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Kay Francis: A Passionate Life and Career
Kay Francis came of age in the Roaring Twenties and relished the era's hedonistic pursuits. Her career as an actress was launched at the same time, and before her death in 1968, she had appeared on many theater stages, in more than 60 films, on radio, in USO tours, as a model, and on television. The tall, stylish actress had a husky voice and dark beauty that was striking on film. Despite her financial success, relaxed morals, and life as a socialite, the millionaire actress shunned luxuries such as limousines and sprawling estates popular among Hollywood elite. The actress, who insisted she wanted to be forgotten, left behind scrapbooks, boxes of memorabilia and detailed diaries. These rich resources help provide an exhaustive look at the life of one of Hollywood's most intriguing early stars. Francis' biography is the heart of this book, beginning with her family background and her upbringing by a vaudevillian actress mother. The story of her extensive career and never-ending romantic pursuits is peppered with comments from the media and her own diaries, and supplemented with ample photographs. A chronology gives dates of theater openings, film releases, marriages, television and radio appearances, births and deaths. A filmography includes complete cast and credit lists.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
16 people are currently reading
146 people want to read
About the author
Lynn Kear
15 books16 followersLynn Kear grew up in Illinois and has lived in Atlanta for more than three decades. Her published works include biographies on Hollywood actresses Kay Francis, Agnes Moorehead, Evelyn Brent, Laurette Taylor, as well as books on reincarnation.
BLACK-HEARTED BITCH, a crime fiction novel, was a runner-up in the Lesbian Mystery / Thriller category in the 2013 Rainbow Awards. Its sequel, KILLING ROSA, was a runner-up in the 2014 Rainbow Awards.
Kear has also won several screenwriting awards. Her TV pilot adaptation of BLACK-HEARTED BITCH won a staged reading in September 2015 at the Hoover-Leppen Theatre in Chicago.
She wrote a teleplay adaptation of Anthony Trollope's novel, ORLEY FARM. The pilot was named an Official Selection in the 2019 Adapted Screenplay Competition (Rebel Seed Studio).
Her most recent book is LOST IN NEW ORLEANS: FRIENDSHIP, DESIRE AND SELF-DESTRUCTION IN FOUR JAZZ AGE LIVES (2023). The book focuses on Katty Stewart, Elizabeth (Moosie) White, Walker Ellis, and Walter Stauffer. It is a social history of New Orleans during the Jazz Age, including descriptions of queer culture, the French Quarter, European travel, and life in the social circles of Kay Francis, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Waldo Peirce, Caresse and Harry Crosby, and Gerald and Sara Murphy.
BLACK-HEARTED BITCH, a crime fiction novel, was a runner-up in the Lesbian Mystery / Thriller category in the 2013 Rainbow Awards. Its sequel, KILLING ROSA, was a runner-up in the 2014 Rainbow Awards.
Kear has also won several screenwriting awards. Her TV pilot adaptation of BLACK-HEARTED BITCH won a staged reading in September 2015 at the Hoover-Leppen Theatre in Chicago.
She wrote a teleplay adaptation of Anthony Trollope's novel, ORLEY FARM. The pilot was named an Official Selection in the 2019 Adapted Screenplay Competition (Rebel Seed Studio).
Her most recent book is LOST IN NEW ORLEANS: FRIENDSHIP, DESIRE AND SELF-DESTRUCTION IN FOUR JAZZ AGE LIVES (2023). The book focuses on Katty Stewart, Elizabeth (Moosie) White, Walker Ellis, and Walter Stauffer. It is a social history of New Orleans during the Jazz Age, including descriptions of queer culture, the French Quarter, European travel, and life in the social circles of Kay Francis, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Waldo Peirce, Caresse and Harry Crosby, and Gerald and Sara Murphy.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 11, 2008
Eh. Another "biography" that consists primarily of a recitation of film parts and lovers.
November 25, 2022
Oh what a divine pleasure it was to read "Kay Francis: A Passionate Life and Career" by Lynn Kear and John Rossman. This book deeply investigates the personal diaries of Ms. Francis who is the most dazzling actress in history to offer her talent to the world of pre-code cinema and to the 20 years that followed.
I must admit that I was quite hesitant to read this book because I recently enjoyed another Kay Francis biography by Scott O'Brien which detailed every stage, film, radio, and television project of Ms. Francis's career, decorated with small details of her personal life at the time of each project; and I thought that perhaps the information would be redundant, but such is not the case! This book by Kear and Rossman takes the opposite approach: it deeply dissects the personal life of Ms. Francis, decorating each personal situation with small details of the corresponding acting job. This book delves deeply into her many abortions, lovers (male and female), illnesses, tragic weight gain in her 40s, and eventual isolation from friends due to her penchant for the bottle. The two books compliment each other wonderfully.
As the book concludes, describing the year of 1968 (the year of her death), the most perfect picture of Kay Francis the legendary film actress is painted:
"It's sad to think of Kay Francis in the psychedelic era of 1968. Outside her windows came the sounds of the Young Rascals' 'Groovin' and The Doors' 'Light My Fire.' Popular movies included 'Bonnie and Clyde,' 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner,' and '2001: A Space Odyssey.' Now bed-ridden and an avid TV watcher, she may have tuned into 'Gomer Pyle,' 'U.SM.C.,' or 'Family Affair.' Perhaps she watched some of her past colleagues making surreal appearances on her most feared medium. Ann Sothern had become the voice of an automobile on 'My Mother the Car.' Joan Bennet confronted vampires on 'Dark Shadows.' Joan Crawford and Bette Davis opted for work in low-budget horror films.
"This was no longer the world of Kay Francis. Sadly, she'd outlived her own elegant era. Many of us prefer, instead, to think of her on an Ernst Lubitsch art deco set with Cole Porter's music playing in the background. It's a black and white picture, and she's lying on an impossibly long chaise lounge, gowned by Orry-Kelly, drinking a Paradise Cocktail, smiling her dazzling, hopeful smile."
OH MY GLORY! This excerpt should be read word for word during each January celebration of Kay Francis on TCM. I think that for many of we the pre-code film lovers, these words describe not only Kay Francis but every hope that we have for an elegant society to once again be. A superb book. Thank you to the authors!
I must admit that I was quite hesitant to read this book because I recently enjoyed another Kay Francis biography by Scott O'Brien which detailed every stage, film, radio, and television project of Ms. Francis's career, decorated with small details of her personal life at the time of each project; and I thought that perhaps the information would be redundant, but such is not the case! This book by Kear and Rossman takes the opposite approach: it deeply dissects the personal life of Ms. Francis, decorating each personal situation with small details of the corresponding acting job. This book delves deeply into her many abortions, lovers (male and female), illnesses, tragic weight gain in her 40s, and eventual isolation from friends due to her penchant for the bottle. The two books compliment each other wonderfully.
As the book concludes, describing the year of 1968 (the year of her death), the most perfect picture of Kay Francis the legendary film actress is painted:
"It's sad to think of Kay Francis in the psychedelic era of 1968. Outside her windows came the sounds of the Young Rascals' 'Groovin' and The Doors' 'Light My Fire.' Popular movies included 'Bonnie and Clyde,' 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner,' and '2001: A Space Odyssey.' Now bed-ridden and an avid TV watcher, she may have tuned into 'Gomer Pyle,' 'U.SM.C.,' or 'Family Affair.' Perhaps she watched some of her past colleagues making surreal appearances on her most feared medium. Ann Sothern had become the voice of an automobile on 'My Mother the Car.' Joan Bennet confronted vampires on 'Dark Shadows.' Joan Crawford and Bette Davis opted for work in low-budget horror films.
"This was no longer the world of Kay Francis. Sadly, she'd outlived her own elegant era. Many of us prefer, instead, to think of her on an Ernst Lubitsch art deco set with Cole Porter's music playing in the background. It's a black and white picture, and she's lying on an impossibly long chaise lounge, gowned by Orry-Kelly, drinking a Paradise Cocktail, smiling her dazzling, hopeful smile."
OH MY GLORY! This excerpt should be read word for word during each January celebration of Kay Francis on TCM. I think that for many of we the pre-code film lovers, these words describe not only Kay Francis but every hope that we have for an elegant society to once again be. A superb book. Thank you to the authors!
December 10, 2012
It's amazing how candid Ms Francis was in her journal entries, and yet somehow managed to have a scandal-free career. How many times I have seen her on the silver screen and never once imagined the type of life she actually lived.
Much of the information is gathered from Ms Francis' own diaries. It was a little lack luster in that the authors didn't seem to get into her head, they were more like reporters presenting a timeline of her comings and goings and never really fleshing her out.
Whether or not you will enjoy this will depend on if you prefer it to read like a biography or an account of her activities.
Either way, you will be fascinated by her life. She was really something!
Lovers of Old Hollywood will enjoy this.
Much of the information is gathered from Ms Francis' own diaries. It was a little lack luster in that the authors didn't seem to get into her head, they were more like reporters presenting a timeline of her comings and goings and never really fleshing her out.
Whether or not you will enjoy this will depend on if you prefer it to read like a biography or an account of her activities.
Either way, you will be fascinated by her life. She was really something!
Lovers of Old Hollywood will enjoy this.
June 21, 2012
I found out way more than I wanted to know ---
January 26, 2023
Kay seemed the epitome of what a movie star should be - glamorous, sophisticated, beautifully made-up, gorgeously gowned, and photographed in flattering soft focus- in other words, an Art Deco goddess.
There’s a lot of interesting information in the book. I have enjoyed her films and heard that there was more to her, more to her personality, her interests, her views on life — and for the most part, all of that is confirmed, even the gossipy anecdotes, on account the author having referenced Francis’ diaries, which was also the reason why I chose to read this book over some of the others.
"I have a sort of motto which expresses my philosophy- if you can forget yesterday and live only in today, tomorrow can't be too bad.
The book is arranged chronologically but at times goes out of sequence. The author provides background information for everything Francis worked on, both on the stage and the big screen, and then couples it with what was happening in her personal life, which was unbelievably tumultuous.
I found Kay’s life, to be uplifting and exciting, and then incredibly sad and disappointing. There’s a point in the book where it mentions her being out and having had too much to drink. At this point in her life, she’s finished with Hollywood and is only performing in plays. She gets up from the table and proceeds to fall flat on her face. The people she’s with help her down some stairs and get her outside to put her in a taxi. Someone passing by in front of the restaurant recognizes her and asks, ‘Is that Kay Francis?’ Francis opens her eyes and looks up at the person with that legendary smile and replies, ‘It used to be.’
There’s a lot of interesting information in the book. I have enjoyed her films and heard that there was more to her, more to her personality, her interests, her views on life — and for the most part, all of that is confirmed, even the gossipy anecdotes, on account the author having referenced Francis’ diaries, which was also the reason why I chose to read this book over some of the others.
"I have a sort of motto which expresses my philosophy- if you can forget yesterday and live only in today, tomorrow can't be too bad.
The book is arranged chronologically but at times goes out of sequence. The author provides background information for everything Francis worked on, both on the stage and the big screen, and then couples it with what was happening in her personal life, which was unbelievably tumultuous.
I found Kay’s life, to be uplifting and exciting, and then incredibly sad and disappointing. There’s a point in the book where it mentions her being out and having had too much to drink. At this point in her life, she’s finished with Hollywood and is only performing in plays. She gets up from the table and proceeds to fall flat on her face. The people she’s with help her down some stairs and get her outside to put her in a taxi. Someone passing by in front of the restaurant recognizes her and asks, ‘Is that Kay Francis?’ Francis opens her eyes and looks up at the person with that legendary smile and replies, ‘It used to be.’
March 11, 2016
Excellent Biography
The first time I heard of and had ever seen a Kay Frances movie was about twenty years ago when TCM started showing her films. I quickly became a fan. I am glad to read about her life and to find out more about the elegant Miss Frances. She definitely led a colorful adventurous life. She did so many things and had numerous affairs. Unfortunately, also numerous abortions. Probably, the only birth controls available were the diaphragm or the rhythm method. But I assume alcohol might have added to her lack of inhibitions sexually. I still admire her as she left a fantastic legacy of enjoyable films. She was beautiful, talented and a real trooper throughout her life. Truly an interesting read.
The first time I heard of and had ever seen a Kay Frances movie was about twenty years ago when TCM started showing her films. I quickly became a fan. I am glad to read about her life and to find out more about the elegant Miss Frances. She definitely led a colorful adventurous life. She did so many things and had numerous affairs. Unfortunately, also numerous abortions. Probably, the only birth controls available were the diaphragm or the rhythm method. But I assume alcohol might have added to her lack of inhibitions sexually. I still admire her as she left a fantastic legacy of enjoyable films. She was beautiful, talented and a real trooper throughout her life. Truly an interesting read.
November 29, 2007
Please see my review at Amazon.com:
Grace's Kay Francis Book Review
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August 19, 2020
Liked
Look to compare other book written on kay. Tragic life of a beautiful independently successful women. Love to see more of her films
Look to compare other book written on kay. Tragic life of a beautiful independently successful women. Love to see more of her films
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews