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Show Looki"g at HOLLYWOOD! FRANCHOT TONE, suave man about town, society's pet sophisticate sophisti-cate this is the way Hollywood first typed Franchot, so this is the way we think of him. "lis true, Franchot Fran-chot would grace anybody's cocktail cock-tail party, make no mistake about that. He has perfect passing manners man-ners is also a good mixer of people plus cocktails. But graceful manners and uncultivated unculti-vated poise are automatic with Franchot. Fran-chot. He wears them as easily as you and I wear that old outfit we've had many years. And, like those old clothes, Franchot is tired of being accepted solely on the basis ba-sis of these sur- mtggt gjgij&Su&' ''MmtmB face impressions. Especially when Franchot Tone these impressions are all the producers seem to remember re-member when casting pictures. Franchot is no different from the rest of us, which means he's really just a plain, real person. Franchot cast aside his bonds of aristocracy (if he ever had them) when he gave up a career as assistant as-sistant to the head of Romance languages lan-guages at Cornell university for a starvation diet of used scripts and black coffee. During lean years that followed his turn to the theater he learned to respect and admire the so-called little man who wasn't afraid to work and starve if necessary neces-sary for what he wanted. He became be-came one of them, in fact. But his struggles didn't begin here. Born into a family of means, the son of the late Frank J. Tone, scientist sci-entist and president of the famous Carborundum company, Franchot was more serious-minded, objective, ' and studious than most children born with a silver spoon you know where, rie sweated ms way tnrougn Cornell in three years. He so impressed im-pressed the faculty that he was appointed ap-pointed to his teaching post in the Romance languages before graduation. gradu-ation. Did It the Hard Way Franchot burned plenty of midnight mid-night oil before he learned to shout, "O, how I loved my alma mater!" His was no snap letters and science curriculum dealing only with study of the drama, physical education and bicep building, though that drama course at Cornell is no cinch. Franchot majored in drama. His course included French and Latin, a half dozen courses dealing with drama, ranging from its history to real, honest-to-goodness play acting, topped oft with a few courses in music. mu-sic. Franchot left Cornell's halls after a year's try at teaching, shook some of the ivy out of his hair, and invaded in-vaded Broadway. He can laugh at it now; he couldn't then. His invasion inva-sion almost came a cropper. But Franchot was determined; he had what it took, and so Broadway succumbed suc-cumbed when he jolted the critics from their well grooved sea4s with his first performance in "Age of In-' In-' nocence," with Katharine Cornell. Prelude to Success Before he won this opportunity he did several years of solid training with the New Playwrights' theater in Greenwich Village, got $15 weekly. week-ly. He did a stint with the Garry McGarry Players in Buffalo, kept busy doing stock work until he got his Broadway call. After the Kit Cornell show Franchot appeared with Sylvia Sydney, Irene Purcell, and Peggy Shannon in "Cross Roads." He joined the Theater guild in 1929 and did a series of shows. Franchot was not only an earnest actor but an idealist in his attitude toward his work. He was an originator origi-nator of the Group theater. With this organization, which still remains re-mains close to his heart, he appeared in "House of Connolly," "Night Over Taos," and "Success Story." Hollywood Next Stop By this time motion pictures were bidding for talented Broadway actors, ac-tors, so he signed with Paramount to play in "The Wiser Six," with Clan-dette Clan-dette Colbert, Lilyan Tashman and William Boyd. From then on Fran-ehot Fran-ehot cast his lot with movies, and proved himself an excellent performer. per-former. A long-term contract with M.G.M. brought Tone to Hollywood, and what followed is a familiar story. Producers Pro-ducers called him "Smoothie." They immediately put him in "smooth" parts, and it's a tribute to Fran-chot's Fran-chot's ability, plus his patience, that he made himself outstanding despite the fact that he worked too often with mediocre material. What Price Youth? Kenny Baker Is no longer a kid, although he still looks like one. He's married and has two children, bul when he bought a ranch out here the owner insisted on getting an affidavit affi-davit from Kenny's father that he was over 21 and would be able tc pay for it. Kenny's just about tc close for a mighty good screen part . . . Sonja Henie insists she wants tc do a straight dramatic part If out little skater's set her mind on it he'll do it! |