Charles Tranberg Q & A on Fredric March

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Well, one thing I know for sure is that AM attended Soldan for the 1914-1915 academic year, which should have been her freshman year of high school, since she is present in the year book. She may not have been there for her sophomore year since she is not present in the 1916 year book. Soldan used to claim her as one of their students, according to the father of one of our members here, who had attended Soldan himself many years later and had heard about it at school. But she could easily have attended more than one high school. If she graduated Central in 1918 there should be some trace of her in that yearbook -- I should have my copy within a couple of weeks.

To bring the subject around to Fredric March :) as you might imagine one of my favorites of his films is Tomorrow, the World due to one of his co-stars. :wink: I've always liked that film, and now that I've learned here of Mr. March's work in the Hollywood Anti-Nazi League, I imagine this film may have had personal significance for him, as his character brings to his American home during WWII the orphaned son of his sister and her german husband, who turns out to be a young Nazi himself. Did Mr. March express any personal feelings about this film, whether in interviews or perhaps in letters? Thank you.[/quote]

I agree she could certainly have attended more than one high school. Hopefully the mystery will be solved soon. Tomorrow the World he wanted very much to make the film ever since he had seen it on Broadway. He made relatively few films during the war years. He did I Married a Witch in early 1942 while waiting to begin "The Skin of Our Teeth" & the film about Mark Twain had actually been filmed in 1941-1942 but held back until 1944. He had many offers and like many of the top stars he was offered the chance to make war films, and he certainly would have done A Bell for Adano which he played on Broadway if he could have, but he wanted his war film to say something--not simply about killing the germans and japs. This story set on the home front was right up his ally. Here is what March once said about the film: "This picture has something of supreme importance to every American in fact to everyone in the world. The problem not what to do with the adult German people, but what to do about 12,000,000 young Nazi-trained youngsters who have been shaped in hate, bitterness and a fanatical love for Hitler. The play and the picture offer one solution; whether it is the right one I do not profess to know but at least it brings the problem to the public." That pretty much sums up his feelings about the message of the picture. As far as his own role in the film he later said, "My part isn't outstanding--the film really belongs to the boy--but I wanted to be in it for what it had to say."
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[color=#0040FF][b][url=http://www.bearmanormedia.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=682]Charles Tranberg's Latest Book: FREDRIC MARCH: A CONSUMMATE ACTOR[/url][/b][/color]

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Re: Welcome to Charles Tranberg, Guest Author on 11/23 & 11/24

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mongoII wrote:Charles, welcome to the Silver Screen Oasis. It's nice having you visit us today.
No doubt that Fredric March is a wonderful actor who has starred in many of my favorite films, especially "The Best Years of Our Lives.
In a long marriage to a unique woman Florence Eldridge, did he actually fool around on her?
Is it true that Veronica Lake didn't get along with him on the set of "I Married a Witch?"
Did he have a favorite film role?
Thank you very much.
Joe aka Mongo
Hello Joe!
The evidence is that he may have engaged in some hanky panky on the side, but there never was a significant 'other' woman in his life. Veronica Lake and Fredric March disliked each other very much. He thought she was a bit of a ding bat who kept people on the set waiting until she was good and ready to show up and she thought he was an old ham who liked to play around with young women. During one take in I Married a Witch when she is sitting down and he is standing over her, she drilled her foot into his crotch--but pro that he was he continued on with the scene but gave her quite a tongue lashing when it was over. Still, when you see the film they act together beautifully--and that is all that counts. At various times he mentioned LAUGHTER, THE ROYAL FAMILY OF BROADWAY, DR JEKYLL & MR HYDE, A STAR IS BORN & BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES as among his favorite films. He never, to my knowledge, named one film in particular.
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Re: Welcome to Charles Tranberg, Guest Author on 11/23 & 11/24

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Thanks very much for your in-depth responses to my questions. I hope that people seek out your book for the full account of the Tallulah Bankhead "experience" that the Marches endured during the stage production of ‎The Skin of Our Teeth. It was a doozy and made me laugh out loud.

Could you please suggest 5 Fredric March films that are essential for someone new to his work? (If more than 5, swell!)

In regard to Robert Taylor, whose biography you also wrote, you described him as a much more intelligent and educated individual than he ever appeared to be in his MGM films. In the book, you quote Louis B. Mayer's secretary, Ivy Mooring, as saying that the relationship between the mogul and the actor was a bit like "father and son," but that Taylor "was a little afraid of Mayer. He never wanted to displease him and so he didn't turn down things that he thought were rubbish."

Image

Could you please talk a bit about Louis B. Mayer's influential effect on Taylor and his advice to the young actor after his first big interview?

Thanks!
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Re: Welcome to Charles Tranberg, Guest Author on 11/23 & 11/24

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Professional Tourist wrote:To bring the subject around to Fredric March :) as you might imagine one of my favorites of his films is Tomorrow, the World due to one of his co-stars. :wink: I've always liked that film, and now that I've learned here of Mr. March's work in the Hollywood Anti-Nazi League, I imagine this film may have had personal significance for him, as his character brings to his American home during WWII the orphaned son of his sister and her german husband, who turns out to be a young Nazi himself. Did Mr. March express any personal feelings about this film, whether in interviews or perhaps in letters? Thank you.
charlestranberg wrote:I agree she could certainly have attended more than one high school. Hopefully the mystery will be solved soon. Tomorrow the World he wanted very much to make the film ever since he had seen it on Broadway. He made relatively few films during the war years. He did I Married a Witch in early 1942 while waiting to begin "The Skin of Our Teeth" & the film about Mark Twain had actually been filmed in 1941-1942 but held back until 1944. He had many offers and like many of the top stars he was offered the chance to make war films, and he certainly would have done A Bell for Adano which he played on Broadway if he could have, but he wanted his war film to say something--not simply about killing the germans and japs. This story set on the home front was right up his ally. Here is what March once said about the film: "This picture has something of supreme importance to every American in fact to everyone in the world. The problem not what to do with the adult German people, but what to do about 12,000,000 young Nazi-trained youngsters who have been shaped in hate, bitterness and a fanatical love for Hitler. The play and the picture offer one solution; whether it is the right one I do not profess to know but at least it brings the problem to the public." That pretty much sums up his feelings about the message of the picture. As far as his own role in the film he later said, "My part isn't outstanding--the film really belongs to the boy--but I wanted to be in it for what it had to say."
Thank you for that statement from Mr. March regarding Tomorrow, the World. I don't agree with him that his part "isn't outstanding" -- he was being modest. :) Although the young Emil is a central character, so is March's Mike Frame. Mike's decisions on how to handle Emil's indoctrination and the consequences of the boy's extreme behaviors are what shape the story.

For those who may be interested, some of Fredric March's films are now in public domain and available to watch for free. I've found a couple of them at the Internet Archive:

Nothing Sacred
A Star is Born

The Archive also has some radio renditions of March's films, where he recreated his original roles, such as One Foot In Heaven for Lux Radio Theater, broacast 20 April 1942, and The Best Years of Our Lives for Screen Guild Theater, broadcast 24 November 1947. :D
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Re: Welcome to Charles Tranberg, Guest Author on 11/23 & 11/24

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PT, if interested, in addition to the material on the Internet Archive, there are also several Fredric March movies, some quite rare, posted in full on the link below, including, among others, Sarah and Son, Merrily We Go To Hell, Design for Living, Mary of Scotland, I Married a Witch, Death of a Salesman and The Condemned of Altona:

The Fredric March Playlist on youtube
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Re: Welcome to Charles Tranberg, Guest Author on 11/23 & 11/24

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Mr. Tranberg,

The three actors you have written about are all from the midwest - Robert Taylor from Nebraska, Fred MacMurray from Illinois, and Fredric March from Wisconsin. All have a pretty down to earth persona, though March is able to put on a little more flamboyant style. Is this something you've done purposely? I'm trying to guess which state the next Tranberg biography will represent! :D Any plans for another biography, midwestern background or not?

March had a fairly happy childhood it sounds like, and was on the fast track to become a big businessman or banker. Was he affected by the war, or was the bout of appendicitis a factor in his suddenly deciding to become an actor? Was there anyone involved in this decision, a newfound friend or a chance meeting with someone? Did the civic-minded March have a wild streak somewhere deep inside that wanted something other than to settle down to a business career? He really portrayed the benefits and the dilemmas of banking so perfectly in The Best Years of Our Lives. I wonder if this role was a little bit of his ghost self, the person he would have become, coming to the fore? It's a performance that resounds today, feels modern, deals with real life problems that we are still grappling with.

How did March get on with John Ford during the filming of Mary of Scotland?

Did he and Myrna Loy spend time on any of the same organizations or socialize much since they both were politically minded?

Can you tell me a little about how March and Eldridge came to adopt their children? Was not bearing children of their own a source of any sorrow for either of them?

Thank you so much for spending your weekend with us!
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Re: Welcome to Charles Tranberg, Guest Author on 11/23 & 11/24

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moirafinnie wrote:Thanks very much for your in-depth responses to my questions. I hope that people seek out your book for the full account of the Tallulah Bankhead "experience" that the Marches endured during the stage production of ‎The Skin of Our Teeth. It was a doozy and made me laugh out loud.

Could you please suggest 5 Fredric March films that are essential for someone new to his work? (If more than 5, swell!)

In regard to Robert Taylor, whose biography you also wrote, you described him as a much more intelligent and educated individual than he ever appeared to be in his MGM films. In the book, you quote Louis B. Mayer's secretary, Ivy Mooring, as saying that the relationship between the mogul and the actor was a bit like "father and son," but that Taylor "was a little afraid of Mayer. He never wanted to displease him and so he didn't turn down things that he thought were rubbish."

Image

Could you please talk a bit about Louis B. Mayer's influential effect on Taylor and his advice to the young actor after his first big interview?

Thanks!
Thank you for you great question! Five films that people should seek out if they are new to Fredric March's work. 1) Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde--his star making film. 2) A Star is Born--what I consider his greatest performance 3) Nothing Sacred or Design for Living for comedy 4) The Best Years of Our Lives--just a terric film and performance. 5) Seven Days in May for a great latter day performance.
Ivy Mooring was actually Taylor's secretary & of course Mayer wanted his name changed from Spangler Arlington Brugh to something with more marquee value. But yes, Taylor did look up to him as a father figure. He loomed high over MGM and he made quite an impact on the young Taylor. I think Taylor knew he had to play ball and follow the orders and pledge allegiance to Mayer if he were to get ahead. He (Taylor) usually thought that the studio knew what was best for him, and even if the film wasn't what he wanted to do--he thought that the studio knew best how to market him and how best to present him to the public, so he really never disobeyed, which is one of the things that Mayer liked about him along
him and was why he was loyal to him. He called him 'son' and he knew that basically Taylor was a good kid from teh midwest who looked out for his mom and upheld motherhood, apple pie and the American way which is exactly wanted from his contract players. They also shared a conservative politics.
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[color=#0040FF][b][url=http://www.bearmanormedia.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=682]Charles Tranberg's Latest Book: FREDRIC MARCH: A CONSUMMATE ACTOR[/url][/b][/color]

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Re: Welcome to Charles Tranberg, Guest Author on 11/23 & 11/24

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JackFavell wrote:Mr. Tranberg,

The three actors you have written about are all from the midwest - Robert Taylor from Nebraska, Fred MacMurray from Illinois, and Fredric March from Wisconsin. All have a pretty down to earth persona, though March is able to put on a little more flamboyant style. Is this something you've done purposely? I'm trying to guess which state the next Tranberg biography will represent! :D Any plans for another biography, midwestern background or not?

March had a fairly happy childhood it sounds like, and was on the fast track to become a big businessman or banker. Was he affected by the war, or was the bout of appendicitis a factor in his suddenly deciding to become an actor? Was there anyone involved in this decision, a newfound friend or a chance meeting with someone? Did the civic-minded March have a wild streak somewhere deep inside that wanted something other than to settle down to a business career? He really portrayed the benefits and the dilemmas of banking so perfectly in The Best Years of Our Lives. I wonder if this role was a little bit of his ghost self, the person he would have become, coming to the fore? It's a performance that resounds today, feels modern, deals with real life problems that we are still grappling with.

How did March get on with John Ford during the filming of Mary of Scotland?

Did he and Myrna Loy spend time on any of the same organizations or socialize much since they both were politically minded?

Can you tell me a little about how March and Eldridge came to adopt their children? Was not bearing children of their own a source of any sorrow for either of them?

Thank you so much for spending your weekend with us!


Hi again Jack,
Yes, they all are Midwestern born and bred. March, however, unlike Fred and Taylor also had considerable stage experience which might be one of the reasons why he had a bit of flamboyance about him. As to my next book, I’m actually doing a book on William Conrad, who is best known as “Cannon” on TV, but also had a considerable career in radio and was the voice of Matt Dillon on the radio series “Gunsmoke” for nine years. He was born in Kentucky!  After that I have some ideas which include Joel McCrea, Robert Montgomery & Dick Van Dyke.

He had done some acting in College, but his landlady at his rooming house was an ex-actress and she told marvelous stories about the theater. When he brought home from the bank after becoming sick with his appendix bursting she sat by him as he drifted in and out of consciousness and just to keep talking to him she told stories about acting and the theater and she continued and even when he got to the hospital for the operation she was there as he was going into surgery still talking about all of this. When he came out of surgery he had made up his mind to try the theater and in those days after a major operation such as that you spend several weeks in bed and all during that time he read all available books he could get on the theater. I think that the character he played in “Best years” did have a good deal March in him especially what he could relate back to with his education and short tenure as a banker. I certainly think he was a guy who did have a streak of excitement in him and after those months in New York in the apprenticeship program to become a banker he decided this really wasn’t for him and he had always been intrigued by recitation and acting. I think even if he hadn’t had the appendicitis he probably would have found some excuse to get out of banking and into acting.

March and John Ford got on well during “Mary of Scotland”, it was there only picture together and for nether was it their best. He told a story about going to Ford and asking him, “how he saw” Bothwell as a character—and Ford answered, ‘he’s a comic, just a comic’ Ok. So, he asked on behalf of Florence how he saw Elizabeth and again Ford answers, “she’s a comic, just a comic” and March said, “Boy, there’s a lot of comic’s in this picture.”
He liked Myrna Loy, but they really didn’t socialize a great deal. They certainly supported many of the same candidates and liberal policies, so I’m sure there paths must have crossed at certain events. Myrna spent much of her time working with UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization). She certainly was supportive of his and Florence’s fight to clear their names and actually fight the soft on Communism charges.

From what I understand Florence couldn’t bear children. They did adopt two children and they never considered them less than their own children. March in an interview once said that they would one day tell their children that they were adopted but that they would put it this way, “We chose you” and that they were special because of it and it wouldn’t lessen their love for them. No, they never (at least from what evidence I’ve seen) regretted that they didn’t have natural children and were very good, dedicated and loving parents to the children who they adopted.

Thank you for your questions.
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Re: Welcome to Charles Tranberg, Guest Author on 11/23 & 11/24

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I should tell you all this has been a wonderful experience for me. I've enjoyed each and every question and hope my replies on the most part have been satisfying (and delicious, talk about your childhood wishes). I am having some technical problems, however, for the last few hours. My apartment provides the internet but the internet this afternoon went down, so I am using a computer at my office, currently, but will have to leave soon. So, until the problem with my home computer is fixed (being a Sunday the office isn't open, of course), I will have to reply to any further questions elsewhere and may not get a chance to do it tonight :(

But please leave any additional questions you might have and with Moira's kind permission I will be happy to answer any more questions tomorrow? if that works out. I'll leave you with this--one of my favorite pictures of Flo & Freddie:

Image
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Re: Welcome to Charles Tranberg, Guest Author on 11/23 & 11/24

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Oh my gosh, that photo is beautiful!

Thank you so much, and we've enjoyed the weekend chat as much as you have, if not more! This really has given me a new outlook on March, and I think I'll appreciate him even more.

I hope your computer problems resolve quickly, and again, I thank you for taking the trouble to go to your work computer to answer our questions! It's been lovely. Good luck with the book sales!

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Re: Welcome to Charles Tranberg, Guest Author on 11/23 & 11/24

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Thanks very much for everything, Charles. This has been a very exciting visit--and we will leave this thread up and open to await the resolution of your tech issues. Of course, you are welcome to return here and to any other thread that catches your fancy. I have several more questions, but perhaps others have more?

BTW, I really look forward to your work on William Conrad (esp. in his film noirs) and I suspect that the idea of a Joel McCrea biography someday would be regarded as heavenly by several of our members (and long overdue) !
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Re: Welcome to Charles Tranberg, Guest Author on 11/23 & 11/24

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I'm very excited about William Conrad! Such a long and varied career, and he directed too, extremely well. It's only lately that I've realized how much he had to offer.

Of course, A Joel McCrea bio would definitely be heaven on earth! :D
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Mr. Tranberg that is a very beautiful photo of Flo & Freddie that you posted here and thanks again!
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Well, I'm now up at home (keep fingers crossed it will continue), so please bring on more questions if you have them. Otherwise, this has been a great experience. I'll leave you all with yet another photo--the all-star cast of MGM's EXECUTIVE SUITE, with March standing next to my all-time favorite female star, Barbara Stanwyck (I just hope he isn't trying to pinch her fanny because I'm sure she would deck him! :)

Image
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Re: Welcome to Charles Tranberg, Guest Author on 11/23 & 11/24

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moirafinnie wrote:Thanks very much for your in-depth responses to my questions. I hope that people seek out your book for the full account of the Tallulah Bankhead "experience" that the Marches endured during the stage production of ‎The Skin of Our Teeth. It was a doozy and made me laugh out loud.

Could you please suggest 5 Fredric March films that are essential for someone new to his work? (If more than 5, swell!)

In regard to Robert Taylor, whose biography you also wrote, you described him as a much more intelligent and educated individual than he ever appeared to be in his MGM films. In the book, you quote Louis B. Mayer's secretary, Ivy Mooring, as saying that the relationship between the mogul and the actor was a bit like "father and son," but that Taylor "was a little afraid of Mayer. He never wanted to displease him and so he didn't turn down things that he thought were rubbish."

Image

Could you please talk a bit about Louis B. Mayer's influential effect on Taylor and his advice to the young actor after his first big interview?

Thanks!
I just reread this question as well, Moira, and realize I didn't fully answer the Robert Taylor portion--regarding their first meeting. I had to consult the book to make sure I got the quote right. Mayer gave a typical Mayer performance, "Bob, God never saw fit to give me a son, but if he had given me a son, Bob--if he had blessed me with such wonderful joy--I can think of nobody I would have rather wanted than that son to be exactly like you." Anyway, Taylor wanted a raise and he was asked if he got it and he replied, "No, but I got a father." :)

Image
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