Even though Farley Granger was pretty gay, he had great chemistry with Cathy O’Donnell

His sexuality was obvious in Rope and Strangers on a Train, but I didn’t really get gay vibes from him in They Live by Night or Side Street.

God he was so beautiful in They Live by Night. Unpopular opinion but looks wise, Farley >>> Marlon Brando

He's nicely photographed.

But Cathy O’Donnell was a nothing. Her only function was to make him look butch.

R3 True, but she had a plain beauty that contrasted well with his darker features.

[quote]Even though Farley Granger was pretty gay, he had great chemistry with Cathy O’Donnell

He got plenty of practice with Shelley Winters, whose vag was lined with gold.

So was Farley under contract to MGM or to Sam Goldwyn?

Neither of them pushed him hard enough.

Farley wore too much make-up when he was photographed for the cover of the 13 April 1952 issue of the Italian magazine 'Bolero Film Magazine'.

R6 Sam Goldwyn. He made Farley star in mostly forgettable movies.

Well it seems Sam used Farley as fodder.

Granger signed a 7-year contract with Goldwyn, but Goldwyn kept putting him in mediocre films and crap. He was placed on suspension several times for refusing roles, and was on suspension when he did "Strangers on a Train" for Hitchcock's Transatlantic Pictures and Warner Bros, perhaps the biggest success of his career. But once back in Goldwyn's fold, he was put in more crap until he bought out his contract, which left him in financial distress.

He never did like moviemaking though, and preferred the stage.

But the stage is so much more hard work.

I suspect Farley didn't like being exposed to the scrutiny of the masses.

[quote] His sexuality was obvious in Rope and Strangers on a Train, but I didn’t really get gay vibes from him in They Live by Night or Side Street.

He was playing gay characters.

R10 I know he hated the movie, but I thought Farley was quite good in Edge of Doom.

Cathy O'Donnell's plain but sweet looks got her some nice roles. She's Wilma, the loyal, loving girlfriend of armless returning vet Homer Parrish in "The Best Years of Our Lives", the sister of Ben-Hur in the eponymous film, and a central character in the sequel to Mrs Miniver.

^ I'm suspicious that all three of those roles were done by William Wyler.

Why did no one else want to hire her?

R14 She was a good actress. It’s too bad Goldwyn sabotaged her career and she died of cancer in her early 40’s.

Miss Shelley Winters was Farley's boomerang girlfriend. She would always come running back to him after she had broken up with a beau or husband. One night in 1950, at a New Year's party, he met Ava Gardner and ran off with her, leaving Shelley behind. Several years later, Ava would have an on-set affair with her "The Naked Maja" co-star, Tony Franciosa, who was married to Shelley at the time. I wonder if Shelley and Ava ever met at some function and had a chat about those good old days.

R15

From Farley’s memoir Include Me Out:

Then Cathy ran in. Her face was ashen, and she had obviously been crying. She said, “Please, Farley, I’ve got to talk to you.” I took her in my arms and said, “Sure, come on, let’s go to my dressing room.” As soon as the door “was closed, Cathy started sobbing as if her heart would break. When she finally calmed down a bit, the story came out between great shuddering intakes of breath. Soon after The Best Years of Our Lives, William Wyler, who had directed the film, and most of the other movies responsible for the studio’s classy reputation, promoted as “the Goldwyn Touch,” left to form his own production company. Goldwyn, who wanted everyone who worked for him to treat him like a benevolent patriarch instead of the wily dictator he really was, took his departure as a personal betrayal and never forgave him. Wyler and Goldwyn went on to fight for years over Wyler’s share of the profits from The Best Years of Our Lives.

The week before we were to begin work on Enchantment, Cathy had very privately and quietly married Wyler’s brother, a man much older than she. Goldwyn did not hear about it until Monday morning just before we were to begin the rehearsal for Enchantment. He went ballistic. He called Cathy into his office and screamed at her that William Wyler had put his brother up to marrying her to get even with him. Cathy either would get the marriage annulled or she was fired, and he would see to it that she never worked in Hollywood again. She tried to reason with him, but he never stopped yelling, and finally told her to get out! She was “fired and finished in movies.”

He was bi and that's how he identified.

R19 People will accuse you of being a bi troll for saying that. But it’s true he didn’t identify as gay.

Tell me about your life in New York right now.

I’m a huge movie fan so I go to the movies a lot or have lunch at Café Luxembourg with old friends like Jimmy Mitchell. He was one of the Agnes DeMille dancers, and now he plays Palmer Cortland on All My Children. We’ll gossip about mutual acquaintances like Arthur Laurents.

Whom you had one of your first relationships with. How was he in bed?

[Long pause.] I don’t want to talk about him. I’d be too tempted to say something mean.

Ouch! What about Lenny Bernstein as a lover?

Very passionate.

Aggressive like his conducting?

I’m not going to get specific with you. He was terrific to be with.

Of all the men and women you were with, who attracted you most?

I guess Ava [Gardner]. First time I saw her, I thought, Wow, that lady is something else. She was fun, and she wasn’t into Hollywood game. The women I’ve loved, I’ve loved completely, so I can’t rule out that side of me.

But you don’t like to call yourself gay or even bisexual.

We’re not going to emerge as untarnished until we get rid of labels. Until we have the perception that sex is only part of what makes up a human, the enemy will always be able to say, “He’s just a faggot.”

You see a lot of theater in New York. What have you liked recently?

I know that critics knocked The Vertical Hour, but I liked it. I thought Julianne Moore was terrific. We were on As the World Turns together, though our storylines never crossed. When I went backstage to see her after the play, she took my breath away. I forgot how tiny and beautiful she was.

What young male actors do you admire?

Ed Norton. I just love him.

Would you date him?

Probably, but I don’t think he’s gay. Ryan Gosling is No. 2 for me. And though I know there are rumors, I don’t care if Tom Cruise is gay. I’m not a huge fan because I think he’s basically limited as an actor.

Where else do you eat besides Luxembourg?

I go to Orso anytime I go to the theater. Their little pizzas are still terrific!

You’ve done your share of musicals, including The King and I with Barbara Cook in 1960. What’s the best musical of the past decade?

The revival of Sweeney Todd. Fabulous.

What about the current revival of Company?

I enjoyed it, but it didn’t work as well.

You would have made a good Bobby, I bet.

That would have been a good part for me, wouldn’t it? —Tim Murphy

R15 - She did other work, but none were as well known as those three films, and she did extensive television work. And, in fact, at 24, she married William Wyler's brother (Wyler had two brothers, I think, working for him), who was nearly twice her age. She was just never a major star, not pretty enough, but very good in certain roles.

Apologies, I didn't see the post above outlining O'Donnell's issues and her marriage to Wyler's brother before I put my post up.

R21

One of my favorite classes in college was a course in film noir .I was a communications major, with a film minor, yes I know, but whatever. Anyway, the film noir class met in an old artsy theater, and I got to see him in Strangers on a Train, Rope, and They Live by Night, all on the big screen, and fell completely in love with him.

I don't know why theaters, particularly less busy ones, don't do runs of older films with discussion, etc. I loved it.

Mr. Granger never had a convincing onscreen connection with another man. He did work well with women. I think that, in addition to having his limitations as an actor, he always was playing two roles with other male actors, even when acting in films where the relationship was overtly or metaphorically violet.

R24 Interesting observation. I personally think he had a better connection with Robert Walker in Strangers on a Train than Ruth Roman. Their characters are so bland though that I found myself rooting for Bruno.

R24, actually his best screen chemistry was with the woman who played his bitchy wife in "Strangers On A Train" (I forget her name, she was Larry Tate's wife on Bewitched). Their scene at the record store was great.

Granger didn't like labels and claimed to be attracted to men and women, but his longtime partner since 1963 was Robert Calhoun. Clearly he figured out which side of the bread he liked buttered.

R27

R27 This is what he said when asked about his preference in an interview:

Men or women?

“That really depends on the person,” he said impishly. But his follow-up comment left little doubt: “I’ve lived the greater part of my life with a man” — he has been with Mr. Calhoun in New York since the 1960s — “so obviously that’s the most satisfying to me.”

Farley Granger is one of only a small number of actors I would categorize as beautiful.

Farley and Shelley hanging out with Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte:

R30 Harry briefly lived with Farley and said they got along well, but Farley never made any passes at him. If only..

Granger's film debut was in "The North Star" (1943), written by Lillian Hellman, directed by Lew Milestone. Hellman wanted Montgomery Clift for the part, but Clift was doing "The Skin of Our Teeth" on Broadway and refused to come out to Hollywood. It would be another 5 years before Clift would make his film debut in "The Search."

Interestingly, Granger would tackle the Monty Clift role in the 1961 TV movie version of "The Heiress," with Julie Harris.

[quote] I don’t care if Tom Cruise is gay. I’m not a huge fan because I think he’s basically limited as an actor.

Farley has some hide to complain about someone else as 'limited'.

Farley was luscious to look at but he couldn't do action roles, period roles, serious or dramatic roles. And he couldn't sing nor dance.

R33 That was savage.

Farley was being savage about Tom Cruise.

Actors need to know their limits. Rex Harrison is another actor with a limited repertoire but he's a pleasure to watch.

R33 I agree. Farley was good in some roles, like the one the OP mentioned. But his talent was limited and he wasn't always believable in his roles. Undisputably, he was beautiful.

I wonder if Farley ever got together with Joan.

He can and does come off as limited, or wooden, but I don't mean either as an insult. That quality, and he is one who conveys it in a way that slowly becomes intoxicating on screen. He is limiting himself, and watching him as a voyeur, you want to know why. You know, or feel, as a viewer, there's more to see if you could just scrape the surface. It helps create a greater dynamic to the story.

When I think about his performances, I can't help but think the quote from Buster in Arrested Development, "She gets off being withholding."

It's not an advisable tactic in the hands of most people, but there are a some out there that can and do use it to their advantage.

R38 Great observation. Someone on letterboxd said that Granger had a guilty/hunted quality in his acting. I think that’s why he was so effective in roles like They Live by Night and Rope (IMO). I know a lot of people are critical of his performances in those films, but they work for me.

I liked Farley and Jeanne Crain in The Gift of the Magi segment from O. Henry’s Full House (1952).

I wonder why there are no photos of Farley and Ava Gardner together. According to Farley they had a short but intense affair. He also said he had a one night stand with Barbara Stanwyck in his memoir and I was able to find a photo of them together.

Farley and Arthur Laurents

Farley and Robert Calhoun made a cute couple.

Farley never mentioned any affair with Roddy McDowall, but you never know…RIP Jane Powell.

In his later years he reeked of cigarettes and the sour lime of gin and tonics.

R45 That must be why his teeth were so yellow.

R7, the cover looks like a colorized black and white photo.

Farley is a name for a dog

Cathy O'Donnell was not a nothing. She had the heartbreaking look of a fawn caught in horrendous circumstances in some of her most famous films (Ben Hur, The Best Years, They Live). Just looking at her made me fear for her safety. It worked beautifully.

[quote] look of a fawn caught in horrendous circumstances in some of her most famous films (Ben Hur,

That leper scene scarred me.

It scarred me as much as Messala's beauty thrilled me.

Cathy O'Donnell was a very dull name for a Hollywood leading lady. I'm surprised Goldwyn allowed it, whether it was made up or real.

I had assumed "O'Donnell" was yet another made-up name to cover the fact that 90% of the movie owners were Jewish.

But the name on her Wiki bio is inexplicit.

[quote] Cathy O'Donnell was a very dull name for a Hollywood leading lady

One is tempted to say she was a rather dull performer. She had her uses but she was no Lupe Velez or Bella Darvi.

Farley was Lisa's best husband on As The World Turns.

He has an attractive face but if I were a Victorian lady-novelist influenced by Phrenology I would say he had an interesting but mixed face.

He has the high forehead and straight brows which denote classical wisdom (as depicted by the Greek Phidias). Furthermore, his nose is perfect and it has that bump which denotes him as being ‘aristocratic’.

But moving down the face I would say that his mouth is overly sensuous and that, I’m sorry to say, detracts from his beauty.

His underbite was distracting.

With his underbite and my overbite, we would have been an immortal Hollywood pairing. But it never happened.

They did have good chemistry but not in a sexual way. As loyal companions though, yes. Farley really is not convincing as a heterosexual.

R33: He was forgettable as an actor, but attractive. That said, he's right about Cruise---once he got past the male ingenue roles, Cruise generally was awful. He clearly was trying, but he really can't pull off "meatier" roles and his earnestness was tedious to watch. Granger's stage work is forgotten and he wound up doing soaps and tv guest shots. He seems to wish he had had a better movie career, but he seems to have had a relatively happy life and a long career. He, of course, did "Love Boat" and "Murder, She Wrote".

He may not have been able to sing or dance, but also never had to do "Dinner Theater" like Mitzi Gaynor, Jaye P. Morgan, et al.

Farley Granger was plucked from North Hollywood High and signed to a 7-year contract with Samuel Goldwyn. He was put in picture after picture mainly on looks alone, and never received any real acting training except at the studio or learning on the job. It wasn't until the mid-50s and in his 30s that he studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse under Sandy Meisner. But by then his popularity as a leading man was already on the downswing.

R59 Granger won an Obie for Talley & Son and was nominated for an Emmy for One Life to Live.

R59 - I remember reading the end of his autobiography and he writes about winning that Obie as an older man and the surprise it was. I'll never forget him saying it was the first time he had won anything in his life. I was happy for him reading that.

Should have been R61 concerning the Obie

[quote] He can and does come off as limited, or wooden, but I don't mean either as an insult. That quality, and he is one who conveys it in a way that slowly becomes intoxicating on screen. He is limiting himself, and watching him as a voyeur, you want to know why. You know, or feel, as a viewer, there's more to see if you could just scrape the surface. It helps create a greater dynamic to the story.

To be honest, he gets away with that because he's so beautiful to look at and he has a sweet-natured boyish demeanor, so you naturally care about him. There's plenty of modern actors who have this too like Keanu Reeves or Josh Hartnett.

R64 Farley and Keanu is a good comparison.

One is dead and the other must be hitting 60 soon.

Farley would’ve had it a lot easier if he was a young actor working today.

If Farley were a young actor working today Datalounge would be bitching continuously about him not having six-pack.

We'd be complaining he's too pretty for Ernest Whatsizname.

I enjoyed this thread immensely. Thanks OP for starting it. So many nuanced interesting interpretations of Granger's beauty and appeal. And of O'Donnell, too.

R69 No problem. DL is the only place you can find a discussion like this about Farley Granger! Although he seems to be quite popular on Tumblr as well.

Someone on letterboxd compared Cathy O’Donnell to Sissy Spacek, and now I can’t unsee it.

He was born upper class but his family lost their fortune due to the Depression and they moved around and struggled to make ends meet. Then his parents started drinking and fighting constantly. His mom hoped young Farley would gain success in the entertainment industry and spent money on dance and acting classes. It paid off when he was cast in The North Star and he subsequently got a contract with MGM. His early life sounded rough.

R72 Based on his memoir, it didn’t sound like Farley had much affection for his parents. I wonder if they disowned him for his sexuality.

I wonder if he and John Dall fucked? They were convincing as the heavily implied gay couple with the s&m dynamic in Rope.

R74

Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope, from 1948, on the other hand, depended on the sexual tension of its murderous young lovers, portrayed by Granger and Dall (the latter’s gay dalliances are practically Hollywood legend). Granger insists that the director didn’t discuss the characters’ sexuality with either actor: “And John didn’t want to talk about it either. He wasn’t very friendly. At least not to me.”

He was good friends with Belafonte. I think they roomed together too.

R76 Excerpt from My Song: A Memoir by Harry Belafonte

When I flew out west for the film’s nineteen-day shoot in August 1952, I had a place to stay; Shelley Winters had called her boyfriend, actor Farley Granger, who offered me the guest room of his Coldwater Canyon home. Farley had had a great triumph the year before, starring in Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train. Unfortunately, it would mark his career peak; a rift with Samuel Goldwyn, and two or three box-office bombs, would hurt him badly. I found him a sweet, gra- cious fellow, though somewhat depressed. In fact, he’d struggled with his sexuality, and sometime after his romance with Winters would acknowledge he was bisexual, taking a male partner for the last half of his life. Decorous as he was, he made no overtures to me. During that brief stay at his house, though, I did have a very unnerving experience. One night after dinner, I went walking up Coldwater Canyon. Within minutes, a police car pulled up. I was told, in no uncertain terms, to put my hands on the car and spread my legs. “Why you out here walking, boy?” one of the cops demanded. I said I was out in L.A. making a movie for MGM. The other cop said, “So, you're a movie star?” “Well, I wouldn’t call it that.” “What kind of crazy-ass story is this nigger telling?” one of the cops said to the other. The cops ordered me into the car, took me down to the Beverly Hills police station, and charged me with illegal loitering. When I asked to make a phone call, the police just laughed. In due time, they told me, in due time. Two hours later, Farley became alarmed enough to call the police and report my disappearance. When he learned where I was, he called someone at MGM, who must have called MGM’s lawyers, because suddenly the presiding officers came in looking very embar- rassed and released me. Most of L.A.’s cops in that postwar era, I later learned, were former U.S. military who'd enjoyed their training time in California so much that they'd come back to the area to live and had joined the city’s growing police force. A lot of them had come from the South, and their ingrained prejudice had been deepened by their war years in the Pacific theater, where the prevailing ethos was that the only good Asians were dead ones. They felt the same way about blacks.