Kay Francis

I loved Kay Francis and was always curious about her until this biography came along. Kay you got your wish for a long time...but Scott O'Brian with his fabulously researched book will make sure you are not forgotten again!

Scott O'Brien--you magnificent, astonishing fool you! Imagine spending so many years of your life researching the life of a forgotten screen actress from the 1930s, a woman who is barely remembered nowadays! Why fling your undoubted energies after such a quixotic goal? If you must write about old Hollywood, why not write about someone people have heard of, like Joan Crawford, Garbo, Clark Gable? If you want to go obscure, how about Norma Shearer? But for goodness sake, Kay Francis!?! Scott O'Brien, you have labored in the vineyards where angels fear to tread! As it turns out, I CAN'T WAIT TO BE FORGOTTEN is starlore of a very high order, and if you want an engrossing examination of a great Hollywood personality, this is the book for you. Kay Francis may be little remembered today, but all that is about to change as succeeding generations pick up on the glory that is her screen presence. Born in Oklahoma City ("by mistake," she bitterly commented) in 1905, Francis dabbled in high society and became the social secretary to rich dowagers while pining for Broadway stardom in New York. Her own madcap ways were fueled by the great rush to sexual and economic freedom pursued by many women in the wake of World War I, in which they had been asked for so many sacrifices without even having the right to vote. Scott O'Brien is a sensitive cultural historian and writes with perception about this, the so-called "flapper era," showing us that Kay Francis' fabled and open sexuality was part and parcel of the times in which she grew up. After an interesting apprenticeship at Paramount Studios, Francis signed a long-term contract with Warner Brothers, and for a time in the early 1930s she became the queen of the lot, eventually rising in salary and status to the absolute heights of success. She was the highest paid actor of them all, and therein lay her tragedy, for Jack Warner turned against her and forced her against her will to play out her contract in increasingly shabby B movies. Late in life, she and her Warner Bros rival, Bette Davis, sat down and let down their hair about their disputes with Warners. Why did you keep making those B movies, Bette asked Kay. Because she was in it for the money, Kay replied. Bette said she walked away, because she was in it for the career. Kay became a victim of public scrutiny for her shabby studio treatment was the talk of the nation. Eventually she left Warners, and the films she made afterwards, for other studios, are indeed, as O'Brien points out, among the best and most rewarding of her career, culminating in the "Monogram Trilogy" (DIVORCE, ALLOTMENT WIVES, WIFE WANTED) which sound like horrors but instead crackle with noir energy and a gritty raw realism miles removed from the somewhat grand products (like THE WHITE ANGEL, a biopic of Florence Nightingale) of Warners' A list. Despite love affairs with Fritz Lang, Otto Preminger, and even gay stars like Nils Asther, Kay's great love seems to have be

Kay Francis most likely won't get her wish, thanks to Scott O'Brien's carefully researched book. As long as her work on film endures, I believe, there will be interest and curiosity about who she really was away from the camera. "I Can't Wait To Be Forgotten" gives us a very clear picture of how she came to be one of the most glamourous and admired women in Hollywood. We get a glimpse of what gave her joy and what caused her pain. We also get an honest look at her character weaknesses and the over riding traits... honesty, courage, compassion and generosity. I highly recommend this book to movie fans who enjoy the films and stars of Hollywood's golden age.

Lucky because we have two new and superb biographies on the actress who one upped Garbo--not only did she want to be left alone but she couldn't wait to be forgotten! which is the subtitle of Scott O'Brien's splendid new biography. It doesn't happen often that two new books would come out at approximately the same time especially about an actress who is not as well remembered among the masses (Of course us movie buffs know and love Kay Francis!). Scott O'Brien made me rediscover Kay and want to see as many of her films as possible (Thank God for TCM!)and I think that is the best praise a biographer can get. I not only want to see the great Francis films like "One Way Passage", "Trouble in Paradise" and "Girls About Town" but also the lesser known "B" films she went into when she wouldn't play ball with Jack Warner. Not only that but O'Brien makes a strong case for the "Monogram Trilogy" which capped Kay's film career in the mid to late 40's--especially a gritty programmer titled "Allotment Wives". Mr. O'Brien adds a good deal about the early Hollywood before movie censorship and how Kay and her co-stars could get away with certain suggestive acts and dialouge which a few years later would not have been permitted. Both books quote from Miss Francis' diaries and at times you get some of Kay's candid thoughts about her life, her lovers and her career. Mr. O'Brien offers a good balance between using these diaries to discuss her personal life along with other respected resources and doesn't let the diaries drive the narrative. His writing about the later years of Kay's life--when she appeared increasingly in stage productions (when movie roles dried up) along with her declining health makes fascinating reading. He offers fans a superb log of Kay's movies, radio, television and stage appearances along with a detailed listing of sources. Robert Osborne of Turner Classic Movies knows and appreciates Kay Francis and wrote a wonderful introduction for this book. This is one of those can't-put-down books.

Finally a biography on that great forgotten 30's star Kay Francis! Except for a chapter in George Eels book, "Ginger, Loretta and Irene Who?" which came out 30 yrs ago, nothing has been written about this fascinating, elegant lady. Now within a space of a month, there are 2 books out. About time. I have not read the other book, but I can give this book an unqualified RAVE. Kay was one of the biggest stars of the 30's, but you'd hardly know that now as she's largely forgotten, except by film buffs. She was hugely popular among women fans who flocked to her every film to see Kay suffer nobly in 30's soap operas while wearing over the top Orry-Kelly gowns. Sadly, she was sabotaged by her own studio, Warner Brothers, who, while trying to get her to break her contract, forced her to finish out her days on the lot making B movies. Kay had the last laugh, forcing them to pay her huge salarly and staying on till the end. Unfortunately, the damage had been done and her career never recovered, though she continued to make films into the mid-40's. Why exactly Warner Bros. sacrificed its biggest female star still remains a mystery, as does Kay's decision to endure the humiliation when she could have easily free lanced elsewhere. Was it all about money? Most of her Warner Bros work doesnt hold up well, but that's not Kay's fault. Time after time she was cast in formula soap operas where the plots seldom changed only the actors (and sometimes not even them!) Yet, watching them today (thanks to Turner Classic Movies which owns the Warner Bros. catalog from that time), Kay, while perhaps not making the movies believable, makes you believe SHE believes in the stories. No small feat. And the rare times she was given a first rate script, she always rose to the occasion. Check out her performances in Girls About Town, One Way Passage, Trouble In Paradise, In Name Only and you will see what I mean. She was more than a glamorous clothes horse. In hindsight, Kay would have been better off staying at Paramount (wish those Pre-Code films would show up on tv, as they sound more interesting than most of the scripts she was handed at Warner Bros.) as her personality was more simpatico with the European sensibilities and sophisticated comedies being made there. Warner Bros. was very much a man's studio and didnt know how to showcase her talent. This is a wonderfully written and researched book, long overdo about a much neglected star. A woman, who in many ways, lived a private life more interesting than any role she played. Eels' book portrayed her as a bitter, alcoholic recluse in her later years, but this seems not to be the case along with much that he wrote about her. Despite the title (a quote from Kay), I think she would be pleased that people DO remember her (though I doubt she'd be happy about the details of her hectic love life). And this book will go far in reestablishing her reputation. My only complaint is the cheap quality paper and the fact that none of the pic

Scott O'Brien has worked very hard to produce a tremendous biography of the beautiful actress and film star Miss Kay Francis. There are many wonderul photographs and ads, the most interesting being the material from the plays that Kay Francis starred in on Broadway and on tour. There are also several photographs of Kay Francis taken after her retirement and they show her to be a beautiful woman. Some years ago, George Eells produced a book entitled "Ginger, Loretta, and Irene Who?". This book contained a chapter on Kay Francis that provided a compelling life and career history. However, Eells focused on the negative aspects of Kay's life. Scott O'Brien accessed the actress' diaries and had the cooperation of Kay's close friend actress Jetti Preminger Ames and her family. Scott has done a superb job with this biography of an actress who is fondly remembered by some of us. You won't be disappointed with this book! It is one of the greatest biographies of an actress that I have read!