The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1944-08-31

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face Impressions
Especially when Franchot Tone
these impressions
are all the producers seem to re-
member when casting pictures.
Franchot is no different from the
rest of us, which means he's really
just plain, real person.
Franchot cast aside his bonds of
aristocracy (if he ever had them)
when he gave up a career as as
sistant to the head of Romance Ian
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 neces-
sary for what he wanted. He be-
came one of them, in fact. But his
struggles didn't begin here.
Born into family of means, the
son of the late Frank J. Tone, sci
enlist and president of the famous
Carborundum company, Franchot
was more serious-minded, objective,
and studious than most children
born with silver spoon you know
where. He sweated his way through
Cornell in three years. He so inn
pressed the faculty that he was ap-
pointed to his teaching post in the
Romance languages before gradu-
alton
Did Ii the Hard Way
F'ranchot burned plenty of mid
night oil before he learned to shout,
80, how 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,
half dozen courses dealing with
drama, ranging from it's history to
real. honest-to-goodness play acting,
topped off with few courses in mu-
sic.
Franchot left Cornells halls after
a years try at teaching, shook some
of the ivy out of his hair, and in
vaded Broadway. He can laugh at
it now; he couldn't then. His inva-
sion almost came a cropper. But
Franchot was determined; he had
what it took, and so Broadway sue
cunbed when he jolted the critics
from their well grooved seats with
his first performance in cage of 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 SIS 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 series of shows.
Franchot was not only an earnest
actor but an idealist in his attitude
toward his work. He was an origi-
nator of the Group theater. With
this organization, which still re-
mains close to his heart, he appeared
in House of Connolly" might Over
Taos" and Success Story"
Hollywood Next Stop
BY this time motion pictures were
bidding for talented Broadway ac-
tors, so he signed with Paramount to
play in ''The Wiser Six" with CIau-
dette Colbert, Lilyan Eastman and
William Boyd. From then on Fran
chot cast his lot with movies, and
proved himself an excellent per-
former.
A long-tern contract with M.G.M.
brought Tone to Hollywood, and what
followed is a familiar story. Pro-
ducers called him "Smoothie. . They
Immediately put him in smooth
parts, and it's tribute to Fran
chot's ability, plus his patience, that
he made himself outstanding despite
the fact that he worked too often
with mediocre material.