Here is a very rare very early vintage original autographed 7" by 9" photo of actor Franchot Tone (1905-1968), from the 1930s, photo by and stamped by the great George Hurrell. Franchot Tone was born into a well-to-do upstate New York family. Tone traveled the world with his parents and attended various schools, including The Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, from which he was dismissed "for being a subtle influence for disorder throughout the fall term." He entered Cornell University, studying romance languages with an initial goal of eventually teaching in such. But he also joined Cornell's drama club, becoming its president his senior year. The interest in theater would sow a seed soon to be germinated. Tone had no interest in the family electro-chemical business. He decided to become a serious actor. He meant business by joining a theater stock company in the city of Buffalo, earning only $15 a week. He toiled with dedication, playing bit roles and educating himself in the theater business. He moved to Greenwich Village and auditioned for the New Playwrights' Theater, making his Broadway debut in 1929 with Katharine Cornell in "The Age of Innocence". Tone portrayed Curly in the flop Broadway production of "Green Grow the Lilacs" which would later be developed into the musical "Oklahoma!". He later discovered the Group Theatre in New York formed by Lee Strasberg and Harold Clurman. This was the first functional school for "Method" acting in America, followed later by The Actors Studio, also under Strasberg. In late September of 1931 the theater presented its first production, "The House of Connelly", with Tone and Morris Carnovsky in the leading roles. Tone appeared in "Big Night" and later appeared in "Success Story", after which Strasberg proclaimed him as the best actor in the company. His performance in "Success Story" also prompted a contract offer from MGM. He moved to Hollywood in November 1932, although his aspirations as an actor did not include becoming a Hollywood star. His first screen appearance was under the Paramount banner, not MGM, in The Wiser Sex (1932) starring Claudette Colbert. The Paramount brass did not see the potential, a telling sign of the chasm between Hollywood acting and that of the theater. Tone, however, was definitely on the "A" List ladder, His first MGM film, Today We Live (1933) co-starred the ambitious Joan Crawford. Here his woes with Hollywood actresses began in earnest. He and Crawford became a couple, and MGM could see the potential for better box office by pairing them in several movies. Tone worked through 1933 with other leading ladies, such as Loretta Young, Miriam Hopkins and Jean Harlow, before he worked again with Crawford. However, he was already being saddled with "the other man" roles. In his next movie with Crawford, Dancing Lady (1933), he was competing with Clark Gable. By their next movie together, Sadie McKee (1934), Tone was the leading man but in forthcoming outings with Crawford he would have other film rivals and his characters tended to be less dynamic than hers. He was loaned to Warner Bros. for Dangerous (1935) with Bette Davis. She also became romantically interested in him, and her incipient rivalry with Crawford made her all the more incensed with Crawford on finding out that she was engaged to Tone. Davis was envious and ashamed of her advances toward Tone, and the incident is believed by many sources to be the start of the famous warfare between Crawford and Davis that lasted to their dying days. Tone and Crawford did marry in late 1935, but the chemistry did not gel. Tone was an Eastern blue blood who shunned the artificial Hollywood lifestyle, while the unsophisticated Crawford could not get enough of it, and publicity. Those differences and Crawford's bigger star power became glaringly obvious when the media labeled him "Mr. Joan Crawford". Tone's film career did not match Crawford's phenomenal rise, and he was still dedicated to substantial support of Group Theatre productions. The marriage goals and the money diverged sharply; they divorced in March of 1939. Tone was most definitely becoming a matinée idol name. In 1935 he had two big hits, proving his wide range and depth as an actor. His whimsical demeanor lent well to comedic roles, which is why his wisecracking Lt. Forsythe in The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935) rang true. He also had considerable dramatic power, as seen in the second of these movies, the much anticipated Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) with his former co-star Gable. He, Gable and co-star Charles Laughton all received Oscar nominations for best actor. This was a first, and certainly an embarrassment which the Academy sought to remedy by introducing Best Supporting Actor and Actress Oscars the next year. Though Tone had other substantial roles through that decade, he seemed ready for a break with his film career. He suddenly returned to Broadway, and was able to thumb his nose at Hollywood due to the great success of his 1940 role as a newspaperman in Ernest Hemingway's "The Fifth Column". Unfortunately for him, MGM pointed out that he was still under contract to them, so he had to return. Tone had stimulating enough roles while with MGM until 1944, particularly the World War II adventure Five Graves to Cairo (1943) which Cary Grant turned down because he didn't want to spend the summer in the Arizona desert, where it was being shot. Thereafter Tone worked to beat Hollywood at its own game. He freelanced at other studios and concentrated on parts that would expand his talents. He started working towards that goal with Universal's critically successful Phantom Lady (1944), in which he played a psychotic killer. He also began producing films that he felt would be challenging and successful. One of his best efforts in this capacity was the psychological B noir The Man on the Eiffel Tower (1949) as star and producer, with his great friend Burgess Meredith as director. However, his success as an actor and producer didn't extend to his personal life, and he still couldn't get past his weakness for marrying Hollywood starlets. By 1948 he divorced his second wife, Crawford rebound Jean Wallace. Between 1950 and 1952 he was embroiled in the most foolish act of his career: his involvement with actress-turned-prostitute Barbara Payton. Just about everyone in Hollywood warned him against getting involved with Payton, including ex-wife Crawford. He failed to heed those warnings, however, and soon married her. The marriage only lasted a few weeks, and he paid a pretty heavy price: a hospital stay because of some fairly serious injuries (broken cheekbone and nose and a concussion) that required surgery after he was attacked and beaten by one of Payton's most possessive boyfriends, brutish actor Tom Neal. The uproar over this assault ended Neal's acting career. Tone's distancing himself from Hollywood continued into the 1950s, proving that dedicated stage acting and Hollywood usually did not mix. However, his need to adapt and mold the acting profession continued unabated. He saw the great potential of TV to provide both a live and economically filmed (the new videotape format) spectrum of stage plays. For a decade he was heavily involved in the medium and contributed over 30 performances in a number of prestigious TV playhouse productions. He didn't forget Broadway, though. In 1957 he scored a triumph in Eugene O'Neill's "A Moon For The Misbegotten", and even his personal life brightened considerably. His last wife was much more amenable to being a helpmate. Dolores Dorn helped with his ambitious production of "Uncle Vanya" both Off-Broadway and in a lukewarm film version in 1958. When the more formal playhouse programs were replaced by TV drama story hours, Tone was again an enthusiastic contributor. He also worked in episodic TV from the late 1950s, notably a turn in a fondly remembered episode of the classic The Twilight Zone (1959). He did not give up on the silver screen in his last decade. He turned in a memorable performance as the president in Advise & Consent (1962), directed by Otto Preminger. Though he had planned on retiring from acting at the beginning of the '60s, he in fact was working into the year of his death. Along with co-buying Theater Four in New York to launch new plays, he planned another personal multi-tasking (starring in and directing) film effort of the life of artist Auguste Renoir, but that was not to be. In reality, the title of his last film before his passing was as prophetic for him is for all of humanity - The High Commissioner (1968). Trimmed, small tear left border, minor paper loss upper border left, minor corner and edge wear. Very rare.

Will ship worldwide. I always combine shipping on multiple orders. 

Filmography:

1968The High Commissioner
Ambassador Townsend
 1968Shadow Over Elveron (TV Movie)
Barney Conners
 1967Run for Your Life (TV Series)
Judge Taliaferro Wilson
- Tell It Like It Is (1967) ... Judge Taliaferro Wilson
 1962-1966Ben Casey (TV Series)
Dr. Daniel Niles Freeland / Robert Ashton
- Then, Suddenly, Panic (1966) ... Dr. Daniel Niles Freeland
- Pull the Wool Over Your Eyes, Here Comes the Cold Wind of Truth (1966) ... Dr. Daniel Niles Freeland
- Twenty Six Ways to Spell Heartbreak: A, B, C, D... (1966) ... Dr. Daniel Niles Freeland
- Where Did All the Roses Go? (1966) ... Dr. Daniel Niles Freeland
- Lullaby for a Wind-Up Toy (1966) ... Dr. Daniel Niles Freeland
Show all 27 episodes
 1965Mickey One
Ruby Lapp
 1965In Harm's Way
CINCPAC I
 1965The Virginian (TV Series)
Murdock
- Old Cowboy (1965) ... Murdock
 1965The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (TV Series)
Rudolph Bitzner
- Final Performance (1965) ... Rudolph Bitzner
 1964Festival (TV Series)
Solness
- The Master Builder (1964) ... Solness
 1964The Reporter (TV Series)
Jay Jay Jordan
- The Man Behind the Badge (1964) ... Jay Jay Jordan
 1964See How They Run (TV Movie)
Baron Frood
 1962-1964The DuPont Show of the Week (TV Series)
Sen. Grady Lyons / Inspector
- Jeremy Rabbitt - The Secret Avenger (1964) ... Sen. Grady Lyons
- The Betrayal (1962) ... Inspector
 1964La bonne soupe
John K. Montasy Jr
 1962The Eleventh Hour (TV Series)
Leo Haynes
- Along About Late in the Afternoon (1962) ... Leo Haynes
 1962Advise & Consent
The President
 1962Wagon Train (TV Series)
Malachi Hobart
- The Malachi Hobart Story (1962) ... Malachi Hobart
 1961Witchcraft (TV Movie)
Your Host
 1961The Twilight Zone (TV Series)
Col. Archie Taylor
- The Silence (1961) ... Col. Archie Taylor
 1960Bonanza (TV Series)
Denver McKee
- Denver McKee (1960) ... Denver McKee
 1956-1960Playhouse 90 (TV Series)
Mark Twain / Avery Yarbrough / Raymond / ...
- The Shape of the River (1960) ... Mark Twain
- The Hidden Image (1959) ... Avery Yarbrough
- A Quiet Game of Cards (1959) ... Raymond
- Bitter Heritage (1958) ... Frank James
- The Thundering Wave (1957) ... Allen Grant
Show all 6 episodes
 1960Goodyear Theatre (TV Series)
Martin Galt
- The Ticket (1960) ... Martin Galt
 1959The DuPont Show of the Month (TV Series)
- Body and Soul (1959)
 1959Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV Series)
Oliver Mathews
- The Impossible Dream (1959) ... Oliver Mathews
 1958Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (TV Series)
Candy Lombe
- The Crazy Hunter (1958) ... Candy Lombe
 1958Pursuit (TV Series)
The Father
- The Last Night in August (1958) ... The Father
 1958Armchair Theatre (TV Series)
Joe
- Time of Your Life (1958) ... Joe
 1958Bitter Heritage (TV Movie)
Frank James
 1950-1958Studio One (TV Series)
Bill Gibson / Douglas Thompson / Rev. Lockman / ...
- Ticket to Tahiti (1958) ... Bill Gibson
- Trial by Slander (1958) ... Douglas Thompson
- Bend in the Road (1957) ... Rev. Lockman
- Twelve Angry Men (1954) ... Juror #3
- Walk the Dark Streets (1950)
 1957Uncle Vanya
Dr. Mikhail Lvovich Astroff
 1954-1957Climax! (TV Series)
Kurt Baumann / Scott Malone / Dr. Ken Jaynes / ...
- The Largest City in Captivity (1957) ... Kurt Baumann / Scott Malone
- Silent Decision (1955) ... Dr. Ken Jaynes
- The Gioconda Smile (1954) ... Henry Hutton
 1956-1957The Alcoa Hour (TV Series)
Prince / Sheriff Converse
- Night (1957) ... Prince
- Even the Weariest River (1956) ... Sheriff Converse
 1957The Kaiser Aluminum Hour (TV Series)
Arthur Baldwin
- Throw Me a Rope (1957) ... Arthur Baldwin
 1956The Little Foxes (TV Movie)
Horace
 1954-1956The United States Steel Hour (TV Series)
Armstrong / Sandy Morton / Charles Burnett
- Survival (1956) ... Armstrong
- Red Gulch (1955) ... Sandy Morton
- The Fifth Wheel (1954) ... Charles Burnett
 1956General Electric Theater (TV Series)
Charles Proteus Steinmetz
- Steinmetz (1956) ... Charles Proteus Steinmetz
 1956Omnibus (TV Series)
Mr. Dearth (segment)
- Dear Brutus (1956) ... Mr. Dearth (segment)
 1955Playwrights '56 (TV Series)
Jason
- The Sound and the Fury (1955) ... Jason
 1955Robert Montgomery Presents (TV Series)
- Man Lost (1955)
 1955Four Star Playhouse (TV Series)
Ben
- Award (1955) ... Ben
 1955The Best of Broadway (TV Series)
Actor
- The Guardsman (1955) ... Actor
 1955The Ford Television Theatre (TV Series)
Mike Ramsay
- Too Old for Dolls (1955) ... Mike Ramsay
 1955The Elgin Hour (TV Series)
Will L'Hommedieu
- Days of Grace (1955) ... Will L'Hommedieu
 1953The Philip Morris Playhouse (TV Series)
Dr. Henry Foustka
- Temptation (1953) ... Dr. Henry Foustka
 1953The Revlon Mirror Theater (TV Series)
- One Summer's Rain (1953)
 1953Hollywood Opening Night (TV Series)
- Legal Affair (1953)
 1950-1952Suspense (TV Series)
Markheim / The Reporter
- All Hallow's Eve (1952) ... Markheim
- Black Bronze (1950) ... The Reporter
 1952Tales of Tomorrow (TV Series)
Martenson / André Lapalme
- The Horn (1952) ... Martenson
- The Diamond Lens (1952) ... André Lapalme
 1952Lights Out (TV Series)
- Blood Relation (1952)
 1951Here Comes the Groom
Wilbur Stanley
 1951Starlight Theatre (TV Series)
- Lunch at Disalvo's (1951)
 1951Danger (TV Series)
- The Great Filson Bequest (1951)
 1950Lux Video Theatre (TV Series)
Meredith Whitehouse
- Goodnight, Please (1950) ... Meredith Whitehouse
 1950The Philco Television Playhouse (TV Series)
- Murder at the Stork Club (1950)
 1949The Man on the Eiffel Tower
Johann Radek
 1949Without Honor
Dennis Williams
 1949Jigsaw
Howard Malloy
 1948Every Girl Should Be Married
Roger Sanford
 1948I Love Trouble
Stuart Bailey
 1947Her Husband's Affairs
William Weldon
 1947Honeymoon
David Flanner
 1947Lost Honeymoon
Johnny Gray
 1946Because of Him
Paul Taylor
 1945That Night with You
Paul Renaud
 1944Dark Waters
Dr. George Grover
 1944The Hour Before the Dawn
Jim Hetherton
 1944Phantom Lady
John 'Jack' Marlow
 1943True to Life
Fletcher Marvin
 1943His Butler's Sister
Charles Gerard
 1943Pilot #5
Lieutenant George Braynor Collins
 1943Five Graves to Cairo
Cpl. John J. Bramble / Paul Davos
 1942Star Spangled Rhythm
John in Card-Playing Skit
 1942The Wife Takes a Flyer
Christopher Reynolds
 1941This Woman Is Mine
Robert Stevens
 1941She Knew All the Answers
Mark Willows
 1941Nice Girl?
Richard Calvert
 1940Trail of the Vigilantes
Kansas (Tim Mason)
 1939Fast and Furious
Joel Sloane
 1938The Girl Downstairs
Paul Wagner
 1938Three Loves Has Nancy
Robert 'Bob' Hanson
 1938Three Comrades
Otto Koster
 1938Love Is a Headache
Peter Lawrence
 1938Man-Proof
Jimmy Kilmartin
 1937The Bride Wore Red
Giulio
 1937Between Two Women
Dr. Allan Meighan
 1937They Gave Him a Gun
James 'Jimmy' Davis
 1937Quality Street
Dr. Valentine Brown
 1936Love on the Run
Barnabus Pells
 1936The Gorgeous Hussy
John Eaton
 1936Suzy
Terry Moore
 1936The King Steps Out
Emperor Franz Josef
 1936The Unguarded Hour
Sir Alan Dearden
 1936Exclusive Story
Dick Barton
 1935Dangerous
Don Bellows
 1935Mutiny on the Bounty
Roger Byam
 1935No More Ladies
Jim Salston
 1935Reckless
Bob Harrison
 1935One New York Night
Foxhall Ridgeway
 1935The Lives of a Bengal Lancer
Lt. John Forsythe
 1934Gentlemen Are Born
Bob Bailey
 1934Straight Is the Way
Benny Horowitz
 1934The Girl from Missouri
Thomas Randall Paige Jr.
 1934The World Moves On
Richard Girard - 1825 / Richard Girard - 1914
 1934Sadie McKee
Michael
 1934Moulin Rouge
Douglas Hall
 1933Dancing Lady
Tod Newton
 1933Bombshell
Gifford Middleton
 1933Stage Mother
Warren Foster
 1933The Stranger's Return
Guy Crane
 1933Midnight Mary
Tom Mannering Jr.
 1933Gabriel Over the White House
Hartley Beekman - Secretary to the President
 1933Today We Live
Lieutenant Ronnie Boyce-Smith
 1932The Wiser Sex
Phil Long