The Girl from Missouri (1934)

I'm happy to be covering The Girl from Missouri (1934) as part of In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood's 4th Annual Barrymore Trilogy Blogathon. You can enjoy all of the other wonderful entries that have been submitted here.

The Girl from Missouri is one of four films costarring Franchot Tone and Jean Harlow and one of two films costarring Franchot and Lionel Barrymore (the other is 1933's The Stranger's Return.) It is my favorite of the Jean-Franchot pairings, which include Bombshell, Suzy, and Reckless.

Eadie (Jean Harlow) wants to escape her brow-beaten mother and bully of a stepfather so best friend Kitty helps her catch a train. She's saved her money and wants to show the world she has "ideals." On the train Eadie reveals that she will get married for money and a good life, because she doesn't want to end up like her mother who married for love.

When they discover that the wealthy Frank Cousins (Lewis Stone) is throwing a party, Eadie and Kitty, both dancers, make sure they are included in the entertainment. When he realizes T.R. Paige (Lionel Barrymore) has arrived, Cousins' countenance completely changes. With shaky hands, he lights a cigar for T.R. and privately asks him for financial help. T.R. denies him because back in the day Mr. Cousins had refused to help T.R. Eadie wanders into Frank Cousins' office and he gives her ruby cufflinks and tells her he will miss her dance number because he has something to do. After she exits his office, Cousins commits suicide. T.R. comes in to see what the commotion is and ends up protecting Eadie from an investigation.

After Eadie suggests marriage, T.R. gives her money but assures her that he is no "ladies' man" and should be taken off her list of possible husbands. Eadie is not easily swayed and secretly follows (with Kitty in tow) T.R. to Palm Beach. Patsy Kelly is wonderfully humorous as Kitty, the wise-cracking best friend who falls for manual laborers and service operators while Sadie digs for gold. Kitty refers to herself as "just an old-fashioned homegirl like Mae West."

At T.R. Paige's Palm Beach office, we are introduced to his son T.R., Jr. or Tom (Franchot Tone), a fun-loving playboy immediately attracted to Eadie. Tom is surprised when the secretary tells him Eadie is after his dad and when he tells Eadie and Kitty that he, himself, is T.R. Paige, they don't believe him. Eadie believes Tom is just a clerk at the bank and tries to get rid of him. Unbeknownst to her, Tom is pedaling her and Kitty across town and eavesdrop as she reveals her goal to marry wealthy.

At the beach, Tom and Eadie kiss, but she says she won't fall in love with him. Tom points to the Paige yacht and tells her he will sneak her on, but Eadie and Kitty leave Tom behind on the dock.

On the yacht, Eadie is shocked to learn that Tom is T.R.'s son. In his portrayal of T.R., Lionel Barrymore makes it clear that he is amused by Eadie's antics, but that he will attack anyone who might take advantage of his son. He becomes less tolerant of Eadie as the film goes on and Lionel perfectly captures this transformation in his character. In one scene, T.R. reveals his need to be near and protect his son, saying:

Come out to Washington tonight with us, Tom. We're going to have a lot of fun...You know how often I've seen ya since you picked up that blonde chiseler?

When he sees the diamond bracelet Tom's purchased for Eadie, T.R. realizes how far Tom's fallen in love and decides it's time to teach his son a lesson.

T.R. pleads with his son:

Tom, she's not worthwhile. Drop her at her hotel and come on north with me.

Tom agrees to meet his dad at the station after he seduces Eadie. Both T.R. and Tom still think that because she's out for a millionaire that Eadie is also a promiscuous woman. Tom is shocked when Eadie rejects his advances and he learns she's on the level about wanting marriage before sex. She tells Tom she truly loves him and begs him not to make her "cheap" and so Tom asks his driver to take her home.

After his toast at a banquet in his honor, T.R. is interrupted by a visit from his son. We learn that Tom is deeply in love with Eadie and will marry her at any cost. Still certain his son is being played, T.R. says he won't let his son make a fool of himself by marrying Eadie. He tells him he's never denied him anything and Tom's all he's got in the world. Lionel and Franchot are wonderful in this scene. It shows the natural father-son bond the characters have and the sentimentality is not overwrought. It hits just the right note. (Lionel and Franchot performed similarly as rival neighbors who actually respect and like each other quite a lot in 1933's The Stranger's Return.)

T.R. reluctantly agrees to the marriage, but we soon see that the care he's exhibited toward his son has now turned into contempt for Eadie. T.R. immediately arranges a deal with a district attorney to bring scandal down on Eadie and sever the relationship before she becomes his daughter-in-law.

I won't spoil the ending in case you haven't seen it, but Eadie puts up more of a struggle than T.R. expects. As the golddigger who already possesses a heart of gold, Jean Harlow turns in an excellent performance.

The dialogue, camerawork, and characters capture the best qualities of the three main actors. This is one of my favorite of Lionel Barrymore's roles, because it superbly shows off his ability to be debonair and endearing in one scene and calculating and ruthless the next.

If you don't have the Jean Harlow-Franchot Tone films on DVD yet, I suggest buying the Region 1 Jean Harlow box set by Warner Archive. The box set includes the four Franchot films (Bombshell, The Girl from Missouri, Suzy, and Reckless) as well as Jean's films Riffraff, Personal Property, and Saratoga. Warner Archive has not released Suzy as an individual DVD, it's only available in the set, so it's an economical and enjoyable option to buy the set. This is not a sponsored ad or anything like that, just good sense if you're planning to add all four Jean-Franchot titles to your collection eventually.

I love the Barrymores and am so pleased that In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood has hosted another blogathon celebrating them. Again, to read all the wonderful entries, please click here.

Thousands Cheer vs. Star Spangled Rhythm: The Judy Garland Blogathon

In celebration of Judy Garland’s birthday and Crystal’s blogathon in tribute to her, I am comparing two early 1940’s films, Star Spangled Rhythm and Thousands Cheer. Both films were intended as World War II morale boosters and are packed with celebrities. I had never seen the entirety of either film and watched them back to back last weekend.

Thousands Cheer

Source: www.ha.com

Plot: Kathryn Grayson is a young soprano star who gives up her performances with the orchestra to follow her father (John Boles) to his army camp. Wanting to keep their spirits up, Kathryn socializes with all of the young soldiers. She doesn’t understand why her mother (Mary Astor) left her father and is sure she can get them back together if her mother feels Kathryn is in trouble. Eddie March is just the trouble Kathryn needs. Kathryn writes to her mother that she is in love with a soldier, knowing that Mary Astor will come immediately to intervene. Likewise, Eddie March, hating the army and desiring to move to the Air Corps, realizes that romancing the captain’s daughter may get him transferred. Of course, Kathryn and Eddie truly do fall in love in the process and Eddie’s opinion of the army changes.
Main story cast: Kathryn Grayson, Gene Kelly, John Boles, and Mary Astor
Special appearance cast: Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Red Skelton, Eleanor Powell, Ann Sothern, Lucille Ball, Lena Horne, Frank Morgan, Marsha Hunt, Donna Reed, June Allyson, Margaret O’Brien, Virginia O’Brien.
Studio: MGM
Year: 1943
Color
Judy’s scene: Judy is one of the star performances saved for the end of the film. She sings “The Joint is Really Jumpin’ Down at Carnegie Hall” as pianist/conductor Jose Iturbi accompanies her on piano. Judy is absolutely effervescent in her performance. With her hair worn loose and bouncy and dressed in a tan skirt, blouse, and crocheted vest, Judy looks stunning. She starts her performance behind the piano and quickly moves to the front, playing off Iturbi’s reactions as she sings. It’s a fun, light number and Judy completely owns it. You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/OAKyf3nJvGM

Star Spangled Rhythm

Source: www.ha.com

Plot: Johnny (Eddie Bracken) uses time on leave from the Navy to show off his studio executive father (Victor Moore) to his sailor buddies. Johnny doesn’t realize that his father “Pop”, a former western star, has lied to him and is actually in the lowly position of studio gateman. When Johnny’s girl Polly (Betty Hutton) realizes the predicament, she helps Pop pull off the ruse of being head of the studio. They take over an office and Polly makes sure to distract the sailors with visits to the projection room and various sets. This leads to them watching Mary Martin and Dick Powell sing to one another on the screen and to the lot cameos of Preston Sturges and Cecil B. DeMille, among others. Johnny promises that his father will deliver a star-studded benefit on his base, and Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, friends of Pop’s, make sure the event happens. This camp show is what leads to multiple skits and musical numbers by celebrities.
Main story cast: Eddie Bracken, Betty Hutton, Victor Moore, Walter Abel
Special appearance cast: Cecil B. DeMille, Preston Sturges, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Fred MacMurray, Franchot Tone, Ray Milland, Lynne Overman, Dorothy Lamour, Paulette Goddard, Veronica Lake, Dick Powell, Alan Ladd, Mary Martin, Susan Hayward.
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Year: 1942
Black and White
Franchot’s scene: Franchot teams up with Fred MacMurray, Ray Milland, and Lynne Overman for a comedy skit. In “If Men Played Cards as Women Do," John (Franchot) invites his pals Joe (Ray), Frank (Fred), and Mark (Lynne) over for a card game. Mimicking how they feel women behave, Joe and John try on a hat, Frank bemoans a run in his sock and an aching body from all-day shopping, Joe criticizes the help, and they all inspect Lynne’s new suit (which they deem snug in the hips), and all gossip about Joe’s “mess” of a house. Once the card game starts, Frank distracts himself with grooming while they all get confused about how many cards to deal, what the cards are, and how much money to bet. In the end, a mouse appears and the four men, squealing, jump up into their chairs. It's quite a funny skit and the four actors work well together.

 

Here's how the two films measure up:

Thousands Cheer
-more vibrant and lively with Technicolor
-strong core cast of Kathryn Grayson, Gene Kelly, Mary Astor, and John Boles with a better standalone story than that of Betty Hutton, Eddie Bracken, and Victor Moore in Star Spangled Rhythm.
-production numbers are more lavish and for a lack of better adjective, M-G-Mish

Star Spangled Rhythm
-With more comedy and slapstick routines including but not limited to those of Bob Hope (the shower scene cracked me up!) and Bing Crosby, Star Spangled Rhythm was just plain funnier than Thousands Cheer. It seemed to take itself less seriously than Thousands Cheer and was more light-hearted about it all. There were some hilarious quips thrown in about studio execs, Veronica Lake’s hairstyle, and the film colony.
-Bob Hope serves as a much better emcee than Mickey Rooney does in Thousands Cheer.

I enjoyed both films and feel they are both excellent examples of the morale boosting G.I. films that were so popular during this era. If you prefer big production numbers, colorful costumes and set design, and big-name musical talent, you’ll want to watch Thousands Cheer. If you’re more into the Hope-Crosby comedies and want to see what well-known dramatic actors can do with playful skits, then Star Spangled Rhythm is for you.

This is an incredibly late post for Crystal's blogathon, but I hope you'll head over to In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood for more great entries on the incomparable Judy Garland.

*Due to a busy professional schedule in June-August, this will be my last participation in blogathons for a few months. I'll still be posting on Mr. Tone regularly here, but am going to take a little break from blogathons until my schedule becomes more manageable. Thanks!*

The Franchot Tone Blogathon is Here!

I am excited to announce that the first Franchot Tone Blogathon is here!

Franchot Tone (1905-1968) was an Oscar-nominated actor who starred in over 60 films, 50 television productions, and 25 plays from 1927 until his death in 1968. This month marks the 2 year anniversary of Finding Franchot, this research blog dedicated to Franchot's personal and professional life. 1 year ago, I also created a fansite in his honor at www.findingfranchot.com.

Over the next few days, we will get to read different takes on Franchot Tone from a group of talented film bloggers. I am so grateful to everyone who has offered to participate and am looking forward to reading all the posts on my favorite actor!

As topics are posted, I will share here. Check back from April 21 to April 23 for different perspectives and explorations of Franchot's films, television work, and life. Thank you all for celebrating Mr. Tone with me!

Classic Movie Treasures: Her Husband's Affairs (1947)

Critica Retro: Dancing Lady (1933)

Mike's Take on the Movies: Spotlighting Franchot Tone on the Small Screen

Old Hollywood Films: Five Graves to Cairo (1943)

Musings of a Classic Film Addict: Phantom Lady (1943)

Charlene's (Mostly) Classic Movie Reviews: Dangerous (1935)

Finding Franchot: Playing Against Type: Discovering Franchot's Characters

Finding Franchot: Three Loves Has Nancy (1938)

Playing Against Type: Discovering Franchot's Characters

Franchot would once protest that he was not "one of those fanatics who is always yelling for a chance to prove his versatility and yapping about being 'typed.'" The truth is that throughout his career Franchot would yearn for and express a desire to play a more wide variety of characters. And rightly so. Early on, Franchot did get put in the category of the glamorous, wealthy man who is in the film mainly to support the leading lady and to this day, many people associate Franchot solely on this character alone. However, there are many unique characters sans top hat and tails hidden in Franchot's filmography and I want to highlight those films and some of Franchot's comments regarding being typecast today.

"Of course, it's fine for those Park Avenue playboys I've done to death. I dislike that kind of part intensely. I've played so many, people actually think I'm that kind of smug chap. I agree with them, and if I weren't so lazy, I'd have done something about it long ago."

The Stranger's Return. Source: original from my collection.

The Stranger's Return (1933)
Franchot is Guy, a well-respected farmer who has given up a promising academic career to tend to the family land. This pre-code drama stars Lionel Barrymore as Guy’s neighbor and Miriam Hopkins as the stranger who comes to town and shakes up Guy’s life.

The World Moves On (1934)
The World Moves On is glamorous and Franchot is well-dressed, but it’s an epic drama directed by John Ford and with Franchot playing two men of different generations. The lengthy film also stars Madeleine Carroll.

Straight is the Way (1934)
Franchot is Benny, a criminal newly out of prison and ready to live a straight-and-narrow life in his Jewish tenament. May Robson is touching as Benny’s long-suffering mother while Gladys George and Karen Morley rival for his affections. The film is at just 59 minutes long, but left a lasting impression on me.

"If I ever had an image, it was the playboy, the white tie and tails, the elegant fellow with the good tailor. That was my image for the mass movie audience. But not for the theater audience. They saw me as an actor. Now my television image is the character actor. And then they see my old movies on the late show and I'm the rich playboy again."



Gentlemen Are Born. Source: original from my collection.

Gentlemen Are Born (1935)
Gentlemen Are Born is refreshing because it places Franchot in an ensemble cast of talented young actors, including Ross Alexander, Dick Foran, and Charles Starrett. They play four recent college graduates who struggle to come to terms with the grim reality of the Depression-era workforce.


Lives of a Bengal Lancer. Source: original from my collection.

The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935)
Nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award, this adventure film features Franchot, Gary Cooper, and Richard Cromwell as British officers who must defend their base in Bengal. Franchot often cited this as one of his favorite films (the other two were Mutiny on the Bounty and Man on the Eiffel Tower) and was known to privately screen it for his own enjoyment throughout the years.

Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
Franchot was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in this Best Picture winner. As midshipman Byam, Franchot must submit to the tyranny of Captain Bligh (Charles Laughton) and accept tough decisions made by Fletcher Christian (Clark Gable) in this classic sea adventure.


They Gave Him a Gun. Source: original from my collection.

They Gave Him a Gun (1937)
Jimmy (Tone) is fearful of his World War I army duty and relies on the encouragement of soldier Fred (Spencer Tracy). After being heralded for his wartime kills, Jimmy’s personality changes and he faces difficulty returning to civilian life.

"Since I've had my own gray hair and wrinkles, producers have been willing to recognize me as a character actor. There was a long spell in Hollywood where I appeared in nothing but bad romantic comedies. They were 'dress suit roles.' Acting talent didn't matter. The important thing was to have a good tailor. That was in the days before a dissatisfied movie star was free to refuse to work at something he didn't like and take a suspension. Maybe it's just as well because I'd have been under suspension more often than not if I had had any option to exercise. I was a leading man making an outrageous salary. But I was jealous of character actors with three-line bit roles. At least, they enjoyed their work."

Three Comrades (1938)
Three soldiers must cope with a changing Germany following World War I. Franchot plays a sensitive mechanic who looks after Robert Taylor and Robert Young with brotherly affection in the original F. Scott Fitzgerald story.

Trail of the Vigilantes. Source: original from my collection.

 

Trail of the Vigilantes (1940)
A western comedy costarring Warren William and Broderick Crawford, Trail of the Vigilantes gives Franchot the opportunity to ride a horse and face the bad guys, but in a comical manner.

This Woman is Mine (1941)
An 1800's sea adventure about a timid organizer of a fur expedition (Franchot) who falls for a stowaway (Carol Bruce) and gains courage on the voyage.


Five Graves to Cairo. Source: original from my collection.

Five Graves to Cairo (1943)
In this Billy Wilder-directed war drama, Franchot is the only survivor of a tank battle who finds himself assuming the identity of a German spy.

 

"Wait a minute...it isn't the only kind of life with which I'm acquainted. I can't remember the time, before I came out here, that I didn't spend the summer months in the woods, hobnobbing with wood-cutters, Indians, and Canadian guides, etc. I know as much about those phases of life as I do about drawing rooms. The biggest personal success I had in New York was as a cowboy in 'Green Grow the Lilacs.' Stage producers never felt that I was the ideal type for the man-about-town."-Franchot in response to a reporter who accused him of playing wealthy playboys because it was all he'd known in his real life.

Pilot No. 5 (1943)
Told in a series of flashbacks as he undergoes a vital war mission, a group of pilots (including Van Johnson and Gene Kelly) reflect on the ups and downs in Franchot’s character’s life.

Phantom Lady (1943)
He may be debonair and suited up, but Franchot also happens to be a murderous psychopath in the 1943 noir with Ella Raines.

The Hour Before the Dawn (1944)
A conscientious objector to the war, Franchot is a pacifist professor who must uncover the truth about his mysterious wife, played by Veronica Lake.

The Man on the Eiffel Tower (1949)
In this color noir that he produced, Franchot plays a murderous loner in post-war Paris. This movie was a labor of love for Franchot and costarred two of his best pals, Burgess Meredith (who also directed) and Charles Laughton.

"Most actors pay too much attention to the size of a role anyway. One good, biting scene is worth more than hours of drivel. Well, I got older, and eventually I reached a point where I looked ridiculous bounding through a bay window with a tennis raquet in my hands. I went into television at a time when the industry was hungry for movie names. I could be demanding. For instance, when one video producer offered me the romantic lead in a murder mystery, I held out for the role of the killer—a marvelous psychopathic character—and got it."

Twilight Zone. Source: original from my collection.

Uncle Vanya (1957)
Franchot and the cast of Uncle Vanya both performed the play on stage and recorded it for film. This independent film was produced by Franchot. As the alcoholic, aging doctor, Tone turns in perhaps his most authentic performance. It's definitely the closest we'll ever get to seeing Franchot perform a live play.

Advise and Consent (1962)
Franchot is the ailing president of the United States in this star-packed drama directed by Otto Preminger.

Television (1950-1968)
In my opinion, if you want to see Franchot at his best, most diverse work, you need to see his many television appearances. Television allowed an older Franchot to play every type of character imaginable and he excelled in this new medium! My top recommendations are the following episodes:
The Silence-Twilight Zone
Impossible Dream-Alfred Hitchcock Presents
The Award-Four Star Playhouse
The Little Foxes-Hallmark Hall of Fame
Along About Late in the Afternoon-The Eleventh Hour
Denver McKee-Bonanza
Old Cowboy-The Virginian
Tell It Like It Is-Run for Your Life

For all the great posts on Franchot Tone, check out the roster of participants in the first Franchot Tone Blogathon!

Three Loves Has Nancy (1938)

My film choice for the Franchot Tone Blogathon is the 1938 comedy Three Loves Has Nancy. It's not the best film Franchot ever made. It's not the best performance he ever gave. He doesn't even receive first lead in it.  But it’s a good one and a sentimental favorite of mine and the film that transformed me into a viewer who thought "Oh, Franchot Tone, yeah, I've probably seen him in a few films" to "Who is this Franchot Tone? I must know everything about him and watch everything he's ever done and then blog about it!"

Source: www.ha.com

Three Loves Has Nancy stars Robert Montgomery, Janet Gaynor, Franchot, Guy Kibbee, Claire Dodd, Reginald Owen, and Charley Grapewin. Director Robert Thorpe had previously directed two 1937 films featuring Franchot: Man-Proof and Love is a Headache.

Malcolm (Robert Montgomery) is a best-selling author who embarks on a book tour in order to escape the clutches of his girlfriend Vivian (Claire Dodd). Robert (Franchot Tone) is Malcolm's frequently drunken publisher and next-door neighbor who suggests the idea of a tour after watching Malcolm's previous break-up attempts fail to materialize. Waiting in line at one of Malcolm’s rural stops is fresh-faced, innocent, country bumpkin Nancy (Janet Gaynor). When Nancy informs him that it happens to be her wedding day as he’s signing the book, Malcolm thinks (and we hear Montgomery’s voiceover) that Nancy is a devoted fan whose life is so pathetic she will treasure this signed book her entire life. He quickly finds out differently. Nancy gives him a piece of her mind and one thing you’ll discover about this film is that Nancy always seems to be giving someone a piece of her mind. Sheltered? Yes. Shy? No, sir. Nancy confesses that she has no use for the book, doesn’t own the copy he’s signing, has never read it, has never heard of him, and wouldn’t spend a penny on it. Then off Nancy goes to marry George as Malcolm receives word from Robert that his unwanted girlfriend Vivian is preoccupied and it’s safe to return home.

Malcolm is surprised to see a jilted Nancy in the train’s dining car and offended when she doesn’t instantly recognize him and also, when she laughs as passengers assume they are married. Nancy talks nonstop as a bewildered Malcolm looks on. After a purse mishap (a running gag throughout the film), Malcolm and Nancy, there to search for her runaway groom George, end up at a party in his NYC apartment. Nancy decides Malcolm needs home-cooked meals and stays on at his apartment until she finds George. Although her constant meddling frustrates him to no end, Malcolm agrees to the arrangement to keep Vivian away and because he believes Nancy will prove to be good fodder for a new book.

Franchot Tone and Janet Gaynor in Three Loves Has Nancy. Source: original from my collection

As the playful, mostly inebriated publisher-next-door, Franchot’s character Robert provides a lot of laughs. Actually, what’s great about this film is that everyone provides a lot of laughs. There’s not one actor carrying the film’s funny scenes. All three headliners are equally funny in their roles and work very well as a trio. Enjoying the three-square meals a day that Nancy provides, Robert rivals Malcolm for her attention. He starts to fall for Nancy and the steadiness her presence gives his life. Still, Robert has a lot of tricks up his sleeve. In this role, Franchot gets to do a lot of physical comedy (like sleepwalking and trying to catch an imaginary eagle) and as Malcolm’s sarcastic, witty friend, utters lines like, “You know it’s funny. I drink and you’re drunk.”

Three Loves Has Nancy is overflowing with witty one-liners from all of its characters. Malcolm’s rejected girlfriend says at the party, “I had a lovely evening. This wasn’t it.” It’s just an enjoyable comedy all around. When Malcolm takes her to an upscale restaurant, a safety-conscious Nancy puts out the fire that’s grilling the evening’s meal. She publishes a newspaper ad for George and is surprised when scores of men show up at the apartment. Of course, Nancy’s solution is not to turn them away but to feed them all, to which Franchot names her the “Florence Nightingale of the Skillet.”

A favorite scene of mine is when butler William quits after Nancy calls him dishonest. Speaking of this character assassination to his employer Malcolm, you begin to notice all that William is wearing…layers of Malcolm’s clothing which William claims he was taking as “souvenirs.”

It’s clear to the audience that Malcolm is slowly falling for Nancy’s homespun charms, but he is slow to realize the fact himself. Sober since her arrival, Robert proposes immediately, calling Nancy the “first genuine person who’s ever come into my life.”  It takes the jealousy he feels about Robert’s proposal to make Malcolm question his own feelings about Nancy.

Hilarity ensues! Nancy’s backwoods family shows up (with unbeatable performances by Guy Kibbee and Charley Grapewin), Robert’s snooty wealthy parents appear, a psychologist called Pieface throws his expertise in, and then runaway groom George surfaces. You will not be disappointed. The final scenes are laugh-out-loud funny and fitting to the rest of the film.

Franchot and Janet in Three Loves Has Nancy. Source: original photo from my collection.

Now comes a very personal story explaining my particular attachment to the film. Years ago, I first discovered Three Loves Has Nancy on the TCM app on my iPad. I was very ill and struggling to come to terms with a recent diagnosis of Lupus. Especially in those early days when none of my treatment plans were successful, I was bed-ridden a lot of the time. I’d like to go ahead and say here that in the years since, I have found medications that are working for me, keeping me stabilized, and, although I still require a good amount of bedrest when I’m not working, I’m feeling much stronger these days and living a full, happy life! But that particular night years ago, I was truly struggling physically and emotionally. I needed a light comedy to make me laugh and take my mind off myself.

I chose Three Loves Has Nancy because it starred Janet Gaynor, whom I’ve always liked. I watched the movie once, chuckling throughout, and completely forgetting everything else. And although I believe that all three stars are equally matched in it, it was Franchot Tone who grabbed my attention from the very beginning. I remember just being mesmerized by his manner of speaking and rich voice, his physical presence (the cocked eyebrow, slow grin, and comedic movements), and his entire delivery. I was waiting for his scenes and wishing he’d had more. This was not the first time I saw Franchot. I realized later, while frantically scouring the internet for information about him, that I’d watched him in Jean Harlow movies and Joan Crawford movies and Honeymoon with Shirley Temple. But I never actually saw him.  He was there all the time, but for some reason, my eyes were not focused on him until the night I watched Three Loves Has Nancy. After watching it and then researching the film and Mr. Tone for a long while after, I was thinking of all the great lines and cute moments and ended up re-watching the film from start to finish immediately.

Three Loves Has Nancy will always have a special place in my heart. It provided the perfect escape for me on a night when I desperately needed the smiles and laughter it contains. It is the film that forced me to take another look at Franchot Tone. I’ve been madly researching and watching him since that viewing. I would come to find that as much as I loved Three Loves Has Nancy, it was just a hint of what Franchot could do. There were tons of sensitive and nuanced performances waiting for me in Franchot’s film and television work. Three Loves Has Nancy started it all—my appreciation of an under-appreciated actor, my fascination with his life, and my need to dedicate a permanent online space for him.

I hope you enjoy the Franchot Tone Blogathon this weekend!

Franchot & Bette: 2nd Annual Bette Davis Blogathon

Earlier this week, I shared a conversation on Joan that Franchot had with a reporter in 1933. During the conversation, he praised Joan for her talent, warmth, humor, and power. In that way that Joan Crawford and Bette Davis always seem to be connected to one another in print, film, and new television shows, it happens that In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood's Bette Davis Blogathon falls on this week, too. And as much as he adored Joan, Franchot also happened to admire Bette.

Franchot and Bette only made one film together, 1935's Dangerous. I actually wrote about Dangerous in detail for Crystal's Bette Davis Blogathon last year (read here) as well as their almost-second pairing in Old Acquaintance (post here), so I thought I'd focus on their personal relationship this time around.

Source: Modern Screen, 1937.

Dangerous and the Bette-Franchot Attraction

Source: Hollywood Magazine, 1936.

During the filming of Dangerous, Franchot was seriously dating Joan. Bette was immediately smitten with Franchot upon meeting him and said:

When I was filming Dangerous in 1935, I had a crush on my costar, Franchot Tone. Everything about him reflected his elegance, from his name to his manners. He had a great deal going for him, including Miss Joan Crawford. He was madly in love with her. They met each day for lunch. After lunch, he would return to the set, his face covered with lipstick. He made sure we all knew it was Crawford's lipstick. I was jealous, of course.

Harry Joe Brown claimed that he once walked in on Franchot and Bette in a compromising situation in her dressing room and this act is what many cite as the catalyst for a lifelong Davis-Crawford feud. According to legend, she was so worried that Franchot was falling for Bette that Joan quickly started planning to wed him herself. I don't know how valid any of these statements are, but it's not hard at all for me to believe that Franchot would've been attracted and intrigued by Bette, or acted on these feelings. To me, it's probable that he was and did.  But it is hard for me to believe that Joan would've married Franchot purely out of film set jealousy. After all, Franchot was a frequent costar to another high-profile, glamorous, and intriguing actress, Jean Harlow. If Joan's marital decisions had been ruled by jealousy, she would've been wed to Franchot as early as 1933 or 1934.



Source: Screenland Magazine, 1936.

It's clear that Bette fell for Franchot hard and hoped he felt the same way. Actress Joan Blondell recalled:

I was on the lot doing a picture when Bette came to see me, all soft and dewy-eyed, which was not her usual manner, believe me. She was in love, she told me, with her leading man Franchot Tone. I was amused. I thought she was kidding. After all, she was married to that sweet guy, Ham, the musician. And, furthermore, I didn't think she went in for that sort of thing—for soundstage romances. It's not that she was a Holy Mary; she wasn't. Her career always came first. So I kidded with her, saying that we all get crushes on our leading men from time to time and they passed...Bette got very angry with me. She said, 'Joan! I am not a schoolgirl. I don't get crushes. I am in love with Franchot, and I think he's in love with me.' I said something lame, like 'Give it time, honey,' although I was really thinking, 'Boy! If Joan Crawford gets wind of this, there is going to be war.'

Friends Bette and Joan Blondell with Dick Powell and Arthur Farnsworth in 1941. Source: Hollywood Magazine.

I think that it is telling that a 79-year-old Bette devoted a paragraph to Franchot in her 1987 memoir, This n' That. That memoir was a sparse one, so to take the time to address how she felt about him during that brief time leads me to think that her feelings for Franchot were not briefly felt at all, but perhaps still being felt 50 years later.

I have not watched Feud yet, so I'm curious how the writers of that show incorporate the Franchot link between Joan and Bette, if at all. Often Franchot is cited as the reason Joan and Bette feuded, but there's always more to a complex relationship than one moment in time.

At the end of Dangerous, Joan walked away with Franchot and Bette walked away with a famous little man named Oscar at the 1936 Academy Awards. According to reports, at the ceremony Franchot jumped up out of his seat, applauded loudly and beamed with pride at his former leading lady.

For more great posts on Bette Davis, head over to In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood!

Sources:

• Considine, Shaun. Bette and Joan: The Divine Feud. New York: Sphere, 1990.602402
• Davis, Bette, and Mickey Herskowitz. This 'n That. New York: Putnam's, 1987.