalming fluid, it begins turning scalps into glass! Bill hides out with Professor Glinka and lets Margaret face the backlash this time.<br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7PZ7_b9nI7b97rdZpyimBxWkWz7K1mFsVPIh0p7Yfo2dw-kq40PSvVCl5INEFHZ0W-9NPG7BFeqRn02jkIiG6AeiQttji07F18UbOU8xcyxtiFv_U1H9QrxwjI0SUphxhwfC-JI9VxjA/s459/HHA14.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="311" data-original-width="459" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7PZ7_b9nI7b97rdZpyimBxWkWz7K1mFsVPIh0p7Yfo2dw-kq40PSvVCl5INEFHZ0W-9NPG7BFeqRn02jkIiG6AeiQttji07F18UbOU8xcyxtiFv_U1H9QrxwjI0SUphxhwfC-JI9VxjA/s320/HHA14.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZehGKMzyo3hN1CoGVfJLsvQU9UJkH3Cv6oOJ-0_8azIVLub_mIAMXsXkhzJOYRP7koOz5NtQ9DdGkvOsnI86R-gcs-WxodZ6XuVzkKyiExpT_HwAlt7APeHkIm6_zp3DY9A8tYoCC9jo/s461/HHA12.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="461" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZehGKMzyo3hN1CoGVfJLsvQU9UJkH3Cv6oOJ-0_8azIVLub_mIAMXsXkhzJOYRP7koOz5NtQ9DdGkvOsnI86R-gcs-WxodZ6XuVzkKyiExpT_HwAlt7APeHkIm6_zp3DY9A8tYoCC9jo/s320/HHA12.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LWk6wo0Ddyhsk-Tyqb8A55qAr5XAa4af5Faj5ppVLk8gm0grafK4GY42XFKIMEj9zcTtZOpC31sKutgPnU1BnYnR4-Uyc7JIGa7c6HnFCTMNPM_wjrytLE0CARYzuPkhafaQWIqNoGk/s459/HHA13.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="459" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LWk6wo0Ddyhsk-Tyqb8A55qAr5XAa4af5Faj5ppVLk8gm0grafK4GY42XFKIMEj9zcTtZOpC31sKutgPnU1BnYnR4-Uyc7JIGa7c6HnFCTMNPM_wjrytLE0CARYzuPkhafaQWIqNoGk/s320/HHA13.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2wWlbD-hkW_io8QI8aMwZ-Pof5d8OfmgUjzqDusc6_RF9VKFBMD2j_t1RSaJajPEeN_4A40yWaL0t-1md9U8GGgtLBctoV3oG9aPwPtpx5kn9iqBgmn5hmWbKTbZrJwZ_gbaDBzc_0o/s462/HHA15.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="313" data-original-width="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2wWlbD-hkW_io8QI8aMwZ-Pof5d8OfmgUjzqDusc6_RF9VKFBMD2j_t1RSaJajPEeN_4A40yWaL0t-1md9U8GGgtLBctoV3oG9aPwPtpx5kn9iqBgmn5hmWbKTbZrJwZ_gbaDBzc_0o/s320/HHA15.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>Instead of giving up on Professor Glinka's embalming fluid inventions entirely, Bill is enthralled by the inventor's latest revelation—an unbreakable rose. Glinka may not be able to preserve human life, but he can preserve plant life! Bill enthuses, "A perpetual flower...wait! I've got a name for it. The Forever Flower!"</div><div><br /></div><div>More outlandish hijinks ensue leading to a murder trial and more necessary meddling by Margaret.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4RfBgv5wg10YbYKHBo95mJmd3CAiiqxPAWfhJ8c9KgqH-N2u0T2DTGDvS2pzyTzL4_VN8WvIrV-zIgtfq2FqBJkDvwsa9yLoPkhibnHkEwsK3Fb0UztklPMrRezIHBXW2Kwou7ya4cj4/s462/HHA16.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4RfBgv5wg10YbYKHBo95mJmd3CAiiqxPAWfhJ8c9KgqH-N2u0T2DTGDvS2pzyTzL4_VN8WvIrV-zIgtfq2FqBJkDvwsa9yLoPkhibnHkEwsK3Fb0UztklPMrRezIHBXW2Kwou7ya4cj4/s320/HHA16.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNceRtNLml_BbGUTw3qu8eePpFy_P48Foqf0VPQOSsptO40Vne_ZKeIFXwOPBiLz4nNareMypX0xiX1OZKUhIdB8LO_ReIbLBJkrll9bGBCVPInlbQt9mcv784WpPTM46njtPYQcn_OAs/s457/HHA17.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="309" data-original-width="457" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNceRtNLml_BbGUTw3qu8eePpFy_P48Foqf0VPQOSsptO40Vne_ZKeIFXwOPBiLz4nNareMypX0xiX1OZKUhIdB8LO_ReIbLBJkrll9bGBCVPInlbQt9mcv784WpPTM46njtPYQcn_OAs/s320/HHA17.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvDu2PeaXF8XMwNSWCioPnKstcmOqGuT_52WOwT_EP_GCFzclMjmrIcwC4H5bljB2EEBo16cthP9SxcPmB8g2OhKS5cjMoSNGgo36Tcd5UfmO17mz_yT4JldGz2fCY9bJVekG4c_Mvqfo/s460/HHA18.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="309" data-original-width="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvDu2PeaXF8XMwNSWCioPnKstcmOqGuT_52WOwT_EP_GCFzclMjmrIcwC4H5bljB2EEBo16cthP9SxcPmB8g2OhKS5cjMoSNGgo36Tcd5UfmO17mz_yT4JldGz2fCY9bJVekG4c_Mvqfo/s320/HHA18.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0APUNTY66g9ETTe52WHnhs84vlX71X5LkJTZvCg3ejfctLVXbb2BQNeJYljbnYhWqAwHkpwMef4FWalszlvOrM2g2VhmMV9bTV8YmKtXZYAQ-LlZBebBixu7lu479reZzf0oC40UHDuE/s466/HHA19.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0APUNTY66g9ETTe52WHnhs84vlX71X5LkJTZvCg3ejfctLVXbb2BQNeJYljbnYhWqAwHkpwMef4FWalszlvOrM2g2VhmMV9bTV8YmKtXZYAQ-LlZBebBixu7lu479reZzf0oC40UHDuE/s320/HHA19.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>About her husband, who is so loving and devoted at home but terribly jealous of her successes in the office, Margaret explains:</div><blockquote><div>He’s really a brilliant man, Mr. Brewster, but like so many brilliant men he just runs off the track. He gets hold of an idea and it gets bigger than he is. I know he’s working on something very brilliant right now but, you see, when a man’s a genius you can’t trust him…</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHanF7T4hM-NenWOy2FdtBmuVddI0RhWxkoxmEgWWa6kv_696wptvXDeyFA524dHRZVTKxV1h7_1_hhUPaXX8GY5ZET-HeYkKdzhd-CM7Bh0RSkeS1xZPvjmXCZP6TLcfG0jpr2-5PR04/s471/HHA20.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="471" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHanF7T4hM-NenWOy2FdtBmuVddI0RhWxkoxmEgWWa6kv_696wptvXDeyFA524dHRZVTKxV1h7_1_hhUPaXX8GY5ZET-HeYkKdzhd-CM7Bh0RSkeS1xZPvjmXCZP6TLcfG0jpr2-5PR04/s320/HHA20.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctHOHtGAqu0jQECAjNCj0nHLrnp_9Zwk4T6hLiOTWGpFcHWzxcPCdB4t0ghyEF4HIR2S2IBbU2ggBh46DttwxUIsIQbKpM37e5yH8SVeozOk5zSs1Kb_E55n3X71wRTAICXkDQv6tXGk/s467/HHA21.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="467" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctHOHtGAqu0jQECAjNCj0nHLrnp_9Zwk4T6hLiOTWGpFcHWzxcPCdB4t0ghyEF4HIR2S2IBbU2ggBh46DttwxUIsIQbKpM37e5yH8SVeozOk5zSs1Kb_E55n3X71wRTAICXkDQv6tXGk/s320/HHA21.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWozHvbk7yjH-TbVAomfO06X7WUrk1FIs1E1pff0rBcwysdysEjH_0mXaYghtIhrmKZebTfSyBGHLDfPgwtBExskj4B2QwUXcP89I8D211pT7vw7p0oi7gWZtyNfuj2RCdldBaQNob9Gs/s466/HHA23.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWozHvbk7yjH-TbVAomfO06X7WUrk1FIs1E1pff0rBcwysdysEjH_0mXaYghtIhrmKZebTfSyBGHLDfPgwtBExskj4B2QwUXcP89I8D211pT7vw7p0oi7gWZtyNfuj2RCdldBaQNob9Gs/s320/HHA23.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div> As long as you can suspend reality for 84 minutes, you'll enjoy Her Husband's Affairs. Always a skilled comedian in my eyes, Franchot is very funny in his role as Bill and does some humorous bits imitating a horse, losing his cool, and performing physical comedy. It's a silly romp that includes a lot of sweet moments and great screwball collaboration between Franchot and Lucy. The pressbook for Her Husband's Affairs had some clever ways to entice viewers and build up the film. It suggested that local radio stations hold a contest for "the most helpful wife" in which a husband submit a 50-word essay on a time his wife helped him out of a jam. Beauty parlors were encouraged to hold a contest for the married couple with the most beautiful hair. Since the film focuses on the misadventures of an advertising man, it was suggested that cinemas stage special screenings for their local advertising clubs.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRmgg3dFMFYSY1I77n3VlaUpsGaUZhu-YlpNW4qc3YZgPznR4N7htpnlS9JOby1hHMIOj9HCOdLwSJKjvnuJ5kiIOhPA5C-XO0z8YASAKhLcm2Oygp_2J_VEjzgfqu2MfR5mwyN8e5Qs/s908/Franchot+Tone+Slide+Fun.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="908" data-original-width="750" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRmgg3dFMFYSY1I77n3VlaUpsGaUZhu-YlpNW4qc3YZgPznR4N7htpnlS9JOby1hHMIOj9HCOdLwSJKjvnuJ5kiIOhPA5C-XO0z8YASAKhLcm2Oygp_2J_VEjzgfqu2MfR5mwyN8e5Qs/w330-h400/Franchot+Tone+Slide+Fun.jpg" width="330" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Film still. Source: my collection.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/p/filmography.html">Visit the Filmography page for more summaries of Franchot's films.</a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sources:</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Crowthers, Bosley. "Her Husband's Affairs' Has Its Premiere at Capitol -- 'Heaven Only Knows' Opens at Broadway." New York Times. November 14, 1947.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">"'Her Husband's Affairs' Insult to Audience's Intelligence." Independent Exhibitors. 1947.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">"Her Husband’s Affairs." The Film Daily. July 22, 1947. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">"The Selling Approach on New Product." Motion Picture Herald. November 1947.</span></div></div></div>Franchot Tone Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03226358191027628680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5352928204929984302.post-54172804793507907002021-03-25T14:57:00.004-07:002021-03-26T17:08:00.073-07:00Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)<h2 style="text-align: left;">Mutiny on the Bounty</h2><div>The filming of Mutiny on the Bounty was delayed and rescheduled several times in 1934 and 1935. In September 1934, Motion Picture Herald reported that two different ships were being constructed as scenery and for crew commuting purposes and that 90 percent of the film would be recorded in the South Seas. In fact, shooting locations would include Catalina Island and multiple spots in the South Seas.</div><div><br /></div><div>Franchot was not originally slated to play the role of Roger Byam. At one point, Cary Grant was in talks to play the midshipman In 1934, Hollywood Reporter and Hollywood Filmograph both reported the film would star Wallace Beery, Clark Gable and Robert Montgomery. When it came time to shoot, Gable remained but Beery and Montgomery were replaced by Laughton and Tone, respectively. On July 10, 1935, Variety reported that the start of production was contingent upon "Franchot Tone's washing up" on location.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu1r67Ao7yY66wDFU45LX5OFtCnIwxAqF9s72RMGpImU_heloZu0alU6CxUu_i5NmJLes42lzUq9o5nj622x7LxkBJolNlTLCFkXSIA2D-qcrwmZMtacWLcQFwwKzvrEpUObBNz8HUca0/s1025/Franchot+Tone+Mutiny+on+the+Bounty+Candid.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="527" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu1r67Ao7yY66wDFU45LX5OFtCnIwxAqF9s72RMGpImU_heloZu0alU6CxUu_i5NmJLes42lzUq9o5nj622x7LxkBJolNlTLCFkXSIA2D-qcrwmZMtacWLcQFwwKzvrEpUObBNz8HUca0/w206-h400/Franchot+Tone+Mutiny+on+the+Bounty+Candid.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsoRb2K-omfh6LK-GmC2h10tFy7m0N_O2oX85QH6G4i46jNrllz2K8_cgr_IkMY_Xc2eRCPQp5xz57HAQCIEK-l5Hnr1gCZ3ROg90fkXnasSOnRvIL4Ykc7awU08qZTCXFOxLSwKgN3Ew/s1427/Picture+Play+1935+Jerry+Asher+on+Franchot+Tone.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1427" data-original-width="855" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsoRb2K-omfh6LK-GmC2h10tFy7m0N_O2oX85QH6G4i46jNrllz2K8_cgr_IkMY_Xc2eRCPQp5xz57HAQCIEK-l5Hnr1gCZ3ROg90fkXnasSOnRvIL4Ykc7awU08qZTCXFOxLSwKgN3Ew/w240-h400/Picture+Play+1935+Jerry+Asher+on+Franchot+Tone.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The shoot was exhausting and not without tragedy. As a barge being used for scenes sank off Miguel Island, cameraman Glenn Strong attempted to rescue a camera of shot film and lost his life. Fifty other crew members had to be rescued from the sinking. After the picture was finished, actor Charles Laughton responded to an interviewer by saying:</div><blockquote><div>I'm worn out. You'd be worn out, too, if you'd just finished Mutiny on the Bounty. What a picture. Such work. The location was at Catalina. We climbed up the rigging and sat on guns, and bits of mast kept falling on us.</div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0OO_vi_k1PKmQZ438h_g7O8mTPUNguger_ASGYCTDejydCKAkXLYBoZJ4PeyKnzCW3GE9WHblr6SfdNgItC1-9LyBQ1a1m3iJs5xZKofGjoNuiFbm6UGy-8_G96A35REIyKYgeOFAQOo/s1535/Mutiny+on+the+Bounty+cast.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1535" data-original-width="833" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0OO_vi_k1PKmQZ438h_g7O8mTPUNguger_ASGYCTDejydCKAkXLYBoZJ4PeyKnzCW3GE9WHblr6SfdNgItC1-9LyBQ1a1m3iJs5xZKofGjoNuiFbm6UGy-8_G96A35REIyKYgeOFAQOo/w217-h400/Mutiny+on+the+Bounty+cast.jpg" width="217" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvS-A3SJ0oWB_PTfuFmamUtUICg-YCU3jhv0dD3CQiGZQzRiNEXzKAMo6O3UzEP3JU2nxEBjR-jXuFYFyWu-1kTD11AU1lIQV1_vgMhg5qPMHBKd8gRCCRztycXyVwYNVT5yln0dj4fIc/s1171/Mutiny+on+the+Bounty+photo+on+set+by+Grimes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1171" data-original-width="815" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvS-A3SJ0oWB_PTfuFmamUtUICg-YCU3jhv0dD3CQiGZQzRiNEXzKAMo6O3UzEP3JU2nxEBjR-jXuFYFyWu-1kTD11AU1lIQV1_vgMhg5qPMHBKd8gRCCRztycXyVwYNVT5yln0dj4fIc/w279-h400/Mutiny+on+the+Bounty+photo+on+set+by+Grimes.jpg" width="279" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Franchot was reported as having put on twenty pounds during filming, but if he did, it certainly doesn't show in the final footage. When writer Muriel Babcock visited the set, she found Franchot a bit standoffish. Muriel spent most of her experience fawning over Gable and wrote:</div><div><blockquote><div>Franchot is invariably bored. He had no scenes on board ship that day, but I saw him in the evening on land nonchalantly putting nickels in the marble machine. He looked surprised at my appearance and inquired, "What for heaven's sakes are you doing here?" And when I told him he said, "My, it doesn't seem possible anyone would deliberately choose such an assignment! When Clark asked to go on a speed boat that night Franchot "wouldn't be bothered". </div></blockquote><p>However, I think Muriel caught Franchot on an off day—possibly she may have visited when he had a painful tooth that had to be extracted—because Franchot and other cast members bonded over shooting and fishing. In fact, Franchot and Clark—often considered rivals because of their mutual love for Joan Crawford—became fast friends on the set and held admiration for one another because of the experience. For example, New Movie Magazine wrote in September 1935:</p><blockquote><div>And so to a hectic day with the Mutiny on the Bounty company at Catalina aboard an exact replica of the old Bounty that was sunk by mutineers 150 years ago in the South Seas near Tahiti. Discovering that it was really great sport to shoot fish, Clark Gable could be found hanging over the ship's rail any time of day drawing a bead on any herring or filet of sole that happened to be unfortunate enough to swim that way. Watching the fun Franchot Tone, Herbert Mundin and Donald Crisp were so intrigued that they sent ashore for some rifles and in no time at all the placid Bounty sounded like nothing so much as a man-o-war going full blast!</div></blockquote><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLjnXoU9jAI-iVoIa1lh8Z9ZiTGwjuQwpc0WUVLN1wQVZ61FxeDvWBix5ulSroq9V3sLSEe2lDRr7T-LXW6yAyha46iBs0dnP0iamcbVXmB27v3WqRiNdF7I4YTOrQ2muuv__A-u_3OjI/s1398/Franchot+Screenland+Nov+35+to+March+36.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1398" data-original-width="1101" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLjnXoU9jAI-iVoIa1lh8Z9ZiTGwjuQwpc0WUVLN1wQVZ61FxeDvWBix5ulSroq9V3sLSEe2lDRr7T-LXW6yAyha46iBs0dnP0iamcbVXmB27v3WqRiNdF7I4YTOrQ2muuv__A-u_3OjI/w315-h400/Franchot+Screenland+Nov+35+to+March+36.jpg" width="315" /></a></div><br /><p></p></div><div>Following the film's release, Mutiny was heralded as the picture of the year. Movie Classic deemed it: </div><blockquote><div>an epic of man's struggle for justice and peace, embracing every emotion of mankind, with the restless, tireless, ageless sea for its setting. </div></blockquote><p>The National Board of Review agreed:</p><blockquote><p>In its best and predominate sequences it fills the screen with cinematically visualized imagination. It opens up the sea, and the sea moves or lies placid. It brings the wind and it lets it go. It brings the ship, her sweat, blood, and vigor, her sadness and the sorrow of her people, in a word, her spirit, her adventure, and her end—it brings these succinctly, visually, movingly, as only the motion picture can, and must do. </p></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRyCBAOWGZ6YyZv_ZYmcxQhgmZ-MkZ5lPqRCg_r4qGT5XMEmQqtUC-LS6Co9anrg9EMpp3IODaxHn0O6VlEZCgI89k5Ned9NK3zYVfIRAAI-fLw4vZR2ROJON_BeDqYr81Qzdo1P31zEM/s928/Franchot+Screenland+1937+candid.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="928" data-original-width="695" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRyCBAOWGZ6YyZv_ZYmcxQhgmZ-MkZ5lPqRCg_r4qGT5XMEmQqtUC-LS6Co9anrg9EMpp3IODaxHn0O6VlEZCgI89k5Ned9NK3zYVfIRAAI-fLw4vZR2ROJON_BeDqYr81Qzdo1P31zEM/w300-h400/Franchot+Screenland+1937+candid.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />And Franchot was praised as a star to watch. Topper's Film Reviews in Hollywood Magazine noted:</div><div><blockquote><div>Franchot Tone emerges as the big hit of the picture. He drew the only burst of applause at the preview upon completion of his defense in the Admiralty Court on mutiny charges.</div></blockquote><p>Hollywood magazine predicted that Franchot would emerge an in-demand star in 1935:</p><blockquote><div>The role of Roger Byam was one of the biggest plums of the year in Hollywood, and it fell to Franchot Tone by the sort of accident that put him in Lives of a Bengal Lancer. Another actor withdrew to take a different picture assignment and history repeated itself when the Bounty was cast. Robert Montgomery was broken-hearted when other work interfered and Tone got the job. The role fits him glove tight, and depend on it, Franchot will emerge a star when the Bounty is shown. He, too, did his share of suffering for the sake of Metro, to make the Bounty. A paining tooth was no fun, marooned as he was a the isthmus, but a boat finally was hired and he had the tooth yanked without delaying production. Metro chose wisely in casting Franchot, for bear in mind that Gable leaves the picture after the mutiny, and so does Captain Bligh. Laughton and Tone must carry the picture from then on. </div></blockquote><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiUU77TRw5exjHLj2f-MtaJhpx6K_Cn-TNfcGUMrNQPL_jTjBxlDrdx-7U4iu7S2I1rVwEXjmi94IYqiV6-DpPVFl-_u6xvuSh4hlT8xDtI2_jZ9H8IkbgO_uMBFyghndWwVPlXW0-xyQ/s863/Tone+Prediction+Hollywood+January+1935.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="863" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiUU77TRw5exjHLj2f-MtaJhpx6K_Cn-TNfcGUMrNQPL_jTjBxlDrdx-7U4iu7S2I1rVwEXjmi94IYqiV6-DpPVFl-_u6xvuSh4hlT8xDtI2_jZ9H8IkbgO_uMBFyghndWwVPlXW0-xyQ/w400-h274/Tone+Prediction+Hollywood+January+1935.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div>Yet, after this major, critically-acclaimed performance and an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, Franchot was relegated back to a lot of tuxedo roles and programmers after 1935. (<a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/2017/07/irving-thalbergs-support-and-ultimate.html">I've noted before that if it had been up to Irving Thalberg, MGM's support of Tone would have been substantial.</a>) Many critics and fans (still today) were frustrated at how Franchot's career was treated following such a brilliant performance in Mutiny. Franchot consistently noted that Mutiny and Bengal Lancers were his favorites of his performances and expected those roles to give his film career the momentum he desired. Silver Screen, in 1936, wrote: </div><blockquote><div>Franchot Tone's studio kept him in white tie and tails most of the time and never gave the poor guy a chance to act. But Paramount borrowed him for The Lives of a Bengal Lancer and he gave such a good performance that his home studio gave him the third most important part in Mutiny on the Bounty and dead indeed is your soul if you did not thrill to his speech before the big shots of the British Navy. But, unfortunately, Franchot's reward for this magnificent bit of acting was one of the dullest parts of the year in a very dull picture called Exclusive Story.</div></blockquote><p>Mutiny was the highest grossing film of 1935 and won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Franchot, Clark and Charles were all nominated as Best Actor for their performances, yet all lost to Victor McLaglen for The Informer—in future years the Best Supporting Actor award would be introduced. The film also received nominations for Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Music Score and Best Film Editing. </p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3CSCpZBmpB2z53llEjIVf5-r1_RN0RAiQD8NR6tqyvs-TLBdxdkdcrnP5skE_tF2vQqkanDDj1mbKZEFpr5kFfHN4jEKtYXSu0TJDJ5CuNctePUghZsfJiH5y6szU1fKPT6dhmrYkyU/s1905/Franchot+Tone+now+heman+in+Mutiny.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1905" data-original-width="1278" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3CSCpZBmpB2z53llEjIVf5-r1_RN0RAiQD8NR6tqyvs-TLBdxdkdcrnP5skE_tF2vQqkanDDj1mbKZEFpr5kFfHN4jEKtYXSu0TJDJ5CuNctePUghZsfJiH5y6szU1fKPT6dhmrYkyU/w269-h400/Franchot+Tone+now+heman+in+Mutiny.jpg" width="269" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0EzKeUgnh5zYk4cMGVorBVoE35ld6nMKJR2eGW7eQK6NS2vZiQFw9q08ntA1hP1vZpkJh7dTdil54PNxj1Ve00iE6f7FphXyfhsMuMo4eb1-C5F2tnJQc7vkA32ZQ_o0UCUsJ4i0l8Y/s1612/Franchot+Tone+Screenland+1935-1936.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1612" data-original-width="1197" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0EzKeUgnh5zYk4cMGVorBVoE35ld6nMKJR2eGW7eQK6NS2vZiQFw9q08ntA1hP1vZpkJh7dTdil54PNxj1Ve00iE6f7FphXyfhsMuMo4eb1-C5F2tnJQc7vkA32ZQ_o0UCUsJ4i0l8Y/w298-h400/Franchot+Tone+Screenland+1935-1936.jpg" width="298" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>I would be remiss to write a post on Mutiny without including these three photos which I spotted in past online auctions, but sadly (nearly inconsolable about the first one) I did not win.<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZopRuKqQ3F3_BK9on7jfSUBSvLQ6YZQ39xLQRMcB5qa2I7Sp5umoFZZY2b7UTJ_LsEPLBikzCkdmIgBEaoeNijckWNoPQo5mEqkLajNdAu8d9bDojLv0LDwgOi67D48phqXapdo_l1U/s898/Franchot+Tone+candid+1935.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="898" data-original-width="693" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZopRuKqQ3F3_BK9on7jfSUBSvLQ6YZQ39xLQRMcB5qa2I7Sp5umoFZZY2b7UTJ_LsEPLBikzCkdmIgBEaoeNijckWNoPQo5mEqkLajNdAu8d9bDojLv0LDwgOi67D48phqXapdo_l1U/w309-h400/Franchot+Tone+candid+1935.jpg" width="309" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Un-retouched candid photo of Franchot on the set</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOb7wWsQ_qsJo7-rh3PS5UjRRmmnzE5lU2YuntwbkDKs8i3_2xCcwlxLEfMLC2cOjSLLuCev2zCj-m4h04lxywaihLgWZjAaKmKqoCdPDeMjZ2vKxFbply0Ri-jF0Rgp22No3obaMgdLc/s859/Franchot+Tone+Mutiny+on+Bounty+fan+scrapbook+1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="593" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOb7wWsQ_qsJo7-rh3PS5UjRRmmnzE5lU2YuntwbkDKs8i3_2xCcwlxLEfMLC2cOjSLLuCev2zCj-m4h04lxywaihLgWZjAaKmKqoCdPDeMjZ2vKxFbply0Ri-jF0Rgp22No3obaMgdLc/s320/Franchot+Tone+Mutiny+on+Bounty+fan+scrapbook+1.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A candid of Franchot with a fan on the set.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0r0qG7YMy5Npa8aw8frNbuhbc3HwEPcKnsAHQKMrn2k1tsYgtN5B-nTrN5nBZDMV4PlW5kTYeFM4KvLgPLztepuH7oKVDZFGE20mHHJxKzAMWZ4mqaHBXlQKOU5nxEBiLfqmMmQXX7A/s776/Franchot+Tone+Mutiny+Scrapbook+2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="584" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0r0qG7YMy5Npa8aw8frNbuhbc3HwEPcKnsAHQKMrn2k1tsYgtN5B-nTrN5nBZDMV4PlW5kTYeFM4KvLgPLztepuH7oKVDZFGE20mHHJxKzAMWZ4mqaHBXlQKOU5nxEBiLfqmMmQXX7A/s320/Franchot+Tone+Mutiny+Scrapbook+2.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another candid of Franchot with fans on the set.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><h2 style="text-align: left;">The Film</h2>Set in England in 1787, Mutiny on the Bounty begins with laboring men of all ages being forced into two years of naval service on the HMS Bounty. In stark contrast to the men unhappy to have their freedom taken away, wealthy Roger Byam (Franchot Tone) is eager to board the ship. Byam is very green and idealistic—so much so that Christian (Clark Gable) remarks "A little child shall lead them" when Byam asserts that the ship is safe under his command. Unlike the other men, he has no clue as to how traumatic the next two years of his life will be. After all, Byam is going along for scientific study. Because of his societal position and his family's prominent naval history, Byam has been assigned the task of writing a dictionary of the Tahitian language. When he is warned that Captain Bligh is a "seagoing disaster," the good-natured Byam laughs.</div><div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdlDRz_fEzrxztmC3bm9EcMuAdY4PSc2JKUi7ZyEXJA6e3MsaQRrDHQk3IguDfSwf9wkCTH4IORLg1G6hqmV5ZGcKwJiHs1siGY92MbezhldJlnbjAFQyLrDDgZXxsdapsVx0E-IeiAsc/s1380/281C59B3-EC2B-474C-AE52-A13013721B71.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1129" data-original-width="1380" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdlDRz_fEzrxztmC3bm9EcMuAdY4PSc2JKUi7ZyEXJA6e3MsaQRrDHQk3IguDfSwf9wkCTH4IORLg1G6hqmV5ZGcKwJiHs1siGY92MbezhldJlnbjAFQyLrDDgZXxsdapsVx0E-IeiAsc/w200-h164/281C59B3-EC2B-474C-AE52-A13013721B71.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>On boarding, Byam discovers that the ship is not as large as he expected and that he will bunk with Hayward and Stewart. As they cross the Pacific Ocean, the crew is subjected to flogging, severe food and water rationing, chains and other brutal punishments for any perceived infraction by the ruthless Captain Bligh (Charles Laughton). Bligh makes his position known before the ship leaves port, saying:</div><blockquote><div>Discipline's the thing. A seaman's a seaman. A captain's a captain. And a midshipman</div>—Sir Joseph or no Sir Joseph—is the lowest form of animal life.</blockquote><div><div>Byam quickly learns the ropes and adjusts to life at sea. Unaware that an amused Christian is listening, Byam brags to his bunkmates:</div><blockquote><div>We're off around the world, boys. Light hearts and tight britches off around the world...Don't worry, Stewart, if you get tangled, I'll jump in and pull you out...Mr. Christian holds no terrors for me. I can wade the seven seas and never wet my shirt. They have whales down there that can sink a ship but I can sink the whale. Behold the face that launched a thousand ships!</div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvZfXSYnc_vnsfaXj98JgjLcxPOF3nTUfQr9jmtTHW2ikI3kYGb9_aNl54ln2wnqvphqfWAVtHIdez6DJfXoaR66klWaKejrbYp6Kv8EljctglIf7fsd61CmGPxMKCgROoFv_an5sAyo/s1386/50E257A2-EC45-4DE6-A065-5C4DA601C397.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1129" data-original-width="1386" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvZfXSYnc_vnsfaXj98JgjLcxPOF3nTUfQr9jmtTHW2ikI3kYGb9_aNl54ln2wnqvphqfWAVtHIdez6DJfXoaR66klWaKejrbYp6Kv8EljctglIf7fsd61CmGPxMKCgROoFv_an5sAyo/w200-h163/50E257A2-EC45-4DE6-A065-5C4DA601C397.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>For all his playful talk, Byam truly does pull his weight and immerse with the crew from the start. When Bligh forces him to hold the masthead during a brutal rainstorm, a sick and freezing Byam holds tight through the night.</div><div><br /></div><div>Byam remains respectful of the captain although he abhors his practices and becomes good friends with Lieutenant Fletcher Christian. Christian is the voice of reason throughout the film, the man that all other characters (and we, the viewers) look to for guidance and compassion. Still, Christian's been trained to follow the orders of his captain completely and is cautious about challenging Bligh's increasingly brutal practices. When he does defend his fellow men, Christian is punished.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikaSuEHreNl3jM1KlJWP3WaModVFjB6VoKgJkd0kwx_9MQSdjl2viHMg_e0j1tMhbE3WsEImG7UzM33Nf1RM_9nio6DcwaiaCoMUrvit0v5OdI0440qzxehub67SfgvVzulf1v5CXVmnY/s1519/6202B14C-0698-4395-8310-A35674389452.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1109" data-original-width="1519" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikaSuEHreNl3jM1KlJWP3WaModVFjB6VoKgJkd0kwx_9MQSdjl2viHMg_e0j1tMhbE3WsEImG7UzM33Nf1RM_9nio6DcwaiaCoMUrvit0v5OdI0440qzxehub67SfgvVzulf1v5CXVmnY/w200-h146/6202B14C-0698-4395-8310-A35674389452.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The ship arrives in Tahiti where Byam works with the chief (William Bambridge) to create his Tahitian dictionary and quickly falls in love with the chief's daughter Tehani (Movita Castaneda). The men finally have an opportunity to enjoy themselves without restraint. After having two passes on the island denied by Captain Bligh, Christian defies him to enjoy a day on the island with Maimiti (Mamo Clark).</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxLkRTBJC1UDrUPBcYZtIw0nyKWn8_UhtZB8nivphNfnz_79nM3NIL5V2kOYqLXksXRNORr6v1TBY2r4K7ha59DDR9azY2ZIyOgPriIcPBZsGZCMvz3e6z4R3eO3KzzgSN4YI1ZXut5Rw/s1536/8297C0D0-B0B3-43C3-81BF-EE05403C7BE8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1106" data-original-width="1536" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxLkRTBJC1UDrUPBcYZtIw0nyKWn8_UhtZB8nivphNfnz_79nM3NIL5V2kOYqLXksXRNORr6v1TBY2r4K7ha59DDR9azY2ZIyOgPriIcPBZsGZCMvz3e6z4R3eO3KzzgSN4YI1ZXut5Rw/w200-h144/8297C0D0-B0B3-43C3-81BF-EE05403C7BE8.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCW9gdN0svDaS_ay5dzbkWRxUIzV1OXp0iX9sQWoeCjgRfwpRb_lWF78PyzI1e8Q30iBESGyxV_lFfjHA1ACNQw1Y9Qm3NsfhmkzkQ2heFJLfmjSst-D0CBqVecEu05Ks4URNfPIr_A4/s1362/B880F413-211A-4D76-89C5-378C68786988.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1107" data-original-width="1362" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCW9gdN0svDaS_ay5dzbkWRxUIzV1OXp0iX9sQWoeCjgRfwpRb_lWF78PyzI1e8Q30iBESGyxV_lFfjHA1ACNQw1Y9Qm3NsfhmkzkQ2heFJLfmjSst-D0CBqVecEu05Ks4URNfPIr_A4/w200-h163/B880F413-211A-4D76-89C5-378C68786988.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nzKVCScpd-hcoZMJx5l3viCP8ChtbpZ9vOQQypEs2L_jH8fmyVSKGLbl6pq9-1yBeY-2qZt9jXMKeWdmfeRU4eQmCg8qktXJMM_hXTqaA5zvUIsykOdIyAvSmQtDLuoetXkTGjtmEH4/s1393/E98BA0D9-0BD7-40EF-9304-1D06861BB371.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1086" data-original-width="1393" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nzKVCScpd-hcoZMJx5l3viCP8ChtbpZ9vOQQypEs2L_jH8fmyVSKGLbl6pq9-1yBeY-2qZt9jXMKeWdmfeRU4eQmCg8qktXJMM_hXTqaA5zvUIsykOdIyAvSmQtDLuoetXkTGjtmEH4/w200-h156/E98BA0D9-0BD7-40EF-9304-1D06861BB371.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>As the ship leaves Tahiti for its voyage back, the crew grows weaker and Bligh's punishments intensify. After a man dies and the men continue to starve, Christian can stand by no longer. He incites mutiny and, with the aid of the crew, seizes the ship and forces the Captain and his allies into other boats.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLnGFqZFxP-4_YsaQ93Y4U28xf7wRbw6b5PJoFV8gPKFn1d6qkEtpAlMelCM3NKhRP5F9nWX8Dtpj1u36ZGB3QAcgPUiwQHa3b-Ze5aiwKqSJ6ZlZ2loe8roZ8l9VWkL_Q7OrFs9SaeCI/s1464/5E01D45C-DB8A-45CE-B430-86050079E73F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1110" data-original-width="1464" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLnGFqZFxP-4_YsaQ93Y4U28xf7wRbw6b5PJoFV8gPKFn1d6qkEtpAlMelCM3NKhRP5F9nWX8Dtpj1u36ZGB3QAcgPUiwQHa3b-Ze5aiwKqSJ6ZlZ2loe8roZ8l9VWkL_Q7OrFs9SaeCI/w200-h152/5E01D45C-DB8A-45CE-B430-86050079E73F.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUvG14XgumlKMRLKjOAj0ROSAvHb0uLHujf25t_nXRZ4tPe3TYJv2TfN1jOElrjKzoroZkJ-sHA4GuN9T75p1oQOYR65bfmmQeXeJaddvDcUA7A47xLaVCPl8L4RAqyaGigHE0fMarX-4/s1385/86B1727C-009E-406D-8BD2-209C4FED1308.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1059" data-original-width="1385" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUvG14XgumlKMRLKjOAj0ROSAvHb0uLHujf25t_nXRZ4tPe3TYJv2TfN1jOElrjKzoroZkJ-sHA4GuN9T75p1oQOYR65bfmmQeXeJaddvDcUA7A47xLaVCPl8L4RAqyaGigHE0fMarX-4/w200-h153/86B1727C-009E-406D-8BD2-209C4FED1308.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2xHJMUrIv_vaCrpUmsqPBMmA2RMz7oN89ioa7yKl49jLrW_OPcdi1LilU_lSjHjPAaVBYcAh5NasdiLweemzca6YFa4bTT6wEA0G1NOWAd-5mJ3-ZHTvyx5FZuMqqs15Ef5quet-iQRo/s1380/694CD992-04C9-48C5-B6F9-15FD8E9711FD.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1115" data-original-width="1380" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2xHJMUrIv_vaCrpUmsqPBMmA2RMz7oN89ioa7yKl49jLrW_OPcdi1LilU_lSjHjPAaVBYcAh5NasdiLweemzca6YFa4bTT6wEA0G1NOWAd-5mJ3-ZHTvyx5FZuMqqs15Ef5quet-iQRo/w200-h162/694CD992-04C9-48C5-B6F9-15FD8E9711FD.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Byam has been locked in his cabin and does not agree with Christian's actions. When Christian asks him for his word that he will not try to take the ship back from him, Byam responds:</div><blockquote><div>You may have it but I'll escape if I can.</div></blockquote><div>Christian has to hit Byam in order to restrain him from stopping the mutiny. When he apologizes, Byam replies:</div><blockquote><div>That didn't hurt. What hurts is that you and I can never again be friends.</div></blockquote><div>Christian sets the ship back to the island where he and Roger return to their loves. With time, their friendship and trust in each other is restored. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83Z45oFhRVsPf9BVcMiXnthvwyp9C9O5TWTIuHR2bDiy4lHFgJ73ksTQUwQ9L7es3Rs6pPNPblUQX-_8vxrgIs6e_IKwyEEMmFLrONcKYd_GQuGMJr1RoooQg9BSBspKsxdESsAaytlI/s1388/2B94B504-1F52-42AE-806B-CC73AA9AF8F8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1112" data-original-width="1388" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83Z45oFhRVsPf9BVcMiXnthvwyp9C9O5TWTIuHR2bDiy4lHFgJ73ksTQUwQ9L7es3Rs6pPNPblUQX-_8vxrgIs6e_IKwyEEMmFLrONcKYd_GQuGMJr1RoooQg9BSBspKsxdESsAaytlI/w200-h160/2B94B504-1F52-42AE-806B-CC73AA9AF8F8.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>When a British ship is spotted, Byam and other men decide to return to England and allow Christian to escape to another island with his new family and crew. Byam and the loyal crew are shocked to find that Captain Bligh is aboard the new ship as he takes immediate action to imprison them for mutiny. Upon return to England, the men are court-martialed and found guilty by the court. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Lc-yuaPg5DKxM7HHRym3hWYWzbRnQImdzxq6HVhfDY7iTqNOeoPulekEfLzjkJ-neQaVxPhTgXHVIlhlVPkq9YDgJCCs3_1dGDJcOlVetg-rWLTcl3PUWvwo6YorhGjlDJHK8Zlx8qw/s1328/A175E6D3-BA82-43C0-8149-A62F4FF673E6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1098" data-original-width="1328" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Lc-yuaPg5DKxM7HHRym3hWYWzbRnQImdzxq6HVhfDY7iTqNOeoPulekEfLzjkJ-neQaVxPhTgXHVIlhlVPkq9YDgJCCs3_1dGDJcOlVetg-rWLTcl3PUWvwo6YorhGjlDJHK8Zlx8qw/w200-h166/A175E6D3-BA82-43C0-8149-A62F4FF673E6.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQorDkIKMeac1AqHhy0u-JnMRaFB64Q4C8axDsJXo55wd0agq0b6Xs8Pkgxd6QfSfgn8Ya5WUbhjxhHhJggmtwtKv3nzpd3ac8GPfFBdBdLEdzF3EBWUhA4RN-UPnxegZN-ivjv040sHY/s1430/C27975A9-F6EA-40BA-90F9-F1E85435825C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1103" data-original-width="1430" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQorDkIKMeac1AqHhy0u-JnMRaFB64Q4C8axDsJXo55wd0agq0b6Xs8Pkgxd6QfSfgn8Ya5WUbhjxhHhJggmtwtKv3nzpd3ac8GPfFBdBdLEdzF3EBWUhA4RN-UPnxegZN-ivjv040sHY/w200-h154/C27975A9-F6EA-40BA-90F9-F1E85435825C.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFlxyzDGArEYpK3_4DNBqSUlMZZPe_moQfw8NLC6N6DRA42lYstEo1rjtUpCviwxiD1jqBVLca2TXLnVDwvbepXbPJS-NPQ7QZRS8N9mM7aYm1DEcGHSKYiVk5GzHXMrV_WjpZ7nypsz0/s1352/F6F4A5E2-FBFF-4107-BBE1-53A62992A0D6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1105" data-original-width="1352" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFlxyzDGArEYpK3_4DNBqSUlMZZPe_moQfw8NLC6N6DRA42lYstEo1rjtUpCviwxiD1jqBVLca2TXLnVDwvbepXbPJS-NPQ7QZRS8N9mM7aYm1DEcGHSKYiVk5GzHXMrV_WjpZ7nypsz0/w200-h164/F6F4A5E2-FBFF-4107-BBE1-53A62992A0D6.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyBAPqpV8bZRUaYs-QhSHXhN35EQuPZEqxYS4GcBAp8NgQJhXZlkiTbM5PtNI4lkhEuLKUNsxhszDuP8M1m7pFtG4LCkNLLJq3YkXpG1EDc3pSU0qHgbBhikNQxgqnCJ8LJuZAjrP3WKI/s1493/F57BC7A7-FF5F-4547-8C23-5993627FC3F0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1122" data-original-width="1493" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyBAPqpV8bZRUaYs-QhSHXhN35EQuPZEqxYS4GcBAp8NgQJhXZlkiTbM5PtNI4lkhEuLKUNsxhszDuP8M1m7pFtG4LCkNLLJq3YkXpG1EDc3pSU0qHgbBhikNQxgqnCJ8LJuZAjrP3WKI/w200-h150/F57BC7A7-FF5F-4547-8C23-5993627FC3F0.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>As Byam, Franchot delivers one of the most memorable and powerful speeches in film history. He states:</div><blockquote><div>Milord, as much as I desire to live, I am not afraid to die. Since I first sailed on the Bounty over 4 years ago, I've known how men can be made to suffer worse things than death</div>—cruelly, beyond duty, beyond necessity. </blockquote><blockquote>Captain Bligh, you've told your story of the mutiny on the Bounty, how men plotted against you, seized your ship, cast you adrift in an open boat. A great venture in science brought to nothing. Two British ships lost. But there's another story, Captain Bligh...of ten coconuts and two cheeses and a story of a man who robbed his seamen, cursed them, flogged them not to punish but to break their spirit. A story of greed and tyranny and of anger against it, of what it cost. </blockquote><blockquote>One man, milord, would not endure such tyranny. That's why you hounded him, that's why you hated him, hated his friends. And that's why you're beaten. Fletcher Christian's still free. But Christian lost too, milord. God knows he's judged himself more harshly than you could judge him. I say to his father, he was my friend, no finer man ever lived. I don't try to justify his crime, his mutiny, but I condemn the tyranny that drove him to it. </blockquote><blockquote>I don't speak here for myself alone but for these men you've condemned. I speak in their names and Fletcher Christian's name and all men at sea. These men don't ask for comfort. They don't ask for safety. If they could speak to you they'd say "Let us choose to do our duty willingly, not the choice of a slave but the choice of free Englishmen." They ask only the freedom that England expects for every man. If one man among you believe that, one man, he could command the fleets of England. He could sweep the seas for England if he called his men to their duty not by flaying their backs, but by lifting their hearts, their...that's all. </blockquote><div>Because of his familial connections and pressure from influential friends, Byam receives a pardon by the king and his life is spared. As the film ends, we see Byam returning to life on the sea and Christian inhabiting a new island.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sources:</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Asher, Jerry. "Franchot tells on himself." Picture Play, 1935.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">"A New Log of the Bounty." Hollywood. Jan-Nov 1935.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Babcock, Muriel. "The Only Girl on a Gable Location. Screenland. November 1935.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Year's Best Pictures and What They Brought Us." Silver Screen April 1936.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Variety, 1934.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Motion Picture Herald, September 1934.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hollywood Filmograph. January-June 1934.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">"Topper's Film Reviews." Hollywood Magazine. June 1935.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Movie Classic. February 1936.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hollywood. January-November 1935.</span></div></div><div><br /></div>Franchot Tone Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03226358191027628680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5352928204929984302.post-47512977498807183162021-01-09T15:29:00.007-08:002021-01-09T15:33:44.804-08:00New Year, New Franchot Content<p>Happy New Year! It's been a while since I've posted to the blog, but hopefully you've been seeing the photos on my Franchot <a href="https://www.facebook.com/franchottoneblog">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://instagram.com/franchot_tone_fan">Instagram</a> in the meantime. I thought I'd kick off the year by posting some Franchot items I added to my collection in 2020. I've been working on getting my research more organized—I seem to have little bits of Franchot spread across laptops and hard drives and tablets and printed in folders. It's very lovely to find a little Franchot sprinkled everywhere I look, but makes it extremely ineffective for posting to the blog in a timely manner.</p><p>I spent very little on Franchot memorabilia last year—partly due to an effort to cut back on my spending (no fun!) but also due to the fact that there was more competition in the Franchot listings that popped up in my eBay feed. </p><p>2020 marked the first year in the five that I've been writing about Franchot that I received really nasty comments, some about Franchot and others directed at me. The internet is a weird place but after four really positive years blogging about FT and encountering so many kind, fantastic Franchot fans, I must admit the random hate took me by surprise. And, for a while there, it took the joy out of blogging to the point that I thought about just adoring Franchot in private. Then, I received the kindest anonymous comment on a post I did back in September. To that anonymous person I would like to say thank you. Your comment makes it all worth it. </p><p>Here’s what I added in 2020:</p><p style="text-align: center;">Franchot in a publicity portrait for Gabriel Over the White House, 1933.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqapvVAe-flYZlJvU4nbHPFQ9sH15XZX8LSQfyatrTfqniQ0fd2I36ciKTtVLCoz50oRoc_vxpfj-cIE_qVkEyZT8_akMsUD1Ocalo15NeSO7ArM6wGj1TbjebxyzokWKhFber1tP3vJM/s2048/SCAN+1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1636" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqapvVAe-flYZlJvU4nbHPFQ9sH15XZX8LSQfyatrTfqniQ0fd2I36ciKTtVLCoz50oRoc_vxpfj-cIE_qVkEyZT8_akMsUD1Ocalo15NeSO7ArM6wGj1TbjebxyzokWKhFber1tP3vJM/s320/SCAN+1.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Franchot walking on the set of Between Two Women, 1937. I had a small Ross collectors </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">card of this shot but was thrilled to find this 8x10.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mPDvGRfn4I1EmjJEtWv-17PUnExKS0AwKG0RZVsx6JjCIjr9SN3zFqWbJ3-6eMiaFJLix_BS49ZlbOjwQhBzVpmHW204qdomc5Js9ux9qKIjS1BLXVIUTVEnQzDr9KQjF5-DaQdovaA/s2048/SCAN+13.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1580" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mPDvGRfn4I1EmjJEtWv-17PUnExKS0AwKG0RZVsx6JjCIjr9SN3zFqWbJ3-6eMiaFJLix_BS49ZlbOjwQhBzVpmHW204qdomc5Js9ux9qKIjS1BLXVIUTVEnQzDr9KQjF5-DaQdovaA/s320/SCAN+13.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This autographed photo of a very handsome, smiling Franchot. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I love that he inscribed it to Ann with “Better late than never.”</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4tnucHlQ6XY0mkmaK6MAdljw5h5SW0umJzRN4bZfKsCsI3M5W6cqMZeWpUXpgIJgJ4w4iQBZdezdCRWQIBLDQb2YS20WPhg4NNhXJBFSZqgeWC_agtfSBEsawkeyjDEPQi5j8o8ALSjc/s2048/869EEFBB-7B60-432C-8A83-935B4E20F25B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4tnucHlQ6XY0mkmaK6MAdljw5h5SW0umJzRN4bZfKsCsI3M5W6cqMZeWpUXpgIJgJ4w4iQBZdezdCRWQIBLDQb2YS20WPhg4NNhXJBFSZqgeWC_agtfSBEsawkeyjDEPQi5j8o8ALSjc/s320/869EEFBB-7B60-432C-8A83-935B4E20F25B.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">An envelope commemorating the birth of Franchot that includes an image of Franchot as Byam in Mutiny on the Bounty. The great thing is that not only does it indicate Franchot's birthday as February 27th, the sender also sent it on February 27. It is stamped February 27, 1937 from Brooklyn, New York.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Yc9Ykm6aqHA5JV8tAz86tvQHI_h7wpCNBkDFauGwQLiDxk6njRPbwwoKk8hU83Gg7CtJF-LJ8ppBdoRwGqZjVE9BiWv1fFjRMmiw9t99LUEikqCiHTHN-gaprPHw-VdB_Dzz8Pv1QnQ/s2048/9DF1C868-74D8-4432-B9DA-C45E2510B0B8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1148" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Yc9Ykm6aqHA5JV8tAz86tvQHI_h7wpCNBkDFauGwQLiDxk6njRPbwwoKk8hU83Gg7CtJF-LJ8ppBdoRwGqZjVE9BiWv1fFjRMmiw9t99LUEikqCiHTHN-gaprPHw-VdB_Dzz8Pv1QnQ/s320/9DF1C868-74D8-4432-B9DA-C45E2510B0B8.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A used matchbook promoting the 1939 play The Gentle People starring Franchot and Sylvia Sidney. Reverse side promotes Rocket to the Moon.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQGSCpuTolWKMBPDqr7NQMv4CkYVYjb0XQAvpcWfNmjmefjSnrhH_MakErxPLDyLuV2wYQyZIHN-EIZyHekVZJxPgZfoa2_B31rZb-R9bty-T-zBAYyiu8G7vqZyRTvpr-B1BQvwmQQg/s1755/31D48A6E-E885-4315-A832-063B32DF0443.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1755" data-original-width="576" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQGSCpuTolWKMBPDqr7NQMv4CkYVYjb0XQAvpcWfNmjmefjSnrhH_MakErxPLDyLuV2wYQyZIHN-EIZyHekVZJxPgZfoa2_B31rZb-R9bty-T-zBAYyiu8G7vqZyRTvpr-B1BQvwmQQg/s320/31D48A6E-E885-4315-A832-063B32DF0443.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I was over the moon to find this 1930 playbill for one of Franchot's early plays Pagan Lady! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Star Lenore Ulric graces the cover and would team up with Franchot again 10 years later</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> for the play The Fifth Column.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLBWn9ivki4F2xtXk8DqimCb56GnHnwMZSHd1neR5McgkzPN6qKuq8RTe0HcYyOV1eFFO21hJoKqoSkoudKS7ZEnwejdOm3XVnKqC_XRSbFZt8YzpnzhDEZhiffJEMuYAnenzk9k_9MU/s2048/3D948B6A-FB29-4582-87BC-65B2292A685B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1565" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLBWn9ivki4F2xtXk8DqimCb56GnHnwMZSHd1neR5McgkzPN6qKuq8RTe0HcYyOV1eFFO21hJoKqoSkoudKS7ZEnwejdOm3XVnKqC_XRSbFZt8YzpnzhDEZhiffJEMuYAnenzk9k_9MU/s320/3D948B6A-FB29-4582-87BC-65B2292A685B.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A lovely portrait of Franchot in the 1944 film The Hour Before the Dawn.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21-dq5JMt5o4Vd9KRpBZj9QrME8YYLxWoznTjptGHVRc13PzT_Ta9ftdiJyMGMZwFHxsWZ3JzsXXslOpY-ibdp5yZ64fkfrV1-zab-RcPDrF_Tx-fsVGSh2ZjYY79MJkQg0ky3_rK1Dc/s1505/0A6D149E-A084-4B51-8F8C-F7BBE21FDA70.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1505" data-original-width="1172" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21-dq5JMt5o4Vd9KRpBZj9QrME8YYLxWoznTjptGHVRc13PzT_Ta9ftdiJyMGMZwFHxsWZ3JzsXXslOpY-ibdp5yZ64fkfrV1-zab-RcPDrF_Tx-fsVGSh2ZjYY79MJkQg0ky3_rK1Dc/s320/0A6D149E-A084-4B51-8F8C-F7BBE21FDA70.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Franchot on horse for the 1940 comedy-western Trail of the Vigilantes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIGSqy_wYRtTLO4A26gmobrwVdORHXaJNQwpscnIRMBf-FGlvXdsiP8kpZkyZPUmd6Vnkk_u8KEnuYlZD-rG8tIRtRT6PZ4m9MZrL91xeBMhHpJXzcOqwkp8mgVckE6qSSSEDv0qyPB8/s1739/4B21CF29-7463-4289-9658-732645F00B3F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1739" data-original-width="1371" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIGSqy_wYRtTLO4A26gmobrwVdORHXaJNQwpscnIRMBf-FGlvXdsiP8kpZkyZPUmd6Vnkk_u8KEnuYlZD-rG8tIRtRT6PZ4m9MZrL91xeBMhHpJXzcOqwkp8mgVckE6qSSSEDv0qyPB8/s320/4B21CF29-7463-4289-9658-732645F00B3F.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Franchot and Loretta Young during the recording of the radio broadcast Remember the Day in 1943. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This photo is signed by Loretta.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzRHGUEn1rq17XVJrMqyCQhEdozfvtt3ry9P6KeCvj0JHz0yAVrW2EdmnmZ2cENVGyQ9ASIAaBAdBssJN10iABuD-ScaEcNXRef8FQTX2TspCA1A0fu0eWw6mUgmLWHtq6DBmusZXHR0M/s2048/859B5947-1261-4D05-9245-FB378C41AB4A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1601" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzRHGUEn1rq17XVJrMqyCQhEdozfvtt3ry9P6KeCvj0JHz0yAVrW2EdmnmZ2cENVGyQ9ASIAaBAdBssJN10iABuD-ScaEcNXRef8FQTX2TspCA1A0fu0eWw6mUgmLWHtq6DBmusZXHR0M/s320/859B5947-1261-4D05-9245-FB378C41AB4A.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Franchot photographed in his Brentwood home. I ordered this in December and it just arrived today so I quick a took shot of it. I promise to upload a nice quality scan of it soon.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaRBwwmdG5uNxPcFCoR6Xhe2zzRxo3L6GrRdqsXTfgDmP_1IFNOk3PpvFHGovjm0z0AQUxcdgoRxk_4GfccA90wxV4NDFeiS8TyVfAWJY8ORDIwZVLLZ5_BubUG5s9jzPislKz89DZV-s/s2048/Franchot+Brentwood.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1641" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaRBwwmdG5uNxPcFCoR6Xhe2zzRxo3L6GrRdqsXTfgDmP_1IFNOk3PpvFHGovjm0z0AQUxcdgoRxk_4GfccA90wxV4NDFeiS8TyVfAWJY8ORDIwZVLLZ5_BubUG5s9jzPislKz89DZV-s/s320/Franchot+Brentwood.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Happy New Year and all the best to you. Check back for more Franchot!</div>Franchot Tone Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03226358191027628680noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5352928204929984302.post-90124521925961526612020-10-22T18:52:00.005-07:002020-10-22T18:54:18.944-07:00Franchot in Picture Show Annual<p>Picture Show was a weekly film fan magazine from the United Kingdom that ran from 1919 to 1960. Picture Show also released an annual magazine with film highlights from the year. Many of the Picture Show Annual magazines are available digitally through the Media Lantern Digital History Project. I search through the MLDH project regularly and digitized indexing doesn't always catch every instance of a person's name. I decided to browse all of the Picture Show Annuals this week and discovered that Franchot was included in many of the years, and even more exciting, some of the photos were new poses for me. </p><p>In other fan magazines I've come across, Franchot had a highly active period of features and interviews in 1933-1935 when he first came to Hollywood and was a sought after leading man. Once Franchot married Joan, most of the fan magazines focused on photos of the couple dining and dancing and attention to Franchot as an individual performer dwindled—at least to those reading at home. Moving forward several years, Franchot became an eligible bachelor and immersed in Hollywood's nightlife. This season of Franchot's life as well as the early days of his marriage to Jean Wallace resulted in frequently published photos in the fan magazines once again.</p><p>Here is a timeline of Franchot as featured in Picture Show Annual. Because the periodical was released annually and because it was based in the United Kingdom, you'll notice that some of the film news may seem to be reported on a delay.</p><p>1934: Franchot is pictured with the cast of Today We Live at one of Joan's parties.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXPXGYI1L5XpsbqfHPPbCiwNiiaUMzVuviJsx0bRQd_9wsfm_s8elmsxCLfz_d28FRWFmeG2cOzvF9OuO1mazuTwF24xXJL-jVn1eO-8yUTKQe2Vpg68qMC2m5m8Po3ih8yESRBKhSgiA/s961/Franchot+Tone+Joan+Crawford+1934+Picture+Show+Annual.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="699" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXPXGYI1L5XpsbqfHPPbCiwNiiaUMzVuviJsx0bRQd_9wsfm_s8elmsxCLfz_d28FRWFmeG2cOzvF9OuO1mazuTwF24xXJL-jVn1eO-8yUTKQe2Vpg68qMC2m5m8Po3ih8yESRBKhSgiA/w291-h400/Franchot+Tone+Joan+Crawford+1934+Picture+Show+Annual.jpg" width="291" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1935: "Franchot Tone began his screen career as Joan Crawford's brother in Today We Live. Since then he has climbed rapidly to success. The 'T' is silent in his unusual first name, which is actually his third, and his mother's maiden name."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVxew0t4TMR6HZNPMpsVmSvtnzGx6Jhqj1APMY4YSbG1iOcLbEk41JYoOdP_oIaIN2L3O8n9Ap_vK-ozOEQVsur3W-wEbu4a3gxhdkBMgHi4AzWLH7nVNju7zhcmmaudAqTzPAaj5Rlo/s1622/Franchot+Tone+1935+Picture+Show+Annual.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1622" data-original-width="1168" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVxew0t4TMR6HZNPMpsVmSvtnzGx6Jhqj1APMY4YSbG1iOcLbEk41JYoOdP_oIaIN2L3O8n9Ap_vK-ozOEQVsur3W-wEbu4a3gxhdkBMgHi4AzWLH7nVNju7zhcmmaudAqTzPAaj5Rlo/w288-h400/Franchot+Tone+1935+Picture+Show+Annual.jpg" width="288" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>1936: "Franchot Tone, during the three years that he has been making films, has become one of the most sought-after leading men in Hollywood. His previous experience was on the stage. He took part in University dramatics, then appeared in stock companies and in the 'little theatre' movements. This he did in preference to an easy job in his father's big and flourishing business. He had made a film in New York—The Wiser Sex—but he was none too keen on it. However, he went to Hollywood and made his debut with Joan Crawford and Gary Cooper in Today We Live. Since then he has been at work almost continuously, his latest films including Lives of a Bengal Lancer and One New York Night. He lives in a beach house with a friend from New York, a Scottie named Woo-Woo, and a dachshund. Franchot Tone has never lacked money. Even when he ran short, his family was behind him to supply what was lacking. He does not think that this has been in any way detrimental to his character or talents. Relief from the worry of wondering how you are going to get your next meal leaves the mind free to develop far more quickly."<div><br /><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqXseE73FQS3V00Er6xbbHIlNIKfS5wI0CNxYsTN2RFvN0hOR-3ZZJV5-Z2O-Z42wsm6GAOm1GgVRzQ8nfQNwSgdUXN0UAg47Kdi-OJ8dAQ2wiQL9GCs2NrgtE7tuQl4gxeZH1OeNC0X4/s1512/Franchot+Tone+1936+Picture+Show+Annual.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1281" data-original-width="1512" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqXseE73FQS3V00Er6xbbHIlNIKfS5wI0CNxYsTN2RFvN0hOR-3ZZJV5-Z2O-Z42wsm6GAOm1GgVRzQ8nfQNwSgdUXN0UAg47Kdi-OJ8dAQ2wiQL9GCs2NrgtE7tuQl4gxeZH1OeNC0X4/w400-h339/Franchot+Tone+1936+Picture+Show+Annual.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>1937: "Franchot Tone brings intelligence and sincerity to every role he plays. His work in Mutiny on the Bounty as Midshipman Byam and in Exclusive Story alone proves his brilliance and versatility."</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVlJcr9GtWjR1DoBIkCshMx_IFH5497pisxUyZ7LdwwZqHsuIdqA9OCHDFa28nRPPrMnK5vavOi0FzqCMXkxjhY1djFGSTJ-jb83CKcjAVwQcqIER2nv-UaeRThBR3E1KNJH6scbqJW84/s1648/Franchot+Tone+1937+Picture+Show+Annual.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1648" data-original-width="1371" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVlJcr9GtWjR1DoBIkCshMx_IFH5497pisxUyZ7LdwwZqHsuIdqA9OCHDFa28nRPPrMnK5vavOi0FzqCMXkxjhY1djFGSTJ-jb83CKcjAVwQcqIER2nv-UaeRThBR3E1KNJH6scbqJW84/w333-h400/Franchot+Tone+1937+Picture+Show+Annual.jpg" width="333" /></a></div><br /><div>1938: Franchot Tone and Katharine Hepburn are featured in Quality Street.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpzDlWrRLSOTLaFvCOhJSgavGglEw6tgaP52vOu-Ppb48RI9Eq8lLQXgeJk6_2_4YxTEWfMsSu3-9i6J_YXJz_0Z7KZSamKBOKju2QRWFKLJVfJFsIABSv6RDrgwN9js_3VNN8N3rv6wg/s1571/Franchot+Tone+1938+Picture+Show+Annual.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1571" data-original-width="1187" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpzDlWrRLSOTLaFvCOhJSgavGglEw6tgaP52vOu-Ppb48RI9Eq8lLQXgeJk6_2_4YxTEWfMsSu3-9i6J_YXJz_0Z7KZSamKBOKju2QRWFKLJVfJFsIABSv6RDrgwN9js_3VNN8N3rv6wg/w303-h400/Franchot+Tone+1938+Picture+Show+Annual.jpg" width="303" /></a></div><div><p>1939: Franchot's portrait was featured.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHicWCu3O27TVJGA8EJiVv1sKXLXQJA-eoqNJ1T8ZDIxUe1IY3wfcZGykLjObonFKgmjq4897QCOi3WHPjRspx7ere2Me67LPae4mNfjzvo_0ifgXD7KYwrrWv1Pb7tSwfp8-5PgR5wTw/s1598/Franchot+Tone+1939+Picture+Show+Annual.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1598" data-original-width="1202" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHicWCu3O27TVJGA8EJiVv1sKXLXQJA-eoqNJ1T8ZDIxUe1IY3wfcZGykLjObonFKgmjq4897QCOi3WHPjRspx7ere2Me67LPae4mNfjzvo_0ifgXD7KYwrrWv1Pb7tSwfp8-5PgR5wTw/w301-h400/Franchot+Tone+1939+Picture+Show+Annual.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><p>1940: "Franchot Tone, who has recently been on the New York stage, smokes a contemplative pipe."</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTyij8zEvS4AlX9o0V-BzTZ6x0dsR50TqExlCMCy-1_cDgfFsqUtsaJSl-65ifd4C4xtkE6koXXf3Byspsf6UaFr_2Rf_RoWF87SjgT5bC4DPSOAoL1CV54uLcQMQl2kpndeRfda-9rPM/s1373/Franchot+Tone+1940+Picture+Show+Annual.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="911" data-original-width="1373" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTyij8zEvS4AlX9o0V-BzTZ6x0dsR50TqExlCMCy-1_cDgfFsqUtsaJSl-65ifd4C4xtkE6koXXf3Byspsf6UaFr_2Rf_RoWF87SjgT5bC4DPSOAoL1CV54uLcQMQl2kpndeRfda-9rPM/w400-h265/Franchot+Tone+1940+Picture+Show+Annual.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>1942: "Unstarlike Star. Franchot Tone returned to films, after a year on the stage, in Trail of the Vigilantes, followed by Nice Girl with Deanna Durbin. Thirty-five films in the previous seven years, he'd decided, had earned him the change which is proverbially as good as a rest. He is quite untypical of a Hollywood star. He is slow to make friends, his few close ones including Robert Taylor and Barbara Stanwyck, James Stewart, Francis Lederer and Henry Fonda. He says he's not 'high hat' and he adds that he's not 'low brow.' He doesn't like small talk or people who talk about subjects they know nothing about. Among his likes are chess and horse racing. Music is one of his chief interests, sleep another. When is working in a film, he is always in bed by nine-thirty.'</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv3PUkWIY4OhQHdHjV79yOPlT1QDpTxca7xKH_C2k27PUyp6pGlHI_CZG2dY0vuoeuyLTDGQHNM_krkjn-tPIipsrct91XHvd2bO7IkCbYcm79YE0MV26hi8fUpY1t7k75dCKLzPAowpA/s1237/Franchot+Tone+1942+Picture+Show+Annual.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="1229" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv3PUkWIY4OhQHdHjV79yOPlT1QDpTxca7xKH_C2k27PUyp6pGlHI_CZG2dY0vuoeuyLTDGQHNM_krkjn-tPIipsrct91XHvd2bO7IkCbYcm79YE0MV26hi8fUpY1t7k75dCKLzPAowpA/w398-h400/Franchot+Tone+1942+Picture+Show+Annual.jpg" width="398" /></a></div><div><br /></div>1943:"Individual. Franchot Tone is one of the most individual stars Hollywood has seen--and it's not for effect. He seeks the best in music and literature and he seeks to give the best in his work. He is not what is known as a 'good mixer' and between scenes of a film, when the majority of players gossip or play cards, he can usually be found concentrating on a complicated chess problem in lonely state. He says he is not unsocial, but he is content with a few friends instead of many. He enjoys talk, but not small talk or gossip. He has a subtle, satirical humour, and enjoys discussions on politics, economics and philosophy. He dislikes emotional displays and the broadcasting of private affairs. Born on the American side of Niagara Falls, he chose acting as his profession when he was at college and was given his first job in a stock company owned by his mother's cousin. He has recently been in Nice Girl, This Woman is Mine."</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3-u6ggheJHxqwcBCqJk8Os6X66MV_h6pkh5MIYiTZczII9yVSJt9veYGUOwZs9jIH6OeQA27XLHLL5M7Ceb3eq4zqNbTKLff6tmGt3SFwMeoaQM5Mqjql1hPIEI2evAjJtUxGuTYdvH0/s1525/Franchot+Tone+1943+Picture+Show+Annual.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1410" data-original-width="1525" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3-u6ggheJHxqwcBCqJk8Os6X66MV_h6pkh5MIYiTZczII9yVSJt9veYGUOwZs9jIH6OeQA27XLHLL5M7Ceb3eq4zqNbTKLff6tmGt3SFwMeoaQM5Mqjql1hPIEI2evAjJtUxGuTYdvH0/w400-h370/Franchot+Tone+1943+Picture+Show+Annual.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1948: Franchot's portrait with signature was featured. Picture Show Annual included signed photos (many signed specifically for and dedicated to the magazine) of their favorite stars.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ns0JMWIGgrl0itTyyYSjjIdn9Nn34P500kRxol9hckI_cT97ZZHQx16AJL8r10ETmumCv9_vpdv7SmgxVnjh-HuKCkMGRECRW1XisxqTTdOrtr4B8NIeCVE0ubGah_xHyGE3BYhPdXU/s1636/Franchot+Tone+1948+Picture+Show+Annual.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1636" data-original-width="1350" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ns0JMWIGgrl0itTyyYSjjIdn9Nn34P500kRxol9hckI_cT97ZZHQx16AJL8r10ETmumCv9_vpdv7SmgxVnjh-HuKCkMGRECRW1XisxqTTdOrtr4B8NIeCVE0ubGah_xHyGE3BYhPdXU/w330-h400/Franchot+Tone+1948+Picture+Show+Annual.jpg" width="330" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source:</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Picture Show Annual. Media Lantern Digital History: https://lantern.mediahist.org/</span></div></div></div>Franchot Tone Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03226358191027628680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5352928204929984302.post-49429453569133320602020-09-26T18:29:00.000-07:002020-09-26T18:29:04.097-07:00A Tribute from Shepard Traube<p>Eleven days after Franchot's death—of lung cancer at the age of 63 on September 18, 1968—Shepard Traube wrote to the editor of The New York Times. I've transcribed that letter here.</p><blockquote><p>To the editor:</p></blockquote><blockquote><p>I am filled with sorrow that Franchot Tone is no longer with us. He was an artist and a man of grace.</p></blockquote><blockquote><p>When we were both young men, Franchot was the featured juvenile in a now-forgotten play, "A Thousand Summers," the first Broadway production that I directed. In our company were such deathless stars as Jane Cowl, Osgood Perkins and Josephine Hull. In that group of superb actors, Franchot was a kind of flame. We all knew he was our most promising star of the future, the Hamlet of tomorrow.</p></blockquote><blockquote><p>It didn't work out quite that way. Franchot went to Hollywood and there was a good deal of turbulence in his life. Yet he never lost his poise, his sense of humor, or his dedication to exquisite standards of taste in the theater.</p></blockquote><blockquote><p>A couple of summers ago, I took a train to Waterford, Conn., where I was scheduled to participate in a panel discussion for the Eugene O'Neill Foundation people. As I sank into my chair and looked around, there was Franchot, grinning at me quizzically. He was preparing for an experimental production of a play about Gordon Craig, and he was boiling over with excitement about it. There was fire and purpose in him. We babbled to each other during the entire train ride, and continued to talk throughout the day in Waterford. I remember that I had to go back to New York at the end of the afternoon, while he remained on for rehearsals. We hugged each other and said, "Break a bone..."</p></blockquote><blockquote><p>That's the way I shall remember Franchot.</p></blockquote><blockquote><p>Shepard Traube</p></blockquote><p>I find this to be a very fitting and, from all I've read about him, an accurate tribute to Franchot. Septembers are always difficult. This year on the anniversary of Franchot's death I needed to see him having fun onscreen so I had a delightful movie marathon featuring the comedies <i>Honeymoon</i>, <i>Man-Proof</i> and <i>The Girl from Missouri</i>.</p><p>I ponder what might've been had Franchot lived to the ripe old age of 95. Would he have transitioned into a full-time director and settled down in the theater he purchased shortly before his death? Or maybe change things up and become a theater professor? Would we have seen him finally get his due at awards ceremonies in the 1970's or 1980's? Would he have made a hilarious cameo as a suitor on the first season of The Golden Girls? Franchot was always so versatile that the possibilities are truly endless. </p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: "Franchot Tone 1905-1968." The New York Times. September 29, 1968.</span></p>Franchot Tone Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03226358191027628680noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5352928204929984302.post-79792088269903460832020-08-29T11:56:00.007-07:002020-08-29T11:57:39.988-07:00Tales of Tomorrow: Diamond Lens (1952)<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaEmdaLbhOwKK6HFO3-OUWCR1mkRm4jfrfy4T28cpBBBFBr1IvxmipVfLaQCS6WDjX7ynbmY9i9oas2hrfBFiRrb3lNibDSYwNV2Gep0uamyRa3uY70RkNDlAXKEvoDcDpxTJbVamD4i4/s1662/FTDL4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1246" data-original-width="1662" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaEmdaLbhOwKK6HFO3-OUWCR1mkRm4jfrfy4T28cpBBBFBr1IvxmipVfLaQCS6WDjX7ynbmY9i9oas2hrfBFiRrb3lNibDSYwNV2Gep0uamyRa3uY70RkNDlAXKEvoDcDpxTJbVamD4i4/w410-h308/FTDL4.jpg" width="410" /></a></div>On his way to the guillotine, a scientist recounts his discovery of a diamond lens and his overwhelming need to perfect the microscope for all generations—an obsession so great that it would lead to murder.<div><br /></div><div><div>This story entitled "Diamond Lens" aired in the Tales of Tomorrow anthology series on March 14, 1952. Franchot would also star in another episode called "The Horn" later that year. Both episodes are intriguing with fantastical elements and strong acting, and fortunately both are available on Youtube. However, my favorite of the two is "Diamond Lens." You can watch it here:</div><div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WNGvsdV8zZ8" width="560"></iframe> </div><div>With only a half hour to live, Andre (Franchot Tone) shares his story with a priest who has been sent to perform last rites. Andre passionately tells of his life as a starving student of the microscope, a scientist out to make a name for himself while showing everyone a new way to see the world around them.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkr4PgW0KI-51xeb10zN3WF38V6YqVWpuFjggDHvS91LcjGLcsGnuZooCSawM_bNoiUYmLpPa_vsYVtAJAH_RMDZJo-9yn20aNwdasFw6BCHTQzivVPwjMOxNyMcqjypyQ7UUB-Gvx3sc/s1771/FTDL13.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1328" data-original-width="1771" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkr4PgW0KI-51xeb10zN3WF38V6YqVWpuFjggDHvS91LcjGLcsGnuZooCSawM_bNoiUYmLpPa_vsYVtAJAH_RMDZJo-9yn20aNwdasFw6BCHTQzivVPwjMOxNyMcqjypyQ7UUB-Gvx3sc/w410-h307/FTDL13.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm2XjyySS5pikuqOpIdxTjT8X5k4PIf_J86QUFX337fA8Ji5FyexYm9wS2RB21deFMWQD9J2iVcQKa_K4Nqh6lZG2zZcBlIiz8VE7N-q9INiFad1TXtl7NQnQqPjryvCEOHrteuhwo9YQ/s1820/FTDL12.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="1820" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm2XjyySS5pikuqOpIdxTjT8X5k4PIf_J86QUFX337fA8Ji5FyexYm9wS2RB21deFMWQD9J2iVcQKa_K4Nqh6lZG2zZcBlIiz8VE7N-q9INiFad1TXtl7NQnQqPjryvCEOHrteuhwo9YQ/w410-h307/FTDL12.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHI-yPkKk5Ad8Jywh5jrKZpkk1ZIOOFoNEloTWWvSkXKwGlQPnZipTQ9TUONAiG8KQ9Rtj5PTRdqhgNVg0-H7jK5DxVu37Ra_zZfde7u3R-2eW_KWxAhWpqTb4-KIL7ktSxxiGuu_cm3M/s1660/FTDL1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1245" data-original-width="1660" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHI-yPkKk5Ad8Jywh5jrKZpkk1ZIOOFoNEloTWWvSkXKwGlQPnZipTQ9TUONAiG8KQ9Rtj5PTRdqhgNVg0-H7jK5DxVu37Ra_zZfde7u3R-2eW_KWxAhWpqTb4-KIL7ktSxxiGuu_cm3M/w410-h307/FTDL1.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Andre has only one mission in life: to find the perfect diamond to create a microscope with a diamond lens. He goes without food and new clothes and lives in a tenement, but when a new tenant Gaston Dubois arrives so does an opportunity. The new tenant confides that there's a rare 150-carat diamond worth 50 million francs in his employer's shop.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYAdmHkZ-LjGTJBoXAyFw3bbyQgCbBCTy43h2GqC6O6qZcOd3TlYPBdX7f97mrKPtN-BhBOghIjql1atJWf6J0TuoL7bMShw7B4s6_Idxty_6toLYPDQ9GbRfBOBu9G7q0XW_Bgtpicgo/s1783/FTDL16.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1337" data-original-width="1783" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYAdmHkZ-LjGTJBoXAyFw3bbyQgCbBCTy43h2GqC6O6qZcOd3TlYPBdX7f97mrKPtN-BhBOghIjql1atJWf6J0TuoL7bMShw7B4s6_Idxty_6toLYPDQ9GbRfBOBu9G7q0XW_Bgtpicgo/w410-h307/FTDL16.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFK2PmWrtyYKhF6W1CiFYPx5b7cvzZxQKlu9OVTuhlCChIt8TuNO6LKFowx6Drjk2H6Z_oH5wp2jko5Y1BD11oUGyhXEMeyBGn8rYpfVPy4xbSyZvUnyYSFN29HSmCQ4I1k6wchSg2xMY/s1855/FTDL15.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1391" data-original-width="1855" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFK2PmWrtyYKhF6W1CiFYPx5b7cvzZxQKlu9OVTuhlCChIt8TuNO6LKFowx6Drjk2H6Z_oH5wp2jko5Y1BD11oUGyhXEMeyBGn8rYpfVPy4xbSyZvUnyYSFN29HSmCQ4I1k6wchSg2xMY/w410-h307/FTDL15.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Knowing this is the diamond he seeks, Andre begs Gaston to steal the diamond and strangles him to get him to reveal its hiding place. When the landlady barges in, the man escapes Andre's grip. Later, Gaston tries to prevent Andre from taking the diamond and is finally killed by Andre.</div><div> </div><div>With only one mission in life, Andre feels no guilt about the murder as he sees it as a necessity. He is frankly giddy and full of wonder as he creates a special acid and shapes the diamond into a perfect lens.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3LEnnsHPLcxKkMetwotIWvJDkBnJljXS4hx_i4sLWRzeiwJoSdoUdUegjSZ_ubFg6SMCktvtzLaoBdP0JgjERg2CBvAPq71IyNQvFveTlw_sghVXLT_n_gN6tUSRPEkBvoY4jjn7iqA/s1788/FTDL2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1341" data-original-width="1788" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3LEnnsHPLcxKkMetwotIWvJDkBnJljXS4hx_i4sLWRzeiwJoSdoUdUegjSZ_ubFg6SMCktvtzLaoBdP0JgjERg2CBvAPq71IyNQvFveTlw_sghVXLT_n_gN6tUSRPEkBvoY4jjn7iqA/w410-h307/FTDL2.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrFtLsnqPn1PZUvrZZpcBKeTk3omkwXgWEygwqCMZcaJzRt9IOoLJzS5W9mPmTa9dMfRUtuijoHuRAr3HOk6WBN-Z8bmmwq-P_Nr3FeWnymKgs5zxMB8bxovLTpxb6heB7f1n1fo3rxlI/s1832/FTDL14.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1374" data-original-width="1832" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrFtLsnqPn1PZUvrZZpcBKeTk3omkwXgWEygwqCMZcaJzRt9IOoLJzS5W9mPmTa9dMfRUtuijoHuRAr3HOk6WBN-Z8bmmwq-P_Nr3FeWnymKgs5zxMB8bxovLTpxb6heB7f1n1fo3rxlI/w410-h307/FTDL14.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>When a police inspector shows up in the middle of his experiments, Andre gives himself away by knowing that the diamond is missing and a man dead, information not publicly available. The investigator opts to keep a close eye on Andre in the coming days.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-gEdjbUaLm0QLrrNIsNJw8BwnOOyDnGHik_PQM3ULEwmH2EXc9teZIpbj4hs6hRApYkZ2J3KbQ9RkfdrJaoy4mgMLCE0d-T18mePL7-8cx5QeZOJocpdjdhT7oh2V3kw2_htVN5EdPg/s1848/FTDL9.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1386" data-original-width="1848" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-gEdjbUaLm0QLrrNIsNJw8BwnOOyDnGHik_PQM3ULEwmH2EXc9teZIpbj4hs6hRApYkZ2J3KbQ9RkfdrJaoy4mgMLCE0d-T18mePL7-8cx5QeZOJocpdjdhT7oh2V3kw2_htVN5EdPg/w410-h307/FTDL9.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZbKaZbVNWNEOxSXHTaLURX_pnS0pse3c3zRrwviqDIImzwkLhjyV2llAghqSczS5_Tx-ZBkLvTC0PiiGa7EdeGbIosuQDsVccBNl8pml12PrUruGiH5X3h6yRrFCqqqTIiQsWLOF2rCo/s1825/FTDL18.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1369" data-original-width="1825" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZbKaZbVNWNEOxSXHTaLURX_pnS0pse3c3zRrwviqDIImzwkLhjyV2llAghqSczS5_Tx-ZBkLvTC0PiiGa7EdeGbIosuQDsVccBNl8pml12PrUruGiH5X3h6yRrFCqqqTIiQsWLOF2rCo/w410-h307/FTDL18.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQz9I7wBA_ITGV9JcGUDQF3x9yDApRT1JWNJMl_EpUgaaZiu12gFkMar6damtZ2enLJrGfTao4g3dUScagQ2eLNHa8Q6eauNxOqxF10cpCNGnLPrEF8Tq6zyIgvbYe75J59CVOLUtjj0/s1759/FTDL10.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1319" data-original-width="1759" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQz9I7wBA_ITGV9JcGUDQF3x9yDApRT1JWNJMl_EpUgaaZiu12gFkMar6damtZ2enLJrGfTao4g3dUScagQ2eLNHa8Q6eauNxOqxF10cpCNGnLPrEF8Tq6zyIgvbYe75J59CVOLUtjj0/w410-h307/FTDL10.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>As Andre peers into the diamond lens for the first time, he is dazzled by what his eye beholds. In a single drop of water, Andre sees a new, magical world full of movement and details undetectable to the naked eye. Eager to see the professor about his groundbreaking discovery, Andre hides the diamond in a houseplant as his landlady arrives to clean. </div><div><br /></div><div>Andre returns with the professor, who calls him a crackpot, but the diamond is missing. The landlady has used the water pitcher to water the plants—only the water she has used was really Andre's secret acid, which has completely destroyed the precious diamond.</div><div><br /></div><div>When the professor asserts that Andre is a lunatic who lied about the diamond, Andre replies that he committed murder to get it. As he utters this confession, he sees the police inspector at his door.</div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmSg6dMbCrWkTDXjbtORRoTOxBUKkwjTEinVqNmdTYj-RceSE1fny0nDIINJMbcA1wMLq0l0XKCa8MD4BNTaUrqrdQ-sT5E1tL68KaBdoNb7ssy2enrR3JJH5YrDyElH7dHtmXzhBnolA/s1768/FTDL6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1326" data-original-width="1768" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmSg6dMbCrWkTDXjbtORRoTOxBUKkwjTEinVqNmdTYj-RceSE1fny0nDIINJMbcA1wMLq0l0XKCa8MD4BNTaUrqrdQ-sT5E1tL68KaBdoNb7ssy2enrR3JJH5YrDyElH7dHtmXzhBnolA/w410-h307/FTDL6.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlG15bFE9YxCu9_K9iyfOb-ZtVs_bF4RKI_LE0rLib4sKNNAKj0IshwsPbP2pTxNQEP5TSEqfdndl3FNU1PZeRiVJvZrWa4Lk9JI51cm93mFfzu-_gekLOZ2QuenJ70bIp-OzOwOFCVE/s1800/FTDL7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1800" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlG15bFE9YxCu9_K9iyfOb-ZtVs_bF4RKI_LE0rLib4sKNNAKj0IshwsPbP2pTxNQEP5TSEqfdndl3FNU1PZeRiVJvZrWa4Lk9JI51cm93mFfzu-_gekLOZ2QuenJ70bIp-OzOwOFCVE/w410-h307/FTDL7.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZstBF2ZQye8K7EmgKSG-WU4oZn7JO3gAMp8aU8gvsCXe6EZ_GK4QKScm4j18IkKNH45uBGonzeJqbkZPwL6QPbwssvX1D0HrATMbchoNCaE_mfmQHWRjsLL1Bz8AXgThRNyagpYikKXo/s1823/FTDL8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1367" data-original-width="1823" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZstBF2ZQye8K7EmgKSG-WU4oZn7JO3gAMp8aU8gvsCXe6EZ_GK4QKScm4j18IkKNH45uBGonzeJqbkZPwL6QPbwssvX1D0HrATMbchoNCaE_mfmQHWRjsLL1Bz8AXgThRNyagpYikKXo/w410-h307/FTDL8.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0wUAVhcOpKITuJY59rZrBVwgjvtbzXeVFCbKO4fYLPB97uZrQWUjMm1ZCfkuYNAk0dhvwFRKm5L9FBi8avEes9ZwSyV6lE62vVlqTICT07d6xeAOidYxQAl6CCHJKeaGKcv2nlCDzps/s1654/FTDL3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1654" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0wUAVhcOpKITuJY59rZrBVwgjvtbzXeVFCbKO4fYLPB97uZrQWUjMm1ZCfkuYNAk0dhvwFRKm5L9FBi8avEes9ZwSyV6lE62vVlqTICT07d6xeAOidYxQAl6CCHJKeaGKcv2nlCDzps/w410-h307/FTDL3.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ZnWEaA1pJUu75rzkzP-yY3eNMRVpRRolMRgR65ShOuSUsAQ0dvKs9cWCaODKlPhB4letlZrbRWcYsHd-HP922UmcNXCbVGrYedmKw70x1eVN5TbwBnMaZnPgoAguzCiCRUs7yqBvo98/s1810/FTDL5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1358" data-original-width="1810" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ZnWEaA1pJUu75rzkzP-yY3eNMRVpRRolMRgR65ShOuSUsAQ0dvKs9cWCaODKlPhB4letlZrbRWcYsHd-HP922UmcNXCbVGrYedmKw70x1eVN5TbwBnMaZnPgoAguzCiCRUs7yqBvo98/w410-h307/FTDL5.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwF3OFlEDCwT1VzYHniDeFAy55Kl2ZWorB7SzE3uQvoh_nTk3UGniqwDYt3RjKojCpxp3ImzwCdCp3zYY3tp4-PRumfJPYA9ckaDwamh_K0_QQkD92UY31xfAA-gFxd4cxWi8A6lZrO18/s1792/FTDL11.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="1792" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwF3OFlEDCwT1VzYHniDeFAy55Kl2ZWorB7SzE3uQvoh_nTk3UGniqwDYt3RjKojCpxp3ImzwCdCp3zYY3tp4-PRumfJPYA9ckaDwamh_K0_QQkD92UY31xfAA-gFxd4cxWi8A6lZrO18/w410-h307/FTDL11.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Franchot Tone Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03226358191027628680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5352928204929984302.post-17336233312317384252020-08-18T06:09:00.001-07:002020-08-18T06:09:39.176-07:00The Wiser Sex (1932)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTIvvk4dMND7kPBvl9bBx7br529FY2ipnn8C_NqM44vr4-LqDAXHHtr8x3EHXWR0-JH79MbFKiP2YALHYmcZRJbFVkPJWPmlx3kUfJbxWU4lM82E7p5GNg3AVbrxWXPgr1Z_1EABej2UE/s964/Franchot+Tone+The+Wiser+Sex.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Franchot Tone in The Wiser Sex, 1932." border="0" data-original-height="964" data-original-width="701" height="409" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTIvvk4dMND7kPBvl9bBx7br529FY2ipnn8C_NqM44vr4-LqDAXHHtr8x3EHXWR0-JH79MbFKiP2YALHYmcZRJbFVkPJWPmlx3kUfJbxWU4lM82E7p5GNg3AVbrxWXPgr1Z_1EABej2UE/w296-h409/Franchot+Tone+The+Wiser+Sex.PNG" title="Franchot Tone as Phil in The Wiser Sex, 1932." width="296" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Franchot Tone in his first film role in<br />The Wiser Sex, 1932. Source: scan from my collection.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>In 1932 Franchot made his movie debut in the film <i>The Wiser Sex</i>, directed by Berthold Viertel and based on a play by Clyde Fitch. The movie stars Claudette Colbert, Melvyn Douglas, Lilyan Tashman, William Boyd and Ross Alexander.<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqAOfh3BcTqn6LgYNPI-fL3swPrkb9WYMT4LrB4uJsBtcy4Dykkr1E1Yh9_Pax_iEWyd4OpjDeGdKVYmuWEt2bsCqI0y8zVurFmnRWMlZBYlNy74ryBonsroDg1olNx8S7uCQRNOBiuE/s756/TWS6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The Wiser Sex, 1932 film publicity for Franchot Tone" border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="756" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqAOfh3BcTqn6LgYNPI-fL3swPrkb9WYMT4LrB4uJsBtcy4Dykkr1E1Yh9_Pax_iEWyd4OpjDeGdKVYmuWEt2bsCqI0y8zVurFmnRWMlZBYlNy74ryBonsroDg1olNx8S7uCQRNOBiuE/w512-h206/TWS6.jpg" title="The Wiser Sex, 1932 film publicity for Franchot Tone" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Film Daily, 1931.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As I was researching this film, I had an "a-ha!" moment. A lot of people refer to the 1933 film <i><a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/2020/08/today-we-live-1933.html">Today We Live</a></i> as Franchot's first Hollywood film and I've always been perplexed by that and thought they were just overlooking his role in this 1932 film. Recently, it clicked. Better late than never, right? I realized everyone who says <i>Today We Live</i> is Franchot's first Hollywood film is absolutely correct. The <i>Wiser Sex</i> was filmed a year earlier, but not in Hollywood! <i>The Wiser Sex</i> was filmed at Paramount Studios in New York City, which I should have realized since Franchot was still acting in plays in '32.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fUlzATpAh6ga5GoaGGtYmudh2tNx0qSAlE65eO6CXpp-g9P7tVA-Wr3dYSefZUWeWoi_PzprbgpQl03ibyv3b1LZAeiJXEZO4j0tSNoZBsJkVkYrKFz8OcNPiKAc7VMXSMDPrndKyy4/s1467/The+Wiser+Sex+1932.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Paramount Pictures presents The Wiser Sex. 1932 ad." border="0" data-original-height="1467" data-original-width="947" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fUlzATpAh6ga5GoaGGtYmudh2tNx0qSAlE65eO6CXpp-g9P7tVA-Wr3dYSefZUWeWoi_PzprbgpQl03ibyv3b1LZAeiJXEZO4j0tSNoZBsJkVkYrKFz8OcNPiKAc7VMXSMDPrndKyy4/w330-h512/The+Wiser+Sex+1932.jpg" title="1932 ad for Paramount Pictures The Wiser Sex." width="330" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Film Daily Year Book, 1932.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>The Wiser Sex</i> is the only Franchot film I've been unable to see, but it does exist! The 35 mm is archived in the Library of Congress film division. It is available to view in-person for educational and research purposes but only with prior permission by the LOC and one person who did indeed view the film at the LOC said it was difficult for them to gain clearance. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It <i>has</i> been shown to public audiences. I know of two times for certain it was screened. It was on the schedule for the 2013 Fall Cinesation Film Preservation Festival at the Lincoln Theater in Massillon, Ohio and has also been screened at the Mary Pickford Theater at the Library of Congress in 2003. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkfwzBwpB3bzdQIwePtLSv-flpbLdMDA1L2Yjvy17p2g2cJcm6hHWZKT3CVvCSUg718yHrEY3u_YzSKn4iDBkMbrtF3tcbVhNGvY6e-4Ivy8MzdOeVn4PfC4-_iLSw08p_5d3HlImxrhg/s1115/The+Wiser+Sex+review.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The Wiser Sex is a 1932 film starring Claudette Colbert and Melvyn Douglas." border="0" data-original-height="487" data-original-width="1115" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkfwzBwpB3bzdQIwePtLSv-flpbLdMDA1L2Yjvy17p2g2cJcm6hHWZKT3CVvCSUg718yHrEY3u_YzSKn4iDBkMbrtF3tcbVhNGvY6e-4Ivy8MzdOeVn4PfC4-_iLSw08p_5d3HlImxrhg/w640-h280/The+Wiser+Sex+review.jpg" title="The Wiser Sex is a 1932 film starring Claudette Colbert and Melvyn Douglas." width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Movie Classic, 1932.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-nBwI0dO94uOPh9jKXxcl6LNPa774GpVJUmisZtN1YZbC71LN2YAPW-5t4G31tWbwMHqzQsH-zmX4y09lUgsaEHqAvtmC9TfCcKBZYpUfLDSuM4OOh377DCFDrw_dQrXY0kuOniMmmr0/s1303/The+Wiser+Sex+review+2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Claudette Colbert and Melvyn Douglas star in The Wiser Sex." border="0" data-original-height="1116" data-original-width="1303" height="547" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-nBwI0dO94uOPh9jKXxcl6LNPa774GpVJUmisZtN1YZbC71LN2YAPW-5t4G31tWbwMHqzQsH-zmX4y09lUgsaEHqAvtmC9TfCcKBZYpUfLDSuM4OOh377DCFDrw_dQrXY0kuOniMmmr0/w640-h547/The+Wiser+Sex+review+2.jpg" title="Claudette Colbert and Melvyn Douglas star in The Wiser Sex." width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screenland, 1932.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Film Summary</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">*Spoiler Alert*The movie stars Claudette Colbert as Margaret Hughes, a society woman who will do anything to prove her boyfriend David Rolfe (Melvyn Douglas) is innocent of murder. Franchot has a very brief role as Phil, David's naive cousin who is being taken advantage of by a golddigger (Lilyan Tashman). In fact, Phil is the character who is killed by a gangster and whose murder causes David's frame-up.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Publicity</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Franchot did not receive a great deal of publicity for this role; that would come a year later with his substantial part in <i><a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/2020/08/today-we-live-1933.html">Today We Live</a></i>. Claudette Colbert and Melvyn Douglas did get some attention for their performances. Here are some of the pieces that appeared in fan magazines:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd1FcAjWWMKZeEgPftgr0kMVwF7HhcIEDhyphenhyphenUPWNDb3uDyApN9o-wAYw2-7pipkqM4abxPqSkqjP45b8UecptRFde11gZRABdmiVTswhkIrrlH_xoiY0Fx-OK5NkdYO2q-Cx_PzpObKKyU/s1651/Melvyn+Douglas+The+Wiser+Sex.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Melvyn Douglas in The Wiser Sex 1932." border="0" data-original-height="1651" data-original-width="1275" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd1FcAjWWMKZeEgPftgr0kMVwF7HhcIEDhyphenhyphenUPWNDb3uDyApN9o-wAYw2-7pipkqM4abxPqSkqjP45b8UecptRFde11gZRABdmiVTswhkIrrlH_xoiY0Fx-OK5NkdYO2q-Cx_PzpObKKyU/w494-h640/Melvyn+Douglas+The+Wiser+Sex.jpg" title="Melvyn Douglas in The Wiser Sex, 1932." width="494" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silver Screen, 1932.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ISCuIURUxw54rV61-IeAflMfbso1KFGUp0ZCODQ6aVmRhyYKaNeC2ClBnSGF-BufOqbzAZD1bz63y54CvruGfCqL80nxHnTKfiYC8gthitK4zULq7U-_zCf6wTQbV5_yyRfjw_SeL7U/s1483/Claudette+Colbert+The+Wiser+Sex+Spanish.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Spanish promotion for The Wiser Sex, 1932." border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1483" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ISCuIURUxw54rV61-IeAflMfbso1KFGUp0ZCODQ6aVmRhyYKaNeC2ClBnSGF-BufOqbzAZD1bz63y54CvruGfCqL80nxHnTKfiYC8gthitK4zULq7U-_zCf6wTQbV5_yyRfjw_SeL7U/w512-h365/Claudette+Colbert+The+Wiser+Sex+Spanish.jpg" title="Spanish promotion for The Wiser Sex, 1932." width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mensajero Paramount, 1932.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TrUcwweirF4wqWNf0U3eMfRY02hBOBbyzJ_w8D4VgBHtxc8IgkqZefUKeXjIkoOEVg-U4_6TYOThzkZGrgrGeuye3Y9Y176t4gouLloUlLsfMq0o5I0W0Sd7zYvHj2wQiqozlMEDjHo/s1286/The+Wiser+Sex+publicity.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Lilyan Tashman costars in The Wiser Sex." border="0" data-original-height="1177" data-original-width="1286" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TrUcwweirF4wqWNf0U3eMfRY02hBOBbyzJ_w8D4VgBHtxc8IgkqZefUKeXjIkoOEVg-U4_6TYOThzkZGrgrGeuye3Y9Y176t4gouLloUlLsfMq0o5I0W0Sd7zYvHj2wQiqozlMEDjHo/w512-h468/The+Wiser+Sex+publicity.jpg" title="The Wiser Sex is a 1932 film." width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photoplay, 1932.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ore6pythATcXIyHn62ch2sAeiuuSjiepQIxFoh8jY0YzRxub26evKvWsJO2h05YZK9RNSqLX8qNIJMz1pc77R7g5NHSpabcRljfweKJylXMeibhRF0z4KLOK4Prw_kMR31Q8rzxRPIc/s1568/Claudette+Colbert+The+Wiser+Sex+clothes.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Claudette Colbert models clothes from The Wiser Sex." border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1568" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ore6pythATcXIyHn62ch2sAeiuuSjiepQIxFoh8jY0YzRxub26evKvWsJO2h05YZK9RNSqLX8qNIJMz1pc77R7g5NHSpabcRljfweKJylXMeibhRF0z4KLOK4Prw_kMR31Q8rzxRPIc/w640-h438/Claudette+Colbert+The+Wiser+Sex+clothes.jpg" title="Claudette Colbert shows of her The Wiser Sex wardrobe." width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photoplay, 1932.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Here's hoping you and I are able to view Franchot's first film work someday—maybe at the LOC or a film festival and perhaps, if we are really lucky, one day on television or on a DVD release.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: small;">Sources:</span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;">¨The Wiser Sex.¨ Library of Congress. <a href="https://www.loc.gov/item/jots.200021840/">https://www.loc.gov/item/jots.200021840/</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;">All clippings found at Media History Digital Library: <a href="https://lantern.mediahist.org/">https://lantern.mediahist.org/</a></span></div>Franchot Tone Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03226358191027628680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5352928204929984302.post-86775275165192556692020-08-08T14:09:00.003-07:002020-08-08T14:15:05.538-07:00Today We Live (1933)<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsUWVXXVh_kL9opY6HwyptrbauMCsb6bffMUHcyW_FnAJeDhu8sC-jRASGvkVCSTfGUu7-e_OcQuxl2mNnODM4YB7Fr7zggxPcLAAnWuYxjkvlf0qKVnArcXxUcvwYlF0Y89SYKw4Dqvk/s486/Franchot+TWL10.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="486" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsUWVXXVh_kL9opY6HwyptrbauMCsb6bffMUHcyW_FnAJeDhu8sC-jRASGvkVCSTfGUu7-e_OcQuxl2mNnODM4YB7Fr7zggxPcLAAnWuYxjkvlf0qKVnArcXxUcvwYlF0Y89SYKw4Dqvk/w389-h293/Franchot+TWL10.png" width="389" /></a></div><div><i>Today We Live</i> is Franchot's second film (the first being <i>The Wiser Sex</i>) and his first film with Joan Crawford. With an all-star cast of Joan, Franchot, Robert Young and Gary Cooper, the World War I melodrama is directed by Howard Hawks and is based on a story by William Faulkner. As is the case with many movies of this era, the fashion is more 1933 and not so much 1916. Also, the majority of the characters are English and the film is set in England, but the accents are decidedly American despite the use of common English phrases. Again, a pretty common practice in films of the day but I know some viewers who really dislike this.</div><div><br /></div><div>Franchot and Joan play brother and sister yet their chemistry onscreen already speaks volumes. Joan's character looks at Franchot's character just as lovingly and longingly as she does her actual two love interests. Franchot's character is the confidante and protector, the one steadfast thing in the unsteady life of Joan's character.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Film Summary</b></span></div><div><br /></div><div>American Richard Bogard (Gary Cooper) arrives in England in 1916 and visits the Smith house just as Diana (Joan Crawford) receives news that her father has died in action. Distraught, Diana says she is without hope or faith and fears for her brother's safety as her brother Ronnie (Franchot Tone) and her neighbor Claude (Robert Young) reminisce about Mr. Smith and announce that they have just five more hours until they must report for duty. </div><div><br /></div><div>Ronnie confides in his sister that their childhood friend and neighbor Claude plans to propose to Diana. The three of them have a rationed dinner where Diana agrees to marry Claude with Ronnie's blessing.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVi7gvWzSqTKJAU8ud9zvpxq5EeqE9iffMtmmiE_qChBVLRxdm_52XeYzc1nI4aXsyr_c8aH0J8b1qXoTr8P0YgkR3UVumEAOgpiFlgrn0VppUipcNpv1CtAIw8P9tjIt6PvLAnIP5Mw/s486/Franchot+TWL1.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="486" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVi7gvWzSqTKJAU8ud9zvpxq5EeqE9iffMtmmiE_qChBVLRxdm_52XeYzc1nI4aXsyr_c8aH0J8b1qXoTr8P0YgkR3UVumEAOgpiFlgrn0VppUipcNpv1CtAIw8P9tjIt6PvLAnIP5Mw/w389-h293/Franchot+TWL1.png" width="389" /></a><div style="display: inline; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPLNlHH832uJ0ZrGBdRPO3UY8MmC3DFXPUr4khWzOT0ZK_l_aw0F1flY5V225DgkMTOpJNpSqNFPy1RUnBe1TQvQPLxq_9ozsxYWBx-LxBhqmb7INVNvE16HBA9FMCqtILJjN56opUMIQ/s486/Franchot+TWL3.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="486" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPLNlHH832uJ0ZrGBdRPO3UY8MmC3DFXPUr4khWzOT0ZK_l_aw0F1flY5V225DgkMTOpJNpSqNFPy1RUnBe1TQvQPLxq_9ozsxYWBx-LxBhqmb7INVNvE16HBA9FMCqtILJjN56opUMIQ/w389-h293/Franchot+TWL3.png" width="389" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>While her loved ones are fighting in the war, the family's American guest Bogard spends more time with Diana and they realize that they have fallen in love with each other. Bogard decides to enlist in the war to fight for England and honor the woman he loves. A distraught Diana has now lost her father and has to contend with the fact that the lives of the three men she cares for are all now in danger.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1LdtTN8jSAK_yPEhaP65xqNJAG5d6jWqoE0CxOqiW2ziE1tkvRdN0rWJkHUvG8zqzTTvweiQKMKFGAxHe1zBeEPaWMOJ0qvSOdxlOpNb38FLaxV_p6N3ih5IVnX8P82UPzukzIfuixc/s486/Franchot+TWL11.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="486" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1LdtTN8jSAK_yPEhaP65xqNJAG5d6jWqoE0CxOqiW2ziE1tkvRdN0rWJkHUvG8zqzTTvweiQKMKFGAxHe1zBeEPaWMOJ0qvSOdxlOpNb38FLaxV_p6N3ih5IVnX8P82UPzukzIfuixc/w389-h293/Franchot+TWL11.png" width="389" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Ronnie comes back injured but on the mend and Claude returns as in love with Diana as ever. Not wanting to hurt a soldier, Diana asks her brother for advice and understanding in a tender, lovely scene between Joan and Franchot. In an equally tender scene, Ronnie must share that Diana's true love Bogard has died in action.</div><div><br /></div><div>Joan is wonderfully effective as a woman left lonely and bereaved by war. Despite this, she puts on a brave face and soldiers through it all, putting her own emotions aside and aiding the war effort. She is the beacon of strength for her brother and her fiancee. Before Claude is sent off on a dangerous assignment, Diana marries him. After he survives the mission, Claude and Diana break the news to Ronnie, who has long suspected and supported it.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBExCa6EUs_MRn18jDhMWUF6-NpmBsS8JLtWJBhk2ckJzHMh776xu0LmOSwK88Ih_fvX9nYzjxrVBmrYf3QgVbw_uifr73Q8iN9TAn4knVOALAIdMwm7eaRiUEJj5w836mAO4vOGptv7E/s486/Franchot+TWL4.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="486" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBExCa6EUs_MRn18jDhMWUF6-NpmBsS8JLtWJBhk2ckJzHMh776xu0LmOSwK88Ih_fvX9nYzjxrVBmrYf3QgVbw_uifr73Q8iN9TAn4knVOALAIdMwm7eaRiUEJj5w836mAO4vOGptv7E/w389-h293/Franchot+TWL4.png" width="389" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWCsQvLSZnts7OI_pwgep5Ds2TrEnb27UoMIfeLM9bexanexBlsOsquizuXHyhP-EtS8WsjzocQUckAL3rrFgtEBVUSSVldJdGjpSHMEtEhneYsguAPIALKwv4RM2Fil3x9mwfnMvhbM/s486/Franchot+TWL5.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="486" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWCsQvLSZnts7OI_pwgep5Ds2TrEnb27UoMIfeLM9bexanexBlsOsquizuXHyhP-EtS8WsjzocQUckAL3rrFgtEBVUSSVldJdGjpSHMEtEhneYsguAPIALKwv4RM2Fil3x9mwfnMvhbM/w389-h293/Franchot+TWL5.png" width="389" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBPx_keAxgyiy55U5hK-7lvZabSkOBkUCZcPoCyyjwYIovxRf7Hzdq8xZH3XJcnGaakprSAZe4uiVhOyor_3Tvjvz2h-gKT9KvvAXntbN2dDV6fcdrvnkKAVQjqvZRYmSNewg9lCR6wCo/s486/Franchot+TWL7.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="486" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBPx_keAxgyiy55U5hK-7lvZabSkOBkUCZcPoCyyjwYIovxRf7Hzdq8xZH3XJcnGaakprSAZe4uiVhOyor_3Tvjvz2h-gKT9KvvAXntbN2dDV6fcdrvnkKAVQjqvZRYmSNewg9lCR6wCo/w389-h293/Franchot+TWL7.png" width="389" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB3IMi_41KJlj02DCvM1zKWYnuyBaozqwZ0W-x05GmG8IBZzRfrwGPkgndqZyDZ5gG1YziaO4s2pIc_4Zm9hvClJLhcLwnezQ73m52zrDOw6XTo7pAm_fgWpYdVy-obrLeUgVx3Q9KM1Y/s486/Franchot+TWL8.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="486" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB3IMi_41KJlj02DCvM1zKWYnuyBaozqwZ0W-x05GmG8IBZzRfrwGPkgndqZyDZ5gG1YziaO4s2pIc_4Zm9hvClJLhcLwnezQ73m52zrDOw6XTo7pAm_fgWpYdVy-obrLeUgVx3Q9KM1Y/w389-h293/Franchot+TWL8.png" width="389" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUSfePBQIFRs-NHTX2RPPRoXsMn8_FBy7H30cDyDOgNGvcbren2vi6KSduLYuiN8uPZnidPR1b8g07czq8nVyOpyWeXWEEcSs1YRalYjStacpJ2_uv4GltErp1lOzKFyAMRBreIkhc1K0/s486/Franchot+TWL9.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="486" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUSfePBQIFRs-NHTX2RPPRoXsMn8_FBy7H30cDyDOgNGvcbren2vi6KSduLYuiN8uPZnidPR1b8g07czq8nVyOpyWeXWEEcSs1YRalYjStacpJ2_uv4GltErp1lOzKFyAMRBreIkhc1K0/w389-h293/Franchot+TWL9.png" width="389" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And the next scene is a shock. Bogard, reported to have been deceased, is on the family's doorstep. I will not spoil the remainder of the film for you. The rest of the film is full of love, heartbreak, death and hope as well as some quite lengthy battle scenes.</div><div><br /></div><div>Franchot's character Ronnie is the binding force and voice of reason for all characters and with the skills he applies to the role, it is easy to see why both Gary Cooper and Joan Crawford would praise him as the most talented, underrated actor for the rest of their lives.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlPHqoozTCaGpWhMtsc0TPYNzfnT9z57iE9yqKdajfZC_3kFVgGmk0v-w1dEosTgvN0shbCnWPFZCDWWxwH59urfxZmJWuydu5QeRytQcpDfThOE2ykYjV2yqUZ9xJ2tvTY5HkUblOwE/s486/Franchot+TWL12.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="486" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlPHqoozTCaGpWhMtsc0TPYNzfnT9z57iE9yqKdajfZC_3kFVgGmk0v-w1dEosTgvN0shbCnWPFZCDWWxwH59urfxZmJWuydu5QeRytQcpDfThOE2ykYjV2yqUZ9xJ2tvTY5HkUblOwE/w389-h293/Franchot+TWL12.png" width="389" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfniHB9Egba4SJxOUALw_JhcV03CKsj90Ckm8yonIqjTb1HDYDDhZj0yYkZa88KEosNySO3E13d-h_DJ-YrBy-Z1OpL4m5lPqtod7uYgQ0bz2UbN66-BVsiFduSx79k10AncleTqHTuHI/s486/Franchot+TWL13.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="486" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfniHB9Egba4SJxOUALw_JhcV03CKsj90Ckm8yonIqjTb1HDYDDhZj0yYkZa88KEosNySO3E13d-h_DJ-YrBy-Z1OpL4m5lPqtod7uYgQ0bz2UbN66-BVsiFduSx79k10AncleTqHTuHI/w389-h293/Franchot+TWL13.png" width="389" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAul_RyYMaIt0Pf44CYjdYgNisHw0fW24xCPW9fCm3POF6yybb1X0iun7kOxn1NchpIePfVKYRzzI_GiqGj18_X86gqagwPL8GDIFv3rORj6o_8TSiXuzfv18HdL-F-zP2uPfkFAOWI_s/s486/Franchot+TWL14.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="486" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAul_RyYMaIt0Pf44CYjdYgNisHw0fW24xCPW9fCm3POF6yybb1X0iun7kOxn1NchpIePfVKYRzzI_GiqGj18_X86gqagwPL8GDIFv3rORj6o_8TSiXuzfv18HdL-F-zP2uPfkFAOWI_s/w389-h293/Franchot+TWL14.png" width="389" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCuWf3124EbjNmfYapRZTJ6CSkxIXDMGq6N5rY29cIte4h5YCG59UIXzQOuPcCtF0KGOg-pLGtTbMwSnUEczNa-y4VRxR-zHUp98UTyQnV1UIgXWyL6JYONZxQxjV68XmGE8FA6SqtB7k/s486/Franchot+TWL15.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="486" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCuWf3124EbjNmfYapRZTJ6CSkxIXDMGq6N5rY29cIte4h5YCG59UIXzQOuPcCtF0KGOg-pLGtTbMwSnUEczNa-y4VRxR-zHUp98UTyQnV1UIgXWyL6JYONZxQxjV68XmGE8FA6SqtB7k/w389-h293/Franchot+TWL15.png" width="389" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAP61yfLtA2172Ll9_RLzJ3w_kOBs8BG42FNg4yaR65QblYXRjmgfpdtyWoBalrvi0pHh7WkTaoO43cKt9g_nREAqw5z1KVrDcrtL-azBdjKqF7NIvrKTqWyzo6_aawH_17AeEKkLolqk/s486/Franchot+TWL17.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="486" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAP61yfLtA2172Ll9_RLzJ3w_kOBs8BG42FNg4yaR65QblYXRjmgfpdtyWoBalrvi0pHh7WkTaoO43cKt9g_nREAqw5z1KVrDcrtL-azBdjKqF7NIvrKTqWyzo6_aawH_17AeEKkLolqk/w389-h293/Franchot+TWL17.png" width="389" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcrb9n3a-QCIIy8K1-LoByz9IzC2QmMmrmG06K3x0J7p7UyghrttycmyvE9wcXM3_tdOxPGZn3h3hyphenhyphensqISB2QGiUYycs6S8m8emaZ1jD5IwpvAfDMS2e5QVnWr5GNZy6zxvAqe-nu5xAc/s486/Franchot+TWL18.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="486" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcrb9n3a-QCIIy8K1-LoByz9IzC2QmMmrmG06K3x0J7p7UyghrttycmyvE9wcXM3_tdOxPGZn3h3hyphenhyphensqISB2QGiUYycs6S8m8emaZ1jD5IwpvAfDMS2e5QVnWr5GNZy6zxvAqe-nu5xAc/w389-h293/Franchot+TWL18.png" width="389" /></a></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Publicity</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div>Franchot received a good amount of publicity build-up in fan magazines for his early role in <i>Today We Live</i>. Although Franchot's first film <i>The Wiser Sex</i> is the only film I've not seen, it is still available at the Library of Congress and reportedly his role is very small. <i>Today We Live</i> was his real break into the business it seems and, of course, the film that introduced him to Joan, a woman whom he would love for the rest of his life. Here are just a few of the various photos and publicity pieces that accompanied the film's release.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="970" data-original-width="704" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2X1XpjmfWRB9ecdCavxga8WUaMLKNyAo-jGk3cDTmo5T12e-2PkhfSRzo6eUjGZkOB0OnTXLo1B6DOdwkgPtS9Gf_yPEzAyVdC47UUgSuSO80EFCq3bPpXeoV1uzbiOLkT6xzy571kTo/w371-h512/Franchot+Tone+TWL+Pub2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;" width="371" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Modern Screen, 1933.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvn19E4w1-KuGNy0hSyNBHxdVO2lebwZVZMN9Q168MG5Ooz9iCqNcJAXm6AUC0xHHSZaK6j8BlfAN0qB_0lCouzFTjitTSsxCz3ZiWNwvWbcFxUXIkDkKixMVYNQgLcW7EEwTIAFoFWbA/s984/Franchot+Tone+Today+We+Live+pub1.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="Photoplay, 1933" border="0" data-original-height="984" data-original-width="694" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvn19E4w1-KuGNy0hSyNBHxdVO2lebwZVZMN9Q168MG5Ooz9iCqNcJAXm6AUC0xHHSZaK6j8BlfAN0qB_0lCouzFTjitTSsxCz3ZiWNwvWbcFxUXIkDkKixMVYNQgLcW7EEwTIAFoFWbA/w361-h512/Franchot+Tone+Today+We+Live+pub1.jpg" title="Photoplay, 1933" width="361" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photoplay, 1933.<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZZENKVSkDcWvbd_LTOZN99I7nWf0kv8GCAv0oo-3U6Xms6QY9IMoNjy3X7LFZ8kqySGlMfI_5IvXGGlspp83RxMyMm3Itj5ZLab2D6caO52dd3PEtjtQVyOHXPlYSocrZXX_pyjU34zk/s624/Franchot+Tone+Modern+Screen.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="624" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZZENKVSkDcWvbd_LTOZN99I7nWf0kv8GCAv0oo-3U6Xms6QY9IMoNjy3X7LFZ8kqySGlMfI_5IvXGGlspp83RxMyMm3Itj5ZLab2D6caO52dd3PEtjtQVyOHXPlYSocrZXX_pyjU34zk/w499-h176/Franchot+Tone+Modern+Screen.jpg" width="499" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Modern Screen, 1933.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The New Movie Magazine reviewed the film stating:</div><blockquote><div>Joan belongs in pictures of this type; that's what you're going to say when you see her. She can do all that a star is asked to do, and she does; but when she has a real story, with clever character actors around her, shading her role with the sympathy and humor that it needs—then Miss Crawford can supply some of the finest entertainment that is available in motion picture theaters today.</div></blockquote><p>Today We Live is on DVD from Warner Archive and can be purchased through most online DVD retailers. </p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Franchot Tone Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03226358191027628680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5352928204929984302.post-3432376092407268332020-06-16T21:48:00.001-07:002020-06-16T21:48:59.325-07:00Franchot Visits Birmingham, Alabama<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBL6GWtHjZJNzHHsP3xFcO84nnvQWY5OQQ6U0SWIhmfqtRIAYh0OQBAmsK_NMgK3l4c7Rz4l-ed5-E7VGqTdC0OBpVcZZkyJte_f04MDN1hzj8-HVYGU-m2lMiwWht2gL1NcCU3OW5tY/s1147/IMG_3935.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1147" data-original-width="882" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBL6GWtHjZJNzHHsP3xFcO84nnvQWY5OQQ6U0SWIhmfqtRIAYh0OQBAmsK_NMgK3l4c7Rz4l-ed5-E7VGqTdC0OBpVcZZkyJte_f04MDN1hzj8-HVYGU-m2lMiwWht2gL1NcCU3OW5tY/w306-h400/IMG_3935.jpeg" width="306" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of Franchot that<br />accompanied the article.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>In February 1950 Franchot traveled to Birmingham, Alabama to promote The Man on the Eiffel Tower. It was a whirlwind one-day press tour of the city including multiple newspaper and radio interviews, a special luncheon at the Downtown Club, a cocktail party at Tutwiler Hotel where his suite was located and ended the evening by making a personal appearance at the Linley Heflin Unit Mardi Gras Ball which was held in the Municipal Auditorium. By midnight, Franchot was on a plane to New York where he was slated for business meetings with friend and TMotET director Burgess Meredith.</div><div><br /></div><div>With Birmingham press, Franchot shared that he felt his youngest son Jeff might become an actor. Franchot added that Jeff enjoyed "mugging" and always put on a great show every Christmas that his aunt Karol (Jean Wallace's younger sister and only a child herself) would direct in front of the family Christmas tree.</div><div><br /></div><div>On producing The Man on the Eiffel Tower, Franchot said:</div><div><br /></div><blockquote><div>Production, I like, because a producer can assure himself of more interesting parts. You'll like Man on the Eiffel Tower. It's not a mystery but a suspense picture. And Charles Laughton's not the villain. I am!</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>Interestingly, Franchot shared that his business meetings with Burgess Meredith in New York were to plan for their next film. Burgess was set to direct and Franchot would produce and act in a film version of the novel The Song of the Flea. They planned to begin filming it in London within a year or two. A film adaptation of The Song of the Flea never happened (perhaps due to the Payton love affair and the events that it caused.) I have a special fondness for Franchot's work as a producer (The Man on the Eiffel Tower, Uncle Vanya) and co-director (Uncle Vanya) so it is a shame this other opportunity never came to fruition. It not only would've been a creative venture for Franchot, but he would've also enjoyed working with best friend Burgess Meredith on it. The Song of the Flea was written by British novelist Gerald Kersh whose most famous work Night and the City was made into a 1950 film starring Richard Widmark and again as a 1992 film starring Robert de Niro. I cannot find any proof that The Song of the Flea, which focused on a writer struggling to succeed, was ever adapted for film.</div><div><br /></div><div>You can read more about The Man on the Eiffel Tower <a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/search/label/man%20on%20the%20eiffel%20tower">here </a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><font size="2">Source:</font></div><div><font size="2">Caldwell, Lily May. "Franchot Tone Visits Here, Talks of Kindness." The Birmingham News. February 18, 1950.</font></div>Franchot Tone Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03226358191027628680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5352928204929984302.post-18253336276477628002020-05-10T21:50:00.000-07:002020-05-10T21:50:42.488-07:00Franchot headlines the Mark Twain FestivalFranchot's lecture was the highlight of the Mark Twain Festival that took place at Elmira College from October 12th to October 14th, 1960. Franchot's presentation was titled "An Actor's Approach to Mark Twain" and was scheduled for 8:30 p.m. on Friday, October 14th at the Emerson Building auditorium.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUOMAylLmVoDArQrh57xcKgBys18sU8iYzuf4sGruSdmzDeDm4pYb1Xy81ozRbzpAjx4yBScyqQIpuoWPK7oJtqWoVuVNnmzMo1JViqfeeFBAZp9vG2AZSA9Tj-A-hxA5yilrmSnHg1mU/s1600/Franchot+Tone+Mark+Twain+Festival+Ad.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="335" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUOMAylLmVoDArQrh57xcKgBys18sU8iYzuf4sGruSdmzDeDm4pYb1Xy81ozRbzpAjx4yBScyqQIpuoWPK7oJtqWoVuVNnmzMo1JViqfeeFBAZp9vG2AZSA9Tj-A-hxA5yilrmSnHg1mU/s320/Franchot+Tone+Mark+Twain+Festival+Ad.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ad for Franchot's lecture. Source: Elmira Telegraph. October 9, 1960.</td></tr>
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Franchot was requested for the lecture after gaining rave reviews for his performance as Mark Twain in Horton Foote's "The Shape of the River," which aired as a Playhouse 90 production on May 2, 1960. Interestingly enough, the Playhouse 90 production that set Franchot up for this particular lecture was about Mark Twain preparing for the lecture circuit! Twain's niece said about Franchot, "He seemed more like my uncle than any of the many Mark Twain impersonators I have seen." Before the event, it was publicized that Horton Foote would accompany him, but I cannot locate any proof that Foote definitely attended. He's not mentioned in any of the interviews or articles about the presentation, so I'm not sure if he visited with Franchot or not.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowLGheur0YMk85DjdcG1J5UE85BFA4vFsq4H634Y_HJ5K0eMp34K776kb_i4LLvu09irrexj1oxYftaRMmgL_0GULmeniJik5x0mhG2SXl0MIOPXL7mfxOAPXGFjFw7t4iwPMFw18FFI/s1600/Franchot-+The+Shape+of+the+River.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="749" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowLGheur0YMk85DjdcG1J5UE85BFA4vFsq4H634Y_HJ5K0eMp34K776kb_i4LLvu09irrexj1oxYftaRMmgL_0GULmeniJik5x0mhG2SXl0MIOPXL7mfxOAPXGFjFw7t4iwPMFw18FFI/s400/Franchot-+The+Shape+of+the+River.png" width="317" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Shape of the River, 1960. Source: my collection.</td></tr>
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Franchot started off his presentation by joking that the audience should bear with him as he spoke "from the top" of his head and that if everyone stayed until the end he would return the admission fee. It was later disclosed that Franchot generously returned both the admission fees and his lecture fee.<br />
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Franchot described how he prepared to play Mark Twain in "The Shape of the River" before reading Twain's "Roughing It." Next, Franchot read part of Susan Twain's essay on her father that explained how Mark Twain stopped going to church because "he couldn't bear to hear anyone else talk but him." After this essay, Franchot joked that once he knew that fact about Twain "all I had to do was let the ham in me out." Franchot also read from Twain's "The Mysterious Stranger" and "Jumping Frog of Calaveras County."<br />
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Franchot then showed several clips of Mark Twain, played recorded imitations and finally, played a recording of his very first rehearsal imitating Twain. In addition to the readings and conversation, Franchot screened clips of his television portrayal as Mark Twain.<br />
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500 people attended Franchot's lecture and called it "smooth...flawlessly imitating...eloquent speech."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJ7hdepGNfZwLs7kFy3ON7rMwXvi4PtSl5Z8khDWSYSW8ODFIpDWc2_GIzQJQ1hQVIs4RGK4zR4TlPW0W1oiFxwbjZgX3xW2SzneNfrUFiSVysuVax-LxMEKHk40cY09baUyQesmev1Q/s1600/Franchot+at+Twains+grave+in+Elmira+1960.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="315" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJ7hdepGNfZwLs7kFy3ON7rMwXvi4PtSl5Z8khDWSYSW8ODFIpDWc2_GIzQJQ1hQVIs4RGK4zR4TlPW0W1oiFxwbjZgX3xW2SzneNfrUFiSVysuVax-LxMEKHk40cY09baUyQesmev1Q/s400/Franchot+at+Twains+grave+in+Elmira+1960.png" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Franchot at Mark Twain's grave in Elmira. <br />
Source: Elmira Advertiser. October 15, 1960.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLgjHJ_4VFNfMx_g4LoBRiMjYpqTUvVv3rj07I_SP6D-gJw-lkTIRTQiIkqTSR8Azauev2IDaAkhbrBONsvPFpFV0eOEzec8dhJnoffzheu7eVAugHaX2UyL7045wY3twgYpE0EQcyQv4/s1600/Franchot+Tone+at+Mark+Twain+Monument+Elmira.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="656" data-original-width="419" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLgjHJ_4VFNfMx_g4LoBRiMjYpqTUvVv3rj07I_SP6D-gJw-lkTIRTQiIkqTSR8Azauev2IDaAkhbrBONsvPFpFV0eOEzec8dhJnoffzheu7eVAugHaX2UyL7045wY3twgYpE0EQcyQv4/s400/Franchot+Tone+at+Mark+Twain+Monument+Elmira.png" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Franchot at Mark Twain's monument.<br />
Source: Elmira Star-Gazette. October 14, 1960.</td></tr>
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Before his presentation, Franchot took the time to pay his respects to Mark Twain. He chatted with reporters and citizens over breakfast at the Mark Twain Hotel, brought flowers to and visited the author's grave, and toured the author's study with Elmira College president Dr. J. Ralph Murray.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic01YHsBfxzq6ea4D3m-Uqi10Beg_-9_iu8O4TaC-efVEp4MeyiJaE6mUkFpJ7mHUEvz5BtmF_nOuYFGceX6ZgmraZokQH3Ti0fKdHC8_LR43TfcgybGMaWKYryxDHi5r785biXsIxuEw/s1600/Franchot+Tone+at+Mark+Twain+Study+Elmira.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="419" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic01YHsBfxzq6ea4D3m-Uqi10Beg_-9_iu8O4TaC-efVEp4MeyiJaE6mUkFpJ7mHUEvz5BtmF_nOuYFGceX6ZgmraZokQH3Ti0fKdHC8_LR43TfcgybGMaWKYryxDHi5r785biXsIxuEw/s400/Franchot+Tone+at+Mark+Twain+Study+Elmira.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Franchot and Dr. J. Ralph Murray at the Mark Twain Study.<br />
Source: Elmira Star-Gazette, October 14, 1960.</td></tr>
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Franchot had arrived in Elmira the night before his presentation, on Thursday, October 13th. Reporters and fans met him at the airport. One fan handed him a tiny piece of paper and asked for an autograph for his son. Seeing the size of the paper, Franchot joked, "Well, your son must be a <i>very </i>little boy!" Franchot signed the small paper and was proud of his handiwork. When he finished, he remarked, "There! I could have gotten it on the head of a pin."<br />
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Franchot was questioned about the speech he was due to deliver the following night. What would he say on stage? Franchot encouraged the crowd to "come up to the college to hear my speech and you'll find out what I'm going to say. Everything I'm going to say will be completely ad lib. I haven't anything prepared—I think a lecture loses its freshness if it's prepared."<br />
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One spectator didn't seem to understand the notion of ad lib and caught Franchot off guard when he asked, "How long does it take to prepare an ad lib speech?" Franchot laughed and responded, "Well, you've got to think about it for a long time."<br />
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Members of the Thomas A. Edison High School Thespis club were able to enjoy breakfast with Franchot while he was in town and called him "delightful." Elmira resident Helen Brown asked reporter Peggy Gallagher to relay to Franchot Tone that she loved him to which Franchot replied, "That's one thing I never get tired of hearing."<br />
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For further reading and two more photos of Franchot at Elmira, you can read about what he said <a href="https://franchottone.blogspot.com/2020/04/franchot-on-politics.html">on politics here</a> and what he said about <a href="https://franchottone.blogspot.com/2020/04/franchot-on-understanding-acting.html">choosing the acting profession here</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sources:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">"Appearing at Elmira College..." Elmira Telegraph. October 9, 1960.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bannister, Sharon and John Gardner. "Edison Bits." Elmira Star-Gazette. October 23, 1960.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">"College Taps Tone for Twain Festival." Elmira Star-Gazette. October 2, 1960.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">"Franchot Tone Draws 500 for Mark Twain Festival." Elmira Advertiser. October 15, 1960.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Gallagher, Peggy. "Evenin' Neighbor!" Elmira Star-Gazette. October 17, 1960.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Gallagher, Peggy. "Franchot to Give Twain Tone." Elmira Star-Gazette. October 14, 1960.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Morken, Mary Lee. "Actor Long Acquainted with Twain." Elmira Advertiser. October 14, 1960.</span><br />
<br />Franchot Tone Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03226358191027628680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5352928204929984302.post-80217673191980871572020-04-30T20:07:00.002-07:002020-04-30T20:07:14.790-07:00Franchot on Understanding the Acting Profession<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgONi6chQwnXnV_6RXwYPhYqQK1n5lCTTnokIuzVwzM13EBnx8KfxHwWRFlfuVunoSz6E-q7QKyqsfBD4Shn3xHqnmvKvBNW85-LhA80fxirVNCWZIIwmuduqnORrWrj_vvD44gZ26QdRA/s1600/Franchot+Tone+Mark+Twain+interview.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="443" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgONi6chQwnXnV_6RXwYPhYqQK1n5lCTTnokIuzVwzM13EBnx8KfxHwWRFlfuVunoSz6E-q7QKyqsfBD4Shn3xHqnmvKvBNW85-LhA80fxirVNCWZIIwmuduqnORrWrj_vvD44gZ26QdRA/s320/Franchot+Tone+Mark+Twain+interview.png" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Franchot over breakfast. Source: Elmira Star-Gazette.</td></tr>
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Reporter Peggy Gallagher interviewed Franchot over breakfast on his first morning in Elmira, New York. He was due to give a presentation on Mark Twain at Elmira College that evening. When asked if he was comfortable portraying older men or father figures, Franchot assured that he felt very comfortable in the role and proudly talked of his sons Pat and Jeff:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
And, the rascals! They both want to be actors...A useless profession! Unless you thoroughly understand it, of course. But, I don't see that they'll ever work their way out. They're thoroughly soaked in theater. </blockquote>
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Franchot went on to explain that although he'd prefer "physics, law, chemistry" for his sons, he would not have chosen a different life for himself.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
But, that's what I mean—I understand it. Let me explain it this way: entertainment, as a function of escape for the human race, has been in its best times a signpost to the greater aspirations of which the human race is capable...how's that sound for 9:30 in the morning?</blockquote>
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When Gallagher pressed for more meaning, Franchot answered:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
It means the entertainment business makes dreams real—and it's the dreams of man which have made our world possible.</blockquote>
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Franchot went on to share that he preferred the theater over film because of the "immediate relationship with the audience."<br />
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And when asked about the high point of his career, Franchot insisted that his high point was still to come.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
There was a very wonderful book by the author, Christopher Morley, about a cocker spaniel named Mr. Gissing. Mr. Gissing lived in a valley. He kept looking at the hillside and at the blue beyond. He decided he wanted to climb the hill and find out where the blue began. But when he reached the top, doggone if he didn't find another hill!</blockquote>
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The novel that Franchot refers to is <i>Where the Blue Begins</i> and was first published in 1922 and its author also penned the 1939 novel Kitty Foyle, which was brought to the screen with Ginger Rogers in the title role in 1940.<br />
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Franchot talked quite a bit with Elmira reporters (<a href="https://franchottone.blogspot.com/2020/04/franchot-on-politics.html">here's what he said about politics</a>) and there is more to come about his presentation on Mark Twain!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Gallagher, Peggy. "Franchot to Give Twain Tone." Elmira Star-Gazette. October 14, 1960.</span>Franchot Tone Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03226358191027628680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5352928204929984302.post-36661166543219309482020-04-25T13:20:00.000-07:002020-04-25T13:20:20.719-07:00Five Year AnniversaryCheers! This past week marked five years since the first post on Finding Franchot. I've had a wonderful five years connecting with other fans and learning so much about Franchot in the process. Having this space available to share Franchot facts has been such a positive thing in my life and I hope reading it has been positive for you. Thank you!<br />
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In the last six months I've made some additional pages on the blog that may not be readily apparent if you're using a mobile device so I wanted to point those out in this post. For several years I also had a separate fansite where I uploaded photos and a timeline and life history of Franchot. This past year I decided to merge all of that information here in one place on the original blog. It seemed silly to be paying for a separate website when I was mostly utilizing this free blog for my posts and I realized I could host all of those pages here on the blog in a quality way. So now it's all in one place, easier for me to keep up with, and I can spend the money I save from not paying for a website to buying more Franchot photos (always a perk!).<br />
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Obviously, there are my regular blog posts here, but there are also the following pages:<br />
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<a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/p/photos.html">Photos - where I've posted all my scanned photos of Franchot and newspaper clipping photos</a></h3>
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<a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/p/photos.html"><br /></a><a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/p/franchot-facts.html">Timeline and Facts - where I've posted a timeline of Franchot's life, fast facts, his obituary and a biographical sketch</a></h3>
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<a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/p/franchot-facts.html"><br /></a><a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/p/quotes.html">Quotes - where I've posted statements made by Franchot and by other notable people about Franchot</a></h3>
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<a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/p/quotes.html"><br /></a><a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/p/family.html">Family - where I've posted photos and links to information about Franchot's parents, brother, ancestors, wives, and sons</a></h3>
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<a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/p/family.html"><br /></a><a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/p/filmography.html">Filmography - where I've posted summaries, links to detailed blog posts and photos for Franchot's movies</a></h3>
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<a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/p/filmography.html"><br /></a><a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/p/theater.html">Theater - where I've posted play titles with photos and links to detailed blog posts for Franchot's theater work</a></h3>
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<a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/p/theater.html"><br /></a><a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/p/tv.html">TV & Radio - where I've posted titles with photos and links to detailed blog posts for Franchot's television and radio work</a></h3>
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If you were wondering where the fansite went, it's just moved its home to this original space. I have more information and photos to add to these pages and I'll continue to do so. Thanks for your support and patience! </div>
Franchot Tone Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03226358191027628680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5352928204929984302.post-8090353000365670072020-04-21T17:25:00.000-07:002020-04-21T17:25:09.716-07:00Franchot on Politics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxP4cdt6KHMOBUz62D2hJKEmd1HfQvRlmOltz44Z_mK5NO8yQFfIHCvcoqSS9K5Z4oCnWILXFa-Q6_dAW4IjHxpbk8XBIZ01JXBHZ4-3k6KTR5nNBaVI-2jHyNg1KP1M3yvic7z_ydzk/s1600/Franchot+Tone+1960+Franchot+Blog.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Franchot Tone 1960" border="0" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="295" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxP4cdt6KHMOBUz62D2hJKEmd1HfQvRlmOltz44Z_mK5NO8yQFfIHCvcoqSS9K5Z4oCnWILXFa-Q6_dAW4IjHxpbk8XBIZ01JXBHZ4-3k6KTR5nNBaVI-2jHyNg1KP1M3yvic7z_ydzk/s320/Franchot+Tone+1960+Franchot+Blog.png" title="Franchot Tone 1960" width="226" /></a></div>
Franchot found himself in a sea of reporters and fans when he landed at an airport in Elmira, New York in 1960. Franchot asked them to gather in the airport waiting room, where reporter Mary Lee Morken said he "wrapped the crowd around him like a cloak" and answered questions. When Franchot was asked by a newsman whether or not he had ever participated in political work, Franchot responded:<br />
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I was one of the members of the Hollywood Democratic Committee. We were quite active. Melvyn Douglas and lot of others—I can't remember now. It was back about 1940. I think we were quite influential in breaking up—well, let me put it this way. We helped elect Olson, who was the first Democratic governor elected in California in 50 years. We helped break the way for Gov. Warren, one of the finest statesmen of our times.</blockquote>
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When someone asked whether actors should even be "mixed up" in politics, Franchot is described as bristling and answering disdainfully:<br />
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I think every citizen should be 'mixed up' in politics.</blockquote>
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Another person in the crowd broke the tension by asking Franchot if he'd consider playing Abraham Lincoln. Franchot made the crowd laugh when he answered:<br />
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I'd be afraid to play Lincoln. Any actor who plays Lincoln is never happy until they shoot him.</blockquote>
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Franchot granted multiple interviews during his visit to Elmira College where he was speaking on Mark Twain and his performance as Twain in the television production <i>The Shape of the River</i>. I will be sharing more of Franchot's quotes from this trip as well as details of his itinerary over the next week.<br />
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<a href="https://franchottone.blogspot.com/search/label/politics">Click here for previous posts on Franchot and politics.</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Morken, Mary Lee. "Actor Long Acquainted with Twain." <i>Elmira Advertiser.</i> October 14, 1960. </span>Franchot Tone Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03226358191027628680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5352928204929984302.post-9296565623728739162020-04-01T17:08:00.001-07:002020-04-01T17:08:07.886-07:00Between Two Women (1937)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Directed by George B. Seitz and starring Franchot Tone, Maureen O'Sullivan and Virginia Bruce, the medical drama Between Two Women premiered to American audiences on July 9, 1937.<br />
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Between Two Women is one of my favorite Franchot movies and I keep hoping it is going to be released on DVD by Warner Archive. It deserves a quality DVD release. It is a great romantic drama, well acted by all of its cast, and Franchot particularly shines in this role.<br />
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The film received positive reviews from the fan magazines at the time. Hollywood Magazine said that it was "smoothly directed...a convincing story of the loves, desires and heartaches of those who minister to humanity...[Tone, Bruce, O'Sullivan] have never appeared to better advantage than in this powerful drama." Photoplay called it, "unusually exciting and realistic...Franchot Tone brings all his ability to the role...Splendid." Silver Screen devoted an entire article to the film and its story.<br />
<span style="text-align: start;">While I will not spoil the final events of the film, the film summary that follows will include some plot spoilers.</span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silver Screen Magazine. August 1937.</td></tr>
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Allan Meighan (Franchot Tone) is a studious, conscientious intern in a large hospital. He's referred to by one patient as the "strong, silent man who saved my life." Claire Donahue (Maureen O'Sullivan) is a nursing intern who is promoted to head surgical nurse. Allan and Claire are good friends and enjoy working together.<br />
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Allan has a few more weeks until he will begin residency. He's applied to his current hospital but hasn't received word yet. After intern Tony Woolcott refuses to go to an accident scene, Allan goes instead. When he has to amputate an arm to save the life of a man trapped in rubble, Allan is named resident at the hospital.<br />
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Claire's husband Tom is an alcoholic who can't keep his job and hits his wife. He often stops by the hospital to ask for money from Claire. Claire makes excuses, "He only drinks because he's discouraged because he feels licked."</div>
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Socialite Patricia "Pat" Sloan (Virginia Bruce) crashes her car due to passing out from a ruptured appendix. Allan performs surgery and requests Claire "the best nurse he knows" for night duty. Patricia makes eyes at Allan as soon as she wakes from the anesthesia and notices how uncomfortable Claire becomes by it.<br />
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Tony Woolcott (Leonard Penn), a wealthy intern who recklessly drinks on the job and has no care for humanity, has eyes for Pat, but Pat desires to be the bride of Dr. Meighan. Allan warns her that he doesn't make enough money to get married. She makes an agreement that he buy necessities and she'll add a few luxuries with her own money.<br />
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Allan falls in love with Pat but fears that he won't make her happy.When Claire walks into the hospital room, Pat announces that they are engaged. Claire is shocked. She cries alone as she walks the hospital hallways.</div>
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There are already cracks showing in the marriage immediately after the honeymoon when Pat is less than thrilled about living in a modest home. They clearly are attracted to each other but Allan's first duty is to the hospital and Pat does not want his attention divided. Allan is called away from each social engagement they attend because he's needed in surgery. With each call, Pat grows more resentful.<br />
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When Allan starts to ignore his duty to the hospital to please Pat, he begins missing out on big professional opportunities and growth for himself as a surgeon. Allan questions Claire about why she stays with a drunk and Claire responds, "You see, I've adjusted my life to Tom. You still haven't adjusted yours to Patricia."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4RBQG7cRGT-11bC0JXs8DFuyQ7JbsPwrhzxIenyuV2PnS7oZoSQ8FJ0KMLL-tLNzB0ZhDG50YzsaBKoID1_6KLUG9yjq_n5_QVfLgevBrmyBLXKjb9bewLlJHrDXt5nUMRLoS6KAKb8/s1600/Franchot+Between+Two+Women+19.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="451" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4RBQG7cRGT-11bC0JXs8DFuyQ7JbsPwrhzxIenyuV2PnS7oZoSQ8FJ0KMLL-tLNzB0ZhDG50YzsaBKoID1_6KLUG9yjq_n5_QVfLgevBrmyBLXKjb9bewLlJHrDXt5nUMRLoS6KAKb8/s320/Franchot+Between+Two+Women+19.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm going to stop here with the summary because the last half of the film has several huge moments that change the direction of Allan's plans and stir different feelings in his heart. It's a moving, unassuming film that hooks me every time I watch it. It comes on television every so often, but I'm hoping Warner Archive realizes what a gem this movie is and releases it soon.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiinpXrMg0gSV8ETxlYzCOnxDFmNfF7LGWOVvaY_vTz1ZZu7ztDPsytbZvamm45iXCHbWSBuY6niDV93vMajAsuy3GF9A7OtwGV4XJTekujE7Oc6_X0e-iStc8ZTmU_Bos1cRMZt6b0BaU/s1600/Franchot+Between+Two+Women+20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="451" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiinpXrMg0gSV8ETxlYzCOnxDFmNfF7LGWOVvaY_vTz1ZZu7ztDPsytbZvamm45iXCHbWSBuY6niDV93vMajAsuy3GF9A7OtwGV4XJTekujE7Oc6_X0e-iStc8ZTmU_Bos1cRMZt6b0BaU/s320/Franchot+Between+Two+Women+20.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sources:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Silver Screen Magazine. August 1937.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photoplay. September 1937.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Hollywood. September 1937.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Modern Screen. March 1938.</span>Franchot Tone Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03226358191027628680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5352928204929984302.post-30762366566553399592020-03-25T08:04:00.003-07:002020-03-25T08:06:01.827-07:00Online Performances in a PandemicIf you are home due to the pandemic and want to distract your mind with some Franchot Tone performances, I have the list for you!<br />
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<h3>
Franchot on The Internet Archive (FREE)</h3>
Twelve Angry Men (tv): <a href="https://archive.org/details/Lbines-StudioOneTwelveAngryMen241">Link</a><br />
Wagon Train: The Malachi Hobart Story (tv): <a href="https://archive.org/details/Wagon_Train_-_The_Malachi_Hobart_Story">Link</a><br />
The Man on the Eiffel Tower (film): <a href="https://archive.org/details/The_Man_on_the_Eiffel_Tower">Link</a><br />
I Love Trouble (film): <a href="https://archive.org/details/I_Love_Trouble_movie">Link</a><br />
Jigsaw (film): <a href="https://archive.org/details/Jigsaw_">Link</a><br />
Lost Honeymoon (film): <a href="https://archive.org/details/LostHoneymoon">Link</a><br />
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<h3>
Franchot on Youtube (FREE)</h3>
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Jigsaw (film): <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxLkaqz2vhA">Link</a></div>
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The Hour Before the Dawn (film): <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mqf-ZZTA1SU">Link</a></div>
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Her Husband's Affairs (film): <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYm0hex8898">Link</a><br />
The Stranger's Return (film): <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TuifBcZvb0">Link</a></div>
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I Love Trouble (film): <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir2PR0s7CCE">Link</a></div>
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Suspense: All Hallow's Eve (tv): <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo6TysdKeRI">Link</a></div>
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Lost Honeymoon (film): <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5yk1itN9Yg">Link</a></div>
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Without Honor (film): <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX8abLiRtEQ">Link</a></div>
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Bonanza: Denver McKee (tv): <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BieJeNQdec4">Link</a></div>
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Four Star Playhouse: Award (tv): <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVtEMthR16s">Link</a></div>
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Ford Television Theatre: Too Old for Dolls (tv): <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ShGHsfWAu0">Link</a></div>
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This Woman is Mine (film): <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64haDKksv78">Link</a></div>
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Tales of Tomorrow: The Horn (tv): <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sALSZKzoq0">Link</a></div>
Tales of Tomorrow: Diamond Lens (tv): <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNGvsdV8zZ8">Link</a><br />
*I had not realized that Diamond Lens was added this year until I began working on this post and I am overjoyed! I have not seen this episode before and cannot wait to watch it today.<br />
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<h3>
Franchot on Daily Motion (FREE)</h3>
Alfred Hitchcock Hour: Final Performance (tv): <a href="https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5z2jdl">Link</a><br />
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<h3>
Franchot on Hulu (with subscription; www.hulu.com)</h3>
Twilight Zone: The Silence (tv)<br />
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Impossible Dream (tv)<br />
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<h3>
Franchot on Amazon Prime Video (with subscription; www.amazon.com/Prime-Video)</h3>
I Love Trouble (film)<br />
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This list certainly does not include everything on the internet, but there should be enough here to keep your mind occupied and your heart happy. Take care of yourselves!Franchot Tone Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03226358191027628680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5352928204929984302.post-55684815088022649512020-02-23T16:40:00.000-08:002020-02-23T16:49:36.132-08:00Franchot's Personal Appearances on TelevisionFranchot made appearances on quite a few variety, entertainment, and game shows in the 1950's. He also did two brief spots on Playhouse 90 and Sizeman and Son to plug the next week's episode in 1955-56. IMDb lists the following shows featuring Franchot as himself:<br />
The Milton Berle Show<br />
Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall<br />
Saturday Night Revue with Jack Carter<br />
General Electric Guest House<br />
The Name's the Same<br />
The Ed Sullivan Show<br />
The Cassini Show<br />
The Colgate Comedy Hour<br />
Igor Cassini's Million Dollar Showcase<br />
The Arthur Murray Party<br />
<br />
I know that there are more appearances than what IMDb includes, because Franchot hosted a 1959 A Salute to the American Theater production that is not listed there.<br />
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I wish I could write that all of these episodes had been lovingly saved and restored for us to enjoy, but that is not the case. I've been searching for years and have only been able to view one of Franchot's personal appearances so far. I think many (especially the Dumont Network shows) are probably permanently lost, but I know that some are likely included in archive collections—more on that below. There are a few that I believe may actually pop up somewhere online in the future if we're lucky...perhaps one will appear at the very end of this post! Let's work backwards from 1959!<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Franchot on A Salute to the American Theatre</h3>
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This production was listed as being available to rent in kinescope form in the Jewish Audio-visual Review published in 1966. Since I know copies were circulated at least 7 years after it first aired, I'm hopeful this program is out there waiting to be discovered. Here is that vintage listing in full:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A Salute to the American Theatre, an edited kinescope, based on the original one-hour program by CBS/TV, in cooperation with the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, 1959, scrips by Elliot Baker, narrated by Franchot Tone, 45 minutes. Rental price on request. Distributed by Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Content: Presents excerpts of outstanding dramatic and musical plays whose theme is freedom and anti-discrimination.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Evaluation: "A Salute to the American Theatre" constitutes a fine anthology of dramatic presentations of social problems. In addition to showing how the theatre has been alert to its responsibility of dealing with grave issues of the day, this kinescope provides the viewer with good entertainment. While the transitions from one play to another are abrupt, at times, and the treatment of some of the issues is not always adequate, given a good discussion leader, "A Salute to the American Theatre" can be used effectively as program material. This program is recommended for high school-adult groups of all religious denominations.</blockquote>
Franchot hosted this entire production and also read a speech from "Abe Lincoln in Illinois." I have a newspaper clipping photo of Franchot hosting this, but I cannot find it...as soon as I find that file I will add it to this post.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Franchot on The Arthur Murray Party</h3>
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Franchot appeared on The Arthur Murray Party three times! In season 3, episode 6, Franchot and his wife Barbara Payton appeared together in a production that also featured singer Kitty Kallen, dancer William Callahan, and the Ray Carter Orchestra. This episode aired on February 10th, 1952.<br />
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Franchot returned on July 15, 1957, for season 8, episode 14. This star-studded episode also included Errol Flynn, Farley Granger, June Lockhart, and Cornelia Otis Skinner. Featured dancers were Rod Alexander and William H. Vaux.<br />
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Franchot's third and final appearance at the party was for season 9, episode 1 on September 29, 1958. Franchot and Susan Strasberg were promoting their latest play. Teresa Brewer, Ricardo Montalban, and Dan Dailey were also on hand. Featured dancers were Martel and Mignon and William H. Vaux.<br />
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The Library of Congress has thirteen of the episodes in their archives and there are a handful of clips, mostly featuring singer Johnnie Ray, from the show on Youtube. As far as I know, the Franchot episodes are not part of the surviving collection.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Franchot on Igor Cassini's Million Dollar Showcase and The Cassini Show</h3>
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Franchot was a guest on the eighth episode of the first season of Igor Cassini's Million Dollar Showcase. His interview on this talk show was broadcast on December 9, 1955. The show only aired from 1955-1956 and its host was a popular gossip columnist whose column appeared in Hearst newspapers across the nation.<br />
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Just a year before this appearance, Franchot was featured on The Cassini Show which was really just the same talk show format with a more succinct name. On April 25, 1954, Franchot, John Drew Barrymore, Arthur Blake, and Geraldine Page were just several of the names that audiences at home were able to see on their tv sets.<br />
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Since these shows were part of the Dumont Network, they are most likely lost unless a collector is stowing them away somewhere. The Dumont Network library was mostly destroyed in 1958 and then the surviving archival material was dumped into the New York bay in the 1970's. The horror! So many Franchot gems discarded.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Franchot on The Colgate Comedy Hour</h3>
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Franchot and costar Gloria Vanderbilt performed for hosts Jerry Lewis and Gordon MacRae on The Colgate Comedy Hour in late January 1955. Franchot and Gloria performed a scene from the play The Time of Your Life.<br />
<br />
Colgate Comedy Hour was a variety show that aired from 1950 to 1955 and was hosted by Eddie Cantor, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis and Abbott & Costello, among others. The show lost viewers as The Ed Sullivan Show gained favor. Not all episodes survived and those that exist are typically poor quality duplicates that came from the original kinescopes. Some have been released on DVD or posted online, but I've yet to see the Franchot episode.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Franchot on The Ed Sullivan Show</h3>
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Franchot, Gig Young, and Betsy von Furstenberg performed scenes from the theater comedy hit Oh, Men! Oh, Women! on Ed Sullivan's Toast of the Town. The episode aired on January 17, 1954. This one is probably in an archive, possibly the Paley.<br />
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Getty Images has photos from this episode <a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/franchot-tone-and-gig-young-perform-the-comedy-oh-men-oh-news-photo/545133797?adppopup=true">here</a> and <a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/franchot-tone-and-betsy-von-furstenberg-perform-the-comedy-news-photo/545134145?adppopup=true">here</a>.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Franchot on The Name's the Same</h3>
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I feel like this episode is possibly out there somewhere! The Name's the Same was a 1951-1955 game show in the vein of What's My Line. Contestants shared their name with a celebrity and the panelists would ask a series of yes/no questions to try to guess the name. A few years ago the episodes aired on both Game Show Network and Buzzr Network. Not all episodes are surviving and I'm not sure if Franchot's show (which aired on August 25, 1953) was saved, but I'm hoping a collector out there has it. A Youtube user even posted many of the 1953 episodes, but, sadly, not Franchot's. The Paley Center has some episodes in their archives, but I haven't located Franchot's.<br />
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On this particular episode, the host was Robert Q. Lewis and the panelists included Carl Reiner, Joan Alexander and Bill Stern.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Franchot on General Electric Guest House</h3>
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Franchot popped on General Electric Guest House on July 29, 1951. Durward Kirby hosted and the guests included Melville Cooper, Ginny Simms, Ogden Nash, and Franchot. The Guest House aired over 10 episodes and served as a summer replacement for The Fred Waring Show in 1951. On each episode, four celebrities participated in a trivia game about the entertainment industry.<br />
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The Paley Center has a few of the episodes in their archives, but I haven't placed Franchot's yet.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Franchot on The Saturday Night Revue with Jack Carter</h3>
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On March 4, 1950, Franchot stopped by The Saturday Night Revue to talk with host Jack Carter.<br />
Cass Daley, Don Ameche, The Step Brothers, and Gertrude Niesen were also on hand for the entertainment.<br />
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This show aired weekly in 1950 and 1951 and was vaudeville-inspired. The Paley Center has some of these episodes but I've yet to see an entry for this particular episode.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Franchot on Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall/The Chesterfield Supper Club</h3>
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Franchot Tone and his best friend Burgess Meredith appeared on Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall on February 5, 1950. This is also listed as The Chesterfield Supper Club in the Paley Center's archives, where it exists! Franchot and Burgess were there to promote their film The Man on the Eiffel Tower. They were dressed as gangsters as they talked with host Perry Como. Also appearing on this episode were Ethel Waters and the Fontane Sisters.<br />
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This long-running show entertained audiences from 1947 to 1967.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Franchot on The Milton Berle Show</h3>
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Franchot stopped by The Milton Berle Show on January 31, 1950. Franchot appeared in a comedy skit with Milton and comedic actress Pert Kelton and, shared with the intent of educational and entertainment purposes only, here it is! <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SuB-k-3aXAI" width="560"></iframe><br />
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If you cannot see the embedded video, you can watch it on my Youtube channel <a href="https://youtu.be/SuB-k-3aXAI">here</a>. Enjoy!<br />
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The 115th anniversary of Franchot's birth is coming up in just a few days, on February 27th. Happy Birthday, Mr. Tone. I hope you know how much love you receive here.<br />
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<a href="https://franchottone.blogspot.com/p/tv.html">More on Franchot's TV & Radio work here</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sources:</span><br />
<a href="https://www.cinema.ucla.edu/"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://www.cinema.ucla.edu/</span></a><br />
<a href="https://www.paleycenter.org/"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://www.paleycenter.org/</span></a><br />
<a href="https://www.atvaudio.com/ata_search.php"><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://www.atvaudio.com/ata_search.php</span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">The Jewish Audio-visual Review. Volume 16. January 1966.</span>Franchot Tone Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03226358191027628680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5352928204929984302.post-10769572722363900012020-01-15T10:24:00.000-08:002020-01-15T10:24:10.461-08:00Suzy (1936)Suzy (Jean Harlow) is a chorus girl who convinces her pal Maisie (Inez Courtney) that she can easily seduce a wealthy man into a relationship and that love can naturally follow. On a foggy day in London, Suzy falls in front of a car driven by a chauffeur and with Terry Moore (not the actress, ha! Franchot's character) in the backseat. Suzy assumes the car belongs to Terry and that he is wealthy.<br />
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When he invites her to the derby, Suzy confesses to the maid that she will absolutely marry Terry. Terry pulls up in a decidedly cheaper automobile than the Rolls Royce, and Suzy realizes Terry is not the millionaire she assumed he was. Although not wealthy, Terry is hard to resist. He's an intelligent triple threat: inventor, engineer, and pilot. He's sweet to Suzy and completely falling in love with her. Suzy agrees to marry Terry, but their marriage is short-lived; showing off his work in the lab, Terry and Suzy accidentally cross the path of a German spy (Benita Hume).<br />
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Terry is shot, his shooter flees, and Suzy is accused of murder by the landlady. Devastated by the death of her new husband and threatened with a murder charge, Suzy escapes to Paris where her friend Maisie is now living and starts fresh.<br />
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As World War I begins, Suzy works as a singer in a bar, meeting wealthy pilot Andre (Cary Grant). Andre charms and marries Suzy, but he is not a faithful husband when he returns to the front. Suzy finds herself spending most of her time with Andre's father Baron Charville (Lewis Stone) and desperately missing Andre.<br />
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Next up is a necessary plot spoiler for this post, but I promise it is not a spoiler of the film's ending.<br />
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When Andre is wounded and hospitalized, Suzy visits him and there in the hospital room is...<br />
Terry!<br />
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Terry was terribly wounded by the earlier shooting, but he survived unbeknownst to Suzy who fled the scene so abruptly. Suzy is shocked to see her husband standing in front of her. Terry, understandably, feels abandoned and betrayed by Suzy, but neither of them share their past with Andre. Terry has been inventing new fighter planes for Andre to pilot and is close to him. Meanwhile, a mysterious woman appears in Andre's life.<br />
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Suzy must decide whether she will stay with the wealthy man whom she loves but cannot trust or turn to her former husband Terry for whom she still feels deeply...unless an irrevocable event makes this decision for her.<br />
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This is my second favorite of Jean and Franchot's pairings (the first is The Girl from Missouri) and sadly it was their last chance to work together before Jean's untimely death the following year. The acting they do in Terry's apartment come across as effortless and casual; you completely believe that these two are becoming close friends and falling for one another. Jean is adorable in her borrowed pajamas from Terry's closet and her hair up and messy.<br />
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My only criticism is that Franchot drops his character's Irish accent occasionally throughout the film, but I find that pretty typical with most American movie stars taking on accents in 1930's films. Cary Grant is the playboy pilot (it's kind of a surprise that Franchot didn't end up with that role since he was so often typecast as the wealthy playboy) who is loved by both Suzy and Terry. Lewis Stone is fabulous as always as the father figure.<br />
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Suzy is available on DVD, but often out of print or only available via Warner Archive's Jean Harlow box set.Franchot Tone Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03226358191027628680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5352928204929984302.post-4478909803553830882020-01-11T22:18:00.002-08:002020-01-11T22:18:51.850-08:00Franchot's Association with the Group Theater, Part 2Franchot left the Group for Hollywood (<a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/2019/11/franchots-association-with-group.html">click here for part one of this story</a>), but he continued to support them. Harold Clurman wrote that Franchot's financial generosity funded much of the Group's script purchases and productions.<br />
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Franchot wrote to Harold that the Group had been ¨the most important influence¨ in his life, but that he deeply loved Joan Crawford and intended to remain with her in Hollywood. Franchot knew that the Group members judged him for his decision, yet they also came to him frequently for money, the same money he made from the Hollywood career choices on which they judged him. Clurman recalled spending afternoons with Franchot and Joan when he visited California:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Franchot was happy to play the host to his companions of old. To him we were clean spirits who brought light and warmth into his almost locked heart. Joan Crawford, a good sport, wanted to make friends with Franchot's friends. She thought at times of appearing on the stage, an ambition perhaps stimulated by Franchot. She wished to be able to follow him in all his steps, so that he might not be included to wander too far from hers.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In the afternoon we would chat, mostly about the theatre, play badminton, swim in the pool, dine, and see a picture in the projection-room, right off the pool. It was quite a pleasant routine that we followed almost every time we visited them. Once, while I lay afloat in the pool, basking lazily in the Sunday sun, Franchot observed me with friendly malice and remarked: “The life of a prostitute is pretty comfortable, isn’t it?”</blockquote>
Often, Franchot would take a loss on his investments with the Group. Clurman remembered:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
He wanted to know about his failure to realize any money on Awake and Sing, and I tried not to be sheepish in admitting our mismanagement. He did not take the matter amiss however (in these questions he always alternated between peevishness and indulgence). Basically Franchot was an idealist, and he still idealized Lee Strasberg and me. Though in the long run there is more peril than pleasure in being idealized, I was at the moment the beneficiary of Franchot’s warmest hospitality. I was the (awkward) prophet of a religion centered in the theatre. Franchot’s wife, Joan Crawford, was prepared to believe. Some day, Franchot intimidated, he would return to the theatre, and, at the time, theatre was synonymous to him with the Group.</blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Franchot's return to the Group-1939's The Gentle People</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The success of Golden Boy strengthened Franchot's desires to return to the stage, or as Clurman put it, Franchot ¨glowed in anticipation.¨ Once his marriage to Joan ended, Franchot found himself financing and starring in The Gentle People. Clurman no doubt was eager for Franchot's return to the theater and credited his ¨excellent¨ talent many times over the years, but he also seemed to be banking on the fact that two former Group actors-turned-movie stars (Franchot and Sylvia Sidney) would fill seats whether the play was a hit or not. Although definitely using Franchot's financial and professional reputation for the Group's gain, Clurman did seem to care and worry about Franchot the idealist:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I warned Franchot that he might encounter disappointment in the Group…I suspected that Franchot looked toward the Group with the fondness of a youthful memory. “Franchot, “I said, “promise me that you will stay with us for one year no matter what happens. Give yourself and us a chance.” Franchot looked solemn and uncertain, but he promised.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Franchot threw himself into his work with an eager will. On the whole, he was well pleased with the conduct of rehearsals; his criticisms were affable and slight. When conferences on the progress of The Gentle People were held, I failed to invite him to join them, as it was not our custom to consult members of the cast on production problems of the plays in which they took part. That Franchot was not only one of the leading players but the play’s backer gave him no special privilege in this matter. It was not my intention to snub him in any way, but Irwin Shaw pointed out that, whatever my intention , my behavior was tactless. Franchot, however, bore this with good grace. </blockquote>
But Franchot was restless, just as he'd been in the year leading up to his departure from the Group and arrival in Hollywood years before. He praised the Group at a speech he gave at the Town Hall Club, saying:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I’d better not get started on the Group,” he began, “because I’ll get emotional about it and then I won’t be able to talk at all...The Group has a well-defined attitude toward human problems and affairs, and while I’m perfectly sure that such a formalized policy as this is by no means necessary to success in the theatre, it is necessary to me.</blockquote>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRPgY4IHQAs-LAxdc8Gkl2qwTtOzqrepvAeIidJRY5G7k3lHYAYOOWPi0If7AFryvSNrfdXkvuACBzBlupDzIC-pfM9ATXRVlWCFHpDHfcwXRE5ikCaLssbKudBx90YdfGpSuYDSh6qKY/s1600/IMG_0967.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1242" data-original-width="1367" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRPgY4IHQAs-LAxdc8Gkl2qwTtOzqrepvAeIidJRY5G7k3lHYAYOOWPi0If7AFryvSNrfdXkvuACBzBlupDzIC-pfM9ATXRVlWCFHpDHfcwXRE5ikCaLssbKudBx90YdfGpSuYDSh6qKY/s400/IMG_0967.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Still, Franchot turned down Clurman's offer to do the play Quiet City saying that he was too tired to do more than one play at a time. When he was offered My Heart's in the Highlands, Franchot made stipulations before stating that he didn't feel he would do a good job in the role.<br />
<br />
When Franchot wouldn't fully commit to the Group in the 1940's, Elia Kazan, Clurman, and others staged a sort of intervention with him. They asked him to commit to them and trust in them and the theater. Franchot asked if they respected him. When they answered that he was the kind of actor they needed, Franchot asked pointedly, ¨But you don't respect the reputation I have made in pictures?¨ Clurman answered, ¨This is not why we want you.¨ Franchot confirmed his fears about the Group when he asked, ¨But you are willing to exploit my name for its commercial value?¨ and Clurman answered, ¨Of course.¨<br />
<br />
In his book, Clurman seems misunderstood about why Franchot alternated between complete worship and bitterness in his feelings about the Group, even going so far to say that Franchot ¨built up a case against us in his mind. Perhaps he needed an inner justification for giving us up.¨ I don't believe it's that hard to see why Franchot had mixed feelings about the Group and in all of my own personal research I have only read kind or nostalgic remarks about the Group from Franchot in interviews. As late as 1966 Franchot was praising Lee Strasberg to TV Guide:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Everything I know about acting I learned from Lee Strasberg. At the Group, I learned Strasberg's variant on the Stanislavsky System—that's S-y-s-t-e-m, not Method. Method actors lack discipline. System actors are disciplined. I'm a pretty good actor today only because I've always renewed myself at the feedbag—the theater.</blockquote>
It's clear that Franchot acted out in many ways, but it is also clear that he had some insecurities and wanted to be told he was valued for his own talent. When he wrote to Clurman baring his soul about his deep appreciation for the Group, Franchot probably hoped for a return letter with the same sentiment about himself. Instead, he received a letter requesting money to fund another show. Back in the early 30's, young Franchot had been hurt when Strasberg told him they didn't care that he was leaving for Hollywood; after all, Franchot was secretly hoping for validation (and a personal request to stay with the Group) from this father figure he idealized. It's no surprise that Franchot would be sullen and hurt again in the 1940's when he realized that the Group begging him to come back still didn't fully respect or include him despite now benefiting from his wealth and celebrity status.<br />
<br />
Despite this complicated history with the organization, Franchot was proud of his association with the Group and always attributed his passion for acting with the skills and conditioning he gained as a Group member.<br />
<br />
You might also be interested in these previous related posts:<br />
<a href="https://franchottone.blogspot.com/2019/11/franchots-association-with-group.html">Franchot's Association with the Group Theater, Part 1</a><br />
<a href="https://franchottone.blogspot.com/2018/08/franchot-and-sylvia-sidney.html">Franchot and Sylvia Sidney</a><br />
<a href="https://franchottone.blogspot.com/2019/09/an-ernest-hemingway-hero.html">An Ernest Hemingway Hero</a><br />
<a href="https://franchottone.blogspot.com/2016/06/the-gentle-people-1939.html">The Gentle People</a><br />
<a href="https://franchottone.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-strasburgs-remember-franchot.html">The Strasbergs Remember Franchot</a><br />
<a href="https://franchottone.blogspot.com/2017/03/john-garfield-blogathon.html">John Garfield Blogathon</a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sources:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;">Clurman, Harold. The Fervent Years: The Story of the Group Theatre and the Thirties. Knopf, 1950. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;">Kramer, Joan, David Heeley, Joanne Woodward, Steve Lawson, Stella Adler, Harold Clurmaan, Cheryl Crawford, and Lee Strasberg. Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre. New York, N.Y: PDR Productions, 1994. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;">Lewis, Robert. Slings and Arrows: Theater in My Life. Stein and Day, 1984. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;">Smith, Wendy. Real Life Drama: The Group Theatre and America, 1931-1940. Knopf, 1990.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;">"Who Has Ever Had a Better Time?" TV Guide. January 1, 1966. 12-14.</span></li>
</ul>
Franchot Tone Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03226358191027628680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5352928204929984302.post-79429566758196340702019-12-09T17:30:00.002-08:002019-12-09T17:30:58.814-08:00Puppy from a FanI was looking for another article on Franchot and came across this funny little piece of news from 1941:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Franchot Tone was walking down Hollywood Boulevard, when a group of children asked for his autograph. He complied, and one of the little boys gave him a tiny puppy. Franchot explained that he had no place to keep a dog. But the kid looked so hurt that Franchot took the puppy, anyhow. As the children disappeared, Franchot heard one of them remark, "Gee, now we've got only five more to get rid of." Since then, Franchot has been phoning all his friends, but he admits that, to date, he isn't as good a salesman as the kid.</blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: "In Movieland." Statesville Daily Record. March 7, 1941.</span>Franchot Tone Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03226358191027628680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5352928204929984302.post-38738385734277966032019-11-08T13:53:00.000-08:002019-11-08T13:53:07.365-08:00Franchot's Association with the Group Theatre, Part 1Theater director Harold Clurman invited Franchot to join the Group Theatre after seeing him in the 1928 play<i> The International</i>.<br />
<br />
Although Franchot and actor Morris Carnovsky were already both on contract with the guild, they were allowed to participate in the Group Theatre's intensive project to create a community of actors that tackled social justice and the world within its plays. In his book <i>The Fervent Years</i>, Clurman explained the group's goal:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...to go away to some country place with twenty-eight actors and rehearse two plays till they were ready for production in New York. We would pay no salaries, but we would provide meals, living quarters, laundry expense.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We had chosen our actors before we knew what play we would do. They were our actors, and they would have to suit our plays. That is what we directors were there for. Nor did we have any money to finance our ambitious plan. We only had the will to carry it out. When the Guild agreed to let us have <i>The House of Connelly</i> and a thousand dollars, they were our only concrete assets.</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUwB9o1HYDnWfogcWwO6KLhgWIN3xurVEZ542OFfASRb6cWbw7qD55xX7CY4o2yY80A2mnWA7QitMAqI-eJEtAKISKXQ5BwXzLoW7uM5l09wGuL-iNu9ClgiOyLmbK8lbpEV5nz5DEdTk/s1600/House+of+Connelly2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="431" data-original-width="555" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUwB9o1HYDnWfogcWwO6KLhgWIN3xurVEZ542OFfASRb6cWbw7qD55xX7CY4o2yY80A2mnWA7QitMAqI-eJEtAKISKXQ5BwXzLoW7uM5l09wGuL-iNu9ClgiOyLmbK8lbpEV5nz5DEdTk/s320/House+of+Connelly2.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library.<br />
"Margaret Barker and Franchot Tone in the stage production The House of Connelly."<br />
The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1931.<br />
http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/6adb3a10-2408-0133-8625-58d385a7b928</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
On the morning of June 8, 1931, a group of over 30 people (including actors, spouses, children, directors, friends) traveled to Connecticut to begin working. On moving in day, Franchot started a baseball game “to overcome the natural self-consciousness of the occasion.” Clurman also noticed that Stella Adler looked sadly on her fellow actors, as it looked more like a “camp for overgrown high-school kids.”<br />
<br />
The actors rehearsed morning, noon, and night, and in between rehearsals played piano, cards, and debated. During the card games, Franchot led the others in pranking a young member of the group. They would deal him unbeatable hands until he gained confidence in betting and then deal him terrible hands. Lee and Harold observed this one night and found it “very funny, particularly since the hoax was executed with consummate sangfroid and deftness by Franchot Tone.”<br />
<br />
Although Franchot was a respected man and actor within the group and had helped to make the group feel comfortable, there came a time when "some of the actors began to be troubled by Franchot Tone’s attitude." Clurman went on:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
He was, of course, one of the original 1928 group. Since then he had had the opportunity to feel his oats. He had played leading parts on Broadway, he was in demand, and the other actors sensed in him a general resistance that at times manifested itself toward the directors and at other times toward the influences prevailing among the group. Actually he was suffering from a variety of growing-pains, but our work as such was not in question.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
He was lonely. Though he had been raised in easy circumstances, and had been popular at college, he was not a good mixer. He was shy, with a tendency toward suspiciousness when ill at ease. He particularly suspected that he was not liked because, being more privileged than others, he was regarded as somewhat inferior in character. There was perhaps a mite of truth in his suspicions, but, for my part, I believed they lay chiefly in his distrust of himself. The tension that gripped him made him rude, almost insolent. He was unconsciously revenging himself on us, testing both himself and us. Thus he demonstrated little courtesy to Strasberg, although he had real admiration for him.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Franchot, intelligent and sometimes psychologically keen, said to me, 'In the old days we talked only when we didn’t work. Now we work only when we don’t talk!' I was somewhat taken aback by the remark and repeated it to Strasberg. He agreed at once: Yes, we talk a lot because we are not simply rehearsing a play; we are laying the foundation for a theatre. Our theatre is more than just a matter of getting one or two plays produced.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The actors, I repeat, watched Franchot with increasing misgivings. Why was he allowed to get away with little breaches of politeness and discipline? He rarely came to the afternoon talks. He lumbered into rehearsals, sat aloof, whittled away at the side of the barn as he rehearsed. No one reprimanded him. Was he a favored child among the directors? Was he to be treated as a star? Was Lee afraid of him? These disturbing questions were never openly put because the actors had an abiding confidence in the directors’ good sense in handling the problem—if it was a problem.</blockquote>
Despite Franchot's turn to loneliness and rebelliousness, Clurman refers to him at this time as "the finest young actor of recent arrival." Franchot continuously contributed his own money to help fund the group's endeavors, often giving $1,000 or more for each play. With the Group, Franchot starred in <i>1931</i>, <i>House of Connelly</i>, <i>Night over Taos</i>, <i>Red Rust</i>, and <i>Success Story</i>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0EL4KX_b_8b0hJyknhVt6svfLuetBZNO_L825kots9gyCF9kc7qBz1zx2a7-XhkW5h4TuW47AZHgQkxtsedtIkfPEdCo89mZfupKS-3ZWMLDkeZU_JA_OdTwzahrLZos3kc7duosxRo/s1600/House+of+Connelly.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="547" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0EL4KX_b_8b0hJyknhVt6svfLuetBZNO_L825kots9gyCF9kc7qBz1zx2a7-XhkW5h4TuW47AZHgQkxtsedtIkfPEdCo89mZfupKS-3ZWMLDkeZU_JA_OdTwzahrLZos3kc7duosxRo/s320/House+of+Connelly.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library.<br />
"Rose McClendon, Fanny de Knight, Franchot Tone, and Margaret Barker<br />
in the stage production The House of Connelly." The New York Public Library Digital Collections.<br />
1931. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/d100e900-2405-0133-b1f9-58d385a7b928</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Beginning in 1932, Clurman noticed that the group began "turning in on itself." Actors became more confrontational and suspicious of one another's motives. The bubble started to burst. Clurman recalled the changes in Franchot at this time:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In Franchot’s case the matter was special. The girl Franchot was attached to at the time, the one who worked with us in the old Riverside Drive days, visited him one weekend. Somehow we didn’t think she was Group material. Franchot’s life with the Group would have been much easier if she had spent more time with us, but Franchot was too proud to say so, and we were too one-tracked in our thinking to notice it. The girl felt separated from Franchot by us and would have been pleased if we had asked her to remain and work with us, even as an apprentice. We disregarded her very existence, and Franchot was irritated by our tactlessness.</blockquote>
Franchot was very emotionally attached to the Group and, in spite of or perhaps witnessed in his rebellious nature, was desperate for the Group's leaders to care about him, to show him that he was needed, that he mattered. The more I read about Franchot from those who knew him personally, the more I see that he had this dichotomy about his personality. On one hand, he was a confident, private individual who seemed to live and love easily. On the other hand, he felt a great deal of melancholy, of not fitting in, and wishing for more approval and assurance from those in his circle and the public at large. In his book, Clurman devoted a lot of time to the complicated personality of Franchot. Clurman said:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Franchot’s problem, however, was deeper than this. In Boston, when I finally got around to talking to him about his refractoriness, he asked me questions relating to my estimate of him as an actor. By my lights, how good would he become? In answering him I dwelt on his need to stick by what was strongest and most alive in himself. Tears came to his eyes. He confessed later that when I left he had actually sobbed, but he added with a sly grin: 'It didn’t do much good. The feeling didn’t last.'</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Franchot loved us out of a great need, a feeling that we were good people who were bringing him just that supply of his sound work and clear faith that despite the advantages of his background, he had missed all his life. But he was very much part of the world that had provided him with these advantages, and he could not, would not, turn his back on it; it was the big world, the substantial world, in which all of us, willy-nilly, were living.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Of course, even in his attachment to the big world there was a contradiction. Franchot’s father, though associated with business, was basically a scientist; and Franchot’s mother was as much of an aristocrat as we ever get in America. Both of them were glad that Franchot preferred the Group to the ordinary commercial thatre. But the entertainment channels of the big world lie in the commercial theatre. We have no national theatre for our “best people.” We have Broadway, and Broadway has Hollywood. The cradle of opinion with theatre folk was not some Mermaid Tavern of intellectuals or artists, but the speakeasies of Fifty-second Street.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
There they laughed at Franchot’s devotion to the Group. Franchot probably thought Lilyan Tashman and her crowd who came to see him in <i>Taos</i> lacked taste, but he did not, for all that, feel particularly comfortable at their seeing him in a flop that had been preceded by another, whose most enthusiastic audience sat in the balcony uttering strange cries of approval. Franchot was torn between the Group of tactless people, led chiefly by two exasperated hotheads who offered a way of life that was personally real and perhaps part of the mainstream of the time, and a Broadway plus Hollywood which, though he knew it to be shoddy, actually possessed the only power and glory the world could offer today.</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgptoKV26fVC1XF_KtInhx4FOR9q4Hih87FyCRJosilm9SYEDia-CtgnuuGhHPCWI1Oi2OHhpfrA-ixVl3v5k3BLzCn0Rs8WRLzz0wKRhyphenhyphen8Y7Dp3i82CImnM825E9yl_BxvD9GnVLJfAjQ/s1600/Success+Story+1932.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="529" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgptoKV26fVC1XF_KtInhx4FOR9q4Hih87FyCRJosilm9SYEDia-CtgnuuGhHPCWI1Oi2OHhpfrA-ixVl3v5k3BLzCn0Rs8WRLzz0wKRhyphenhyphen8Y7Dp3i82CImnM825E9yl_BxvD9GnVLJfAjQ/s320/Success+Story+1932.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library.<br />
"Luther Adler, Stella Adler, Franchot Tone, and Dorothy Patten in the stage production Success Story"<br />
The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1932.<br />
http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/281640c0-2409-0133-1322-58d385a7b928</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Franchot seemed to behave more strangely during the final summer with the Group. (In all fairness, if you read Wendy Smith's book <i>Real Life Drama</i>, it seems a lot of the members were acting strangely during this time.) Clurman remembered:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Franchot behaved more peculiarly this summer than the last. He was remarkably fine at rehearsals of <i>Success Story</i>, but he was rather antisocial in other ways. He drank stiffly, and carried off some other pretty good bottlemen to drink with him almost every night after rehearsals. When he came back he sometimes took delight in driving his car over the main lawn and crashing all the garden furniture left there during the day. He grew a beard, walked about in a loincloth, went shooting fairly close to the rehearsal grounds. He shied away from most of us, alternating between a distant courtesy that implied an insult, and the manner of a cagey maniac.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
With all this, Franchot was always shrewd and observant. He saw what was going on. What was going on was a subtle transformation with the Group as a whole. The very air was fermenting with something that blew from we know not where, but which roused everyone to doubts, questions, wonder, eagerness, dispute.
….</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The day came when Strasberg was no longer able to tolerate the disruptive ambiguity of Franchot’s behavior. He decided to have the showdown I had recommended the year before, and both us now confronted Franchot with ultimatum written on our faces. Franchot admitted at once that he had decided to quit the Group, that he was going into pictures. I do not know whether he had already made arrangements or whether our severity at this meeting finally decided him. I am inclined to believe that some of his mischievous conduct arose from an anger with himself, and some was designed to provoke us to such a discussion as we were having. Perhaps, however, he expected a gentler approach, for people like Franchot, always want evidence that they are loved. Strasberg, hurt himself, lashed forth a white-hot 'We don’t care' when Franchot disclosed his intentions. 'I know you don’t care,' Franchot answered quietly but painfully, as if to say: 'That is exactly why I wish to go.'</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
That day the bad news of Franchot’s resignation was announced to the Group at a special meeting addressed by Strasberg. It was the first resignation of any importance from our organization. The actors were shocked, for they appreciated Franchot’s value. Strasberg’s talk was calculated to affirm the strength and integrity of the Group, which could ill afford to keep a member whose spirit had turned against it. When the day came for Franchot to leave, he told me he was going to try Hollywood. At Tony’s, on West Fifty-second Street, he wept over his drink.
…</blockquote>
I find it interesting that, according to Clurman, Franchot was pushed out of the Group for "disruptive ambiguity" much like he was <a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/2019/10/childhood-photos-and-memories.html">pushed out of The Hill School as a teen for "subtle influence for disorder."</a> And both of these punishments only led to more success for Franchot—leaving The Hill School led to success at Cornell University while leaving the Group led to success in films.<br />
<br />
Clurman goes on to address the difficulty the Group had replacing Franchot in their plays. I think it's telling that despite his causing trouble, the other actors always appreciated Franchot's value and that Clurman was able to see that some of his rebelliousness was due to Franchot's schrewd observation of the inner shifting of the group.<br />
<br />
Although he'd worked himself into a corner with Strasberg and Clurman, Franchot was definitely torn in leaving the Group for Hollywood and would never be able to definitely choose one over the other for the rest of his career. Actress Ruth Nelson shared in the documentary <i>Broadway Dreamers</i>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I remember the night, his last Saturday night with <i>Success Story</i>. He came to me to say goodbye. He leaned over, kissed me, and had tears in his eyes. I said, 'Franchot, if that's the way you feel, why are you leaving?' And he said, 'Well, Ruthie, I just have to find out what it's [Hollywood] all about.'</blockquote>
Actors Sandy Meisner and Robert Lewis went with Franchot to Grand Central Station. As they said their goodbyes, an emotional Franchot:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...stood on the steps of the famous Twentieth Century Limited club car, teary-eyed, and as the train started to pull out of the station, he called to us, 'Keep your line.'</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Walking across Forty-second Street, I turned to Sandy and observed, 'Did you hear what he said? Here we are, going back to our struggling new Group while he's off to Hollywood to make a movie with Lilyan Tashman and he tells <i>us</i> to keep <i>our</i> line.'</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Said Sandy, 'He meant keep it for him.'</blockquote>
I think Clurman's belief that Franchot "expected a gentler approach, for people like Franchot, always want evidence that they are loved" is valid and that his statements about the emotional contrasts in Franchot's character echo those of <a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/2016/06/gloria-vanderbilt-on-franchot-tone.html">Gloria Vanderbilt</a> and <a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/2019/09/an-ernest-hemingway-hero.html">Clifford Odets</a> and <a href="http://franchottone.blogspot.com/2016/04/christopher-plummer-on-franchot-tone.html">Christopher Plummer</a>.<br />
<br />
Franchot, of course, would maintain an association with the Group Theatre, both publicly as an actor and privately as a benefactor. Much more on the post-1933 involvement with the Group coming soon!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sources:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;">Clurman, Harold. The Fervent Years: The Story of the Group Theatre and the Thirties. Knopf, 1950.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;">Kramer, Joan, David Heeley, Joanne Woodward, Steve Lawson, Stella Adler, Harold Clurmaan, Cheryl Crawford, and Lee Strasberg. Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre. New York, N.Y: PDR Productions, 1994.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;">Lewis, Robert. Slings and Arrows: Theater in My Life. Stein and Day, 1984.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;">Smith, Wendy. Real Life Drama: The Group Theatre and America, 1931-1940. Knopf, 1990.</span></li>
</ul>
Franchot Tone Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03226358191027628680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5352928204929984302.post-85041854136519407162019-10-19T10:10:00.000-07:002019-10-19T10:10:37.213-07:00Childhood Photos and Memories<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXjVrzrpm_3C6js_eY9-dFojS13ZNYGICzQFNYBklwGMurZCXanjfBp6d5QmeTae91Pn-WOPkTwlu2Bo1IjJYyYCV6zNKTxV6nwGYA8yE1V0uARqzh1eEEZIBLz9VbdlvYWQ_r4MroU4/s1600/Franchot+Tone+child+1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="541" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXjVrzrpm_3C6js_eY9-dFojS13ZNYGICzQFNYBklwGMurZCXanjfBp6d5QmeTae91Pn-WOPkTwlu2Bo1IjJYyYCV6zNKTxV6nwGYA8yE1V0uARqzh1eEEZIBLz9VbdlvYWQ_r4MroU4/s400/Franchot+Tone+child+1.jpeg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiny Franchot Tone. Source: Photoplay, May 1937.</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">In May 1937, Walter Ramsey published his authorized biography of Franchot within the pages of Photoplay Magazine. The May issue focused on Franchot's childhood through his high school years. The second volume detailed Franchot's collegiate years and entry into an acting career. Franchot provided some of his favorite memories as well as a joyful abundance of childhood photographs. In the lengthy articles, Franchot recalled a happy, close family life, a home in which he was encouraged to have interests and embrace adventures and causes. His father became more successful with each year. Franchot said:</span><br />
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We started out modestly enough but each time Father was promoted, we moved up the street a notch. We approached the Falls as father approached the presidency of his Carborundum Company of America.</blockquote>
I've noticed these changes in addresses, from 328 Buffalo Avenue to 131 Buffalo Avenue, on census reports and always wondered about that, so now it makes sense!<br />
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Franchot was the youngest child of Frank and Gertrude. When Franchot was born, older brother Jerry said the baby's squealing was "something terrible. Bet my cat's caught his tail under the pantry door again."<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1e1FEGI8i6XJJdy-MUIghIgXi6BK8BRmYlU2qjqH-fqCKgANSK0Nc6xWEbx1ys0EEMbJS8Ufm05RkYAuEOblPinUHeLlYvhxTsubUipzBqbdraVA1wlfeMkMkVxUlbibBWYNL2mSBdL4/s1600/Franchot+Tone+child+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="746" data-original-width="415" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1e1FEGI8i6XJJdy-MUIghIgXi6BK8BRmYlU2qjqH-fqCKgANSK0Nc6xWEbx1ys0EEMbJS8Ufm05RkYAuEOblPinUHeLlYvhxTsubUipzBqbdraVA1wlfeMkMkVxUlbibBWYNL2mSBdL4/s400/Franchot+Tone+child+2.jpeg" width="222" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiny Franchot in the snow. Source: Photoplay, May 1937.</td></tr>
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Franchot's first taste of being a star came at the age of three. Although Jerry had been practicing a Christmas poem for weeks, he forgot the lines when it came time to recite them at a Christmas party. Franchot, having listened to his brother's practice, recited all the lines by heart for the family and friends gathered there.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtbugVtHG7rzKvVFT3LeK0eqcNdl74BkRssys1n_XXKvFpXSwUhIuH8QeopTIvEqstp2gbto7UTa0TtkyiANYd4UMGuPhyphenhyphenl6LargDvTkVd4UegWm0joNOP5qzvOQM1c-JnUlJba1JQMk/s1600/Franchot+Tone+child+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="867" data-original-width="665" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtbugVtHG7rzKvVFT3LeK0eqcNdl74BkRssys1n_XXKvFpXSwUhIuH8QeopTIvEqstp2gbto7UTa0TtkyiANYd4UMGuPhyphenhyphenl6LargDvTkVd4UegWm0joNOP5qzvOQM1c-JnUlJba1JQMk/s400/Franchot+Tone+child+3.png" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiny Franchot among the trees. Source: Photoplay, May 1937.</td></tr>
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Franchot was a thin, small child with a penchant for mischief. After fishing in the family's goldfish bowl, Franchot received a spanking from his mother. Franchot remembered thinking this punishment was ridiculous and irrational. He's successfully caught a goldfish so why all the fuss?</div>
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When Franchot's dad traveled to observe factories in Europe, the whole family went along. Franchot lived in Paris, Cannes, and on the Riviera. It was in France that little Franchot saw his first film, a "flickering, green sort of affair" about cowboys, playing in the hotel lobby and viewed by a little boy peeking from the banister.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8wcteVp7NEA77EJk3scpXDV48elfcibsxfPEqlSEcydPlW1DsF4Z5M4BoMyfWJ1LuQUhJJDnGRgYcFRmpAtpRSHZ5GZERgUezo_tKDT5Cg1jiZuof1078phoLUoCZlHgx_Z_VbAwGnwg/s1600/Franchot+Tone+Jerry+Tone+with+burro+children.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="858" data-original-width="1261" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8wcteVp7NEA77EJk3scpXDV48elfcibsxfPEqlSEcydPlW1DsF4Z5M4BoMyfWJ1LuQUhJJDnGRgYcFRmpAtpRSHZ5GZERgUezo_tKDT5Cg1jiZuof1078phoLUoCZlHgx_Z_VbAwGnwg/s400/Franchot+Tone+Jerry+Tone+with+burro+children.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jerry Tone (left) and Franchot Tone (right) with their burro in Arizona.<br />
Source: Photoplay, May 1937.</td></tr>
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When Frank came down with a serious illness, the family moved to a more restorative climate in Tucson, Arizona. In Arizona, Jerry and Franchot had a burro, pictured above with Franchot on top and Jerry on the stairs. Franchot shared:</div>
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We were never off his back for a moment and the neighborhood kids joined in the fun, too...And I recall this vivid reaction—that while it didn't bother me to ride the burro to death in the daytime, I'd cry about him at night because of the awful way he was treated.</blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBnygyMarfKy2zGDAM59nUpiEoa82qJVEDsn4G9M35FJ_s10yTV50rg6itPkYc0IxH4iHTK9O0SQqWYd8WemB2-2bbcUA6am3Q3opO2-gCcSHVFMoOMGgyWJ8p1JFc6SzgZIescExx0PY/s1600/Franchot+Tone+Jerry+Tone+child.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="533" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBnygyMarfKy2zGDAM59nUpiEoa82qJVEDsn4G9M35FJ_s10yTV50rg6itPkYc0IxH4iHTK9O0SQqWYd8WemB2-2bbcUA6am3Q3opO2-gCcSHVFMoOMGgyWJ8p1JFc6SzgZIescExx0PY/s400/Franchot+Tone+Jerry+Tone+child.jpeg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Franchot (left) and Jerry (right). <br />
Franchot has this exact same stance<br />
later in so many film scenes!<br />
Source: Photoplay, May 1937.</td></tr>
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When living in Arizona didn't appear to make any changes to Frank's health, the family returned to New York—first to Saranac Lake and then to Franchot's birthplace of Niagara Falls. Eventually, Frank regained his health fully.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh36SkATSo7YsfignE0rsIbCFfr2aJxw2cjG6DM-Gudzz7xlOViZfV4H5_U8eq9kUfTbZ4EBIY9tu2B1S0UiM7XdzXBQkQ8QCNXKIwxQjDmP5jJG3NUoANzXu-DK2ZwrtmtFruMCWLD1kY/s1600/ft-child.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="237" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh36SkATSo7YsfignE0rsIbCFfr2aJxw2cjG6DM-Gudzz7xlOViZfV4H5_U8eq9kUfTbZ4EBIY9tu2B1S0UiM7XdzXBQkQ8QCNXKIwxQjDmP5jJG3NUoANzXu-DK2ZwrtmtFruMCWLD1kY/s400/ft-child.jpg" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Franchot swimming as a child. Source: http://lantern.mediahist.org</td></tr>
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Franchot loved wandering off and seeking adventure. Except for writing poems, Franchot didn't care for school very much. Here is one of his childhood compositions:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNV9TU78FxhYTw5bLKa6UDoVLq6SRwJyKiQOga_A6AB5ukEU1mz-o-eDGKSPwjPd9KZnGq_7OGiotqPsbrY3LvIjLy7gRiSOLjhXKU1TSFymZKakoquhR2Tce_LmYAhdOezXxTBoF7Zo/s1600/Franchot+boyhood+poem.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="402" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNV9TU78FxhYTw5bLKa6UDoVLq6SRwJyKiQOga_A6AB5ukEU1mz-o-eDGKSPwjPd9KZnGq_7OGiotqPsbrY3LvIjLy7gRiSOLjhXKU1TSFymZKakoquhR2Tce_LmYAhdOezXxTBoF7Zo/s400/Franchot+boyhood+poem.jpeg" width="368" /></a></div>
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It reads:</div>
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I was going to a schol my </div>
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mother siad I cood not go for </div>
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she siad you wood see there </div>
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something that wood make </div>
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you crie and crie until thie </div>
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one eyess wood be out of </div>
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thie one hed which ye </div>
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see in your one vishuns </div>
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in the night.</div>
O human best, O giv me bak<br />
my hart O didst yee now<br />
yee hast my hart? O giv<br />
me bak my hart; I will neverey be<br />
cinde to yee inlest yee giv<br />
me bak my hart.<br />
-By S.P. Franchot Tone.<br />
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Upon return to Niagara Falls, Franchot went to a private school with Miss Otis. Still not much for school, Franchot would <span style="text-align: center;">lead the rest of the kids down Buffalo Avenue to the Shredded Wheat factory where they would join the groups of tourists that were allowed to sample biscuits with fruit and cream. </span></div>
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Franchot remembered that his first love was named Alice and he kissed her on the porch when tourists goaded him into it one day. <span style="text-align: center;">He liked movies, banana splits, Charlie Chaplin, Pearl White, eating, fighting with another gang of kids, and being in charge.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhclOIdwP57WfW42LNZYvbR2qJw4CqzgGf94DxR-8Q9_dpKDyDxxtzV1E-V7yaTQzKqieeGXSnKrNP9UvLUKyNxHqgea6coVnWrovPuySghWefXsNVNKk8c2Pk0Ptc8H_hQJa0_nVk1XbA/s1600/Franchot+Tone+child+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhclOIdwP57WfW42LNZYvbR2qJw4CqzgGf94DxR-8Q9_dpKDyDxxtzV1E-V7yaTQzKqieeGXSnKrNP9UvLUKyNxHqgea6coVnWrovPuySghWefXsNVNKk8c2Pk0Ptc8H_hQJa0_nVk1XbA/s400/Franchot+Tone+child+4.png" width="170" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Franchot. Source: Photoplay, May 1937.</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: left;">When Franchot entered The Hill School (in Pottstown, Pennsylvania) in 1919, he worked on the newspaper and managed the football team. His family moved into a nicer house at 131 Buffalo Avenue and when he came home for the holidays, Franchot liked to cruise around Niagara Falls with a pretty girl by his side in the family Buick. Just as he'd fallen for Alice as a kid, teenaged Franchot now set his eyes on a local girl named Caroline. </span>
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As a teen, Franchot contracted scarlet fever and spent eight weeks in the school infirmary before being sent to specialists in Atlantic City and Philadelphia. It was a long, slow time of recuperation and Franchot felt he was missing out on all the fun. He later reflected:</div>
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I was alone so much that I really think that period was a big turning point in my life. I started to read good books. I got a chance to rearrange my outlook on life and people and transpose or change many former ideas and ideals. Where before, I had merely accepted—I began to question everything and find new answers. Many of the ideals I formed at that time are still working for me, unchanged.</blockquote>
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Then, in December 1923, Franchot received a letter dismissing him from The Hill School for being a "subtle influence for disorder":</div>
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I think I shall never forget that phrase: subtle influence for disorder. I didn't know that the real reason had been a senior class rebellion after I had left for the holiday and that the professors had traced the spirit of the rebellion to me. At that moment, as I read those words, it seemed as though the whole four years of my life at The Hill were passing in review on that small piece of white paper. As though it were unwinding on a motion picture screen, I could see myself waging campaigns for more self government among the students (this was the reason)...agitation for more senior class liberties...my head bowed deeply as I stood outside the church on Sunday awaiting the more devout students with whom I would argue religion vs. agnosticism for hours, later...the long summer twilights and the rendezvous with the 'Town Girls' who would wander out to the edge of town to meet the upperclassmen...those nonchalant affairs somehow became terribly important in retrospect...quick mental flashes of my contempt for rules and the secret satisfaction I got out of shooting-a-smoke in the basement of the professors' building on the very morning the treasurer of the school was showing the insurance salesman how little fire hazard there was about such a building...the happy hours I had spent at the editor's desk of the newspaper and the literary desk of the school magazine...</blockquote>
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No, there was nothing they could pin on me definitely—I'd seen to it that I was never caught infringing any rule. But there was my notice. I was fired! There it was on cold, white paper and I had to show it to father. Just before my graduation, too. I remember walking into my father's study, handing him the paper, and walking slowly upstairs to my room. </blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Y4PDFOqfpGfUb6xeL3gDRfJW9W-UoufRQ53ymd9PFvalyCEWzlPolHzAA0AqDVJlI-2saYEXzdiORLZ49mmXqOQsp3QFyDBOc5AkU7Ir91Yi_MJAhmZmy_dR3BxAmw1le6PP7R4zqjI/s1600/1925+Cornell+photo+group+franchot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="140" data-original-width="115" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Y4PDFOqfpGfUb6xeL3gDRfJW9W-UoufRQ53ymd9PFvalyCEWzlPolHzAA0AqDVJlI-2saYEXzdiORLZ49mmXqOQsp3QFyDBOc5AkU7Ir91Yi_MJAhmZmy_dR3BxAmw1le6PP7R4zqjI/s200/1925+Cornell+photo+group+franchot.jpg" width="163" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Franchot at 20. Source: Cornell University Yearbook.</td></tr>
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Franchot's older brother Jerry had the idea for Franchot to take this opportunity to test and enter Cornell University early. (Jerry was already a student at Cornell.) Franchot passed all his exams. Soon, Franchot was an active member (and later president) of Cornell's dramatic club. Three students joined Franchot in renting a house that they named "The Little Gray Home in the West." Franchot said:</div>
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If that paints a quiet, sentimental picture, it's a false one. If The Little Gray House could talk, it would certainly have tales to tell of Saturday night beer busts, of dishes that were never washed, floors that were left unswept and of a big, blazing fireplace that soon became the focal point of every mentally undigested idea or notion in the clan. We had grand times, great talks and sometimes a heavy beer hang-over. The four of us did almost everything—including joining the Book & Bowl Club and acquring a model T Ford. When a fire broke out in The Little Gray Home, we spent three winter weeks with nothing but a canvas flap over the burned-away front door. And I'll never forget the night my Ford went "nuts" and chased the night watchman all over the campus—well, no one knows the truth of that little incident but the model T and myself.</blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-bdM8xNreg-oXLKdnBO4D8Qf1ClLdLSgL-fZBVMxdJ-WdEwFafvTQF_5v9x8Epkqu33APwez4NYi4TP2X4__Q_Vk4FHB8vh7LL-GJjM7u-NFuGCN1HN3bJhkmyDoTft6d2ujf7H4_hM/s1600/ft-cornell-27.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="459" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-bdM8xNreg-oXLKdnBO4D8Qf1ClLdLSgL-fZBVMxdJ-WdEwFafvTQF_5v9x8Epkqu33APwez4NYi4TP2X4__Q_Vk4FHB8vh7LL-GJjM7u-NFuGCN1HN3bJhkmyDoTft6d2ujf7H4_hM/s320/ft-cornell-27.png" width="215" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Franchot at 22. Source: Cornell University Yearbook.</td></tr>
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Several years into his Cornell education, Franchot enrolled in a French school and spent weekends with a Yvonne whom he described as a "cute little girl at Zelli's in Montmartre. There, at a small table in a far and dimly-lighted corner, we'd sit over a bottle of wine and she would speak to me in French. I learned a lot from her—about French, I mean—and I grew rather fond of her in the bargain."</div>
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You can read more about Franchot's childhood and school years in these earlier posts:</div>
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<a href="https://franchottone.blogspot.com/search/label/childhood%20of%20FT">Childhood of FT</a></div>
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<a href="https://franchottone.blogspot.com/p/family.html">Family</a></div>
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~I think this definitely wins Most Adorable Post in this blog's 4.5 year history for all these childhood Franchot pics. What a cutie! I squeaked when I saw the first photo while swiping through the online Photoplay archives. I'm so glad Franchot shared these photos and stories with Walter Ramsey! ~</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sources:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Ramsey, Walter. "The Intimate Life of a Gentleman Rebel." Photoplay. May 1937.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ramsey, Walter. "The Intimate Life of a Gentleman Rebel." Photoplay. June 1937.</span></span></div>
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<br />Franchot Tone Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03226358191027628680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5352928204929984302.post-63315553521698358982019-09-29T14:21:00.000-07:002019-09-29T14:21:14.260-07:00Here Comes the Groom (1951)Directed by Frank Capra, <i>Here Comes the Groom</i> is a 1951 musical romantic comedy starring Bing Crosby, Jane Wyman, and Franchot Tone. It is a fun romp about two men competing over a woman with some great Bing tunes thrown in for good measure. Be forewarned that you'll be singing and dancing around your house to "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" for days after you watch it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf5Kjk9kfF3eeaH_03JZuJVlnIjdwWMQ8WIHZ6-4fj52TNGaGXZW6CqflZGbrOFucZ6J-82__Y1a5V_6GgguyzwX0SrxUSJjT2A1-gcnonAfzUW8yifkU1__dXOYQEaJxp8dlsoUW176o/s1600/ft52.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="734" data-original-width="584" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf5Kjk9kfF3eeaH_03JZuJVlnIjdwWMQ8WIHZ6-4fj52TNGaGXZW6CqflZGbrOFucZ6J-82__Y1a5V_6GgguyzwX0SrxUSJjT2A1-gcnonAfzUW8yifkU1__dXOYQEaJxp8dlsoUW176o/s400/ft52.png" width="317" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Franchot in Here Comes the Groom, 1951. Scan from my collection.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3>
The Film</h3>
Peter Garvey (Bing Crosby) is a news reporter stationed in a Parisian orphanage. He is fond of all the children there and takes pride in placing them in perfect homes, but itching for a new traveling assignment. In a neat little special effects scene, his abandoned fiancée Emmadel Jones (Jane Wyman) comes to him in the form of a hologram atop a spinning record. Emmadel lets him know that she is sick of waiting for him after three long years. She is ready for marriage and motherhood and realizes that Pete will never give up his traveling assignments for her.<br />
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Not wanting to lose Emmadel, Pete writes to her immediately, decides to adopt orphans Bobby and Suzi and fly back to America. Documentation issues delay the trip and Emmadel gives up on Pete altogether. (Louis Armstrong, Dorothy Lamour, Phil Harris, and Cass Daley make cameo appearances during the flight's musical number.)<br />
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Pete arrives in his hometown, but must marry and find permanent residence immediately in order to maintain guardianship of the children. He assumes he will sweep Emmadel right off her feet, but she reveals that she is engaged to be married to the wealthy Wilbur Stanley (Franchot Tone).<br />
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We learn that Pete and Emmadel grew up with similar modest backgrounds and have always known how to enjoy life without money and status. Pete plays up that angle as he tries to convince Emmadel that marriage to a wealthy man is all wrong for her. Pete assumes Wilbur Stanley is an elderly, unattractive man who has nothing to offer but a life of comfort. This vision of Wilbur (whom we've not seen yet in the film) is supported by Emmadel's father's comment that Wilbur is "not even a man. He's a tradition. He's a mummy."<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinBgin_9POmsxQ__nRS0nxLpNn0rfxGZ1xpDnSNrEtNtfeBThZma_cEOkLa2wiWB7myaz33r940JWY-M0vwn3RwQiPkZxb-O1ubgL5RZIBrmiG0flu3SGg19RejRq7morIX4E0ghpgHE4/s1600/franchot+tone+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="824" data-original-width="673" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinBgin_9POmsxQ__nRS0nxLpNn0rfxGZ1xpDnSNrEtNtfeBThZma_cEOkLa2wiWB7myaz33r940JWY-M0vwn3RwQiPkZxb-O1ubgL5RZIBrmiG0flu3SGg19RejRq7morIX4E0ghpgHE4/s400/franchot+tone+1.jpg" width="326" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Franchot in Here Comes the Groom, 1951. Scan from my collection.</td></tr>
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During the "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" scene, Pete and Emmadel dance around the Stanley building and are clearly a good match for each other. Knowing he has to get permanent residence to keep Bobby and Suzi, Pete changes a housing file (owned by Wilbur's company) from rented to vacant.<br />
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When Pete and the true renter fight over the house, Wilbur Stanley arrives on the scene. This bad publicity could potentially ruin his reputation, but a younger, more handsome, more generous Wilbur than Pete expected takes it all in stride. Wilbur agrees to let Pete and the children stay in his gatehouse. I uploaded my favorite scene from the movie to Youtube. Franchot and Bing's characters face off in the car and agree to let the best man win. If you cannot see the embedded video below, click <a href="https://youtu.be/r_3ZQuli9KU">here</a>.<br />
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/r_3ZQuli9KU" width="560"></iframe> <br />
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Once he settles in the gatehouse, Pete Garvey does everything he can to prevent Wilbur's wedding to Emmadel.<br />
<br />
Franchot is delightful as the charming Wilbur Stanley and turns in a solid performance. His delivery of the final line is fabulous. Alexis Smith plays Wilbur's distant cousin Winifred Stanley (and does so perfectly!) and there are some hilarious scenes between her and Bing and her and Jane. If you like romantic musical comedies, <i>Here Comes the Groom</i> is a must-see. It has a strong director and cast as well as an enjoyable story and pleasant songs.<br />
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<h3>
The Backstory</h3>
<br />
<i>Here Comes the Groom</i> had its big premiere in Elko, Nevada with festivities being held July 29-31, 1951. The cast traveled to Elko (a place with close ties for Bing. Read more <a href="https://elkodaily.com/lifestyles/elko-bing-crosby/article_b7fb5f42-47f4-5022-9318-5f5e290411a2.html">here</a>) to introduce the film and entertain citizens. Franchot was not part of the festivities as he had business obligations in New York.<br />
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By the time the film had its New York premiere on September 20th, Franchot was recuperating from plastic surgery to fix the shattered cheekbone, fractured upper jaw, and broken nose he had sustained in the September 13th fight with Tom Neal, lover of his fiancée Barbara Payton. This high-profile incident would lead to a reckless year of marriage, separation, and divorce with Payton, lawsuits, and bad publicity (details <a href="https://franchottone.blogspot.com/search/label/barbara%20payton">here</a>.)<br />
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Sadly, audiences wouldn't see Franchot in a film again for six years, when he adapted the stage play <a href="https://franchottone.blogspot.com/search/label/uncle%20vanya">Uncle Vanya</a> for the screen in 1957. He wasn't to be seen in another major motion picture until 1962 when he starred as the president in Otto Preminger's <a href="https://franchottone.blogspot.com/2016/10/advise-consent-franchot-politics.html">Advise and Consent</a>. Of course, Franchot continued to work diligently and prosperously in theater and television productions while working to regain his privacy during this time.<br />
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You can watch the Franchot-less footage of the Elko visit (from the Bing Crosby Archives and originally posted by <a href="http://www.bingcrosby.com/">www.bingcrosby.com</a> on Youtube) here:
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/29fFVZ37BpU" width="560"></iframe>Franchot Tone Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03226358191027628680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5352928204929984302.post-87479900929882614202019-09-14T07:41:00.000-07:002019-09-14T08:41:07.953-07:00Franchot in North CarolinaLast month, I was searching digital archives in California and New York and coming up with the same articles and photos I've seen time and again. I took a chance and searched my home state of North Carolina's digital archives, which I've never thought to do for Franchot before. And...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-5wxKnq2AqGgHQ6iwnV2B812tVyJ3M3eLuie0bYoutXX01j6vHtPjwa3eASRNWIW39hredGbSjo1MkXEV0QO-E5-IwcFC_6EEgM2yLWp2Fkx8t2AkXgnWQvuv6HKU4MsfqQznVDoOXL8/s1600/Franchot+Tone+Pat+Tone+UNC+April+1964+shot+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1279" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-5wxKnq2AqGgHQ6iwnV2B812tVyJ3M3eLuie0bYoutXX01j6vHtPjwa3eASRNWIW39hredGbSjo1MkXEV0QO-E5-IwcFC_6EEgM2yLWp2Fkx8t2AkXgnWQvuv6HKU4MsfqQznVDoOXL8/s640/Franchot+Tone+Pat+Tone+UNC+April+1964+shot+2.jpg" width="510" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Franchot visiting Pat on campus.<br />
Source: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Photographic Laboratory Collection #P0031, <br />
North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.</td></tr>
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I was finding Franchot all over again! I knew that Franchot's oldest son Pat attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but never even considered Franchot was sitting right in their archives.</div>
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Franchot visited Pat on campus in April 1964 and, fortunately for us, photos were taken of father and son and Franchot was interviewed by the local paper.</div>
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Franchot said:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Well, I just couldn't resist an opportunity to come down to Chapel Hill and spend a pleasant week with my son, Pat. Of course, since I've been here, I've been wearing out the pavement between the Carolina Inn and Swain Hall, and the only chance I've had to see Pat is during meals.</blockquote>
When asked about his acting career, Franchot said:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...just one of those things that happened. I was exposed to the old silent movies and I also had the opportunity of seeing a number of stage plays. After I would see a picture or a play, I used to go home and stand in front of a mirror and act out scenes for myself...Nowadays, an actor works in all the media. There are differences, of course. The stage actor must act with his whole body because the audience always sees him that way. In films and, to a large extent in television, the acting is in his eyes.</blockquote>
And what did Franchot think of Pat, who had been in several university plays, becoming an actor? Franchot smiled:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Who knows? He seems to have the bug, but he may come to his senses.</blockquote>
The reporter summarized his meeting with Franchot by writing:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
By his own admission, he has found a full and complete life in acting, and he went out for the final rehearsal with an air of confidence and satisfaction which indicated he was doing the thing he loved best.</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzj2FVsrnmfXLzAHY7wS5xXokyP_PqNqWs6bC0tRemq1klfJMjdhCDj7D9CXEiIhVjyhgitIbPVY9dpzeEFsZtxyQ2x-PkmnH3aJu1jsbFY8gY2ELBf2WLSFFH21kR9Q9XYaFjmdJ4UZE/s1600/Franchot+Tone+Pat+Tone+UNC+April+1964+shot+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1276" data-original-width="1600" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzj2FVsrnmfXLzAHY7wS5xXokyP_PqNqWs6bC0tRemq1klfJMjdhCDj7D9CXEiIhVjyhgitIbPVY9dpzeEFsZtxyQ2x-PkmnH3aJu1jsbFY8gY2ELBf2WLSFFH21kR9Q9XYaFjmdJ4UZE/s400/Franchot+Tone+Pat+Tone+UNC+April+1964+shot+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Franchot visiting Pat on campus. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Source: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Photographic Laboratory Collection #P0031, </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.</span></td></tr>
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In a separate article, the <i>Daily Tar Heel</i> examined how the son of a movie star came to study in North Carolina. Bob Quincy reported that sophomore Pat Tone was making a name for himself with a javelin at UNC-Chapel Hill. The coach commented that Pat was "strong and works hard."<br />
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Quincy noted:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Pat and his actor dad spent several weeks together here recently...He and his son are quite close and spent many hours enjoying the good life. The Tones have a track background, and it began at the same institution. Both attended the Hill School in New Jersey*. Papa Franchot was a manager of the track team in his time. Pat excelled in weights and dashes.</blockquote>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*My note: The Hill School was actually in Pennsylvania. </span><br />
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<div>
The javelin caught Pat's eye after watching UCLA athletes when visiting his mother Jean Wallace and he chose to move to North Carolina because a lot of his peers were moving south to attend school. Franchot must've approved this choice, because Pat notes:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Dad had gone to Cornell. But he is a very good friend of Paul Green, the playwright, who lives near the Carolina campus. They have worked together on many projects.</blockquote>
<h3>
Shakespeare: A Portrait</h3>
I was already thrilled to my core to find these two articles and two photographs, but there's more! While he was in town, Franchot appeared in the university's 90-minute television show commemorating William Shakepeare's 400th birthday anniversary. The show was entitled <i>Shakespeare: A Portrait</i> and aired on the local WUNC-TV on April 23, 1964. It seems that the Chairman of the Department of Radio, Television and Motion Pictures requested Franchot's participation and Franchot accepted. Franchot praised the students and crew that worked with him on the project. I was unaware of this production and am now digging into whether or not a recording or photographs of it still exist in the university or WUNC-TV archives.<br />
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<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sources: </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Digital NC: <a href="http://www.digitalnc.org/">http://www.digitalnc.org/</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Digital Public Library of America: <a href="https://dp.la/">https://dp.la/</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Hardy, William M. "Tone Kills 2 Birds with 1 Stone." The Daily Tar Heel. April 19, 1964.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Quincy, Bob. "Former Actor's Son Goes Own Way with NC Javelin." The Daily Tar Heel. April 18, 1964.</span></div>
Franchot Tone Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03226358191027628680noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5352928204929984302.post-8485810536860366802019-09-08T10:18:00.000-07:002019-09-08T10:35:06.318-07:00An Ernest Hemingway HeroI recently came across <i>Time is Ripe: The 1940 Journals of Clifford Odets</i> on my local library's shelves. Franchot is mentioned a handful of times in Odets' daily diary. Unlike the brief "Franchot Tone was also there at the Mocambo" diary entries I stumble across from others in the business at that time, Odets' delves into Franchot's complicated character and Odets' own mixture of interest and frustration with Franchot.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxzRhW7SyBnY-_FmGVwr2amnYFAAVg9fVCVPCFNAIOea_AEHRJqkGtGeYYLfeN6uIN_c3Uij2wqWA-sFQlHZDqw0f5dTSwpk1Tk9wcMGJT8mvnu8e0f72Rm5wap44Grg8aJIcEpdjxvAw/s1600/ft47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="854" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxzRhW7SyBnY-_FmGVwr2amnYFAAVg9fVCVPCFNAIOea_AEHRJqkGtGeYYLfeN6uIN_c3Uij2wqWA-sFQlHZDqw0f5dTSwpk1Tk9wcMGJT8mvnu8e0f72Rm5wap44Grg8aJIcEpdjxvAw/s320/ft47.jpg" width="253" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Franchot in Dark Waters, 1944.<br />Scan from my collection.</td></tr>
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On Valentine's Day 1940, Franchot and the rest of the cast from <i>The Fifth Column</i> stopped by to see Odets' matinee showing. Three days later, Franchot joined everyone at a "certain bad restaurant" the actors dined in every night. Odets writes:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
He was ill-at-ease, tense, and obviously very lonely or he wouldn't have joined us. All of us tried to put him at ease, but he is poor table company. He wanted to go out whoring and drinking at a speakeasy (liquor after 1:00 a.m.), but was unable to find a companion. Franchot, with all his fame, money, and position, is still afraid of rejection and repudiation. He is blustery and pushing, anxious and uneasy, just like Steve Takis*, but slightly more adult; in short, he is an Ernest Hemingway hero, and that is saying the whole thing.</blockquote>
*Steve Takis was the main character of Odets' play <i>Night Music</i>, which would begin official performances shortly after this diary entry.<br />
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On March 16, 1940, Odets writes that he had just finished Stefan Zweig's essay on Casanova the night before and that it "gave me several good ideas, particularly for a play about a modern sort of Casanova to be played by a fellow like Franchot Tone. It is not the great lover element which interests me at all; the element of adventurer, swindler, fake prince among American aristocracy, etc. is where the play lies."<br />
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June 8, 1940:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
At ten we [Odets, Sid Benson, Geebee] rode uptown, we three, ate a light supper at Schrafft's, saw a newsreel and two films, or part of them. One with Heifetz fiddling...the other an old film, the first F. Tone made when he went to the coast in 1932*. Very instructive. We move so fast in this country that the film, the acting style, the lighting and settings, the clothes—all are already old-fashioned. Franchot was not bored then, not blasé, but fresh and impulsive.</blockquote>
*I assume Odets is referring to Franchot's first film <i>The Wiser Sex</i> which starred Claudette Colbert, Lilyan Tashman, and Melvyn Douglas. This is the only Franchot film I have never seen. It has been preserved by AFI's National Center for Film and Video Preservation at the Library of Congress Motion Picture Conservation Center and it was shown at a film festival several years back. Unfortunately, it's not on physical media or shown on television.<br />
<br />
On July 7th, Odets dines at the Stork Club:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
There I met Burgess Meredith, Franchot Tone, and John O'Hara, and a brother-in-law together at one table. Meredith was leaving for a Western ranch vacation the next day, so they were celebrating together by getting drunk and more morose each minute. They were in moods of careful (or cautious) self-abnegation, admitting carefully that their lives were useless, that, as Franchot put it while discussing Maxie Baer, the fighter, "the thing is to look good even while you're going down." Franchot, whom I like, still a very unusual talent in the theatre, always brings out in me a certain caginess and over consideration, a real and acute discomfort.</blockquote>
September 29, 1940:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Every time I see Franchot Tone around town, something stirs in me. He is one of that fraternity equally at home here or in the East, drinking, sleeping around, trying to suck the marrow out of a bony friend or two who has no marrow, making a movie, looking for a play—he is too good for this sort of life; that is what touches me about him.</blockquote>
That September entry is the last time that Odets mentions Franchot in his 1940 journal. Odets had known Franchot since the very early days of the Group Theatre and in a later interview would remark on Franchot's talent:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Toward the end of the summer, Franchot Tone, after being quite erratic in his relationship to the company—he was a spoiled boy in many ways—decided to leave the Group, and everyone was sick. He was very gifted. The two most talented young actors I have known in the American theater in my time have been Franchot Tone and Marlon Brando, and I think Franchot was the more talented. And when he lost what he did, I think a very valuable gift was lost to the American theater. He was our leading man. It was like a beehive had lost its queen. </blockquote>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Odets, Clifford. T<i>ime Is Ripe: the 1940 Journal of Clifford Odets</i>. Grove, 1989.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Hethmon, Robert. Days with the Group Theatre: An Interview with Clifford Odets. Michigan Quarterly Review. Volume XLI, Issue 2, Spring 2002 </span>Franchot Tone Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03226358191027628680noreply@blogger.com0