Hope for the Best (1945)

Hope for the Best ran for 117 performances between February 7, 1945 and May 19, 1945. Produced by Jean Dalrymple and Marc Connelly, the play was first housed at the Fulton Theatre and then in late April, moved to the Royal Theatre. Writer William McCleery's plot revolved around a newspaper writer who is dissatisfied with only covering gossip and is encouraged by a young woman to pursue more groundbreaking territory. Although his fiancée prefers him not to "rock the boat," the main character attempts to investigate and report on American politics.

Franchot Tone starred as the writer and was supported by a cast of Leo Bulgakov, Jane Wyatt, Jack Hartley, Doro Merande, Joan Wetmore, and Paul Potter.

Hope for the Best. Source: scan from my collection.

Theatre Arts Monthly reviewed the play in April 1945. Rosamond Gilder wrote:

In Franchot Tone, the producers, Jean Dalrymple and Marc Connelly—and Mr. Connelly as director— have found a convincing as well as a winning interpreter of the leading role. Mr Tone, last seen as a ‘round actor’ in Ernest Hemingway’s The Fifth Column, proves that he is still a skillful craftsman in the theatre in spite of his protracted dallying with the screen. He has balance and proportion in his acting, precise timing, a nice sense of humor. One of the hilarious moments in the play is the scene in which the columnist, about to launch forth on the new type of writing he is so eager to undertake, bogs down under the subtle discouragements administered by his dark angel. Mr. Tone sits alone on the stage in front of his typewriter; absorbed, intent, concentrated. His fingers dash over the keys, the little bell rings a cheerful note, he slams the carrier back with a masterful flip. Then doubt creeps into his mind. He stops, re-reads the paragraph, types on, tears the sheet out of the machine, puts a new one in, starts again. The tapping goes more and more slowly, becomes uneven, hesitant. The jubilant song of the keys has turned into a disheartened pecking; Mr. Tone’s very spine wilts, his hair stands on end, his face seems drained of vitality. The curtain goes down on a dogged pounding of keys that presages no good.

The New York Times was not as glowing in their review of Mr. Tone's performance. In his February 8th review, Lewis Nichols wondered if Franchot was the best actor for the part. Nichols' wrote:

He is easy and likable, of course, and he manages a vague, shy quality which is all right part of the time. However...in several scenes, he is shy to the point of cuteness.

Hope for the Best. Source: scan from my collection.

Hope for the Best: Source: New York Times clipping

Sources:
Gilder, Rosamond. "Foxhole Critics. Broadway in Review." Theatre Arts. April 1945. 
Internet Broadway Database: https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/hope-for-the-best-1672
Nichols, Lewis. "The Play." The New York Times. February 8, 1945.
Playbill Vault: http://www.playbill.com/production/hope-for-the-best-fulton-theatre-vault-0000004538

Thousands Cheer vs. Star Spangled Rhythm: The Judy Garland Blogathon

In celebration of Judy Garland’s birthday and Crystal’s blogathon in tribute to her, I am comparing two early 1940’s films, Star Spangled Rhythm and Thousands Cheer. Both films were intended as World War II morale boosters and are packed with celebrities. I had never seen the entirety of either film and watched them back to back last weekend.

Thousands Cheer

Source: www.ha.com

Plot: Kathryn Grayson is a young soprano star who gives up her performances with the orchestra to follow her father (John Boles) to his army camp. Wanting to keep their spirits up, Kathryn socializes with all of the young soldiers. She doesn’t understand why her mother (Mary Astor) left her father and is sure she can get them back together if her mother feels Kathryn is in trouble. Eddie March is just the trouble Kathryn needs. Kathryn writes to her mother that she is in love with a soldier, knowing that Mary Astor will come immediately to intervene. Likewise, Eddie March, hating the army and desiring to move to the Air Corps, realizes that romancing the captain’s daughter may get him transferred. Of course, Kathryn and Eddie truly do fall in love in the process and Eddie’s opinion of the army changes.
Main story cast: Kathryn Grayson, Gene Kelly, John Boles, and Mary Astor
Special appearance cast: Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Red Skelton, Eleanor Powell, Ann Sothern, Lucille Ball, Lena Horne, Frank Morgan, Marsha Hunt, Donna Reed, June Allyson, Margaret O’Brien, Virginia O’Brien.
Studio: MGM
Year: 1943
Color
Judy’s scene: Judy is one of the star performances saved for the end of the film. She sings “The Joint is Really Jumpin’ Down at Carnegie Hall” as pianist/conductor Jose Iturbi accompanies her on piano. Judy is absolutely effervescent in her performance. With her hair worn loose and bouncy and dressed in a tan skirt, blouse, and crocheted vest, Judy looks stunning. She starts her performance behind the piano and quickly moves to the front, playing off Iturbi’s reactions as she sings. It’s a fun, light number and Judy completely owns it. You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/OAKyf3nJvGM

Star Spangled Rhythm

Source: www.ha.com

Plot: Johnny (Eddie Bracken) uses time on leave from the Navy to show off his studio executive father (Victor Moore) to his sailor buddies. Johnny doesn’t realize that his father “Pop”, a former western star, has lied to him and is actually in the lowly position of studio gateman. When Johnny’s girl Polly (Betty Hutton) realizes the predicament, she helps Pop pull off the ruse of being head of the studio. They take over an office and Polly makes sure to distract the sailors with visits to the projection room and various sets. This leads to them watching Mary Martin and Dick Powell sing to one another on the screen and to the lot cameos of Preston Sturges and Cecil B. DeMille, among others. Johnny promises that his father will deliver a star-studded benefit on his base, and Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, friends of Pop’s, make sure the event happens. This camp show is what leads to multiple skits and musical numbers by celebrities.
Main story cast: Eddie Bracken, Betty Hutton, Victor Moore, Walter Abel
Special appearance cast: Cecil B. DeMille, Preston Sturges, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Fred MacMurray, Franchot Tone, Ray Milland, Lynne Overman, Dorothy Lamour, Paulette Goddard, Veronica Lake, Dick Powell, Alan Ladd, Mary Martin, Susan Hayward.
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Year: 1942
Black and White
Franchot’s scene: Franchot teams up with Fred MacMurray, Ray Milland, and Lynne Overman for a comedy skit. In “If Men Played Cards as Women Do," John (Franchot) invites his pals Joe (Ray), Frank (Fred), and Mark (Lynne) over for a card game. Mimicking how they feel women behave, Joe and John try on a hat, Frank bemoans a run in his sock and an aching body from all-day shopping, Joe criticizes the help, and they all inspect Lynne’s new suit (which they deem snug in the hips), and all gossip about Joe’s “mess” of a house. Once the card game starts, Frank distracts himself with grooming while they all get confused about how many cards to deal, what the cards are, and how much money to bet. In the end, a mouse appears and the four men, squealing, jump up into their chairs. It's quite a funny skit and the four actors work well together.

 

Here's how the two films measure up:

Thousands Cheer
-more vibrant and lively with Technicolor
-strong core cast of Kathryn Grayson, Gene Kelly, Mary Astor, and John Boles with a better standalone story than that of Betty Hutton, Eddie Bracken, and Victor Moore in Star Spangled Rhythm.
-production numbers are more lavish and for a lack of better adjective, M-G-Mish

Star Spangled Rhythm
-With more comedy and slapstick routines including but not limited to those of Bob Hope (the shower scene cracked me up!) and Bing Crosby, Star Spangled Rhythm was just plain funnier than Thousands Cheer. It seemed to take itself less seriously than Thousands Cheer and was more light-hearted about it all. There were some hilarious quips thrown in about studio execs, Veronica Lake’s hairstyle, and the film colony.
-Bob Hope serves as a much better emcee than Mickey Rooney does in Thousands Cheer.

I enjoyed both films and feel they are both excellent examples of the morale boosting G.I. films that were so popular during this era. If you prefer big production numbers, colorful costumes and set design, and big-name musical talent, you’ll want to watch Thousands Cheer. If you’re more into the Hope-Crosby comedies and want to see what well-known dramatic actors can do with playful skits, then Star Spangled Rhythm is for you.

This is an incredibly late post for Crystal's blogathon, but I hope you'll head over to In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood for more great entries on the incomparable Judy Garland.

*Due to a busy professional schedule in June-August, this will be my last participation in blogathons for a few months. I'll still be posting on Mr. Tone regularly here, but am going to take a little break from blogathons until my schedule becomes more manageable. Thanks!*

Janet Blair on Franchot Tone

In 1948, actress Janet Blair discussed working with Franchot Tone. Blair said:

Yes, when Franchot and I started to work together in I Love Trouble, it was really meeting up with a Dream Prince. I discovered his brilliant mind, his sharp wit. Here is a great talent and frankly, I’m plain irritated that he doesn’t do more with it. After working with him, I’d class him as one of the greatest technicians in our business. He’s so greatly gifted it’s a shame he has a lazy streak. I’d like to see him pitching on many more productions a year than he does, and brother, how we can use his talent in building up theater here—and radio too, and television. But, as I say, the guy’s lazy. He says he wants to enjoy life a little.

Working with Franchot is a great challenge. You have to step it up in all departments. Consequently, you do a better job than you think you are capable of doing. An actress learns something from every person she works with in this business, good and bad. Without qualification I say I learned the most to the good from Franchot. I had such respect for him, a respect he rates for his great knowledge and for the sure instinct he has for imparting it to associates. It was absolutely impossible to read a line badly in a scene with him. There’s a lot of the little boy in him. It’s that and his irresistible crooked grin that captures and holds his feminine fans. So I’m corny? Okay! It’s the way I feel-having been a fan, and after being a coworker.

And there’s his sportsmanship. Once, on a different scene, I wrestled with my lines until it was embarrassing. Franchot dispelled the tension which he knew my fluffs were making for me. How? By deliberately lousing up his own lines. Him—when he could have read perfectly with a mouthful of grapefruits!

Once, I was catching it from the director for failing to come through perfectly on a piece of business he especially wanted. Chivalrous Tone stepped in between the fine line of my determination and hysteria and said softly to our director, “Now, you leave her alone, you big bully-she’s doing okay.” And grinned at both of us.

I Love Trouble and I-love-working-with-Tone are synonymous in my mind. It was hard work, and swell fun, and plenty educational. He stacks up 100 percent with me, and if he decides to take over in the directing department I want to be the first in line flagging down a role in his picture for Janet Blair.

Source:
"Franchot's Femmes: Four Women in His Life Tell All, About the Suave and Elegant Mr. Tone." Screenland. July 1948. Vol 52, No.9.Page 42-43, 64-65.