Editing Henry Fonda (section)

===Entering Hollywood===

[[File:Henry Fonda in Jezebel trailer.jpg|thumb|upright|Fonda in ''Jezebel'']]
Fonda got his first break in films when he was hired in 1935 as [[Janet Gaynor]]'s [[leading man]] in [[20th Century Fox]]'s screen adaptation of ''[[The Farmer Takes a Wife]]''; he reprised his role from the Broadway production of the same name, which had gained him recognition. Suddenly, Fonda was making $3,000 a week ({{Inflation|US|3000|1935|fmt=eq|r=-3}}) and dining with Hollywood stars such as [[Carole Lombard]].{{sfn|Fonda|1981|page=95}} Stewart soon followed him to Hollywood, and they roomed together again, in lodgings next door to [[Greta Garbo]]. In 1935 Fonda starred in the RKO film ''[[I Dream Too Much (1935 film)|I Dream Too Much]]'' with the opera star [[Lily Pons]]. ''[[The New York Times]]'' announced him as "Henry Fonda, the most likable of the new crop of romantic juveniles."{{sfn|Fonda|1981|page=102}}
Fonda's film career blossomed as he costarred with [[Sylvia Sidney]] and [[Fred MacMurray]] in ''[[The Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1936 film)|The Trail of the Lonesome Pine]]'' (1936), the first [[Technicolor]] movie filmed outdoors.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pomainville |first=Harold N. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kWA0DAAAQBAJ&dq=%22The+Trail+of+the+Lonesome+Pine%22+%22Technicolor%22&pg=PA68 |title=Henry Hathaway: The Lives of a Hollywood Director |date=June 10, 2016 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4422-6978-1 |pages=68 |language=en}}</ref>

Fonda starred with ex-wife Margaret Sullavan in ''[[The Moon's Our Home]]'', and a short rekindling of their relationship led to a brief but temporary consideration of remarriage. Fonda got the nod for the lead role in ''[[You Only Live Once (1937 film)|You Only Live Once]]'' (1937), also costarring Sidney, and directed by [[Fritz Lang]]. He starred opposite [[Bette Davis]], who had chosen him, in the film ''[[Jezebel (1938 film)|Jezebel]]'' (1938). This was followed by the title role in ''[[Young Mr. Lincoln]]'' (1939), his first collaboration with director [[John Ford]], and that year he played [[Frank James]] in ''[[Jesse James (1939 film)|Jesse James]]'' (1939) starring [[Tyrone Power]] and [[Nancy Kelly]]. Another 1939 film was ''[[Drums Along the Mohawk]]'', also directed by Ford.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Drums Along the Mohowk (1939) |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/840-DRUMS-ALONGTHEMOHAWK?sid=7727777c-7050-4ebe-91a8-e248531d9cfa&sr=15.274562&cp=1&pos=0 |access-date=March 26, 2024 |website=AFI Catalogue}}</ref>

[[File:Henry Fonda in The Lady Eve trailer.JPG|thumb|Fonda in ''The Lady Eve'']]
Fonda's successes led Ford to recruit him to play Tom Joad in the film version of [[John Steinbeck]]'s novel ''[[The Grapes of Wrath (film)|The Grapes of Wrath]]'' (1940). A reluctant [[Darryl Zanuck]], who preferred [[Tyrone Power]], insisted on Fonda's signing a seven-year contract with his studio, [[Twentieth Century-Fox]].<ref name="Rabin">{{Cite web |last=Rabin |first=Kenn |title=The Grapes of Wrath |url=http://www.filmnight.org/grapes.htm |access-date=January 11, 2007 |website=FilmNight.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050510163733/http://www.filmnight.org/grapes.htm |archive-date=May 10, 2005 }}</ref> Fonda agreed and was ultimately nominated for an Academy Award for his work in the film, which many consider to be his finest role. Fonda starred in [[Fritz Lang]]'s ''[[The Return of Frank James]]'' (1940) with [[Gene Tierney]]. He then played opposite [[Barbara Stanwyck]] in [[Preston Sturges]]'s ''[[The Lady Eve]]'' (1941), and again teamed with Tierney in the successful [[screwball comedy]] ''[[Rings on Her Fingers]]'' (1942). Stanwyck was one of Fonda's favorite co-stars, and they appeared in three films together. He was acclaimed for his role in ''[[The Ox-Bow Incident]]'' (1943).

[[File:Henry Fonda enlisting in United States Navy, 1942.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Fonda after enlisting in the United States Navy in November 1942]]
Fonda enlisted in the [[United States Navy]] to fight in [[World War II]], saying, "I don't want to be in a fake war in a studio."<ref name="usps">{{Cite web |date=May 30, 2005 |title=Henry Fonda joins U.S. Postal Service Legends of Hollywood Stamp Series |url=http://www.usps.com/communications/news/stamps/2005/sr05_025.htm |access-date=January 11, 2007 |website=United States Postal Service |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050906042855/http://www.usps.com/communications/news/stamps/2005/sr05_025.htm |archive-date=September 6, 2005 |type=Press Release}}</ref> Previously, Jimmy Stewart and Fonda had helped raise funds for the defense of Britain.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=August 5, 1940 |title=Life Goes to a Party |url=http://www.tyrone-power.com/article_lifegoestoapary.html |access-date=January 11, 2007 |magazine=Life |publisher=Tyrone-Power.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051109041304/http://www.tyrone-power.com/article_lifegoestoapary.html |archive-date=November 9, 2005 }}</ref> Fonda served for three years, initially as a [[quartermaster]] 3rd class on the [[destroyer]] {{USS|Satterlee|DD-626|6}}. He was later commissioned as a [[lieutenant junior grade]] in Air Combat Intelligence in the Central Pacific and was awarded the [[Bronze Star Medal]] and [[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Navy Presidential Unit Citation]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fonda |first=A. Mark |date=October 23, 2006 |title=Military |url=http://www.fonda.org/military.htm#WW20 |access-date=January 11, 2007 |website=Fonda.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051124052041/http://www.fonda.org/military.htm#WW20 |archive-date=November 24, 2005 }}</ref> Although he had been promoted to full [[lieutenant]], Fonda was discharged from active duty due to being "overage in rank", and transferred to the [[United States Navy Reserve|Naval Reserve]], serving three years (1945-1948).<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 12, 2021 |title=Actors in Uniform: From Lieutenant Henry Fonda to Mister Roberts |url=https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/actors-uniform-lieutenant-henry-fonda-mister-roberts |access-date=May 12, 2021 |publisher=The National WWII Museum|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512081042/https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/actors-uniform-lieutenant-henry-fonda-mister-roberts |archive-date=May 12, 2021 }}</ref>