Finding Franchot: Exploring the Life and Career of Franchot Tone Posted by Franchot Tone Fan on January 14, 2017

I Love Trouble is a swell little detective noir starring Franchot Tone as Stuart Bailey, a good-natured, witty private detective who is hired by politician Ralph Johnston to investigate Johnston's wife. Also starring Glenda Farrell, Janet Blair, and Adele Jergens, the film was based on the book Doub   read more

Finding Franchot: Exploring the Life and Career of Franchot Tone Posted by Franchot Tone Fan on January 5, 2017

Like Old Acquaintance, here's another one of those "what might've been" posts for you. Did you know that Franchot was considered for the two male lead roles in Gone With the Wind?  Clark, Joan, Leslie, and Franchot in one photo. Source: https://inafferrabileleslie.wordpress.com On Novemb   read more

Finding Franchot: Exploring the Life and Career of Franchot Tone Posted by Franchot Tone Fan on December 29, 2016

2016 has surely been an excellent year for me, Franchot-wise. I feel that I have gained so many new details on Franchot in the past 12 months and have discovered innumerable nuggets of information that bear more investigation. I started this blog in the spring of 2015 as a personal...   read more

Finding Franchot: Exploring the Life and Career of Franchot Tone Posted by Franchot Tone Fan on December 13, 2016

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...   read more

Finding Franchot: Exploring the Life and Career of Franchot Tone Posted by Franchot Tone Fan on December 9, 2016

It's time for the 2nd Annual Franchot Tone Holiday Gift Guide! This year's picks for that Franchot fan in your life (or, let's be honest, yourself!) are pictured above and include: Vintage tobacco card - Like many film stars, Franchot was featured on quite a few collectible tobacco cards in...   read more

Finding Franchot: Exploring the Life and Career of Franchot Tone Posted by Franchot Tone Fan on December 6, 2016

For the past few days, the classic film blogosphere has been celebrating actress Agnes Moorehead thanks to the Agnes Moorehead Blogathon hosted by Crystal at In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood. I am happy to pay my respects to the incredible actress, who was born on December 6,...   read more

Finding Franchot: Exploring the Life and Career of Franchot Tone Posted by Franchot Tone Fan on December 5, 2016

Photo that accompanied reviews of The Dirty Old Man In 1964, Franchot starred in Lewis John Carlino's play "The Dirty Old Man." The play was presented along with Carlino's "Sarah and the Sax" under the title Doubletalk. Doubletalk, which earned Carlino the Vernon Rice Award, ran for 16 performances   read more

Finding Franchot: Exploring the Life and Career of Franchot Tone Posted by Franchot Tone Fan on November 30, 2016

I am excited to be participating in Phyllis Loves Classic Movies' Cary Grant Blogathon! One reason I enjoy contributing to blogathons is that it gives me a chance to revisit films and see them in a new light. This week I rewatched the 1948 comedy Every Girl Should Be Married...   read more

Finding Franchot: Exploring the Life and Career of Franchot Tone Posted by Franchot Tone Fan on November 16, 2016

When reporter Harmon W. Nichols interviewed Franchot about the production of The Man on the Eiffel Tower, Franchot tried to explain the film’s financial situation. Nichols said a patient Franchot “hemmed and hawed and he drew pictures on the tablecloth,” and finally, Nichols asked   read more

Finding Franchot: Exploring the Life and Career of Franchot Tone Posted by Franchot Tone Fan on November 7, 2016

I'll conclude my Franchot & Politics series with a look at the 1936 film The Gorgeous Hussy. Directed by Clarence Brown and based on the 1934 novel by Samuel Hopkins Adams, The Gorgeous Hussy was a period piece designed for Joan Crawford in the part of Peggy Eaton. In addition...   read more

Finding Franchot: Exploring the Life and Career of Franchot Tone Posted by Franchot Tone Fan on October 31, 2016

Happy Halloween! I have a treat for you today, no tricks! Franchot starred in an episode of Suspense that aired on October 28, 1952. Filmed live for television, Suspense was a popular mystery-thriller anthology that ran from 1949 to 1954. Each thirty-minute episode dealt with threatening character   read more

Finding Franchot: Exploring the Life and Career of Franchot Tone Posted by Franchot Tone Fan on October 30, 2016

When I learned of Pop Culture Reverie's timely Hail to the Chief Blogathon, I knew I had to write about Franchot Tone's portrayal of the fictional U.S. president in Otto Preminger's 1962 drama Advise & Consent. Last costarring with Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman in 1951's Capra film Here Comes...   read more

Finding Franchot: Exploring the Life and Career of Franchot Tone Posted by Franchot Tone Fan on October 22, 2016

For this week's (belated) entry into my Franchot & Politics series, I'd like to share with you some biographical sketches on the political figures of Franchot's maternal family. Franchot's grandfather and great grandfather held Republican seats in the Senate and Congress, respectively. Franchot'   read more

Finding Franchot: Exploring the Life and Career of Franchot Tone Posted by Franchot Tone Fan on October 14, 2016

I think all classic film enthusiasts have some knowledge about the powerful and predatory House Un-American Activities Committee that used public threats and scare tactics to terrorize the film industry. It would be denounced by former President Truman in the late 50's and lose its control in the 60   read more

Finding Franchot: Exploring the Life and Career of Franchot Tone Posted by Franchot Tone Fan on October 7, 2016

For this week's entry into my Franchot and Politics series, I'm looking at one of Franchot Tone's earliest films, Gabriel Over the White House. Directed by Gregory La Cava and produced by Walter Wanger, the political pre-code stars Walter Huston, Franchot Tone, and Karen Morley. Gabriel Over the Wh   read more

Finding Franchot: Exploring the Life and Career of Franchot Tone Posted by Franchot Tone Fan on October 4, 2016

Franchot on They Gave Him a Gun set. Original photo from my collection. While making They Gave Him a Gun in 1937, Franchot was asked about his personality. As he talked about himself, Spencer Tracy and W.S. Van Dyke provided their own humorous interpretations. Franchot said about himself: "But   read more

Finding Franchot: Exploring the Life and Career of Franchot Tone Posted by Franchot Tone Fan on September 30, 2016

Embed from Getty Images With the upcoming U.S. presidential election, I've decided to do a weekly Franchot and Politics series of posts here through election day. There are several politically-themed films in which Franchot starred. Franchot even played the U.S. president in Preminger's Advi   read more

Finding Franchot: Exploring the Life and Career of Franchot Tone Posted by Franchot Tone Fan on September 24, 2016

Despite his battle with lung cancer, Franchot continued to work in 1968. His final performances are in the made-for-television movie Shadow over Elveron and the feature film Nobody Runs Forever. Although he looks older than his years and physically weak (in SOE, he uses a cane and in NRF, he...   read more

Finding Franchot: Exploring the Life and Career of Franchot Tone Posted by Franchot Tone Fan on September 17, 2016

Some time ago, I read Dolores Dorn's short e-book Letters from a Hollywood Starlet. Dolores was Franchot's costar in Uncle Vanya as well as his fourth and final wife. I've wanted to write about Dolores' memories of their marriage and my own reflections on this time in Franchot's life for...   read more

Finding Franchot: Exploring the Life and Career of Franchot Tone Posted by Franchot Tone Fan on September 5, 2016

"I love every stick and stone in this wonderful country." Spurred on by an interesting discussion with Ann on the Finding Franchot Facebook page (thanks, Ann!), I've been researching Franchot's ties to the Gatineau Fish & Game Club in Ottawa for the past few weeks. I have always been intrigued   read more