Frances Farmer

Beautiful Frances Farmer in period costume for the 1937 film THE TOAST OF NEW YORK. Farmer was born on September 19, 1913, in Seattle, Washington. She began acting in stage productions while a student at the University of Washington. After graduating, she performed in stock theatre before signing a film contract with Paramount Pictures on her 22nd birthday. She made her film debut in “Too Many Parents” (1936), followed by “Border Flight” (1936), before being given the lead role opposite Bing Crosby in the musical “Rhythm on the Range” (1936). By the end of 1936, she was one of Paramount's most talked-about new stars, largely by virtue of her dual role of mother and daughter in “Come and Get It” (1936). In 1937 she was cast in the Technicolor south seas film “Ebb Tide” and also appeared in the original Broadway production of Clifford Odets's “Golden Boy” (staged by New York City's Group Theatre). Farmer returned to Los Angeles, earning supporting roles in the comedy “World Premiere” (1941) and the film noir “Among the Living” (1941). In 1942, publicity of her reportedly erratic behaviour began to surface, such as being arrested with DUI for driving with her headlights on bright in a wartime dim-out zone. Her arrest on these charges ultimately led to her being placed in a psychiatric institution, where she suffered greatly. She was finally released in 1950 and took a hotel laundry job in Seattle to help support her parents. In 1957, she was discovered by a talent agent who promoted her and was able to revive her career. In 1958, Farmer moved to Indianapolis where she was hired to host an afternoon movie/interview program, “Frances Farmer Presents” (1958), which was rated number 1 in its time slot for the six years of its run. She spent her final years operating several small businesses, until she passed away from esophageal cancer in 1970. Farmer’s' story only became more infamous after her death with the publication of her ghost-written "autobiography" - "Will There Really Be A Morning?" in 1972, and even more-so with the "fictionalized" biography "Shadowland" released in 1978, which was the primary source for the feature film “Frances” (1982), resulting in renewed interest in her life and career.

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