Farley Granger

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Farley Granger
Granger in 1951
Born
Farley Earle Granger Jr.

(1925-07-01)July 1, 1925
San Jose, California, U.S.
DiedMarch 27, 2011(2011-03-27) (aged 85)
New York City, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actor
  • singer
  • acting coach
Years active1943–2004
PartnerRobert Calhoun (1963–2008; Calhoun's death)

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 a

Goldwyn casting director, and given a significant role in The 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 in Honolulu, in a unit that arranged troop entertainment in the Pacific. Here he made useful contacts, including Bob Hope, Betty Grable and Rita Hayworth. It was also where he began exploring his bisexuality
, which he said he never felt any need to conceal.

His role in Hitchcock's

psychopath
; 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 1551 Vine Street on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Early life

Granger was born in San Jose, California, the son of Eva (née Hopkins) and Farley Earle Granger Sr.[2] He lived at 1185 Hanchett Avenue in the Hanchett Residence Park neighborhood.[3]

His wealthy father owned a

Willys-Overland automobile dealership, and the family frequently spent time at their beach house in Capitola on Monterey Bay. Following the stock 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.[4]

In the 1930s, the family lived in a small apartment in a seedy part of Hollywood, and Granger's parents worked at various temporary jobs. Their drinking increased, and the couple frequently fought. Hoping he might become a tap dancer, Granger's mother enrolled him at Ethel Meglin's, the dance and drama instruction studio where Judy Garland and Shirley Temple had started.[5]

Granger's father found work as a clerk in the

Studio City, where their neighbor was actor/dancer Donald O'Connor.[6] At his office, Granger's father became acquainted with comedian Harry Langdon in the early 1940s, who advised him to take his son to a small local theatre where open auditions for The Wookey, a British play about Londoners struggling to survive during World War II, were being held. The 17-year-old Granger's use of a Cockney accent impressed the director, and he was cast in multiple roles. The opening night audience included talent agent Phil Gersh and Samuel 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 film The North Star.[7]

Granger auditioned for producer Goldwyn, screenwriter Lillian Hellman and director Lewis Milestone. Hellman was trying to convince Montgomery Clift to leave the Broadway 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.[8]

Early career

The studio publicity department was concerned audiences would confuse Granger with British actor Stewart 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 at North Hollywood High School, had been cast in The 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."[9]

Making the film proved to be a fortunate start to Granger's career. He enjoyed working with director Milestone and fellow cast members

Communist who felt the movie was Soviet propaganda.[10]

For Granger's next film, he was loaned out to

gossip columns and fan magazines.[11]

Upon completion of The Purple Heart, Granger enlisted in the

Waikiki Beach and then to a unit in Honolulu that worked with Army Special Services that was commanded by classical actor Maurice 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 as Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Betty Grable, Rita Hayworth, Hedy Lamarr, Gertrude Lawrence, and many others.[12]

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.[13] 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.[14]

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 a

RKO Radio Pictures, and the new studio head shelved it for nearly a year before releasing it in 1948 under the title They 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 was Alfred Hitchcock, who was preparing Rope.[16]

Granger was in New York City when he was summoned to return to Hollywood and discuss Rope with Hitchcock. The night before their initial meeting, Granger coincidentally met Arthur Laurents, who had written the film's screenplay, which was based on the 1929 play Rope's End by Patrick Hamilton, a fictionalized account of the Leopold 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.[17]

In Rope, Granger and

The 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.[18] Hitchcock shot the film in continuous, uninterrupted 10-minute takes, the amount of time a reel of Technicolor 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".[19]

Upon the completion of Rope, Goldwyn cast Granger,

Felicia Montealegre. The two men remained friends until Bernstein's death.[21]

Leading roles

In November 1949, Granger, who had two years to go on his contract with Goldwyn, signed a new five-year contract with the producer.[22]

Granger's next two films for Goldwyn in 1950, Edge of Doom and Our Very Own, were unpleasant working experiences, and the actor refused to allow the producer to loan him to Universal Pictures for an inferior magic 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 the New York City Ballet, which had been choreographed by Jerome Robbins. He and Granger engaged in a casual affair until the actor was summoned to return to New York to help publicize Edge of Doom and Our 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.[23]

In the trailer for Strangers on a Train (1951)

The project was

psychopathic Bruno Anthony, portrayed by Robert Walker, who suggests they swap murders, with Bruno killing Guy's wife and Guy disposing of Bruno's father. As with Rope, there was a homosexual subtext to the two men's relationship, although it was toned down from Patricia Highsmith's 1950 original novel. Granger and Walker, whose wife Jennifer Jones had recently left him for David O. Selznick, became close friends and confidantes during filming, and Granger was devastated when Walker died from an accidental combination of alcohol and barbiturates 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".[24]

On December 31, 1950, Granger picked up close friend Shelley Winters to escort her to Sam 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 met Ava Gardner. The two left to hear Nat King Cole perform at a nearby nightclub and then went to Granger's home, where they began an intense affair that lasted until Gardner began filming Show Boat a month later.[25]

Having reconciled, Granger and Winters went to New York City, where they audited classes at the

Camel commercial.[29] The following musical film, Hans Christian Andersen (1952), with Danny Kaye, on the other hand, did well internationally at the box office.[citation needed
]

Eager to work with

MGM film The Story of Three Loves. The film's producer, Gottfried Reinhardt, also directed the other two segments, and he mercilessly edited Mademoiselle to give his stories more screen time.[30] Unhappy with the direction his career was taking, Granger sought solace with Shelley Winters, who was separated from Vittorio 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."[31]

Scene with Alida Valli in the film Senso, 1954

Granger's next project was

gondolier in his 1956 epic Around the World in 80 Days. He finally returned to Hollywood exhausted, but happy about the experience.[32]

Upon his return to the States, Darryl F. Zanuck offered Granger a two-picture deal, and in quick succession he made The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing, in which he portrayed tycoon Harry Kendall Thaw, and The Naked Street, a melodrama the actor thought was "preachy, trite and pedestrian," although he welcomed the opportunity to work with Anthony Quinn and Anne Bancroft.[33] Both films were released in 1955.[citation needed]

The same year, Granger moved to New York and began studying with

Neighborhood Playhouse. During this period, he made his Broadway debut in The Carefree Tree, a play with music based on an old Chinese legend. The cast included Janice Rule as Granger's love interest, and Alvin Ailey, Frances Sternhagen, Jerry Stiller, and Sada 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.[34]

With both his film and theatrical career foundering, Granger turned to television. His dramatic TV debut came when he appeared in "Splendid With Swords", an episode of

Ironside, The Name of the Game, and Hawaii Five-O
, among others.

In 1959, Granger returned to Broadway as

New Haven was a disaster, and reviews were mixed. Things improved slightly during the Philadelphia run, but by the time the production reached New York, Bergen – who was fighting bitterly with co-star Hermione 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 by understudy Ellen Hanley, and the musical closed in less than three months.[36] Later that year, he was cast in The Warm Peninsula, a play by Joe Masteroff. Co-starring Julie Harris, June Havoc, and Larry Hagman, it received fair reviews and closed after only 86 performances.[37]

Later career

Despite his three unsuccessful Broadway experiences, Granger continued to focus on theater in the early 1960s. He accepted an invitation from Eva Le Gallienne to join her National Repertory Theatre. During their first season, while the company was in Philadelphia, 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 supervisor Robert Calhoun, and although both had felt a mutual attraction, they never had discussed it. That night they became lovers.[38]

Granger finally achieved some success on Broadway in The Seagull, The Crucible, The Glass Menagerie, and Deathtrap.[39] He starred opposite Barbara Cook in a revival of The King and I at the off-Broadway New York City Center,[40] and in 1979 he was cast in the Roundabout Theatre Company production of A Month in the Country. In 1986 he won the Obie Award for his performance in the Lanford Wilson play Talley & Son.[41]

In the early 1970s, Granger and Calhoun moved to Rome, where the actor made a series of Italian language films, most notably the Spaghetti Western

Will Vernon garnered him a nomination for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, The Edge of Night in 1979, and As 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 for The 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 Broadway: 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 memoir Include Me Out, co-written with

malapropisms, he freely discusses his career and personal life.[43]

Death

Granger died of natural causes in his Manhattan apartment on March 27, 2011, at age 85.[44][45] His body was cremated and his ashes given to family after a service at The Riverside restaurant.[46]

Legacy

For his contribution to television, Granger has a star located at 1551 Vine Street on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[47]

Filmography

Year Film Role Director(s) Notes
1943 The North Star Damian Simonov Lewis Milestone
1944 The Purple Heart Sgt. Howard Clinton Lewis Milestone
1948 They Live by Night Arthur "Bowie" Bowers Nicholas Ray
Rope Phillip Morgan Alfred Hitchcock
Enchantment Pilot Officer Pax Masterson Irving Reis
1949 Roseanna McCoy Johnse Hatfield Nicholas Ray (uncredited)
1950
Side Street
 		Joe Norson Anthony Mann
Our Very Own Chuck David Miller
Edge of Doom Martin Lynn Mark Robson
1951 Strangers on a Train Guy Haines Alfred Hitchcock
Behave Yourself! William Calhoun 'Bill' Denny George Beck
I Want You Jack Greer Mark Robson
1952 O. Henry's Full House Jim Henry King Segment: "The Gift of the Magi"
Hans Christian Andersen Niels Charles Vidor
1953 The Story of Three Loves Thomas Clayton Campbell Jr. Gottfried Reinhardt Segment: "Mademoiselle"
Small Town Girl Rick Belrow Livingston László Kardos
1954 Senso Lieutenant Franz Mahler Luchino Visconti
1955 The Naked Street Nicholas 'Nicky' Bradna Maxwell Shane
The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing Harry Kendall Thaw Richard Fleischer
1968 Rogue's Gallery Edmund Van Dermot Leonard Horn
1970 They Call Me Trinity Major Harriman Enzo Barboni
Guerilla Strike Force
 		Mateo
The Spider Web
1971 Something Creeping in The Dark Spike Mario Colucci
1972 Amuck! Richard Stuart Silvio Amadio
The Red Headed Corpse John Ward Renzo Russo
So Sweet, So Dead Inspector Capuana Roberto Bianchi Montero
Planet Venus
1973 Night Flight from Moscow Computer Programming Director Henri Verneuil
The Man Called Noon Judge Niland Peter Collinson
Kill Me, My Love! Manny Baxter
Arnold Evan Lyons Georg Fenady
1974 What Have They Done to Your Daughters? Mr. Polvesi Massimo Dallamano
Death Will Have Your Eyes Armando
1975 The Lives of Jenny Dolan David Ames Jerry Jameson
1981 The Prowler Sheriff George Fraser Joseph Zito
1984 Death Mask Douglas Andrews
1986 The Imagemaker Ambassador Hoyle
The Whoopee Boys Extra John Byrum uncredited
Very Close Quarters Pavel
1987 Guerilla Strike Force Santos Also known as Guerilla Strike Force
1995 The Celluloid Closet Himself Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman Documentary film
2001 The Next Big Thing P.J. Posner Final film role
2003
Broadway: The Golden Age
 		Himself Rick McKay Documentary film

References

  1. ^ According to the State of California. California Birth Index, 1905–1995. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California.
  2. ISBN 0-87000-322-4
    .
  3. ^ Clark, Shannon E. "Page 105." The Alameda: The Beautiful Way. San Jose, CA: Alameda Business Association, 2006. N. pag. Print.
  4. ISBN 0-312-35773-7
    , p. 14
  5. ^ Include Me Out, p. 15
  6. ^ Include Me Out, p. 16
  7. ^ Include Me Out, pp. 8–9
  8. ^ Include Me Out, pp. 19–13
  9. ^ Include Me Out, p. 17
  10. ^ Include Me Out, pp. 20–24
  11. ^ Include Me Out, pp. 25–28
  12. ^ Include Me Out, pp. 29–37
  13. ^ Ilnytzky, Ula (March 29, 2011), 1950s Screen Idol Farley Granger Dead at 85, retrieved March 29, 2011 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  14. ^ Include Me Out, pp. 37–41
  15. ^ Include Me Out, pp. 48–53
  16. ^ Include Me Out, pp. 57–60
  17. ^ Include Me Out, pp. 66–71
  18. ISBN 0-375-40055-9
    , pp. 115–116, 124–131
  19. ^ Include Me Out, p. 71
  20. ^ Include Me Out, pp. 79–83
  21. ^ Include Me Out, pp. 84–87
  22. ^ Farley Granger Gets 5-Year Pact: Screen Actor Receives a New Contract From Goldwyn With Salary Rise and Bonus Special to The New York Times. November 14, 1949: 19.
  23. ^ Include Me Out, pp. 91–107
  24. ^ Include Me Out, pp. 107–09
  25. ^ Include Me Out, pp. 112–13
  26. ^ Include Me Out, pp. 114–16
  27. ^ Include Me Out, pp. 116–17
  28. ^ Include Me Out, pp. 118–36
  29. ^ "Commercial starts at 1.20". Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  30. ^ Include Me Out, pp. 138–39
  31. ^ Include Me Out, p. 140
  32. ^ Include Me Out, pp. 142–76
  33. ^ Include Me Out, pp. 177–78
  34. ^ Include Me Out, pp. 106–08
  35. Newspapers.com
    .
  36. ^ Include Me Out, pp. 193–200
  37. ^ Include Me Out, pp. 200–02
  38. ^ Include Me Out, pp. 209–17
  39. ^ The Broadway League. "Farley Granger at the Internet Broadway Database". Ibdb.com. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  40. ^ Include Me Out, pp. 204–06
  41. ^ "Farley Granger at the Lortel Archives". Lortel.org. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  42. ^ "Der Tod trägt schwarzes Leder (1974) – Massimo Dallamano / Sense of View". Senseofview.de. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  43. ^ "Producer Robert Calhoun Dies at 77". Variety. June 16, 2008. Archived from the original on June 26, 2008. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  44. ^ Genzlinger, Neil (March 29, 2011). "Farley Granger, Screen Idol and Stage Actor, Dies at 85". The New York Times.
  45. ^ "1950s bobby sox screen idol Farley Granger dead at 85; star of Hitchcock classics like 'Rope'". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on April 4, 2011. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  46. ^ Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 18353-18354). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.
  47. ^ "Farley Granger - Hollywood Star Walk". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 4, 2013.

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