Tuesday, August 6

Briefly, Robert Francis

His story is one of those starry-eyed Hollywood tales.  Now it's a period piece from the early 1950s. A handsome gay man in his early 20s, a dreamboat really, wants to make it in Hollywood.  That comment could be taken a couple of ways, so go ahead.  Do that.  They both apply.  He was discovered tanning on a Santa Monica beach.  A talent scout thought he had the makings of a viable commodity.  After the young stud got all worked up thinking of the fame and the easy money, he decided he wanted to be a star. 












Robert Francis knew he had other things going for him.  He knew he was handsome, fit, had a sensuous, romantic voice that should be used somehow to its best advantage and he was obsessed with sex.  What if he could pull all that together somehow and become a big movie star?  Sex had been used before to advance a Hollywood career and it would again long after Francis would be forgotten.

He was born in 1930 in Glendale, California, to a pharmacist family.  He was the youngest (by 10 years) of three children.  He was a good student and an avid skier.  Throughout most of his teenage years he had aspirations to join the U.S. Olympic team.  He was active sexually with both sexes by the time he hit his early teens and by the time he reached his 20s, he would describe himself as sexually insatiable.  He would also decide he had a preference for men.

Around this same time he discovered a love of flying.  Once he discovered acting it became a part of the trio of things that spurred him on.  He saw sex as a way to promote his acting career and his acting career would enable him to buy his own plane.

After his discovery on that Santa Monica beach, he took some acting classes but they were interrupted by a two-year hitch in the service.  Shortly after his discharge he became more involved in acting classes.  The husband of the acting coach worked at Columbia Pictures.  He thought the handsome Francis would be someone studio chieftain Harry Cohn might be interested in and he was right.  Cohn needed a hot male property.  Kim Novak was taking care of the distaff side.  Francis had always been quiet and respectful, two traits that would appeal to the dictatorial Cohn, who admired obedience.

It is unknown how Francis came to the attention of Howard Hughes.  The most likely scenario was that Hughes scoped him out.  The eccentric billionaire had spies everywhere and made it his business to know everything that was going on in Hollywood.  Much has been made over the years of Hughes' fascination and pursuit of actresses, some of whom were already big stars and many of whom were would-be starlets.  Many of the latter were stashed away in apartments, adrift from their families, and under Hughes' complete control while awaiting their big break.

What is not as well publicized, of course, is Hughes' homosexuality.  A number of his trysts involved some of the movie capital's biggest gay or bi stars and again, like with the women, some of the up-and-coming males as well.  It was well-known in some quarters that Hughes and Francis often went flying together, probably with Francis at the controls of Hughes' planes.  They often flew to Catalina Island and back, although the back didn't occur until several days later.  Most of their time together occurred while Francis was taking his acting classes.  He didn't always attend every day and Hughes took up a lot of his time.  That diminished some when Harry Cohn offered Francis a contract with his studio but their relationship did not end.


With MacMurray & Bogart in "The Caine Mutiny"













Young Mister Francis would only make four films in his career and the first was the best, The Caine Mutiny.  The stellar cast included Humphrey Bogart, Van Johnson, Fred MacMurray and Jose Ferrer.  Pretty impressive credentials for the eager Francis and he soaked it  up.  He excelled in playing Ensign Willie Keith, who along with Johnson's character, stands trial for mutiny against a captain who they believe has gone insane. 

On the ship and in the courtroom are Francis' best scenes, providing a glimpse into what would surely have been a meteoric career.  But a subplot put him opposite May Wynn, a young starlet two years Francis' senior, as his love interest.  If this storyline detracted from the main theme, it was not much noticed by the young filmgoers who found him particularly irresistible.  Ah, it was just what Harry Cohn had in mind.


With May Wynn


















Prior to the film's release, Francis and Wynn were sent out on press junkets.  Whether real or imagined, soon reporters were chatting up a hot romance and before long, there was talk of an engagement.  I am guessing this was studio-arranged, a way to showcase two of their young contract stars and perhaps hide his homosexuality.  The countless movie magazines I read breathlessly detailed the couple's every move.

So must have some others because Robert Francis was voted one of the promising newcomers of 1954.  The clackety-clack even captured the attention of Life Magazine that was doing a piece on Hollywood hunks.  A rather famous shot had Rock Hudson, Tony Curtis and Robert Wagner hanging on a ladder and a second photo encouraged Francis, Tab Hunter, Cameron Mitchell and John Ericson to run up stairs.

















Francis' next two films were B efforts, for sure, but he was the star of both.  That's how it was usually done in those long-ago days of studios and their roster of stars.  The new kids had lesser roles in important productions and may get starring roles in lesser films.  Such was They Rode West, an oater about a cavalry post doctor who is a friend of the Indians and a sore spot with his fellow soldiers.  Tall and imposing Phil Carey was his nemeses and recent Oscar winner Donna Reed and May Wynn (yes, yes, May Wynn) were the two women who loved him.  It was a western, so of course I quite liked it but it really wasn't any great shakes.

Nor was The Bamboo Prison, which came next and is easily his most forgettable film.  I hadn't realized until I was assembling this piece that Francis was in the military in all four of his films.  Here he is a Korean War POW who has turned informant.  I saw it at the time but hadn't realized how much anti-communist propaganda it contained until I saw it again a year or so ago.  Dreary stuff.

By this point Francis no doubt picked up the clue that one does not air one's gay laundry indiscriminately so like all good gay boys of the 1950s, Francis kept a close (or is that closed?) check on his sexuality.  But one can only wonder what happened when he met equally handsome, equally insatiable Tyrone Power on the set of his next film, John Ford's wonderful The Long Gray Line.  Power played real-life Marty Maher, an Irishman who spent 50 years at West Point and living on the grounds as a non-commissioned officer.  Francis played the son of friends of the Maher family.  Despite the fact that he is only in the final quarter of the film, he was third-billed (after Power and Maureen O'Hara) which shows the hopes that Columbia had for the young actor.

















Almost six months after the release of The Long Gray Line, Robert Francis was dead at age 25.  He was killed on July 31, 1955, when the small plane he was piloting lost power shortly after takeoff in Burbank.  In an effort to avoid a crowd at a cemetery, he crashed into a parking lot.  The plane burst into flames and he and two passengers were instantly killed.  He apparently did not possess a pilot's certificate or rating and pilot error was determined to be the reason for the crash.  Eyewitnesses apparently reported that he had a poor takeoff.

I remember the day he died.  I was only 10 but had, of course, seen his four films and had been looking forward to him co-starring with James Cagney in Tribute to a Bad Man, which was about to start filming.  But what I remember the most about his passing was that he was the first person whose death affected me.  (Two months later I would feel even more sadness over Jimmy Dean's death).  I had never known anyone in my own life who had died.  I felt a genuine sadness.  We only enjoyed him briefly.  I have never forgotten him.










Next posting:
Review of Blue Jasmine

25 comments:

  1. Very informative and well-written piece. Thank you!!

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  2. In 1955 I was living in L.A. and remember the plane crash that killed Robert Francis as well as the deaths of James Dean and Suzan Ball. I used to be a Bus Boy at the Roosevelt Hotel. Very well written and much more informative.

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  3. Thank you for writing. Am so glad you enjoyed. And mmmmm, you gave me an idea... Suzan Ball. I remember her death quite well, too.

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    1. Hello, my name is carlo and tried just a few seconds ago to send a few words on Bob Francis, but I did not receive any answer. Perhaps I did something wrong with my p.c. orr maybe You just did not like it. Anyway if there is any chance for an italian who lived his long life in the myth of American movies, well here I am.Thanks for Your attention.All the best. Carlo

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  4. When The Caine Mutiny was shown in Italy in 1954, I was seventeen and both May and Robert became my favorite team, among the very many of those days:Terry Moore and Robert Wagner, Tab Hunter and Mona Freeman and so many others.I,ve been gladly surprised to see that somebody still remembers Bob and, frankly, glad of his sexual preferences (but this is my personal opinion). Why don't You write a book on him ?
    Thanks anyway. Carlo

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    1. You are surprised I remember Francis and I am surprised you do! But it's fun that we both do. Hearing from you is also great fun. Sounds like we were taken with some of the same people. I had a neighbor in the 50s who was a dresser at Columbia and told me things about Francis (and others). When I do my Suzan Ball posting, I will dedicate to you!

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    2. Thank You very much for Your kind reply. I believe that I happened to stumble in what I have been looking for since I don't know when. It will be nice to talk about films, stars and ,why not, about ourselves if and when we feel like. Just a question: can You read Italian? Okay, that's all for now. All the best. Carlo.

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  5. No, Carlo, I do not read or speak Italian. Wish I did. We'll have to get by on your English which seems pretty good to me.

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  6. I remember Robert Francis like most people because of Caine Mutiny.. his early death was such a tragedy ... but his heroism in avoiding the crowd in the cemetery should not be forgotten.

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  7. So interesting about Robert Francis. We just watched The Caine Mutiny, and he definitely held his own with the stellar cast that included Humphrey Bogart. Since he was one of the top billers, we were wondering what happened to him. Now, we know. I am sure if he had continued acting, he would have been a major star. Thank you for writing about him and clearing up the mystery for us. The Rheas

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    1. Thanks Rheas for writing. Glad you enjoyed the piece on him. I love clearing up mysteries. To my utter surprise, it is one of my most read articles.

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  8. Movie reviewer? What was your take on the compassion exhibited by lawyer Ferrer for Capt. Queeg. The Capt was clearly unstable and lacking leadership skills. Why did the plot attempt to convince viewers otherwise.

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  9. You raise good points, ones that have been bandied about for years. Ferrer did display compassion, although he gets drunk because he says he has a guilty conscience over the wrong man being on trial. Queeg was indeed unstable and exhibited poor leadership but the entire ruckus was the sneaky handiwork of MacMurray's character whom Ferrer found far more treacherous than the captain. MacMurray was out to sabotage the captain and he cleverly maneuvered others to do his bidding. Ferrer was the only one to see through it all.

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  10. My name is Michael Dosch and I was 5 yrs old when the crash occurred. On board with Francis was a beautiful 24 yr old actress hopeful named Audrey....she left 3 children behind. I was one of them. Very tragic indeed.

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  11. Oh Michael, how sad. Please allow me to thank you so very much for writing.

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  12. Michael, I cannot imagine how losing my beloved mama at such a young age would be. I felt sadness to read your post. As to Robert Francis, I can only imagine Robert Osborne regaling the roles and acting prowess of this ingenue had he not met such a tragic end. Thank you Movie Man for your excellent post and insight on a lost treasure to Hollywood, one young Mr. Robert Francis.

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  13. Michael....thank you about the short fantastic fun filled like of robert francis....after reviewing his 4 picutres, it displayed his talent....i hope in his afterlife because of h I s heroism, he can be a star at peace....sincerely....jason epelley-lamkin

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  14. Robert frances is a hero.he avoided before crashing his planew the crouds below.he thought he could land the plane.but for not. Never forget him.

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    1. I was 9 years old when this crash happened in 1955. I lived in Burbank at that time and my dad took me to see the crash that evening. I can still recall the wreckage in the parking lot. That small employee parking lot was just past the south end of runway 15, the runway used in this takeoff. It is just across Empire Ave. The aircraft never made it across the railroad tracks between Van Owen and Empire and never flew over Valhalla Cemetery which is south of Van Owen Ave. His piloting the aircraft to avoid a crowd of people is a myth.

      I am a pilot and have flown out of Burbank airport since 1964. If Robert Francis was not a certificated pilot he had no business flying anything much less a high performance aircraft like a Bonanza.

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  15. I was 13 when I saw The Caine Mutiny in Denver, Colorado. It's an understatement to say that I fell madly in love with Robert Francis. I was thrilled when my family moved to California a year later. After all, I was then closer to HIM. The morning after the fatal crash, my mom awakened me to give me the sad news before I saw the photo in the newspaper. She knew that this little girl would be very upset. She was right.
    At this point in my life, I can't say that I'm shocked or disappointed by his sexuality. However, I have to wonder where you get the information. Nowhere do you give credible sources for such things as the alleged affair with Hughes. Perhaps you have proof of the relationship between the two men but it's not evident. So I will take all that you write with justified cynicism.

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  16. He appears in a couple of the more informed Hughes bios and in several gay Hollywood tomes. I suspect it's not well-known because he's not well-known.

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  17. A forgotten anecdote: Upon hearing of Robert Francis's death, James Dean apparently was overheard making a casual remark: "I'll be next".

    Whether true or not, there is this eerie fact to consider: the scene in THE LONG GRAY LINE where standing in a cemetery, Ty Power says to Robert Francis "why do want to throw your career down the gutter"?

    Also some mystery: why was he piloting a plane when he had no flying experience or pilot's license, especially with two other individuals in the plane who did?

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  18. I just came across something interesting. Prior to the take off, the Hollywood Agent who was on board went inside the terminal to make a phone call, Francis let the aircraft's engine run during this 15 minute interlude. An expert witness said this may have been a contributing factor to the engine failure shortly after take off. Now here's the onion...FRancis was not piloting the plane according to a witness. Anne was. Francis and the agent were in the back seat while the co- pilot seat up front was empty and Anne was at the controls. This seems very odd on the face of it. However, it does not take a lot of imagination to come up with a possible explanation.

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  19. Well, that is interesting, to say the least. I suspect our imaginations are similar. What a way to go.

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