Gone with the Wind: Missed Opportunity

Like Old Acquaintance, here's another one of those "what might've been" posts for you. Did you know that Franchot was considered for the two male lead roles in Gone With the Wind?



Clark, Joan, Leslie, and Franchot in one photo. Source: https://inafferrabileleslie.wordpress.com

On November 14, 1936, secretary Lydia Schiller sent a tally of those up for the roles of Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler to David O. Selznick. At this point in time, Vivien Leigh wasn’t even in consideration for the part of Scarlett. The top votes for the role were for Miriam Hopkins, Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, and Katharine Hepburn. Franchot was being considered for the role of Rhett Butler, but even at this early stage, Clark Gable had an overwhelming majority of the votes. Others being considered for the role included Ronald Colman, Warner Baxter, Fredric March, and William Powell.

I cannot picture Franchot as Rhett Butler. Clark Gable was made for it and it's hard to imagine any other actor of that time stepping in Rhett's shoes. Franchot was a highly skilled actor, but I don't believe audiences would've bought him as the rugged and rebellious Charlestonian.

In 1937, The New Yorker published a cartoon depicting Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, and Franchot Tone in the lead roles of Scarlett, Rhett, and Ashley. The cartoon was meant as a joke, but Franchot was a serious contender for the role of Ashley Wilkes before Leslie Howard was chosen. Selznick International Pictures story editor Kay Brown favored Miriam Hopkins and Bette Davis for Scarlett, Janet Gaynor as Melanie, Clark Gable as Rhett, and, in a 1936 letter to Selznick, urged him to hire Franchot Tone as Ashley.

I can completely envision Franchot in the part of Ashley Wilkes.  I think Leslie Howard was absolutely perfect in the part and my speculation of Franchot's abilities as Ashley are by no means a criticism of Howard's performance. A gentle character torn between an attraction to a fiery opposite and the safe steadiness of a like-minded cousin, Ashley is a commendable hero and coward all at the same time. This duality in the character could've been perfectly captured by Franchot. He excelled at the quiet exchanges, world weary glances, and elegant declarations of commitment that Ashley possesses.

Franchot starred in a period romance of his own during the GWTW casting process: the understated J.M. Barrie story Quality Street set in the early 1800's. Franchot is Dr. Valentine Brown, a man who devastates Phoebe (Katharine Hepburn) when he goes off to fight in the Napoleonic Wars. When he returns many years later, Valentine is stunned to find that his once light and playful Phoebe has become a drab, spinster schoolteacher. (I would like to point out that Katharine Hepburn is as luminous and as gorgeous as ever as the slightly aged Phoebe, so it's hard to buy this "poor, homely girl" storyline.) Valentine may think she's lost her spontaneity and zest for life, but Phoebe has a scheme up her sleeve.

Valentine Brown is an upstanding man who takes his duty in the war seriously, is gentlemanly to the ladies in the community, yet is influenced by the allure of youth and beauty. There is a gentle, kind quality to both Valentine Brown and Ashley Wilkes and, for me, Leslie Howard and Franchot Tone seem worthy candidates of either role.

Franchot Tone in Quality Street (1937); Leslie Howard in Gone with the Wind (1939).

Franchot Tone & Katharine Hepburn in Quality Street (1937);
Leslie Howard and Olivia DeHavilland in Gone with the Wind (1939).

Sources:

• Harwell, Richard. Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind Letters: 1936-1949. Macmillan, 1976.
• Inafferrabile Leslie Howard: https://inafferrabileleslie.wordpress.com
• The New Yorker. Volume 13. 1937.
• Wiley, John.The Scarlett Letters: The Making of the Film Gone with the Wind. Taylor Trade Publishing, 2014.
• Wilson, Steve. The Making of Gone with the Wind. University of Texas Press, 2014.

Missed Opportunity with Old Acquaintance, Bette Davis

Source: www.amazon.com

In 1942, Franchot Tone was all set to star in the upcoming Bette Davis drama Old Acquaintance until the Stabilization Act of 1942 changed his plans. In his executive order, President Roosevelt listed regulations to prevent inflation and protect the U.S. economy during wartime, including the following:

• no increases in wage rates (unless necessary to correct inequalities, maladjustments, or to aid in war)
• no decreases in wage rates "below the highest wages paid therefore between January 1, 1942 and September 15, 1942, unless to correct gross inequities and to aid in the effective prosecution of the war"
• no salary increases over $5,000 per year (with exceptions)
• no salary decreases for any work under the highest salary "paid between January 1, 1942 and September 15, 1942 unless to correct gross inequities and to aid in the effective prosecution of the war"

In early November 1942, Variety magazine featured several informational articles about how the Stabilization Act was affecting the film industry. At the start, FDR wished to place a $25,000 income limit (after taxes) and studio executives began to sweat about how they would hold onto their major talent and keep the film industry, already changed by the war, still prospering both creatively and financially.

Source: Variety. November 11, 1942. Page 78.

Just a few columns away from the article above, Variety posted a small piece on how these new regulations affected Franchot.

Source: Variety. November 11, 1942. Page 79.

Franchot was Bette's first choice for the role of Preston in Old Acquaintance. Franchot and Bette had worked well together in Dangerous (1935) and Bette was eager to work alongside Franchot again. In Modern Screen magazine (December 1942. Vol. 26), it was noted that Bette:

"is convinced that Franchot Tone is one of the most sensitive of actors on the screen today and she wanted him for her opposite part in 'Old Acquaintance'.  All arrangements were made and Franchot was set for the part when the government announced the $25,000 ceiling. Tone was still willing to make the picture if his total salary-which he couldn't draw-would be turned over, intact, to charity. There seemed to be some red tape attached to this, so Mr. Tone simple withdrew from the cast. Later, when the ceiling was announced for 1943, instead of 1942, it was too late for Franchot to return to the part."

So, by trying to play it safe, Franchot actually took a huge gamble and lost out on an interesting role in a memorable picture. It is evident that Franchot truly wanted the acting opportunity, because he was eager to donate his entire salary to charity. It's too bad that his charitable act wasn't approved and that he dropped out of the cast shortly before the income regulations were adjusted.

I would have loved to see Franchot and Bette together again 8 years after the release of their romantic drama Dangerous and I think that Old Acquaintance would've given Franchot a career boost. Then again, had it worked out, we may have not had the pleasure of seeing him in two war dramas Five Graves to Cairo and Pilot No. 5 and two comedies His Butler's Sister and True to Life the following year.

John Loder and Bette Davis in Old Acquaintance. Source: www.allposters.com

British actor John Loder (How Green Was My Valley, Now, Voyager) took over the role of Preston Drake from Franchot. The character is the put-upon husband of housewife-turned-romance novelist Millie Drake (Miriam Hopkins). Preston falls for his wife's childhood friend, the more humble and talented novelist Kit Marlowe (Bette Davis), but Kit remains loyal to Millie. As an actor, John Loder possesses the dignity and sensitivity of Franchot, but he lacks the same level of sex appeal. (I'm sure John Loder enthusiasts will completely disagree with me). When Kit (Bette) is on the phone and Preston (John) is uttering his devotion to her and kissing her on the hand, I can't help but think that Franchot would've made that scene a bit steamier and more playful! In the early scenes of the film where Kit and Preston meet in the Drake house, I can see Franchot, with his deep voice, mischievous grin,  and knack for sensitivity, being perfect in the role. However, John Loder turns in a great performance, one that the New York Times deemed the most convincing in the film.

Old Acquaintance is remembered now as being a powerful "woman's picture" and perhaps more than that, for the shaking scene between rivals Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins. For Franchot, I wonder if he remembered it as the film that got away.