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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Franchot 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:
The Milton Berle Show
Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall
Saturday Night Revue with Jack Carter
General Electric Guest House
The Name's the Same
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Cassini Show
The Colgate Comedy Hour
Igor Cassini's Million Dollar Showcase
The Arthur Murray Party
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.
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!
Franchot on A Salute to the American Theatre
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:
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.
Content: Presents excerpts of outstanding dramatic and musical plays whose theme is freedom and anti-discrimination.
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.
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.
Franchot on The Arthur Murray Party
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.
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.
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.
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.
Franchot on Igor Cassini's Million Dollar Showcase and The Cassini Show
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.
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.
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.
Franchot on The Colgate Comedy Hour
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.
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.
Franchot on The Ed Sullivan Show
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.
Getty Images has photos from this episode here and here.
Franchot on The Name's the Same
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.
On this particular episode, the host was Robert Q. Lewis and the panelists included Carl Reiner, Joan Alexander and Bill Stern.
Franchot on General Electric Guest House
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.
The Paley Center has a few of the episodes in their archives, but I haven't placed Franchot's yet.
Franchot on The Saturday Night Revue with Jack Carter
On March 4, 1950, Franchot stopped by The Saturday Night Revue to talk with host Jack Carter.
Cass Daley, Don Ameche, The Step Brothers, and Gertrude Niesen were also on hand for the entertainment.
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.
Franchot on Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall/The Chesterfield Supper Club
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.
This long-running show entertained audiences from 1947 to 1967.
Franchot on The Milton Berle Show
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!
If you cannot see the embedded video, you can watch it on my Youtube channel here. Enjoy!
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.
Last 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...
Franchot visiting Pat on campus.
Source: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Photographic Laboratory Collection #P0031,
North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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.
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.
Franchot said:
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.
When asked about his acting career, Franchot said:
...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.
And what did Franchot think of Pat, who had been in several university plays, becoming an actor? Franchot smiled:
Who knows? He seems to have the bug, but he may come to his senses.
The reporter summarized his meeting with Franchot by writing:
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.
Franchot visiting Pat on campus. Source: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Photographic Laboratory Collection #P0031, North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
In a separate article, the Daily Tar Heel 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."
Quincy noted:
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.
*My note: The Hill School was actually in Pennsylvania.
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:
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.
Shakespeare: A Portrait
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 Shakespeare: A Portrait 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.
Sources: Digital NC: http://www.digitalnc.org/ Digital Public Library of America: https://dp.la/ Hardy, William M. "Tone Kills 2 Birds with 1 Stone." The Daily Tar Heel. April 19, 1964. Quincy, Bob. "Former Actor's Son Goes Own Way with NC Javelin." The Daily Tar Heel. April 18, 1964.
The Thundering Wave is a 1957 Playhouse 90 production starring Franchot, Joan Bennett, and James Mason. I wrote a little bit about its origin in my post on Sylvia Sidney (here). The Thundering Wave is only available for viewing in-house at The Paley Center for Media. Sadly, I've not been able to make the trip to see it and the many other Franchot television works that are housed at the Paley. Lucky for us, Kayla (a.k.a. Joan Bennett aficionado and awesome lady behind the Appreciating Joan Bennett website) did get to make the trip earlier this year and wrote a wonderful post (with some great pictures!) about the show that you can read by clicking here.
On March 31, 1965, the 28th episode of the 3rd season of The Virginian aired. "Old Cowboy" starred Franchot Tone and Billy Mumy and featured The Virginian's regular cast, including Doug McClure and James Drury (who had worked alongside Franchot in 1958's Bitter Heritage.)
Franchot is Murdock, the old cowboy who struggles to come to terms with his age and limitations. Billy Mumy (who you will recognize from Twilight Zone episodes among many other things) is Willy, Murdock's grandson and under his care. Murdock and Willy set out to find the biggest ranch because they need money and according to his stories, Murdock is the best cowboy and ranch hand that ever lived. Grandson Willy is his grandfather's biggest fan and proud of his grandpa's past. Willy sees that Murdock has trouble keeping up and doesn't make the smartest decisions with their money, but he still adores him.
Murdock's stories always make him out to be the hero and come back to the Double Eagle $20 coin that he was rewarded and keeps in his boot at all times.
When they reach town, Murdock quickly gambles away their money. Trampas (Doug McClure) feels sorry for the old man and his grandson and offers him a job at Shiloh.
At the ranch, Murdock doesn't fit in. He expects to be the top ranch hand and given the most important jobs, but the young cowboys view him as weak. Murdock's boastful ways alienate him from his coworkers and Willy begins to look up to Trampas. Trampas is Murdock's biggest supporter on the ranch, but Murdock only views him as competition.
Murdock is an enthusiastic, hard worker but continues to make mistake after mistake at Shiloh. He brands the wrong cattle, causes a dangerous stampede, and accidentally burns down the barn. But when he is needed on an important mission to move cow herds in a treacherous storm, Murdock proves what he's been telling everyone all along: that he is the most reliable, brave cowboy and will stop at nothing to get the job done.
Franchot is the star of this 1.25 hour-length episode and he shines as the aging cowboy struggling to prove his worth to a changing generation. This is some of his best television work (I truly believe that all his television work is really great) and I highly recommend it, especially if you enjoyed his performances in Bonanza and Wagon Train.
Old Cowboy is available on The Virginian Season 3 dvd. It's also currently playing On Demand if you have DISH as your provider.
Franchot stars as Judge Taliaferro Wilson in season 3, episode 10 of the popular television drama Run for Your Life. Run for Your Life ran from 1965-68 on NBC. In each episode, an attorney with a terminal illness (Ben Gazzara) encounters different people and situations, often helping them out. This great show is sadly not on commercial DVD at the moment and is rarely shown on television. I hope that changes in the future. It was shown on COZI television network years ago and that's how I've taken these screenshots. COZI network is still around so maybe the episode will come on again at some point.
A candid of Franchot on the set of Run For Your Life, 1967.
Source: my collection.
The episode is called Tell It Like It Is because that's what Terry Haines, a shock jock-type television host, says that he is doing on his syndicated show. As he humiliates his guests in person and via phone and even embarrasses his audience members over their looks and intelligence, Haines keeps saying that they have no right to be mad because he is just "telling it like it is." When Paul Bryan (Ben Gazzara) learns that his former colleague Judge Taliaferro Wilson (Franchot Tone) has agreed to appear on Haines' show, he knows that he must intervene.
At his home, Wilson is happy to see Bryan. The judge explains that the show will be harmless and that he needs the publicity to sell his recent memoir. Wilson says there is no dirt about him to uncover and that he appreciates Bryan's concern and asks him to attend the taping with him.
The taping goes exactly as Bryan fears. Host Haines starts off by praising the judge, telling him he loves the book, and going on about what a respected man the judge is. Quickly though, the interview turns nasty. Haines accuses Judge Wilson of sending innocent men to their deaths, drunkenness on the stand, and lying in his book. Wilson is stunned by the accusations. He refutes the claims and Bryan, having been at the trials and knowing Wilson personally, grabs a microphone in the audience and backs him up.
Haines then brings forth a traffic ticket saying it's for intoxication, but Wilson reads the ticket and it's a citation of unsafe lane changing. Bryan knows the judge never performed his duties intoxicated, but Wilson, a man defined by his dignity, is clearly shaken by the ugliness of Haines' and his audience's behavior. He is utterly humiliated.
Here's a clip of that scene that Youtube user Windesong posted to Youtube:
Bryan later approaches the host and says that if he doesn't retract his statements on the following night's show that Bryan will represent the judge in a slander suit against Haines. If he doesn't, Paul tells him he will represent the judge himself in a slander suit against Haines. Bryan tells the host that he may have won briefly on his own turf, but that if he gets Haines in a courtroom for just a few minutes, Haines will know what true humiliation is.
Then the episode switches to real time. The episode, you see, began with Haines being shot in a parking garage and then quickly led to Bryan "telling it like it is" (truthfully) to the police as he recounted the day's events. The police and Bryan try to phone the judge to let him know of the shooting (Haines is hospitalized but not in critical condition), but he doesn't answer. Bryan is surprised when Wilson knocks on his door. Warning: Spoilers ahead and a video clip that makes me cry.
Wilson, defeated and still in shock, confesses to Bryan that he pulled the trigger. He says it felt like an out-of-body experience and never thought he could do it. Wilson asks if he can get some sleep before he makes a full confession at the police station. Bryan goes to the hospital and confronts a smug and eternally classless Haines. Bryan tell hims that he is going to represent Wilson in court and that Wilson will fully "tell it like it is." Bryan reminds him that the respected judge will not be the only one on trial. He says:
Judge Wilson's going to be on trial, but so will you. The real you. It will all be in the legal record now, the way you tell it like it is. The kind of liar you are—the worst kind—a public liar. And when it's over, I don't think anybody's going to buy a Jerry Haines at any price, so I think you'd better start looking for a rock to crawl under.
Here's a tiny clip of Franchot's much longer confession that I shared on my Instagram account devoted to Franchot:
I cannot express how sincerely moving Franchot's performance is throughout the entirety of this episode. This is a first-rate example of what a talented actor Franchot was and how captivating he could be. It's a rare performance in color and also one of his final parts. I think it's beautiful in every possible way. He's raw and emotional and still very handsome. It honestly makes me cry every time I watch it. Judge Wilson is a perfect role for Franchot and Tell It Like It Is is an episode I wish was more readily available to view.
