Henry Jaynes Fonda
From RoyalWeb
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Kevin Sweeney states that during 1931, Henry appeared in ''The Straw Hat'' in Aug in West Falmouth, and that then the Players went to Baltimore where they performed ''Death Takes a Holiday'' next, and then in December ''The Ghost Train''. These last two, Sweeney says were "with Margaret Sullavan." This off-season extension was supposedly a financial disaster, which led to the break-up of the troupe. | Kevin Sweeney states that during 1931, Henry appeared in ''The Straw Hat'' in Aug in West Falmouth, and that then the Players went to Baltimore where they performed ''Death Takes a Holiday'' next, and then in December ''The Ghost Train''. These last two, Sweeney says were "with Margaret Sullavan." This off-season extension was supposedly a financial disaster, which led to the break-up of the troupe. | ||
| − | <table><tr><td>The Wikipedia biography of Jimmy Stewart [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Stewart_(actor) here] citing Houghton (1951) and also Eliot (2006) states that Henry Fonda and Margaret Sullavan married on Christmas Day 1931 in Baltimore where the University Players were for an 18-week Winter season, but by the following Summer of 1932 their marriage had ended. I've now found a contemporary newspaper announcement that they did marry on Christmas Day, 1931, but the place is not specified. Sweeney [http://books.google.com/books?id=cXscbDlSt0cC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_summary_r&cad=0#PPA8,M1 states here] that they married "in the dining room of the Kernan Hotel in Baltimore. He was 26, she was 20" Henry's daughter Jane says, "After a year and a half of courting her, he proposed and they married. They lived in Greenwich Village, New York City, but the marriage only lasted about four months."</td><td>http://s3.amazonaws.com/findagrave/photos/2001/222/fondahenry.jpg</td></tr></table> | + | <table><tr><td>The Wikipedia biography of Jimmy Stewart [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Stewart_(actor) here] citing Houghton (1951) and also Eliot (2006) states that Henry Fonda and Margaret Sullavan married on Christmas Day 1931 in Baltimore where the University Players were for an 18-week Winter season, but by the following Summer of 1932 their marriage had ended. I've now found a contemporary newspaper announcement that they did marry on Christmas Day, 1931, but the place is not specified. Sweeney [http://books.google.com/books?id=cXscbDlSt0cC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_summary_r&cad=0#PPA8,M1 states here] that they married "in the dining room of the Kernan Hotel in Baltimore. He was 26, she was 20" Henry's daughter Jane says, "After a year and a half of courting her, he proposed and they married. They lived in Greenwich Village, New York City, but the marriage only lasted about four months." By Feb or Mar, they had separated according to Sweeney, and Henry Fonda moved into a "flea-bitten hotel below 42nd Street".</td><td>http://s3.amazonaws.com/findagrave/photos/2001/222/fondahenry.jpg</td></tr></table> |
| − | + | Margaret's career was taking off. On 14 Mar 1932, the ''New York Times'' states that Margaret Sullavan "has been engaged" as a member of the cast of ''Happy Landing'' which will open 28 Mar. On 4 May the ''New York Times'' states that Margaret Sullavan "who recently closed" in ''Happy Landing'' has been engaged for the leading role in ''Coast-to-Coast'' at Broad Street Theatre, Newark. On 24 May 1932 the NYT announced that ''The Boy Friend'' was set to open 6 Jun on Broadway and the cast was to include Margaret Sullavan. Meanwhile the New York Times still took no notice of Henry Fonda. | |
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| − | On 14 Mar 1932, the ''New York Times'' states that Margaret Sullavan "has been engaged" as a member of the cast of ''Happy Landing'' which will open 28 Mar. On 4 May the ''New York Times'' states that Margaret Sullavan "who recently closed" in ''Happy Landing'' has been engaged for the leading role in ''Coast-to-Coast'' at Broad Street Theatre, Newark. On 24 May 1932 the NYT announced that ''The Boy Friend'' was set to open 6 Jun on Broadway and the cast was to include Margaret Sullavan. Meanwhile the New York Times still took no notice of Henry Fonda. | + | |
Jane Fonda states that just after Henry and Margaret separated, Margaret had taken up with producer Jed Harris. "Dad would stand outside her window, knowing Harris was inside with her."<blockquote>"That just destroyed me," he said a lifetime later to Howard Teichmann. "Never in my life have I felt so betrayed, so rejected, so alone."</blockquote> Could "Jed Harris" and Elmer Harris be the same person? | Jane Fonda states that just after Henry and Margaret separated, Margaret had taken up with producer Jed Harris. "Dad would stand outside her window, knowing Harris was inside with her."<blockquote>"That just destroyed me," he said a lifetime later to Howard Teichmann. "Never in my life have I felt so betrayed, so rejected, so alone."</blockquote> Could "Jed Harris" and Elmer Harris be the same person? | ||
| − | + | Meanwhile for Henry Fonda, work was non-existent, Joshua Logan had already replaced him with a Princeton architectural graduate named [[Jimmy Stewart]]. Fonda was forced to take a menial summer job in Surrey, Maine. So what did Fonda do for money between say Feb and June of 1932 ? I haven't found anything yet. | |
| − | + | At this same time, Henry's future wife, socialite Frances (Seymour) Brokaw who had married George Brokaw Jan 1931 was "...living in splendor as Mrs Brokaw, in a mansion with a moat on Fifth Avenue..." (''My Life'', p 36). | |
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| + | It has been reported that it was in this Summer of 1932 that Henry met and was the roommate of fellow-actor [[Jimmy Stewart]], at the Madison Square Hotel "while both worked on Broadway" ([http://www.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=114970741&firstvisit=true&src=search¤tResult=3 Seguin Gazette Enterprise (Seguin, Texas), 13 Aug 1982, page 3]), but this is false. Some sources state that Stewart was also a member of the University Players, starting that Summer, which is true. But Stewart replaced Fonda, they did not work together. | ||
In Sep 1932, in another play that Sweeney missed, Henry Fonda played the part of Inspector Enderby in ''Michael and Mary'' (see [http://www.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=55696065¤tResult=5&src=search&firstvisit=true here]), which must have had a short run as the following month he was appearing on Broadway in ''I Love You Wednesday'' which opened 11 Oct 1932, closing that December after 63 performances. This must have appeared to Henry as a new high-water mark, he previously having only been in short-runs. Two other notable members of this cast were [[Humphrey Bogart]] and [[Arline Francis]]. | In Sep 1932, in another play that Sweeney missed, Henry Fonda played the part of Inspector Enderby in ''Michael and Mary'' (see [http://www.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=55696065¤tResult=5&src=search&firstvisit=true here]), which must have had a short run as the following month he was appearing on Broadway in ''I Love You Wednesday'' which opened 11 Oct 1932, closing that December after 63 performances. This must have appeared to Henry as a new high-water mark, he previously having only been in short-runs. Two other notable members of this cast were [[Humphrey Bogart]] and [[Arline Francis]]. | ||
