Editing Franchot Tone (section)

=== 1933–1939: The MGM years ===
Tone was the first of the Group to go to Hollywood when [[MGM]] offered him a film contract. In his memoir on the Group Theater, ''The Fervent Years'', Harold Clurman recalls Tone being the most confrontational and egocentric of the group, a "strikingly individualistic personality."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Clurman |first=Harold |title=The fervent years; the story of the Group Theatre and the thirties |date=1975 |pages=51}}</ref> [[Burgess Meredith]] credits Tone with informing him of the existence of "the Method" and what was soon to be the [[Actors Studio]] under Strasberg's teachings.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_AwPp47_HJIC&q=franchot+tone|title=Strasberg at the Actors Studio: Tape-recorded Sessions|last=Strasberg|first=Lee|date=1991|publisher=Theatre Communications Grou|isbn=978-1-55936-022-7}}</ref> Tone himself considered cinema far more invasive to private life and paced differently from theater productions. He recalled his stage years with fondness,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.joancrawfordbest.com/articlescreenland1233.htm|title=Joan Unmasks Hollywood for Franchot Tone|website=www.joancrawfordbest.com|access-date=June 9, 2019}}</ref> financially supporting the Group Theater in its declining years.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/criticalintroduc0003bigs|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/criticalintroduc0003bigs/page/179 179]|quote=odets and franchot tone.|title=A Critical Introduction to Twentieth-century American Drama|last1=Bigsby|first1=C. W. E.|last2=Bigsby|first2=Christopher William Edgar|date=1982|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-27116-5}}</ref>

MGM immediately gave Tone a series of impressive roles, casting him in six [[Pre-Code Hollywood|pre-Code]] film standards. Starting in 1933 with a support role in the romantic [[WWI]] drama ''[[Today We Live]]'', written by [[William Faulkner]] in collaboration with director [[Howard Hawks]]. The script was first conceived as a WWI buddy film, but the studio executives wanted a vehicle for their popular leading lady [[Joan Crawford]], forcing Faulkner and Hawks to work in the romance between co-stars [[Gary Cooper]] and Crawford.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hogue|first=Peter|date=1981|title=HAWKS AND FAULKNER: "Today We Live"|journal=Literature/Film Quarterly|volume=9|issue=1|pages=51–58|issn=0090-4260|jstor=43796162}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Phillips|first=Gene D.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wrm3ZWTfrmEC&q=Turn+about&pg=PA14|title=Fiction, Film, and Faulkner: The Art of Adaptation|date=1988|publisher=Univ. of Tennessee Press|isbn=978-1-57233-166-2|language=en}}, article on book: ''[[Fiction, Film, and Faulkner]]''</ref> Tone was then the romantic male lead in ''[[Gabriel Over the White House]]'' starring [[Walter Huston]],<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JiEHAQAAIAAJ&q=broadway+actors+in+film+franchot+tone&pg=RA1-PA27|magazine=Time|title=Gabriel Over the White House|last=Hadden|first=Briton|date=1933}}</ref> followed by a lead role with [[Loretta Young]] in ''[[Midnight Mary]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/07/15/archives/midnight-mary-and-three-other-pictures-now-on-view-along-broadway.html|title=' Midnight Mary' and Three Other Pictures Now On View Along Broadway.|last=A.d.s|date=July 15, 1933|work=The New York Times|access-date=August 12, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Tone romanced [[Miriam Hopkins]] in [[King Vidor]]'s ''[[The Stranger's Return]]'' and was the male lead in ''[[Stage Mother (1933 film)|Stage Mother]]''. He also had a role in ''[[Bombshell (1933 film)|Bombshell]]'', with [[Jean Harlow]] and [[Lee Tracy]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iFQ8DwAAQBAJ&q=bombshell+1933+franchot+tone&pg=PT50|title=TEN MOVIES AT A TIME: A 350-Film Journey Through Hollywood and America 1930–1970|last=DiLeo|first=John|date=November 1, 2017|publisher=Hansen Publishing Group LLC|isbn=978-1-60182-653-4}}</ref> The last of the sequence of films was ''[[Dancing Lady]]'', with an on-screen love triangle with his future wife Joan Crawford and [[Clark Gable]], which was a "lavishly staged spectacle" with a solid performance by Tone.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/12/01/archives/joan-crawford-clark-gable-and-franchot-tone-in-the-capitols-new.html|title=Joan Crawford, Clark Gable and Franchot Tone in the Capitol's New Pictorial Offering.|last=Hall|first=Mordaunt|date=December 1, 1933|work=The New York Times|access-date=August 12, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

[[Twentieth Century Pictures]] borrowed Tone to romance [[Constance Bennett]] in ''[[Moulin Rouge (1934 film)|Moulin Rouge]]'' (1934) as she played dual roles in which "she shines as a comedienne" and his performance was called "equally clever in a role that calls for a serious mein" by ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1934/02/08/archives/the-screen-constance-bennett-franchot-tone-helen-westley-and-tullio.html|title=THE SCREEN; Constance Bennett, Franchot Tone, Helen Westley and Tullio Carminati in a Musical Film.|last=Hall|first=Mordaunt|date=February 8, 1934|work=The New York Times|access-date=August 24, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Back at MGM, he was again co-starring with Crawford in ''[[Sadie McKee]]'' (1934), then was borrowed by [[Fox Film|Fox]] to co-star "commendably" with [[Madeleine Carroll]] in [[John Ford]]'s French Foreign Legion picture, ''[[The World Moves On]]'' (1934).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1934/06/30/archives/madeleine-carroll-franchot-tone-and-dudley-digges-in-the-new.html|title=Madeleine Carroll, Franchot Tone and Dudley Digges in the New Picture at the Criterion.|last=Hall|first=Mordaunt|date=June 30, 1934|work=The New York Times|access-date=August 24, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

After ''[[The Girl from Missouri]]'' (1934) with Harlow,<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vgVStU_SWRcC&q=bombshell+1933+franchot+tone&pg=PA63|title=Seen That, Now What?: The Ultimate Guide to Finding the Video You Really Want to Watch|last=Shaw|first=Andrea|date=April 9, 1996|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-0-684-80011-0}}</ref> MGM finally gave Tone top billing in ''[[Straight Is the Way]]'' (1934), although it was considered a "B" film, one which didn't have a high publicity or production cost. Warner Bros. then borrowed him for ''[[Gentlemen Are Born (1934 film)|Gentlemen Are Born]]'' (1934).

At [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]], Tone co-starred in the Academy Award nominated hit movie, ''[[The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (film)|The Lives of a Bengal Lancer]]'' (1935) with Gary Cooper.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/1934/film/reviews/the-lives-of-a-bengal-lancer-1117792662/|title=The Lives of a Bengal Lancer|date=January 1, 1935|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=September 20, 2019}}</ref> He was top billed in ''[[One New York Night]]'' (1935) but billed underneath Harlow and [[William Powell]] in ''[[Reckless (1935 film)|Reckless]]'' (1935). He supported Crawford and [[Robert Montgomery (actor)|Robert Montgomery]] in ''[[No More Ladies]]'' (1935) and had another box-office success with ''[[Mutiny on the Bounty (1935 film)|Mutiny on the Bounty]]'', for which he was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Actor]], along with co-stars Clark Gable and [[Charles Laughton]].<ref name=":2" />

Warner Bros. borrowed him again, this time to play [[Bette Davis]]' leading man in ''[[Dangerous (1935 film)|Dangerous]]'' (1935). After a lead role in ''[[Exclusive Story]]'' (1935), he was again paired with friend Loretta Young in ''[[The Unguarded Hour]]'' (1936), and also starred with [[Grace Moore]] in Columbia's ''[[The King Steps Out]]'' (1936), notable for the debut of an eleven-year-old [[Gwen Verdon]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://masterworksbroadway.com/artist/gwen-verdon/|title=Gwen Verdon|website=The Official Masterworks Broadway Site|access-date=August 12, 2019}}</ref>

Tone and Harlow co-starred again in ''[[Suzy (film)|Suzy]]'' (1936) with then up and comer [[Cary Grant]], who was billed third.<ref name=":3" /> The film was popular with audiences, but reviews were less than kind with ''The New York Times'' negatively comparing it to other recent WWI movies calling it "balderdash", but thanked "Mr. Tone for the few honest moments of drama that the film possesses. His young Irishman is about the only convincing and natural character in the piece."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/07/25/archives/suzy-at-capitol-clears-spelvin-mystery-alex-botts-produces.html|title=' Suzy' at Capitol Clears Spelvin Mystery -- Alex Botts Produces Earthquake at Roxy.|last=Nugent|first=Frank S.|date=July 25, 1936|work=The New York Times|access-date=January 29, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> He then filmed ''[[The Gorgeous Hussy]]'' (1936) with Crawford, Robert Taylor and [[Lionel Barrymore]] with co-star [[Beulah Bondi]] earning an Academy Award nomination for the [[Andrew Jackson]] period piece.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/1935/film/reviews/the-gorgeous-hussy-1200411149/|title=The Gorgeous Hussy|date=January 1, 1936|website=Variety|access-date=August 13, 2019}}</ref> A Crawford and Gable film capitalizing on ''[[It Happened One Night]]'' by casting the pair in roles as fast talking journalists in ''[[Love on the Run (1936 film)|Love on the Run]]'' (1936),<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2GJRDwAAQBAJ&q=MGM+1932+franchot+tone+contract&pg=PP141|title=MGM|last=Balio|first=Tino|date=March 14, 2018|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-42967-8}}</ref> found Tone in a supporting role.

[[RKO Pictures|RKO]] borrowed him to appear opposite [[Katharine Hepburn]] in ''[[Quality Street (1937 film)|Quality Street]]'' (1937), a costume drama that lost $248,000 at the box office.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iPEhCJbul9QC&q=quality+street+1937+new+york+times+review&pg=PA299|title=Giant: George Stevens, a Life on Film|last=Moss|first=Marilyn Ann|date=August 4, 2015|publisher=Terrace Books|isbn=978-0-299-20433-4}}</ref> Back at MGM he supported [[Spencer Tracy]] and [[Gladys George]] in ''[[They Gave Him a Gun]]'' (1937).

[[File:Between Two Women 1937.jpg|left|thumb|Top-billed with a lead role back at MGM studios on a 1937 film poster]]
He had the lead in ''[[Between Two Women (1937 film)|Between Two Women]]'' (1937) and co-starred for the final time with Crawford in ''[[The Bride Wore Red]]'' (1937), then joined [[Myrna Loy]] in ''[[Man-Proof]]'' (1938) and Gladys George in ''[[Love Is a Headache]]'' (1938).

In ''[[Three Comrades (1938 film)|Three Comrades]]'' (1938) Tone was teamed with Robert Taylor and [[Margaret Sullavan]] in a film about disillusioned soldiers returning to Germany after World War I. He made ''[[Three Loves Has Nancy]]'' (1938) with [[Janet Gaynor]] and Robert Montgomery and co-starred with [[Franciska Gaal]] in ''[[The Girl Downstairs (film)|The Girl Downstairs]]'' (1938), a Cinderella type story. He then starred in a "B" picture with [[Ann Sothern]] in ''[[Fast and Furious (1939 film)|Fast and Furious]]'' (1939) as married crime sleuths, the third movie in a series with different sets of actors in each, that were marketed towards the [[Nick and Nora Charles|''Thin Man'']] films audiences.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vp7i1FSO4g8C&q=franchot+tone+fast+and+furious&pg=PA60|title=Forever Mame: The Life of Rosalind Russell|last=Dick|first=Bernard F.|date=September 18, 2009|publisher=Univ. Press of Mississippi|isbn=978-1-60473-139-2|language=en}}</ref>

After his contract ended, Tone left MGM in 1939 to act on Broadway in a return to his stage roots, often working with "the Group's" members of its formative years, and playwrights such as Eugene O'Neill.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Liebman|first=Roy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ICUSDgAAQBAJ&q=wiser+sex+1932+franchot+tone&pg=PA226|title=Broadway Actors in Films, 1894–2015|date=January 27, 2017|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-7685-5}}</ref> He returned to Broadway for [[Irwin Shaw]]'s ''The Gentle People'' (1939) and an adaptation of [[Ernest Hemingway]]'s ''[[The Fifth Column and the First Forty-Nine Stories|The Fifth Column]]'' (1940), which only had a short run.