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Lynn Kear
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Kay Francis: A Passionate Life and Career Paperback – Illustrated, January 25, 2006

by Lynn Kear (Author), John Rossman (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 90 ratings
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Kay Francis came of age in the Roaring Twenties and relished the era's hedonistic pursuits. Her career as an actress was launched at the same time, and before her death in 1968, she had appeared on many theater stages, in more than 60 films, on radio, in USO tours, as a model, and on television. The tall, stylish actress had a husky voice and dark beauty that was striking on film. Despite her financial success, relaxed morals, and life as a socialite, the millionaire actress shunned luxuries such as limousines and sprawling estates popular among Hollywood elite.

The actress, who insisted she wanted to be forgotten, left behind scrapbooks, boxes of memorabilia and detailed diaries. These rich resources help provide an exhaustive look at the life of one of Hollywood's most intriguing early stars.

Francis' biography is the heart of this book, beginning with her family background and her upbringing by a vaudevillian actress mother. The story of her extensive career and never-ending romantic pursuits is peppered with comments from the media and her own diaries, and supplemented with ample photographs. A chronology gives dates of theater openings, film releases, marriages, television and radio appearances, births and deaths. A filmography includes complete cast and credit lists.

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  1. Print length
    240 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    McFarland
  4. Publication date
    January 25, 2006
  5. Reading age
    18 years and up
  6. Dimensions
    7 x 0.48 x 10 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0786423668
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0786423668
  9. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“recommend[ed]...well written”―Classic Images; “one of the most complete and interesting biographies”―Femme Fatales; “documents Kay Francis’s life and career in considerable detail...fascinating”―The Slide Area.

About the Author

Lynn Kear is an award-winning biographer, playwright, and novelist. She lives in Stone Mountain, Georgia.

Author John Rossman lives in New York.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ McFarland; Illustrated edition (January 25, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0786423668
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0786423668
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 0.48 x 10 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 90 ratings

About the author

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Lynn Kear

Lynn Kear

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Lynn Kear grew up in Illinois and has lived in Atlanta for more than three decades. Her published works include biographies on Hollywood actresses Kay Francis, Agnes Moorehead, Evelyn Brent, Laurette Taylor, as well as books on reincarnation.

BLACK-HEARTED BITCH, a crime fiction novel, was a runner-up in the Lesbian Mystery / Thriller category in the 2013 Rainbow Awards. Its sequel, KILLING ROSA, was a runner-up in the 2014 Rainbow Awards.

Kear has also won several screenwriting awards. Most recently, her TV pilot adaptation of BLACK-HEARTED BITCH won a staged reading in September 2015 at the Hoover-Leppen Theatre in Chicago.

Her newest work is a teleplay adaptation of Anthony Trollope's novel, ORLEY FARM. The pilot was named an Official Selection in the 2019 Adapted Screenplay Competition, hosted by Rebel Seed Studio.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
90 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the biography informative and interesting. They describe it as a great read, engaging, and warm-hearted. Readers praise Francis as an elegant, talented, and real trooper throughout her life. However, opinions differ on the story quality - some find it great for fans of Old Hollywood, while others feel it reads like a lifeless timeline.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
BiographyReadabilityActressEleganceStory quality
13 customers mention "Biography"13 positive0 negative

Customers find the biography informative and interesting. They appreciate the thorough research that went into writing it. Readers enjoy learning about Hollywood celebrities. The book is described as an important biography of a long-forgotten star.

"...Authors Kear and Rossman exhaustively detail her life, gleaning much information from her own diaries that she kept for 30 years...." Read more

"...I quickly became a fan. I am glad to read about her life and to find out more about the elegant Miss Frances...." Read more

"...book by Kear and Rossman takes the opposite approach: it deeply dissects the personal life of Ms. Francis, decorating each personal situation with..." Read more

"Thoroughly researched and impossible to put down, this book gives great detail to the personal life of Kay Francis. A very fun read!" Read more

10 customers mention "Readability"10 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book. They find it interesting and a pleasure to read about an actress. The book is described as engaging, vivacious, and warm-hearted.

"...Blessed with height (5'9"), a tremendous sense of style, a photographic face and a lisp, Francis was in a field of her own...." Read more

"...I still admire her as she left a fantastic legacy of enjoyable films. She was beautiful, talented and a real trooper throughout her life...." Read more

"...A superb book. Thank you to the authors!" Read more

"...A very fun read!" Read more

7 customers mention "Actress"7 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book about the actress. They find her talented and a real trooper throughout her life. The book portrays her as engaging, vivacious, and warm-hearted.

"...She was beautiful, talented and a real trooper throughout her life. Truly an interesting read." Read more

"...the personal diaries of Ms. Francis who is the most dazzling actress in history to offer her talent to the world of pre-code cinema and to the 20..." Read more

"...this case because Francis was an engaging, vivacious, and warm-hearted woman in real life, but emerges from these pages as a puerile, often..." Read more

"...this book takes that diary a weaves a story of this beautiful, strong minded actress of the 30's, 40's and 50's." Read more

4 customers mention "Elegance"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's elegance. They mention the heroine was beautiful, talented, and a real trooper throughout her life.

"...Blessed with height (5'9"), a tremendous sense of style, a photographic face and a lisp, Francis was in a field of her own...." Read more

"...I am glad to read about her life and to find out more about the elegant Miss Frances. She definitely led a colorful adventurous life...." Read more

"...of her life and this book takes that diary a weaves a story of this beautiful, strong minded actress of the 30's, 40's and 50's." Read more

"I always liked Kay Francis, she was so elegant and a great actress, but very sad about her private life...." Read more

8 customers mention "Story quality"5 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the story quality. Some find it interesting for stories of Hollywood in the early 30s, and a great read for fans of Old Hollywood. Others feel the beginning and end are dull, and the timeline lacks life.

"...This was a great read for fans of "Old Hollywood."It is one of the best I have read in awhile." Read more

"A brilliant story about the life and loves of Kay Francis...." Read more

"...woman in real life, but emerges from these pages as a puerile, often unlikable enigma...." Read more

"...There are some great stories in this one not found in the other, but on the whole this book is somewhat incomplete and more than a little salacious,..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • K. Schonlau
    5.0 out of 5 stars Important Bio of a Long-Forgotten Star
    Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    This is the biography of Warner's highest paid star of the 1930's, Kay Francis, now almost totally forgotten. Blessed with height (5'9"), a tremendous sense of style, a photographic face and a lisp, Francis was in a field of her own.

    This biography illustrates the tremendous research that went into writing it. Authors Kear and Rossman exhaustively detail her life, gleaning much information from her own diaries that she kept for 30 years.

    Filled with historic photos and publicity shots, the authors detail genealogic information about her antecedents. They also examine the less successful careers of her mother, stage actress Katherine Clinton and father, Joe Gibbs, who disappeared from her life when she was 3, forcing her mother to support them both.

    The book then reveals her meteoric rise from fashion savvy stage actress to movie star. Using her diaries as the basis of this book, the authors have managed to reconstruct her very passionate personal life with both men and women, detail her numerous abortions (I lost count)and her drinking problem.

    Francis lived a hedonistic and self-absorbed life, typical of Hollywood stars in the 20s and 30s. In spite of her chaotic personal life, she attained international stardom in films. The writers share great detail about how poorly Warner Brothers treated her, relegating her to sub-par movie plots and even using her to feed lines to new hopefuls.

    The authors also reveal that Francis always disliked Hollywood and was only there for the money. Her plan had always been to leave when her star dimmed and return to the stage, and that is what she did after WW2. Her later years were spent on the stage and in summer stock. It also documents her wish to become less visible to the public and fade from view, which she managed to do, dying at 68 from breast cancer.

    This book also includes a chronology and detailed filmography of all 68 of her pictures. This was a great read for fans of "Old Hollywood."It is one of the best I have read in awhile.
    15 people found this helpful
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  • bonfireblondie
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Biography
    Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    The first time I heard of and had ever seen a Kay Frances movie was about twenty years ago when TCM started showing her films. I quickly became a fan. I am glad to read about her life and to find out more about the elegant Miss Frances. She definitely led a colorful adventurous life. She did so many things and had numerous affairs. Unfortunately, also numerous abortions. Probably, the only birth controls available were the diaphragm or the rhythm method. But I assume alcohol might have added to her lack of inhibitions sexually. I still admire her as she left a fantastic legacy of enjoyable films. She was beautiful, talented and a real trooper throughout her life. Truly an interesting read.
    11 people found this helpful
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  • Nicole Marie Story
    4.0 out of 5 stars A Divine Pleasure To Read!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Oh what a divine pleasure it was to read "Kay Francis: A Passionate Life and Career" by Lynn Kear and John Rossman. This book deeply investigates the personal diaries of Ms. Francis who is the most dazzling actress in history to offer her talent to the world of pre-code cinema and to the 20 years that followed.

    I must admit that I was quite hesitant to read this book because I recently enjoyed another Kay Francis biography by Scott O'Brien which detailed every stage, film, radio, and television project of Ms. Francis's career, decorated with small details of her personal life at the time of each project; and I thought that perhaps the information would be redundant, but such is not the case! This book by Kear and Rossman takes the opposite approach: it deeply dissects the personal life of Ms. Francis, decorating each personal situation with small details of the corresponding acting job. This book delves deeply into her many abortions, lovers (male and female), illnesses, tragic weight gain in her 40s, and eventual isolation from friends due to her penchant for the bottle. The two books compliment each other wonderfully.

    As the book concludes, describing the year of 1968 (the year of her death), the most perfect picture of Kay Francis the legendary film actress is painted:

    "It's sad to think of Kay Francis in the psychedelic era of 1968. Outside her windows came the sounds of the Young Rascals' 'Groovin' and The Doors' 'Light My Fire.' Popular movies included 'Bonnie and Clyde,' 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner,' and '2001: A Space Odyssey.' Now bed-ridden and an avid TV watcher, she may have tuned into 'Gomer Pyle,' 'U.SM.C.,' or 'Family Affair.' Perhaps she watched some of her past colleagues making surreal appearances on her most feared medium. Ann Sothern had become the voice of an automobile on 'My Mother the Car.' Joan Bennet confronted vampires on 'Dark Shadows.' Joan Crawford and Bette Davis opted for work in low-budget horror films.

    "This was no longer the world of Kay Francis. Sadly, she'd outlived her own elegant era. Many of us prefer, instead, to think of her on an Ernst Lubitsch art deco set with Cole Porter's music playing in the background. It's a black and white picture, and she's lying on an impossibly long chaise lounge, gowned by Orry-Kelly, drinking a Paradise Cocktail, smiling her dazzling, hopeful smile."

    OH MY GLORY! This excerpt should be read word for word during each January celebration of Kay Francis on TCM. I think that for many of we the pre-code film lovers, these words describe not only Kay Francis but every hope that we have for an elegant society to once again be. A superb book. Thank you to the authors!
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Vivienne
    5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this intimate work on the life of Kay Francis
    Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Thoroughly researched and impossible to put down, this book gives great detail to the personal life of Kay Francis. A very fun read!
    3 people found this helpful
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