Adrian ♦ The Adventerous ♦ The Affairs of Monica ♦ Brian Aherne ♦ Louisa May Alcott ♦ Katharine Alexander ♦ All Rights Reserved ♦ Dennis Allen ♦ Allotment Wives ♦ Always in My Heart ♦ Amateur Anne ♦ Don Ameche ♦ Angel of Mercy ♦ Another Dawn ♦ Anyone Can Win ♦ Eve Arden ♦ Richard Arlen ♦ Jean Arthur ♦ Dorothy Arzner ♦ Joel Ashley ♦ Nils Asther ♦ Mary Astor ♦ Athena ♦ William Austin
Adrian. (3/3/03 – 9/14/59) Famed MGM designer who most notably worked with Norma Shearer, Garbo, Joan Crawford, and the other MGM contract stars from the late 1920’s up until 1941. Adrian designed costumes for Kay for three movies: Passion Flower, Storm at Daybreak, and The Feminine Touch. The latter was one of the final projects he would ever work on.
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Adventurous, The. Alice D.G. Miller story upon which The Keyhole (1933) was based.
Affairs of Monica, The. Original title to 1934’s Dr. Monica.
Aherne, Brian. (5/2/02 – 2/10/86) British actor who worked with Kay in The Man Who Lost Himself (1941).
Alcott, Louisa May. After the massive success of the film adaptation of Alcott’s Little Women for RKO in 1933, the studio produced a film adaptation of Alcott’s Little Men in 1940 with Kay taking on the role as Jo.
Alexander, Katharine. Famous character actress who appeared with Kay in 1939’s In Name Only (playing Carole Lombard’s sister) and 1941’s Play Girl.
All Rights Reserved. Originally conceived as a reteaming of Kay and Errol Flynn after the massive success of Another Dawn.
Allen, Dennis. Kay’s boyfriend in the early 1950s who not only appeared with her on the stage, but also attended a showing of Trouble in Paradise with Kay on August 26, 1953 at the Museum of Modern Art.
Allen worked with Kay in her early 1950’s stage production of Somerset Maugham’s Theatre.
Allotment Wives. Monogram, 1945. Running time: 80 minutes. Directed by William Nigh. Produced by Jeffery Bernard and Kay Francis. Based on a story by Sidney Sutherland. Kay stars in this great film noir as a woman in charge of a massive scam for young girls to marry servicemen for their ODB stipends from the government.
This was the only time Kay was murdered onscreen. Critic Mick LaSalle said of the film, “It’s surprising that Francis didn’t become one of the top noir women. She’s as tough as Crawford and as cool as Stanwyck, with an ironic fatalism that’s more like Robert Mitchum than any femme fatale” (CR).
Always in My Heart. Warner Bros., 1942. Running Time: 92 minutes. Kay’s only return to Warner Bros. playing the wife of Walter Huston, who has everyone in her life convinced she’s a widow when in reality Huston has been serving time in prison. The film was an attempt to make a big star out of Gloria Warren. Unfortunately, that fell through.
Though only grossing a meager amount in the US & Canada, the film was a major hit in foreign markets (see the Box Office page for figures). As a result, the film was one of the studio’s highest grossing movies of 1942, and even had Warner Bros. considering another contract for Kay at the studio.
Of her big return to Warners, Kay stated, “I buried the hatchet over here on my way out, and if you want me to work for you again, here I am” (BF). Unfortunately, other factors prevented Kay from returning to Warner Bros. as a contract star. She would never work for the studio again.
Amateur Anne. Comedy by Bayard Veiller and G.M. Fair. Kay appeared in a 1927 stage production of the play.
See the Stage Career page for more info.
Ameche, Don. Popular actor who worked opposite Kay in 1941’s The Feminine Touch. Ten years later, Kay would appear on his television show, The Frances Langford-Don Ameche Show.
Angel of Mercy. The original title of Kay’s 1936 Florence Nightingale biopic, The White Angel.
Another Dawn. Warner Bros., 1937. Running time: 73 minutes. Directed by William Dieterle, based on W. Somerset Maugham’s “Caesar’s Wife.” Kay, teamed for the only time with Errol Flynn, is top-billed in this desert action-adventure film which also stars Ian Hunter. The plot involves a love triangle Between Francis with Flynn and Hunter.
The project was originally offered to Bette Davis. When she temporarily left Warner Bros. in 1936 during her contract dispute, Tallulah Bankhead was tested before Jack Warner handed it over to Kay.
Another Dawn was one of the top 10 highest grossing films of the year for Warner Bros. See the Box Office page for more info.
Anyone Can Win. Kay appeared on this game show’s last broadcast on September 1, 1953.
See the Television page for further info.
Arden, Eve. Comedic actress who worked with Kay in Women in the Wind (1939), which turned out to be Kay’s last film as a Warner Bros. contract star.
Arden detailed her worked in the film and with Kay in her autobiography, Three Faces of Eve.
Arlen, Richard. Contract star at Paramount around the same time Kay was employed with the studio. He appeared in her first Hollywood film, Dangerous Curves (1929), and also appeared in Paramount on Parade (1930).
Arthur, Jean. Played small roles at Paramount while Kay was beginning her career also. The two worked together in Street of Chance (1930), and Arthur also appeared in Paramount on Parade.
Arzner, Dorothy. Famed pioneer female director who co-directed Kay in two 1930 movies, Behind the Make-Up and Paramount on Parade.
Ashley, Joel. Boyfriend of Kay’s in the late 1940s and early 1950s who appeared with Kay on the stage in The Last of Mrs. Cheyney, Favorite Stranger, Let Us Be Gay, Goodbye, My Fancy, The Web and the Rock and Mirror, Mirror.
Asther, Nil. Swedish film star who worked with Kay in 1933’s Storm at Daybreak and had a minor role opposite her in 1941’s The Man Who Lost Himself.
Astor, Mary. Famous actress and social pal of Kay’s during her Hollywood career. The role Astor played in Dodsworth (1936) was originally offered to Kay. When Warner Bros. refused to loan Kay out for what they believed was a supporting role, Astor got the part, fueling Kay’s anger against Warners.
Athena. Designer of Kay’s wardrobe for her final movie, 1946’s Wife Wanted.
Austin, William. Character actor who played opposite Kay in Illusion, The Marriage Playground, Paramount on Parade, Let’s Go Native, The Goose and the Gander, and Charley’s Aunt.