Franchot headlines the Mark Twain Festival

Franchot'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.

Ad for Franchot's lecture. Source: Elmira Telegraph. October 9, 1960.

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.

The Shape of the River, 1960. Source: my collection.

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.

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."

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.

500 people attended Franchot's lecture and called it "smooth...flawlessly imitating...eloquent speech."

Franchot at Mark Twain's grave in Elmira.
Source: Elmira Advertiser. October 15, 1960.

Franchot at Mark Twain's monument.
Source: Elmira Star-Gazette. October 14, 1960.

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.

Franchot and Dr. J. Ralph Murray at the Mark Twain Study.
Source: Elmira Star-Gazette, October 14, 1960.

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 very 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."

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."

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."

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."

For further reading and two more photos of Franchot at Elmira, you can read about what he said on politics here and what he said about choosing the acting profession here.

Sources:
"Appearing at Elmira College..." Elmira Telegraph. October 9, 1960.
Bannister, Sharon and John Gardner. "Edison Bits." Elmira Star-Gazette. October 23, 1960.
"College Taps Tone for Twain Festival." Elmira Star-Gazette. October 2, 1960.
"Franchot Tone Draws 500 for Mark Twain Festival." Elmira Advertiser. October 15, 1960.
Gallagher, Peggy. "Evenin' Neighbor!" Elmira Star-Gazette. October 17, 1960.
Gallagher, Peggy. "Franchot to Give Twain Tone." Elmira Star-Gazette. October 14, 1960.
Morken, Mary Lee. "Actor Long Acquainted with Twain." Elmira Advertiser. October 14, 1960.

Franchot on Understanding the Acting Profession

Franchot over breakfast. Source: Elmira Star-Gazette.

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:

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. 

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.

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?

When Gallagher pressed for more meaning, Franchot answered:

It means the entertainment business makes dreams real—and it's the dreams of man which have made our world possible.

Franchot went on to share that he preferred the theater over film because of the "immediate relationship with the audience."

And when asked about the high point of his career, Franchot insisted that his high point was still to come.

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!

The novel that Franchot refers to is Where the Blue Begins 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.

Franchot talked quite a bit with Elmira reporters (here's what he said about politics) and there is more to come about his presentation on Mark Twain!

Source:
Gallagher, Peggy. "Franchot to Give Twain Tone." Elmira Star-Gazette. October 14, 1960.

Franchot on Politics

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:

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.

When someone asked whether actors should even be "mixed up" in politics, Franchot is described as bristling and answering disdainfully:

I think every citizen should be 'mixed up' in politics.

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:

I'd be afraid to play Lincoln. Any actor who plays Lincoln is never happy until they shoot him.

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 The Shape of the River. I will be sharing more of Franchot's quotes from this trip as well as details of his itinerary over the next week.

Click here for previous posts on Franchot and politics.

Source:
Morken, Mary Lee. "Actor Long Acquainted with Twain." Elmira Advertiser. October 14, 1960. 

Horton Foote Centennial

Today marks what would've been the 100th birthday of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and Academy Award-winning screenwriter Horton Foote. Foote wrote the teleplay for The Shape of the River, in which Franchot Tone played Mark Twain in 1960.

On page 208 of his memoir titled Beginnings, Foote talked about how his feelings for Franchot evolved from an initial disliking to a lasting friendship:

Franchot Tone I avoided like the plague, because he seemed moody and imperious. Many, many years later Franchot played Mark Twain in The Shape of the River, a television play I wrote for Playhouse 90. I had seen his brilliant work as Astroff in Stark Young's translation of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya and I knew Stark Young regarded him as one of our finest actors. I was impressed at how hard he worked during rehearsals of The Shape of the River and how anxious he was to get it all right, and splendid he was, too. During rehearsals we became fast friends and unlike so many friendships developed in rehearsals ours contininued until his death.