September 18, 1968

From my Instagram account: @franchot_tone_fan

Franchot Tone died 47 years ago today after a battle with cancer. He was only 63 years old and had been working steadily in theater, television, and film up until his death.

My personal favorite performances of the last ten years of Franchot's life include Advise & Consent, "The Silence" episode of The Twilight Zone, the "Impossible Dream" episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and the "Final Performance" episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. Unfortunately, a lot of his television work from those final years is hard to find for viewing these days.

Some years ago, Youtube user windesong posted a clip of one of Franchot's final performances in the "Tell It Like It Is" episode of Run for Your Life. (If you can't watch the embedded view below, here's the link.)



What an actor! I would've loved to see the character work Franchot could've done as he aged into his 70s and 80s. Below are two obituaries that ran in newspapers following his death.

Source: St. Petersburg Times, 19 September 1968.

Source: Miami News, 18 September 1968.