Kay Francis

[rudyfan]

Wow, unless I've missed it, I can't belive there is not a thread dedicated to one of my favorites, Kay Francis. Today, January 13th is Kay's birthday.

I can't help it, she wore clothes like nobody else. Orry-Kelly's gowns fit her like a second skin and she exuded confidence and class (even when her characters were anything but).

Got a favorite Kay film?

I absolutely adore Jewel Robbery, Kay and William Powell at their most pre-code charming and naughty. It's fluff, but what fun!

Mandalay is another favorite, as is Confession, Trasngression and all the other films Ruth Chatterton turned down that ended up with Kay.

I can't think of any film in which I've seen Kay being one I've not enjoyed. She may not have been the most versatile of actresses, but, I never seem to care. She seemed like a wonderful earthy dame and I raise glass to her today in celebration of her birthday and all the wonderful films left behind.

[moira finnie]

Thanks so much for posting about Kay today, Donna.

We do have one special thread devoted to discussing her here, but that was active when we had Scott O'Brien, her biographer, visiting with us. I think my favorite Kay Francis movie may be Confession (1938-Joe May) since La Francis is almost unrecognizable for a good part of that one. I also think that Basil Rathbone was adorable when he was a bad boy on film. Even though this movie is almost a frame by frame copy of the original Pola Negri flick, Mazurka (1935), made in Germany, Kay brings some special meaning to her portrayal of ferocious mother love. I also have a soft spot for Jane Bryan, who plays one of Basil's victim-to-be. TCM ran this one a few years ago when Kay was SotM, but I don't think it has been broadcast since.


I recorded the rarely seen Play Girl from yesterday's lineup of films, since I've never seen that one and love Nigel Bruce in anything, even as an overage Lothario.

Here are all the movies being aired for Kay's birthday today. I am recording Another Dawn, since I've never seen the whole thing. Gotta catch Errol Flynn pitching woo to a woman I wouldn't normally have thought of as a likely co-star for him. I'd recommend Always in My Heart for the chance to see Walter Huston making bricks without straw.

7:00 AM
The Goose And The Gander (1935)
A divorcee can't stop meddling in her ex-husband's affairs. Cast: Kay Francis, George Brent, Genevieve Tobin. Dir: Alfred E. Green. BW-66 mins, TV-G

8:15 AM
Another Dawn (1937)
An officer's wife at a British outpost in Africa falls for another man. Cast: Errol Flynn, Kay Francis, Ian Hunter. Dir: William Dieterle. BW-73 mins, TV-G, CC

9:30 AM
Comet Over Broadway (1938)
A stage star's rampant ambition leads to murder. Cast: Kay Francis, Ian Hunter, Donald Crisp. Dir: Busby Berkeley. BW-70 mins, TV-G, CC

10:45 AM
My Bill (1938)
An impoverished widow fights scandal for the sake of her four children. Cast: Kay Francis, Bonita Granville, Anita Louise. Dir: John Farrow. BW-65 mins, TV-G, CC

12:00 PM
Secrets Of An Actress (1938)
A leading lady falls for a married architect who's invested in her play. Cast: Kay Francis, George Brent, Ian Hunter. Dir: William Keighley. BW-70 mins, TV-G, CC

1:15 PM
Women Are Like That (1938)
Years after their break-up, a couple finds each other all over again. Cast: Kay Francis, Pat O'Brien, Ralph Forbes. Dir: Stanley Logan. BW-79 mins, TV-G, CC

2:45 PM
It's A Date (1940)
Mother-and-daughter singers vie for the same man and the same stage part. Cast: Deanna Durbin, Walter Pidgeon, Kay Francis. Dir: William A. Seiter. BW-104 mins, TV-G, CC

4:30 PM
Feminine Touch, The (1941)
An author writing a book on jealousy discovers his wife is an expert on the subject. Cast: Rosalind Russell, Don Ameche, Kay Francis. Dir: W.S. Van Dyke II. BW-98 mins, TV-G, CC

6:15 PM
Always In My Heart (1942)
A convict returns home to find his family has forgotten him. Cast: Walter Huston, Kay Francis, Gloria Warren. Dir: Jo Graham. BW-92 mins, TV-G, CC

[feaito]

I discovered Kay thanks mainly to TCM USA.

I agree with you in that "Jewel Robbery" is delightful Pre-Code in the Lubitsch vein. A joy from start to finish.

Sadly, many of her early Paramounts are not available. She is very good in Cukor's "Girls About Town" (1931), although Lilyan Tashman steals the picture.

Kay is also great in "One-Way Passage" (1932) and as the venomous wife in "In Name Only" (1939).

[Ollie]

We just finished several of Kay Francis films. (I still resent being forced into captivation by watching her - she's got this odd beauty, something about her face that isn't quite perfect, yet seems so compelling for me to stare at. And then, to start padding our shelves with yet another delictable actress. Boy, I am SO depressed. Yeah. Riiight.) I didn't care for most of these, but I still like her. I keep thinking, "Maybe if I can see a really BAD film, I'll no longer be so enchanted by her." No such luck. Darn.

[rudyfan]

Thanks Moira, I guess I did not scroll through enough postings to find the Scott O'Brien thread. I agree with you 100% on Confession, she's great in that, touching and Basil, as always, irresistable (and evil) he was so good being baddie. He brightens up many a film for me.

I'm also really fond of Stolen Holiday, as much for Kay as for Alison Skipworth and Claude Rains. One Way Passage is great and I never cease to get a little misty-eyed at the end.

No matter how silly some of the plots are, yes, they're just enormous fun. Tonight, for me, will be Jewel Robbery, it's just a delightful confection, Powell was never more charming (arguably).

I'm glad to see Kay has many fans here at SSO, too.

[charliechaplinfan]

I've seen a few of her precodes and although I look at her and don't think she's particularly attractive there is something about her that makes it impossible to watch anyone else on screen. I would love to see Jewel Robbery, I guess she was born to play a jewel thief, the other film that intrigues me is Another Dawn, I can't imagine her paired with Errol Flynn.

[MichiganJ]

I've only seen her in a few films but find her look a bit too severe for my taste. She's pretty hard to warm up to.

Her chemistry with Powell in Jewel Robbery is pretty great, though. But I don't remember ever seeing a film where Powell and his co-star didn't share a good chemistry.

I did just watch the Clara Bow talkie, Dangerous Curves, and it was fun pitting circus performers Clara (bareback rider) vs. Kay (tightrope walker) both vying for Richard Arlen (idiot--I mean circus headliner). Fun film and it helped the tension between the two that Kay and Clara have such different acting styles.

[SSO Admins]

I can't believe no one has mentioned Trouble in Paradise. But Jewel Robbery was also a fine film.

[Ollie]

I enjoyed Emperor's Candlestick but I fear they can toss William Powell into any film and I'll find something to enjoy. We'll watch Comet Over Broadway this evening, we think. John Litel's in prison?!! I'm glad his daughter Nancy never found out about Kay and this other daughter!

[feaito]

I can't believe no one has mentioned Trouble in Paradise. But Jewel Robbery was also a fine film.

You are right. I completely forgot it!!

[mrsl]

.
Well . . . . . . . . . I checked out the movies and features on TCM above before I came to this thread so my review of today's Kay Francis birthday is there. I liked the movies they showed today, but I guess I have to keep my eyes open for the others you've all mentioned here.
.

[Birdy]

Kay is divine, simply divine.
I have several of her movies recorded that I enjoy rewatching; the new one to me yesterday was
Play Girl 1940. I mentioned on the TCM thread that I especially enjoyed Margaret Hamilton's part and funny lines, like

We're in? In what? Clover, hock or jail?
Several more I don't remember and didn't record this on permanant disk so it's gone now!
Birdy

[SSO Admins]

I can't believe no one has mentioned Trouble in Paradise. But Jewel Robbery was also a fine film.

You are right. I completely forgot it!!

I think that might be the most perfect film ever made.

[rudyfan]

I can't believe no one has mentioned Trouble in Paradise. But Jewel Robbery was also a fine film.

You are right. I completely forgot it!!

I think that might be the most perfect film ever made.

Wow, that's quite an endorsment. I've not seen it in decades, heading to Netflix now!

[feaito]

I can't believe no one has mentioned Trouble in Paradise. But Jewel Robbery was also a fine film.

You are right. I completely forgot it!!

I think that might be the most perfect film ever made.

It's a masterpiece. The premise that Lubitsch uses for E.E. Horton's character to remember where he has seen before Marshall's character is above-par (ashtray-gondola-Venice et al).