Farley Granger | |
|---|---|
 Granger in 1951 | |
| Born | Farley Earle Granger Jr. (1925-07-01)July 1, 1925 San Jose, California, U.S. |
| Died | March 27, 2011(2011-03-27) (aged 85) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1943–2004 |
| Partner | Robert Calhoun (co. 1963;d. 2008) |
Farley Earle Granger Jr.[1] (July 1, 1925 – March 27, 2011) was an American actor. Granger was first noticed in a small stage production in Hollywood by aGoldwyn casting director, and given a significant role inThe North Star (1943), a controversial film praising the Soviet Union at the height of World War II, but later condemned for its political position. Another war film,The Purple Heart (1944), followed, before Granger's naval service inHonolulu, in a unit that arranged troop entertainment in thePacific. Here he made useful contacts, includingBob Hope,Betty Grable andRita Hayworth. It was also where he began exploring hisbisexuality, which he said he never felt any need to conceal.
His role in Hitchcock'sRope, a fictionalized account of theLeopold and Loeb murder case of 1924, earned him much critical praise though the film got mixed reviews. Hitchcock cast him again inStrangers on a Train, as a tennis star drawn into a reciprocal murder plot by a wealthypsychopath; he described this as his happiest film-making experience.
Granger continued to appear on stage, film and television well into his 70s. His work ranged from classical drama on Broadway to several Italian-language films and major documentaries about Hollywood. For his contribution to television, Granger has a star located at 1551Vine Street on theHollywood Walk of Fame.
Granger was born inSan Jose, California, the son of Eva (née Hopkins) and Farley Earle Granger Sr.[2][3] He lived at 1185 Hanchett Avenue in the Hanchett Residence Park neighborhood.[4]
His wealthy father owned aWillys-Overland automobile dealership, and the family frequently spent time at their beach house inCapitola onMonterey Bay. Following thestock market crash in 1929, the Grangers were forced to sell both their homes and most of their personal belongings and move into an apartment above the family business, where they remained for the next two years. As a result of this financial setback and the loss of their social status, both of Granger's parents began to drink heavily. Eventually the remainder of their possessions were sold at auction to settle their debts, and the elder Granger used the last car on his lot to spirit away the family to Los Angeles in the middle of the night.[5]
In the 1930s, the family lived in a small apartment in a seedy part ofHollywood, and Granger's parents worked at various temporary jobs. Their drinking increased, and the couple frequently fought. Hoping he might become atap dancer, Granger's mother enrolled him at Ethel Meglin's, the dance and drama instruction studio whereJudy Garland andShirley Temple had started.[6]
Granger's father found work as a clerk in theNorth Hollywood branch of theCalifornia Department of Unemployment, and his salary allowed him to put a small down payment on a house inStudio City, where their neighbor was actor/dancerDonald O'Connor.[7] At his office, Granger's father became acquainted with comedianHarry Langdon in the early 1940s, who advised him to take his son to a small local theatre where open auditions forThe Wookey, a British play about Londoners struggling to survive during World War II, were being held. The 17-year-old Granger's use of aCockney accent impressed the director, and he was cast in multiple roles. The opening night audience included talent agentPhil Gersh andSamuel Goldwyn casting director Bob McIntyre, and the following morning Gersh contacted Granger's parents and asked them to bring him to his office that afternoon to discuss the role of Damian, a teenaged Russian boy in the filmThe North Star.[8]
Granger auditioned for producer Goldwyn, screenwriterLillian Hellman and directorLewis Milestone. Hellman was trying to convinceMontgomery Clift to leave theBroadway play in which he was appearing, and when her efforts proved to be futile, the role was given to Granger. During the 1940s, Goldwyn signed him to a seven-year contract for $100 per week.[9]
The studio publicity department was concerned audiences would confuse Granger with British actorStewart Granger, so they suggested he change his name and offered him a list from which to choose. "The names were all interchangeable, like Gordon Gregory and Gregory Gordon. I didn't want to change my name", Granger later recalled. "I liked Farley Granger. It was my father's name, and his grandfather's name. They kept bringing me new combinations, and finally I offered to change it to Kent Clark. I was the only one who thought it was funny." Eventually the studio issued a press release announcing Farley Granger, a senior atNorth Hollywood High School, had been cast inThe North Star after he responded to an ad in the local paper. "I thought that was a really dumb story", said Granger. "The truth was much more interesting."[10]
Making the film proved to be a fortunate start to Granger's career. He enjoyed working with director Milestone and fellow cast membersDana Andrews,Anne Baxter,Walter Brennan andJane Withers, and during filming he met composerAaron Copland, who remained a friend in later years. When released in 1943, when the Soviet Union was still an American ally in World War II, the film was savaged by critics working for newspapers owned byWilliam Randolph Hearst, a staunch anti-Communist who felt the movie was Soviet propaganda.[11]
For Granger's next film, he was loaned out to20th Century Fox, whereDarryl F. Zanuck cast him inThe Purple Heart (1944), in which he was directed by Milestone and again co-starred with Dana Andrews. Still a teenager, Granger became a close friend of supporting cast memberSam Levene, acharacter actor from New York City who took him under his wing. He also became a friend ofRoddy McDowall and found himself linked withJune Haver ingossip columns andfan magazines.[12]
Upon completion ofThe Purple Heart, Granger enlisted in the United States Navy. Following U.S. NavyRecruit Training inFarragut, Idaho, he sailed fromTreasure Island in San Francisco toHonolulu. During the 17-day crossing, he suffered from chronicseasickness and lost 23 pounds, and upon arrival in Hawaii he was admitted to the hospital for several days ofrehydration. As a result, the remainder of his military career was spent onshore, where he first was assigned to the cleanup crew at an enlisted men's club situated at the end ofWaikiki Beach and then to a unit in Honolulu that worked withArmy Special Services that was commanded by classical actorMaurice Evans, who put together and arranged entertainment for all the troops in the Pacific. It was here that he had the opportunity to meet and mingle with visiting entertainers such asBob Hope,Bing Crosby,Betty Grable,Rita Hayworth,Hedy Lamarr,Gertrude Lawrence, and many others.[13]
It was during his naval stint in Honolulu that Granger had his first sexual experiences, one with a hostess at a private club and the other with a Navy officer visiting the same venue, both on the same night.[14] He was startled to discover he was attracted to both men and women equally, and in his memoir he observed,
I finally came to the conclusion that for me, everything I had done that night was as natural and as good as it felt ... I never have felt the need to belong to any exclusive, self-defining, or special group ... I was never ashamed, and I never felt the need to explain or apologize for my relationships to anyone .... I have loved men. I have loved women.[15]
Granger returned to civilian life and was pleased to discover his parents had curbed their drinking and were treating each other more civilly. Goldwyn increased his weekly salary to $200 and presented him with a1940 Ford Coupe. The actor was introduced toSaul Chaplin and his wife Ethel, who became his lifelong mentor, confidante and best friend.[16] Through the couple, Granger metBetty Comden,Adolph Green,Jerome Robbins,Leonard Bernstein andGene Kelly, who invited him to join his open house gatherings that includedJudy Garland,Lena Horne,Frank Sinatra,Betty Garrett,Johnny Mercer,Harold Arlen andStanley Donen. Most influential among his new acquaintances was directorNicholas Ray, who cast Granger in hisfilm noir,The Twisted Road (working title). The film was nearing completion in October 1947 whenHoward Hughes acquiredRKO Radio Pictures, and the new studio head shelved it for nearly a year before releasing it in 1948 under the titleThey Live by Night in a single theater in London. Enthusiastic reviews led RKO to finally release the film in the States in late 1949. During the two years it had remained in limbo, it had been screened numerous times in private screening rooms, and one of the people who saw it during this period wasAlfred Hitchcock, who was preparingRope.[17]
Granger was in New York City when he was summoned to return to Hollywood and discussRope with Hitchcock. The night before their initial meeting, Granger coincidentally metArthur Laurents, who had written the film's screenplay, which was based on the 1929 playRope's End byPatrick Hamilton, a fictionalized account of theLeopold and Loeb murder case of 1924. It was not until he began reading the script that he connected its author with the man he had met the previous night. Granger and Laurents met again, and Laurents invited the actor to spend the night. He declined, but when the offer was extended again several days later, he accepted. It proved to be the start of a romantic relationship that lasted about a year and a frequently tempestuous friendship that extended for decades beyond their breakup.[18]
InRope, Granger andJohn Dall portrayed two intellectuals who commit a murder simply to prove they can get away with it. The two characters and their former professor, played byJames Stewart, were supposed to be homosexual, and Granger and Dall discussed the subtext of their scenes. BecauseThe Hays Office was keeping close tabs on the project, however, the final script was so discreet that Laurents remained uncertain of whether Stewart ever realized that his own character was homosexual.[19] Hitchcock shot the film in continuous, uninterrupted 10-minute takes, the amount of time a reel ofTechnicolor film lasted, and, as a result, technical problems frequently brought the action to a frustrating halt throughout the 21-day shoot. The film ultimately received mixed reviews in 1948, although most critics were impressed by Granger, who in later years said he was happy to be part of the experience, but wondered "what the film would have been like had [Hitchcock] shot it normally" and "had he not had to worry about censorship".[20]
Upon the completion ofRope, Goldwyn cast Granger,Teresa Wright,David Niven, andEvelyn Keyes inEnchantment (1948), which was panned for a weak script and indifferent direction byIrving Reis. It failed at the box office, as did his next project,Roseanna McCoy (1949), during which he and Laurents parted ways.[21] While filmingSide Street (1950) on location in1949 Manhattan forAnthony Mann, Granger briefly became involved withLeonard Bernstein, who invited him to join him on his South American tour. By the time Granger completed the film, the composer/conductor had married Costa Rican pianist and actressFelicia Montealegre. The two men remained friends until Bernstein's death.[22]
In November 1949, Granger, who had two years to go on his contract with Goldwyn, signed a new five-year contract with the producer.[23]
Granger's next two films for Goldwyn in 1950,Edge of Doom andOur Very Own, were unpleasant working experiences, and the actor refused to allow the producer to loan him toUniversal Pictures for an inferiormagic carpet saga. When he was placed on suspension, he decided to accompany Ethel Chaplin (who had separated from her husband) and her daughter on a trip to Paris. At the last moment, they were joined by Arthur Laurents, who remained behind when the group departed for London to see the opening of theNew York City Ballet, which had been choreographed byJerome Robbins. He and Granger engaged in a casual affair until the actor was summoned to return to New York to help publicizeEdge of Doom andOur Very Own, both of which received dreadful reviews. Goldwyn cancelled the nationwide openings of the latter, hoping to salvage it by adding wraparound scenes that would change the focus of the film, and Granger refused to promote it any further. Once again placed on suspension, he departed for Europe, where he spent time in Italy, Austria, and Germany with Laurents before being contacted about an upcoming film by Alfred Hitchcock.[24]
The project wasStrangers on a Train (1951), in which Granger was cast as tennis player and aspiring politician Guy Haines. He is introduced topsychopathic Bruno Anthony, portrayed byRobert Walker, who suggests they swap murders, with Bruno killing Guy's unfaithful wife and Guy disposing of Bruno's overbearing father. As withRope, there was a homosexual subtext to the two men's relationship, although it was toned down fromPatricia Highsmith's 1950original novel. Granger and Walker, whose wifeJennifer Jones had recently left him forDavid O. Selznick, became close friends and confidantes during filming, and Granger was devastated when Walker died from an accidental combination of alcohol andbarbiturates prior to the film's release. It proved to be a box office hit, the first major success of Granger's career, and his "happiest filmmaking experience".[25]
On December 31, 1950, Granger picked up close friendShelley Winters to escort her toSam Spiegel's traditional New Year's Eve gala. The actress kept him waiting for nearly two hours, and they argued while en route to the party. Once there, they went their separate ways, and Granger metAva Gardner. The two left to hearNat King Cole perform at a nearbynightclub and then went to Granger's home, where they began an intense affair that lasted until Gardner began filmingShow Boat a month later.[26]
Having reconciled, Granger and Winters went to New York City, where they audited classes at theActors Studio and theNeighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. Winters subscribed to the concept ofmethod acting, but Granger felt an actor "had to be faithful to the text, not adapt it to some personal sense memory", and their disagreement triggered more arguments.[27] Their plan to pursue individual training programs was disrupted when both were called back to Hollywood. Goldwyn cast Granger inI Want You, a 1951 drama about the effect theKorean War has on an American family still trying to recover from World War II. Granger thought the screenplay byIrwin Shaw was "not only dull, but felt dated", but welcomed the opportunity to work withDana Andrews andDorothy McGuire. Goldwyn expected the film to be as successful asThe Best Years of Our Lives (1946), but it proved to be as "tepid and old-fashioned" as Granger feared and, opening after cease-fire negotiations withKorea had begun, no longer topical, and it died at the box office.[28] His subsequent projects – ascrewball comedy with Winters calledBehave Yourself! (1951), and theGift of the Magi segment of theanthology filmO. Henry's Full House (1952) – were no more successful.[29] During the filming of the latter, he appeared on set in aCamel commercial.[30] The followingmusical film,Hans Christian Andersen (1952), with Danny Kaye, on the other hand, did well internationally at the box office.[citation needed]
Eager to work withVincente Minnelli, Granger accepted a role oppositeLeslie Caron andEthel Barrymore inMademoiselle, one of three segments in the 1953MGM filmThe Story of Three Loves. The film's producer,Gottfried Reinhardt, also directed the other two segments, and he mercilessly editedMademoiselle to give his stories more screen time.[31] Unhappy with the direction his career was taking, Granger sought solace with Shelley Winters, who was separated fromVittorio Gassman, and the two friends resumed their love affair, which at one point nearly had culminated in marriage. Their relationship was complicated, but Granger felt "it works for us."[32]
Granger's next project wasSmall Town Girl (1953), a musical withJane Powell,Ann Miller, andBobby Van. Upon its completion, he bought his release from Goldwyn, a costly decision that left him with serious financial difficulties. Granger was determined to move toManhattan to study acting and perform on stage, but his agent convinced him to accept a role inSenso (1954), directed byLuchino Visconti and co-starringAlida Valli. Filming in Italy lasted nine months, although Granger frequently was idle during this period, allowing him free time to explore Italy and even spend a long weekend in Paris, where he had a brief affair withJean Marais. During his time inVenice, Granger renewed his friendship withPeggy Guggenheim, whom he had met during his earlier trip to Italy with Arthur Laurents, and he metMike Todd, who cajoled him into making a cameo appearance as agondolier in his 1956 epicAround the World in 80 Days. He finally returned to Hollywood exhausted, but happy about the experience.[33]
Upon his return to the States,Darryl F. Zanuck offered Granger a two-picture deal, and in quick succession he madeThe Girl in the Red Velvet Swing co-starringRay Milland andJoan Collins, in which he portrayed tycoonHarry Kendall Thaw, andThe Naked Street, amelodrama the actor thought was "preachy, trite and pedestrian", although he welcomed the opportunity to work withAnthony Quinn andAnne Bancroft.[34] Both films were released in 1955.[citation needed]
The same year, Granger moved to New York and began studying withBob Fosse,Gloria Vanderbilt,James Kirkwood, andTom Tryon in a class taught bySandy Meisner at theNeighborhood Playhouse. During this period, he made hisBroadway debut inThe Carefree Tree, a play with music based on an old Chinese legend. The cast includedJanice Rule as Granger's love interest, andAlvin Ailey,Frances Sternhagen,Jerry Stiller, andSada Thompson in supporting roles. The play closed after only 24 performances, but shortly after its demise, Rule moved in with Granger, and before long they were making wedding plans. They gradually realized the love their characters had felt on stage actually had not carried over into real life, and the two went their separate ways, although they remained friends until her death in 2003.[35]
With both his film and theatrical career floundering, Granger turned to television. His dramatic TV debut came when he appeared in "Splendid With Swords", an episode ofSchlitz Playhouse of Stars in 1955.[36] He starred inBeyond This Place (1957), an adaptation of theA.J. Cronin 1950novel of the same title, with Shelley Winters andPeggy Ann Garner, and joinedJulie Harris for a 1961 remake ofThe Heiress (1949). He also was featured in episodes ofClimax Mystery Theater,Ford Television Theatre,The 20th Century Fox Hour,Robert Montgomery Presents,Playhouse 90,Wagon Train,Kraft Television Theatre,The United States Steel Hour, andThe Bell Telephone Hour, and in later yearsGet Smart,Run for Your Life,Ironside,The Name of the Game, andHawaii Five-O, among others.
In 1959, Granger returned to Broadway asFitzwilliam Darcy oppositePolly Bergen asElizabeth Bennet inFirst Impressions, a musical adaptation ofPride and Prejudice with a book and direction byAbe Burrows. The tryout inNew Haven was a disaster, and reviews were mixed. Things improved slightly during thePhiladelphia run, but by the time the production reached New York, Bergen – who was fighting bitterly with co-starHermione Gingold – was experiencing serious vocal problems, and some of her songs would be cut during each performance, creating confusion for the rest of the cast. Only two of seven critics wrote favorable reviews, Bergen was replaced byunderstudyEllen Hanley, and the musical closed in less than three months.[37] Later that year, he was cast inThe Warm Peninsula, a play byJoe Masteroff. Co-starring Julie Harris,June Havoc, andLarry Hagman, it received fair reviews but closed after only 86 performances.[38]
Despite his three unsuccessful Broadway experiences, Granger continued to focus on theater in the early 1960s. He accepted an invitation fromEva Le Gallienne to join her National Repertory Theatre. During their first season, while the company was inPhiladelphia,John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The President had attended NRT's opening night and post-performance gala in the nation's capital, so the news hit everyone in the company especially hard. Granger had become a close friend of production supervisorRobert Calhoun, and although both had felt a mutual attraction, they never had discussed it. That night they became lovers.[39]
Granger finally achieved some success on Broadway inThe Seagull,The Crucible,The Glass Menagerie, andDeathtrap.[40] He starred oppositeBarbara Cook in a revival ofThe King and I at theoff-BroadwayNew York City Center,[41] and in 1979 he was cast in theRoundabout Theatre Company production ofA Month in the Country. In 1986 he won theObie Award for his performance in theLanford Wilson playTalley & Son.[42]
In the early 1970s, Granger and Calhoun moved to Rome, where the actor made a series of Italian language films, most notably theSpaghetti WesternThey Call Me Trinity (1970) and the giallo filmWhat Have They Done to Your Daughters? (1974), alongsideMario Adorf, which was directed byMassimo Dallamano.[43] He appeared in an episode of theABCpolice dramaNakia in 1974 and also appeared on several soap operas, includingOne Life to Live in 1976, on which his portrayal ofWill Vernon garnered him a nomination for theDaytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series,The Edge of Night in 1979, andAs the World Turns in 1987–1988, produced by Calhoun.
Later he appeared in several documentaries discussing Hollywood in general and Alfred Hitchcock in particular. In 1995, he was interviewed on camera forThe Celluloid Closet, discussing the depiction of homosexuality in film and the use of subtext in various films, including his own.[citation needed]
In 2003, Granger made his last film appearance in the documentaryBroadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There. In it, he tells the story of leaving Hollywood at the peak of his fame, buying out his contract from Samuel Goldwyn, and moving to Manhattan to work on the Broadway stage.[citation needed]
In 2007, Granger published the memoirInclude Me Out, co-written withdomestic partner Robert Calhoun (November 24, 1930 – May 24, 2008). In the book, named after one of Goldwyn's famousmalapropisms, he freely discusses his career and personal life.[44]
Granger died of natural causes in hisManhattan apartment on March 27, 2011, at age 85.[45][46] His body was cremated and his ashes given to family after a service at The Riverside restaurant.[47]
For his contribution to television, Granger has a star located at 1551Vine Street on theHollywood Walk of Fame.[48]
