Rediscovering Kay Francis

I love TCM. Yes, there are times TCM overdoses us with certain movies (Did The Legend of Lylah Clare really need to air 3 times over the summer?). However, it is the only place to see the somewhat forgotten stars of the early years of film. I must admit I am so happy that I have been able to rediscover Kay Francis thanks to TCM.

As most of you know, Bette Davis is my favorite actress. Davis was once dubbed "The Fifth Warner Brother" because the movies during her prime made the studio LOTS of money. Bette was considered "Queen" of the lot from 1938 - 1944. However, before Bette, many forget that Kay Francis was the top female star at Warner Brothers. As I've watched her films from the early to mid 1930's, it is easy to see why Francis was a HUGE star in that era. First of all, Kay had class regardless of the role she played. She carried herself with grace and confidence. Francis was the person you focused upon during a scene in her films. In addition, she could act without speaking. Those big, dark eyes of hers were so expressive. She could tell you with one look what her character was feeling or thinking.

Yes, much has been made of the fact that Francis did a have a slight lisp. Too much dialogue with the letter "R" could make her sound a bit foolish. However, she had a great voice and wonderful intonation. I find it easy to get past her lisp since she had such a beautiful command of the English language. I dare you to watch One Way Passage, Mary Stevens MD or Confession and not fall in love with Kay Francis. She plays a tragic woman in each --  very different types of tragedy. But, in each case, we empathize with Francis' character and wish for a better outcome. Kay was not limited to playing a tragic heroine. Her filmography includes drama as well as comedy. However, I must admit I believe she was at her best in melodramas because her presence elevated these movies.

One of the movies that I discovered for the first time earlier this year starring Kay Francis was 1933's The Keyhole directed by Michael Curtiz. In it, Kay plays Anne Brooks, the wife of an older, very rich and socially prominent man. Anne was a dancer in her youth and married to her partner Maurice. Maurice, as you can probably guess, is not a nice man. In fact, he is still her husband because he never filed the final divorce papers. Anne is outraged and scared -- after all, she's a bigamist. Maurice will go away -- for a price. Luckily, Anne has an understanding sister-in-law whom she confides in. Her sister-in-law Portia has a plan to rid Anne of Maurice. She tells Anne to book passage using her maiden name on a ship to Cuba. Then, Portia will use her money and influence to see Maurice is detained there or sent back to his native country in Europe. That will allow Anne to get her divorce from Maurice and prevent any scandal. Unfortunately, Anne's husband is very suspicious of her activities and hires a private eye to follow her. This P.I. Neil Harris (George Brent) specializes in cases involving unfaithful spouses. He is given the go ahead by Anne's husband to not only follow her but, if the opportunity presents itself, to trap Anne in a seduction. While this plot is quite contrived, it does play out well. George Brent is very good as the P.I. who falls in love with Anne while investigating her actions. In addition, it was well directed by Curtiz -- the pacing is excellent. However, it is Kay Francis' abililty to draw us into this story and make us suspend our disbelief. Her portrayal of the honest but troubled Anne is tender and subtle.

So why did Kay Francis get dethroned as the "Queen" of Warner Brothers? There are several theories. One is that Francis was content to receive her big pay check without watching the types of films she was doing. Eventually, these lesser films hurt her box office appeal. However, I think it is more likely that Jack Warner hastened Francis's downfall. Kay Francis was drawing a HUGE salary at Warner Brothers. Each time she had a hit, it only further solidified her standing/status. Many film historians think Jack Warner started intentionally giving Francis lesser vehicles to diminish her status. That way, when her contract ended, she would not be worth the enormous salary he was paying her. In addition, my girl Bette was an up and comer. Davis was complaining about not getting better roles and by 1935 had shown she had star quality. What Jack Warner liked even better was that Bette Davis' salary was much lower than Kay Francis' salary. Therefore, the choice to Jack Warner was obvious -- Francis would get subpar roles and finish out her contract and Davis would be given better parts. I wonder if Jack Warner ever realized the karma that would come around? After all, Bette fought Jack harder than any other star at Warner Brothers for over a decade.

Regardless of what happened, there is still the fact that from 1932 - 1937 she was the top female star at Warner Brothers. Kay Francis earned that distinction by making theater goers invest in her characters. Her stylish way of carrying herself and her ability not to overplay scenes made Kay Francis one of the talking era's first big female stars.