Kay Francis was the highest paid actress in Hollywood in 1937-38. By then, Kay had roosted as Queen of Warners for five years. In 1937, Kay and Errol Flynn were the only two Warner stars who figured into the survey of Hollywood’s top box-office attractions. Later that year, Kay took Warners to court when they reneged on a promise to give her the lead in Tovarich. To have their highest paid star Kay Francis protest was just too much for Jack and Harry Warner. The brothers fought back with a vengeance. The Hollywood Community watched in shock as Kay’s career took a sudden nose-dive and she became labeled box-office poison. Out the ashes of Kay’s departure rose Bette Davis who took over roles purchased for Kay in Dark Victory, The Sisters, and the only role Warners had purchased for Kay at her request, Empress Carlotta, in Juarez. The acquisition of Francis "turf" helped redefine Davis' career. Davis also had her hungry eye on Kay’s two-story cottage-style dressing room, which she immediately acquired after Kay moved to one room in the Featured Players Building. Kay told reporters at the time that she "couldn’t wait to be forgotten," and left behind a legacy as the Glamorous Martyr of Warner Brothers.

As biographer of the book Kay Francis - I Can’t Wait to be Forgotten I had the challenge to delve into the story of an essentially very private person. I had been intrigued by her charismatic screen presence in the early 70’s after seeing her in Trouble in Paradise (1932) and Confession (1937). Biographer George Eells’ 1976 screen legends book Ginger, Loretta and Irene Who? detailed rather tragic fare in telling Kay’s story. Had she really died a bitter recluse after her battle with Warners? Nothing could have been further from the truth. What I discovered was a very likeable, liberated, philosophical, and generous human being.

Kay Francis was born January 13, 1905 in Oklahoma City. By the time Kay was four, her father, Joseph Sprague Gibbs was out of the picture. Kay’s mother, actress Katharine Clinton Franks, resumed her career on stage. Kay was educated in Catholic schools when it was affordable. Theatre trouping was typically a rugged experience. At sixteen, Kay quit high school at her mother's behest and took a six month course at a secretarial school. It wasn’t long before Kay found herself head-over-heels and married to a wealthy playboy, James Dwight Francis (December, 1922). The seventeen-year-old bride wasn’t ready for the realities of a philandering husband, or the confines of the conservative, stifling environment in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. She filed a Paris divorce in 1925. By that time, Kay had delved into the world of 1920’s Flaming Youth -- opted for a mannish "bobbed" hair-do and frequented the popular New York speakeasies. She also decided to follow her mother’s footsteps and become an actress. By 1928, Kay had made the kind of impression in Elmer the Great (co-starring Walter Huston) that warranted a Paramount screen test and a role in 1929’s Gentlemen of the Press. Photoplay magazine called Kay’s performance "one of the most astonishing first performances in the history of motion pictures." Kay packed her bags and headed to Hollywood.

Paramount really didn’t know what to do with Kay. From 1929-32, she appeared in 18 films, billed anywhere from second to seventh, and visible on screen for an average of 12 minutes. On loan-out for Notorious Affair (1930), Warner Brothers took note of her assets and offered her a lucrative contract. Kay accepted and finally got the star treatment she deserved. Her stock sky-rocketed in popular features such as One Way Passage, House on 56th Street, Mandalay, and I Found Stella Parish. Fans flocked to see the grace, sophistication and elegance that Kay brought to what were essentially tear-jerkers targeted for female audiences. The box-office disappointment The White Angel (1936) (Florence Nightingale’s story) curtailed Kay's ambitions for meatier assignments. Of course, there was no meat to be had in the hackneyed story. Before shooting, Kay’s diary noted, "Read my new script. Dear God!" Her performance was hampered by British advisors and censors on the set who made sure she paid reverent "homage" to England’s icon.

Jack Warner decided it would only be "fashion and tears" for Kay from then on out. One must admit she embraced such roles most effectively. Her profound presence was well suited for such mother-love dramas as Give Me Your Heart (1936) and Confession (1937). In 1936 Kay was voted Best Dressed Woman in America by New York’s Fashion Academy. She couldn't have cared less. Kay went along willingly with her Warner assignments until she protested the loss of her role in Tovarich (1937) which she had envisioned to be in the same league with her shimmering performance in Ernst Lubitsch's 1932 sparkling comedy Trouble in Paradise.

So, what became of Kay Francis? She redefined herself. Considered one of Hollywood’s most intelligent women, Kay had enough savvy to see what was ahead for herself and for a world in turmoil. She made a smashing comeback in In Name Only (1939) playing Cary Grant’s vicious wife. Critics concurred that Kay stole the picture. However, Kay wasn’t focused on "coming back" and had completely redefined her raison d’être. In the fall of 1939 she started classes with the Red Cross and by 1941 was heavily involved in war relief efforts. In 1942 Kay, along with Martha Raye, Carole Landis and Mitzi Mayfair were the first to entertain in combat zones. It was Kay that convinced General Eisenhower to allow them to go to the front in Algiers. She continued to sandwich in film assignments until 1946 and co-produced three films at Monogram Studios. But, Kay had never felt at home with the pretension and "swank" of the Hollywood social scene. In the fall of 1946, Kay gratefully accepted the lead in Broadway’s Pulitzer Prize winning play State of the Union. The following year she was again voted "best dressed" by New York’s Fashion Academy. As past chairman of the Naval Aid Auxiliary Hospital Visiting Committee, Kay’s only comment was, "When you see fine young men lying on hospital beds with their legs missing, how can you make yourself believe wardrobe is important?" She continued happily tackling a variety of stage roles through 1954. Her last assignment was in Somerset Maugham's Theatre (which Annette Benning would turn into an Oscar-nominated performance in 2003's Being Julia). Playing Julia Lambert was the perfect swansong for Kay's stage career. Critics raved: "Miss Francis, every inch an actress, has here a part she can get her teeth into, and she makes the most of it from beginning to end. Playgoers are given a chance not only to see one of the outstanding figures of the entertainment world... but to watch a polished dramatic performance take shape in her skillful hands."

Kay retired a millionaire. She traveled, enjoyed summers on Cape Cod and relished her time with her friends Jetti and Lou Ames and their two boys who were Kay’s godsons. It’s true that Kay carried a deep hurt from her treatment at Warners. Jetti told me that Kay referred to it as "her great struggle." However, Kay was a person who believed in living in the moment. And, in the moment is where she made her home. To understand Kay Francis, one must understand her philosophy:

"It’s always been a little theory of mine that tomorrow can take care of itself... Just the present day counted... Just the moment, really... It’s the small things in everyday life that count the most." Kay Francis

Kay left her million dollar estate for the training of guide dogs at The Seeing Eye of Morristown, New Jersey. Her legacy continues into the millennium enabling the blind to lead more independent lives. Kay died of cancer, August 26, 1968 while residing in her New York apartment.

(After four unsuccessful marriages, Kay gave up on being domestic after her final divorce in 1934, calling herself "Lousy wife -- Happy Lover." She had long-term affairs with Maurice Chevalier, screenwriter Delmar Daves, and directors Fritz Lang and Otto Preminger. Her diaries from 1922-53 "sizzle" with comments about her love-life, which I have peppered throughout while telling her story. For a book preview go to www.kayfrancisbiography.com).

written by Scott O'Brien,
author of Kay Francis - I Can't Wait to be Forgotten

Visit Scott's website.

 

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