2nd edition due out in Spring 2007 with improved photo qualty, and will include additional material. Stay tuned for more details.
"You have to compromise with life. I found that out. Live for the day ... I've never been a person to look into the future ... tomorrow can take care of itself ... just the present day counts ... Just the moment, really
- Kay Francis, 1935
The biography Kay Francis "I Can't Wait to be Forgotten" delves for the first time into the Kay Francis diaries (part of the Wesleyan University Film Archives). Her romantic relationships with such legends as Maurice Chevalier, directors Fritz Lang and Otto Preminger, provide a glimpse into the private world of Kay Francis. Her four marriages (she would only admit to three); the mysterious disappearance of her last fiance, a German baron; and, the scandal surrounding an accident in 1948, which almost ended her career, are finally unraveled. The biography details Kay's life as a quintessential and liberated Jazz Age woman in 1920's New York. Her career on stage, film, radio and TV are documented in detail. Kay's life made an abrupt turnabout after she left Warners in 1938. Her story reveals a woman who completely redefined her career and priorities, to focus on her innermost and giving nature.
"My only ambition is for a life worth living. I mean by that a life in which I'll make the most of myself and a life which will be of some service to others"
- Kay Francis, 1934
Kay's story will surprise those who have seen her as simply a fashionable, glamorous screen star. Kudos, praises, and memories from Kay's close friends and co-stars reveal a Kay Francis well worth remembering. For details contact author Scott O'Brien: kayfrancisbio@hotmail.com
Contact The Seeing Eye in Morristown, New Jersey for it's up-coming winter issue for 2005 which will include a feature article on Kay's legacy to training guide dogs for the blind: rcarrol@seeingeye.org
This book is the definitive guide to the film, stage, radio and television career of Kay Francis, one of the most glamorous stars from the golden age of Hollywood. For each film, the authors provide a thorough synopsis plus cast and crew information (including biographies), opening dates, production notes, behind-the-scenes details, and reviews. In addition, information is provided on her stage, radio, and television appearances, and a section is devoted to collecting Kay Francis memorabilia, including such items as cigarette cards, sheet music, and soundtracks. Also covered is the stage and vaudeville career of Kay Francis’ mother, Katherine Clinton. A brief biography of Kay Francis is provided, along with an insightful foreword by film scholar James Robert Parish. Truly a treasure trove for Kay Francis fans and anyone interested in classic filmmaking in the 1930s and 1940s, the book includes more than 100 illustrations, many of them rare.
For info about the Kay Francis biography Kay Francis A Passionate Life and Career by Lynn Kear and John Rossman, please visit The Kay Francis Website at w ww.kayfrancis.com for more details.
Writer Jana Oliver interviews Lynn Kear on The Curious Mind radio show. Among the topics discussed are why KayFrancis: A Passionate Life and Career was written, what the surprises were, and information about the next Kay Francis book.
The article "Kay Francis at Monogram - To Make a Buck, She Bucked the System" by Scott O'Brien is featured in the 21st Anniversary Issue of Filmfax #110 (April - June 2006).
Photos, posters, lobby cards and links to neglected stars of the Pre-Code era: Joan Blondell, Lee Tracy, Ann Harding, Dorothy Mackaill, Alice White, Lilyan Tashman, Miriam Hopkins, Glenda Farrell, Evelyn Brent, Ruth Chatterton, Ann Dvorak, Wheeler & Woolsey, Aline MacMahon, Una Merkel, Anita Page, Helen Twelvetrees, Kay Johnson, Mae Clarke, Madge Evans, Lillian Roth, Helen Chandler, Joe E. Brown, Nancy Carroll, James Murray, Helen Kane and Genevieve Tobin.