Hi Franchot Fans!

I wanted to share a press release that's being distributed to try
and get some media attention for Franchot's 100th Birthday
coinciding with the Academy Awards. Interesting point of trivia to
share if you attend any Oscar parties. :)

The story will be running on About.com Classic Film soon, and
hopefully elsewhere. Feel free to pass it along to any journalists
you may know out there. ;)

Thanks,
Lisa

----------------------

PAST BEST ACTOR-NOMINEE FRANCHOT TONE'S 100TH BIRTHDAY COINCIDES
WITH 2005 ACADEMY AWARDS

ACTOR'S 1935 NOMINATION PLAYED ROLE IN CHANGING OSCAR® HISTORY

Burbank, CA (February 7, 2005) – The 2005 Academy Awards will be
held on February 27, which also happens to be the 100th birthday of
the late Franchot Tone who was the last supporting player ever to be
nominated as Best Actor in Oscar® history, notes Tone biographer
Lisa Burks.

Tone earned his nomination in 1935 on the strength of his portrayal
of Midshipman Roger Byam in MGM's epic adventure "Mutiny on the
Bounty." Lead actors Clark Gable and Charles Laughton were also
nominated for the same film, which won Best Picture, but all three
lost out to Victor McLaglen ("The Informer.") Due in part to Tone's
performance, the Academy recognized the need to honor featured
players in their own right and the following year created the Best
Supporting Actor and Actress categories that are still awarded today.

"Franchot Tone's centennial coinciding with the Academy Awards
provides a wonderful opportunity to remind people of his
contributions to the film industry" says Burks, author of "Urbane
Rebel: The Franchot Tone Story" which she plans to publish in 2006.

Burks' interest in Tone was sparked in 1997 when she was struck by
his charismatic screen presence in the 1933 MGM film "The Girl From
Missouri" co-starring Jean Harlow. She learned, among other things,
that he was the first original member of Broadway's revolutionary
Group Theatre to be offered a studio contract, which in turn made
him the first Method actor to appear in Hollywood films. Off-screen
he was an influential vice-president of the Screen Actors Guild
during its early years and was instrumental in negotiating the union
into a more powerful position within the studio system.

"Reading through his clipping file at the Academy's library I was
immediately drawn to his intelligence and humanity, his willingness
to take career risks and his overall urbanely rebellious approach to
life," says Burks who has approval from Tone's family to write the
biography.

The Los Angeles-based writer theorizes that Tone is little
remembered today because he was not a self-promoter and remained
under the radar when it came to some of his more maverick creative
and business instincts. "His ill-fated marriages to four actresses
including Joan Crawford and Barbara Payton often got more press than
his work and I think that's a shame because he was so much more than
a Hollywood Ex-Husband," says Burks. "It's taken years of digging
but fortunately many of his career-related documents and personal
papers still exist and I've also been able to interview dozens of
people who knew and worked with him so his story has not been
completely lost," she adds.

Burks believes that while a small number of classic film icons
continue to be immortalized in multiple biographies, lesser-known
actors are overlooked for economic reasons. "Big names sell
themselves but I'm convinced that Franchot's previously unexamined
yet compelling life is equally marketable and deserving of
publication," says Burks. "I've spent thousands of my own dollars
on research so I'm not in it for a quick buck. I'm writing about
Franchot Tone because his is an important story thread in the fabric
of Hollywood history that should not be forgotten."

For more information visit http://www.franchot-tone.com.

Contact:
Lisa Burks, Franchot Tone Biographer
(626) 229-8612 or (818) 972-9950
lisa@...