The Making of the Man on the Eiffel Tower

The Man on the Eiffel Tower, produced by Franchot and often noted as one of his favorite films, was the first feature film shot entirely in color in France. Director of photography Stanley Cortez spoke with American Cinematographer about how shooting only in Ansco Color following the war created challenges:

The two studios which we used Billancourt and Joinville had been occupied by the Germans during the war. When they retreated, they sacked both studios of every available piece of equipment, leaving only the bare walls. It has been a heartbreaking job ever since for the gallant French technicians who are trying to refurnish their studios with the modern equipment necessary to full scale motion picture production.

Because there were no Ansco labs in Europe at the time and sending film to the United States for development would've been too costly, The Man on The Eiffel Tower was shot—with a Debrie Super Parvo camera—without lighting and makeup tests.

The cast and crew encountered additional issues. A coal shortage in France meant that there were days spent without electricity. Cortez elaborated:

Happily, the two days that Billancourt studios were without power, Joinville studios, several miles distant, had it; so on those days we would transport our camera, lighting equipment, and any necessary props or sets to Joinville and work there—returning to Billancourt when the rationing edict darkened the stages at Joinville.

Despite the setbacks, Cortez said that Franchot and coproducer Irving Allen "were most cooperative and considerate at all times."

Cortez was pleased with the final results:

I feel that we have given Ansco Color film the acid test, having put it through a major production under all sorts of conditions. It is safe to predict that Ansco Color film will really come into its own as a medium for feature film production once The Man on the Eiffel Tower is released.

Watching the film, you'll be struck by the numerous French locations that are captured in each scene. The mystery plays out in cafes, streets, flats, and, of course, the Eiffel Tower. The city is a major part of the plot and as American Cinematographer stated, the film can also be considered a "travelogue type of documentation of Paris." The city is even listed in the film's cast of characters.

The New York Times felt that the film was "largely composed of subdued excitements" and did not praise its actors:

...City of Light was never lovelier than as the Ansco-colored background for this manhunt and, what is more pertinent, it very often makes the other principals look like spear carriers. In losing their hearts to the Eiffel Tower, the Seine, the boulevards and Montparnasse, the producers and the director have given some distinction to an otherwise routine adventure...Although this short tour is, by and large, a delight, the same cannot be said for the rest of the cast. They don't seem to be straining, but their efforts can't be counted as outstanding. 

Franchot made The Man on the Eiffel Tower with some of his favorite people. Franchot's close friends Charles Laughton and Burgess Meredith were the principal actors along with Franchot. Meredith directed the film. Though their marriage was ending at the time, Franchot's wife Jean Wallace also starred.

I do agree that some of the scenes are subdued, but it's an interesting film, a different role for Franchot, with enough thrilling elements to keep me entertained. It has fallen into the public domain, and here it is in its entirety:



Sources:
 "Filming the Man on the Eiffel Tower." American Cinematographer. February 1949. p 46

"The Screen in Review; 'The Man on the Eiffel Tower,' From Novel by Simenon, Opens at the Criterion." The New York Times. January 30, 1950.

Piecing together the technical story of Jigsaw

In late 1948, the publication American Cinematographer revealed the unique method in which Jigsaw was recorded. Jigsaw differed from the majority of American films being made at the time and was able to use a small budget to its advantage.

A film noir about a district attorney whose investigation into a suicide leads to a much more sinister plot involving political extremists,  Jigsaw starred Franchot, Jean Wallace, Myron McCormick, and Marc Lawrence. The film was made on a small budget, but what it lacked in budget it made up for in a Who's Who of cameo appearances. It featured cameos by Henry Fonda, John Garfield, Marlene Dietrich, Marsha Hunt, and others.

American Cinematographer praised Don Malkames, director of photography, for his skill at creating a lighting quality expected in studio films without fancy equipment and special-made sets. Journalist Norman Keane wrote:

This production demonstrates that feature films can be photographed in natural settings and locations...The natural locations were used because they afforded economy in production. Not a single set was built for the entire picture. Even the props were those found on the locations. The sites and locales used included interior of the Brooklyn Museum, a Fifth Avenue pet shop, a prominent night club, its dressing rooms, a large restaurant of unique design, an apartment house interior, elevators, and a warehouse...Every set was a challenge...none of the luxury lighting equipment of Hollywood studios. He [Don Malkames] had to get around the limitations of low ceilings of the apartment in which a great deal of the action took place, of the fixed walls of narrow halls and of elevators, and of the immovable fixtures, furniture, etc., which he invariably found in such locations as the pet shop. Before starting to shoot the picture, he had considered using mostly photo spot lamps and R-2 photofloods, but he found that even after building a number of barn doors and hangers for use with these lights, they would not give the precise lighting control necessary. 

Malkames used Mole-Richardson light spots, "inky dinks" for key lighting, and "150 watt broads for fill in light." Malkames secured lighting to ceiling beams to give scenes a more natural look and photographed the entire film with a fast lens in "exceptionally low key." He also used shafts of light to enhance the more suspenseful scenes.

Franchot said:

It is doubtful that there are many cameramen who could achieve the excellent quality of lighting that Malkames did, considering the lighting equipment he had to work with and the limitations of his sets.

Keane's article also uncovered another interesting element to Jigsaw's photography. The film was recorded entirely without sound!

Another thing which greatly simplified the photography was the absence of sound equipment—especially the mike boom which, under the lighting conditions used...most certainly would have involved unwanted shadows...It was the belief of the producers Lee and Danziger, based on long experience of dubbing foreign versions, that it is possible to get greater dramatic feeling into the dialogue when it is post-recorded and dubbed in after the picture is cut.

After the film was recorded, the cast reassembled at the recording studio. As scenes were projected on a screen, Franchot, Jean, and the rest of the cast spoke their lines. Other sounds such as the ringing of telephones, footsteps and so on were also recorded at that time. 

The cast and crew were excited to think of how this method would be studied by future producers and students of low-budget movies. They also thought it would prove a successful method for television movies in the future.

I knew the film was low-budget and that the producers, director, and Franchot himself took pride in its originality, but I had no idea of the lengths they went with natural lighting and post-filming dubbing. After learning how much the film was praised for its lighting and how the crew felt it would be studied by film students and television producers, I am even more frustrated that it fell into public domain. As a public domain title, the film has been neglected and is in bad shape. All of the copies you watch online and even the DVD I own are such poor quality in sight and sound. Can you imagine if we could see it in its original theatrical glory?

I rewatched the film after reading the American Cinematographer article and took notice of all the lighting tricks and was impressed by the effortlessly seamed dubbed video. I've always felt this was a very good performance of Franchot's (I wish he'd made more film noirs like this and I Love Trouble) and I like Jean's femme fatale character as well.

Here's the full movie on the Internet Archive. (If the embedded video doesn't play, click here.)

Source:

Keane, Norman. "'Jigsaw' Filmed Without Sound or Sets." American Cinematographer. December 1948.

I Love Trouble (1948)

I Love Trouble is a swell little detective noir starring Franchot Tone as Stuart Bailey, a good-natured, witty private detective who is hired by politician Ralph Johnston to investigate Johnston's wife. Also starring Glenda Farrell, Janet Blair, and Adele Jergens, the film was based on the book Double Take by Roy Huggins. You may be familiar with the character of Stuart Bailey since actor Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. reprised the role on television in 77 Sunset Strip.

 

 

Franchot appeared to be enthusiastic about I Love Trouble. He said:

I don’t even use rough stuff when I corner the murderer. I use my wits instead. I go about solving this murder in strictly a mental way. Just like the detectives in real life. I’m keeping my face tan with a sun lamp. My only concession to the traditional screen dick is to wear a suit that doesn’t fit. Well, it fits but not the wonderful way my clothes in the playboy pictures did.

Tone also talked about the story's writer Roy Huggins:

He operated a statistics gathering office for factories to help them reconvert. After they reconverted, he told his staff their last job would be to reconvert him. They gathered a lot of figures and discovered the boss could make the most money with the least effort writing mysteries

 

 

Because the film fell into the public domain, it is readily available online on most video sites. Unfortunately, the picture quality is not very good. There are even brief moments when the screen is black and the scene lost. Please watch the film anyway! It is a well-written, well-acted mystery that will hook you despite the film's quality. Franchot gives a convincing and entertaining performance as the investigator with a keen eye for clues and pretty ladies.

In the film, Bailey thinks he's uncovering the mysterious past of a politician's missing wife. He soon finds that no one and nothing is what it seems. As he chases leads, Bailey begins to believe that he's the one who is actually being followed. Is he setting the trap or falling into one? I've embedded the full video at the end of this post so that you can watch the film in its entirety.

 

 

 

 

If you are unable to see the embedded video below, you can access the movie on Youtube and Internet Archive.

Sources:
Mosby, Aline. "Franchot Tone to Play Flicker Role of Good-Natured Detective." Herald-Journal. June 1, 1947.
http://www.thrillingdetective.com/bailey.html

Dark Waters (1944)

Franchot as Dr. George Grover in Dark Waters

Dark Waters is a 1944 gothic noir starring Merle Oberon, Franchot, Thomas Mitchell, Elisha Cook Jr., and Fay Bainter. The film was directed by Andre de Toth, who also directed Slattery's Hurricane and House of Wax. Although the video and sound quality is not great on the DVD, I think it's the best available version at the moment. I would love to see this film restored!

Despite the lackluster visual definition, the story, characters, and mood of Dark Waters is top notch.  It is a well-written thriller, with dark turns, creepy characters, and a heartfelt romance. In my film summaries, I make every attempt not to spoil a film for new viewers. Although I won't spoil the ending, I do need to warn you of a spoiler alert ahead. There's one scene in the film that I feel compelled to talk about, because it is one of my favorite moments in a romantic suspense film. Doing so might spoil this scene/the following scenes for you. Now that that's out of the way, let's get to the movie!

On a leisurely European tour, Leslie Calvin (Merle Oberon) survives a World War II ship sinking by the Germans. The attack (which viewers do not see) is harrowing and violent for the gentle Leslie. We first see Leslie in a hospital receiving care for her post-traumatic stress and fragile state. Her attending physician suggests Leslie go recuperate with the support of her family. Since she has no parents or siblings, Leslie sends a telegram to her Uncle Norbert (John Qualen) and Aunt Emily (Fay Bainter). She takes a train to the town in which they live and is surprised when no one is there to pick her up at the station. Although the townspeople have not heard of Norbert and Emily, they all know the large plantation they own. Overwhelmed by her transition into the real world, Leslie faints in the station. Kind country doctor George Grover (Franchot Tone) is there to revive her and delivers her to the remote plantation.

Aunt Emily and Uncle Norbert are surprised to see their niece and act very strangely upon her arrival. There are even some unexpected characters living in the house, a menacing Mr. Sidney (Thomas Mitchell) and his right-hand man Cleeve (Elisha Cook, Jr.) Everyone seems a bit suspicious, even Leslie. When I first watched the film about six months ago, I wondered who onscreen was lying. I knew something was up, but was not sure who to blame. Is Leslie who she says she is? Is this all a hallucination in the psych ward? Are Aunt Emily and Uncle Norbert who they say they are? Are they being controlled by Mr. Sidney and Cleeve? Is Doctor Grover a part of a bigger scheme or does he genuinely care? Is the whole family crazy? A good suspense will force you to ponder these questions and Dark Waters is wonderfully suspenseful. Each time I decided to trust one character, the dialogue and eerie set-up made me question my choice.

Dr. George Grover and Leslie fall in love and it's an appealing match.  As the overwrought out-of-towner and the humble country doctor, Merle and Franchot are superb together. George brings Leslie out of her anxiety when he takes her to visit his patients and to an outdoor dance, but when he asks her to marry him, Leslie loses her composure.

Back on the plantation, Mr. Sidney, Cleeve, and Aunt Emily are all behaving abnormally. When she believes her life is in danger (and the viewer is convinced as well), Leslie calls George to come over.

Warning: Spoiler coming up after these screenshots!

Leslie meets George outside and pleads with him to help her. She tells him that she's certain that her family members are duplicitous and plotting her demise. Leslie's panic is real and Merle is brilliant in this scene. George, however, doesn't believe her! He calmly tells her it's all in her head and writes her a prescription. A prescription! Let me tell you I absolutely yelled, "Franchot, listen to HER! Rescue her!" the first time I watched. George sees that the woman he loves is in total distress and pretty much tells her to rest...it is excruciating! Franchot plays this scene with a helpless look, but his character can absolutely help. You begin to feel that perhaps George isn't the romantic hero he seemed earlier. Leslie, feeling as hopeless as I did at this point, walks back to her room, dejected and in despair. George walks into the house and greets Mr. Sidney. George warns him that Leslie is having delusional thoughts and needs total rest.

Franchot and Thomas Mitchell

Leslie is crying in her room when she unfurls the prescription note in her hand. The note reads, "Believe You. S. listening inside. Too dangerous to go now—Stay in your room—back with help right away. I love you—"

I have never been so relieved by a twist in a Tone movie before! "Oh, my God! He knew! He knew! Yes!" is exactly what I exclaimed as I gaped at the screen like a crazy lady. In all seriousness though, this romantic moment simply captured in Leslie's reading of a note and her perfect emotional response to it could not have been written or performed better. It reminds me of the satisfaction I feel when watching (possible spoilers for a couple non-Franchot films here) Cary Grant climb the stairs and rescue the poisoned Ingrid Bergman in Notorious or Mr. Grant realize that Deborah Kerr is indeed the woman who bought the painting in An Affair to Remember. Those Grant moments have always stuck in my memory as being distinctly tender and impassioned at the same time—Franchot's dedication to Merle, revealed in the "prescription", is no less striking and memorable. I could rewatch this scene over and over. 

The prescription!

Stunned Merle

Elated Merle

George redeems his romantic hero status and we know that help is on the way. Wary of the doctor's intentions,  Mr. Sidney sends his lackey Cleeve to rough George up. George plants doubt and suspicion into Cleeve's mind. George suggests that Sidney is using Cleeve and sending him to do his dirty work because he doesn't believe Cleeve is smart enough or strong enough to handle anything more. 

Elisha Cook, Jr.

In the end, Sidney and Cleeve force Leslie and George onto a boat in the dark recesses of swamp country. How are Leslie's aunt and uncle involved? Is sinking survivor Leslie emotionally strong enough to survive being on the boat at all? Is this all a fantasy in the fragile heroine's head? Track down the DVD, find out for yourself, and enjoy this often overlooked gothic noir!

Mickey One (1965)

In 1965, Franchot played a secondary character in a Warren Beatty vehicle called Mickey One. Before I get started, I want to admit that Mickey One is not my favorite film. I found the shots and mood of the film interesting, but the actual story didn't do much for me. However, it is directed by Arthur Penn (who would direct Beatty again in the brilliant Bonnie and Clyde just two years later), and has achieved a cult status among modern viewers.

Warren Beatty is a successful stand-up comedian. His character performs at all the popular nightclubs and always has a beautiful woman on his arm. He appears to have everything in the opening scenes, but we soon learn that the mob has hold of him. Not sure of how he's incurred the wrath of the mafia, Beatty aims to pay his debts and move on with his life. He quickly learns that it isn't that easy. Paranoia follows him as he runs away from the life he knows and takes on the identity of Mickey One. Mickey is eager to experience and seeks out the fame of his comedy career again, all while being terrified that the  mafia will catch up to him and murder him.

How does Franchot factor in all of this? Well, he portrays Ruby Lapp, a club manager and sort of middle man for the mobsters. Mickey One never meets with the mafia itself, but always directly to Ruby, who advises him to play it safe. Ruby hints that Mickey is in trouble because he shared too much information in a Turkish bath. When the comedian runs away, Ruby warns him that he'll never be able to escape, that his debts will follow him for life. Franchot only has a few brief, quiet scenes in the film and his character, like most of the film's characters, is vague and a bit kooky.

Speaking of the film's kookiness, here's an odd little piece of trivia I uncovered while reading the original reviews of the film. (By the way, I felt better when I read that most reviewers were as confused about the plot as me.) In his first scene, there are close-ups of Franchot. I noticed what I thought was a dark scratch, stitch, or scar on the right side of his head (left side to viewer). As you are aware, I am a bit preoccupied with Franchot, so I wondered what was up with that. I found my answer in Dorothy Kilgallen's "The Voice of Broadway" column dated March 19, 1964:

"Franchot Tone will be a little late reporting to Chicago for his role with Warren Beatty in Mickey One. He tripped over his cat, got a black eye and had to have 10 stitches taken in his head."

(I've heard rumors that Franchot didn't have a cat and that the injury was caused by inebriation, but Franchot actually referred to having a cat in another context in another article around the same time.)

 

 

My favorite scene is shown in the screen captures below. This is when Franchot gives his big speech, telling Warren Beatty that the mob will control his entire life and that there is no escape or fix for it.

Watch Mickey One for its unique cinematic shots, combination of noir and new wave, and cult status. Don't watch it for a straightforward, cohesive plot.

Mickey One is available on DVD on Amazon.

 

Phantom Lady (1944)

In 1944, Franchot took a sinister turn, costarring with Ella Raines and Alan Curtis in the film noir, Phantom Lady.

In Phantom Lady, Scott Henderson (played by Alan Curtis) goes out for a night on the town with a mysterious woman after his wife tells him she doesn't love him anymore. Scott and the unnamed lady have drinks at a bar, go out to a show where the songstress on stage wears the same elegant hat as Scott's guest, and then part ways outside of the bar. When Scott returns to his apartment, he finds detectives in the living room and his wife strangled to death in the bedroom. Because Scott's necktie is identified as the murder weapon, cops immediately zero on him as the main suspect. Scott must track down the mysterious lady who is his alibi, yet no one is cooperating. It is evident that witnesses who saw the two together at the bar and show have been bribed to keep their mouths shut. The only person who believes that Scott Henderson is innocent is his secretary Carol Richman, a woman clearly infatuated with her boss. When a jury convicts Scott of murder, Carol sets out to find the unknown woman and clear his name. Scott's best friend, Jack Marlow, arrives to help Carol. Franchot Tone plays Jack Marlow and doesn't enter the film until about 45 minutes in. Spoilers are coming after this set of screen captures, so if you don't want to know too much, beware!

Spoiler begins now. Before I saw this movie, I was really frustrated, because in all descriptions of the film it was made clear that Franchot portrayed the murderer. Why would they tell me that before I watched? I felt like the film's twist was probably ruined, so I went into watching it a bit deflated. Having seen it, I realize why viewers give it away so easily. The film gives Franchot away as the murderer in his very first scene! Franchot's Jack Marlow immediately strangles a character. I liked Franchot's portrayal. Wringing and knotting his hands and suffering from debilitating headaches, Franchot's Jack Marlow is obviously a conflicted psychopath. It reminds me a bit of Robert Walker's Bruno Antony, although Phantom Lady is not nearly as masterful as Strangers on a Train. I didn't like that the film gave away his identity so quickly in the film. I think the film would have been more suspenseful and exciting if the viewer was not made aware of the murderer's identity until the plot had progressed. It would have been more fun to debate Jack Marlow's guilt or innocence and then it be revealed.

Franchot is, however, ultra creepy in his scenes and it's unnerving to see Carol (Ella Raines) so implicitly trusting the very murderer she's hunting. I enjoyed this film noir, but feel that the plot and build-up was a bit thin. There's no explanation or back story as to why and how Jack Marlow became a murderer. All we know is that Scott Henderson's wife laughed at him and he didn't like it. Phantom Lady is a fun, but flawed film noir. It made me realize how wonderful it would have been if Franchot had been asked to be a leading man or criminal in an Alfred Hitchcock film. He would have been so convincing as a deceiving murderer hiding in plain sight in a tuxedo with all his charm. What a lost gem to Franchot enthusiasts that a Hitchcock film was never made. (Note: If you haven't seen Franchot Tone's roles in episodes of the Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Alfred Hitchcock Hour television shows, you must!)

If you enjoy 1940s film noirs, you'll want to check out Phantom Lady. It is available on DVD on Amazon and TCMShop.