Information Please (1944)

On February 28, 1944, Franchot appeared as a guest on Information Please. Information Please was a radio quiz show that ran on NBC from 1938 to 1951. On each episode, panelists would try to answer trivia that had been mailed in by listeners. If a listener stumped the panel, he or she received cash and prizes.

The episode runs for just under 29 minutes. Franchot's first answers come after the 3:44 mark when the questions turn to the American Revolution. His thoughtful, soft-spoken answers reveal a deep knowledge of history, literature, and opera. Franchot is humble here, too. When host Clifton Fadiman praises him, Franchot plays it off like he doesn't know how the answers came to him and says that maybe he's been "reading up on it in preparation for this program." He doesn't quite correctly answer questions related to his work in The Gorgeous Hussy and Green Grow the Lilacs, but he proudly recites some of the lines from The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (often noted as Franchot's favorite of his own films.)

At the end of the program, the host thanks Franchot for lending a little "Tone" to the show. Franchot responds with "now I know why they call you a pundit."

It's always a treat to read/hear the genuine thoughts of Franchot Tone. I hope you'll enjoy this personal radio appearance, which I've uploaded to Youtube. If you cannot see the embedded video below, please click here.

On Record: This is the UN

Franchot had a distinctive voice which grew more resonant and authoritative with age. Fortunately, Franchot's voice was captured in many radio programs and used to great effect as narration on records. When I began collecting Franchot-related items, I knew that I wanted to obtain all of the old records featuring Franchot. Currently in my collection I have The Jazz Age of F. Scott Fitzgerald: Readings by Franchot Tone, the full 1963 cast recording of Strange Interlude, and This is the UN: Its Actual Voices. Franchot also appears on the "If Men Played Cards the Way Women Do" skit with Ray Milland, Fred MacMurray and Lynne Overman on the soundtrack album for Star Spangled Rhythm. (If you are aware of another album featuring Franchot's voice, please comment on this post. I may be missing some!)

My copy is a bit worn, but the record plays fine.

This is the UN: Its Actual Voices was a 1950 audio documentary produced by Tribune Productions and written by Saul Carson and Eleanor Gardiner. The documentary was released on 33 1/3 rpm nonbreakable, long playing microgroove under the supervision of the United Nations Department of Public Information. A compilation of 40,000 official recordings, the record highlights historic speeches of world leaders "placed in perspective against the U.N.'s aims and achievements by the sensitive and clear narrative of Franchot Tone." The LP is divided into 10 parts:

1. San Francisco; the Charter
2. Proclaiming Principles
3. Facing Atomic Energy
4. Independence for Indonesia
5. Parade of the Nations
6. Toward Economic and Social Progress
7. Toward Economic and Social Progress (continued)
8. Trusteeship Council
9. Universal Declaration of Human Rights
10. Permanent Headquarters; the Korean Situation

I took a video of Franchot's first track of the album as it played on my record player this morning. If you can't see the embedded video below, you can watch it on Youtube.