Throughout the later years of his career, Fredric March would continue to electrify and gift us with some tremendous performances. The best of these include 1953’s Man on a Tightrope, which sees March as a circus leader who risks it all to save his troupe, 1960’s Inherit The Wind, as he turns villainous opposite Spencer Tracy, Gene Kelly, and Dick York, and 1959’s Middle of the Night, which is a meditative drama with Kim Novak.
As with most actors, thereās a fair share of duds in March’s filmography such as historical drama Anthony Adverse (1936) and utterly boring Christopher Columbus (1949). There are also a number of his films entirely lost to us which include Jealousy (1929), The Dummy (1929) and, the one that annoys me the most because it’s a musical (which I love), Footlights & Fools (1929). Fredric March is one of two actors who has won an Academy and Tony Award twice (the other is Helen Hayes). His first Oscar win is for the stupendous Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde (1931) which I wrote about at length here. His second was for The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) – a war drama about three men returning and struggling to assimilate back to their old lives. On the stage, he won accolades in 1947 for play Years Ago and in 1957 for Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night. Funnily enough O’Neill’s play The Iceman Cometh was made into a four-hour long film in 1973. It would be Fredric march’s last film appearance after developing cancer in 1970. He died in 1975. There are some sketchy moments in his life that are worth discussing. There were tumultuous relationships with fellow actors, most predominantly Veronica Lake in I Married A Witch (1942). Also, at university, despite changing the name of the group, and the student fraternal organisation having no ties to the infamous racist group, he did join the Ku Klux Klan. But also, Fredric March was an outspoken proponent of the civil rights movement and worked closely with the NAACP. He also formed the Hollywood Anti-Nazi League with the likes of Fritz Lang and Dorothy Parker. With such a rich cinematic history and filmography, Fredric March is a consummate actor. Thereās a fluidity to his performances which is unparalleled by any of his peers. He glides into scenes and, at times, he can also chew the scenery. There are also insightful and intriguing performances. From the light-hearted romances to the desperate dramas, and dipping into horror on occasion, March is astonishing to watch. He has a particular talent also for portraying alcoholics or men on the verge of a nervous breakdown, delivering anguish exceptionally well. Plus, he has oodles of chemistry with nearly every woman he starred opposite ā including Miriam Hopkins, Claudette Colbert, Sylvia Sidney, Carol Lombard, and most importantly, his wife Florence Eldridge. They starred in seven films together, including the brilliant An Act of Murder (1948). There are over 70 films available in Fredric March’s repertoire and I would love to talk about them all. If you have a favourite, I would love to know! So, whilst the month is upon us, why not dive into a Fredric March film and fall madly in love with Pre-Code’s most accomplished and inspired star? ā Thank you for visiting! If youād like to support our attempts to make a non-clickbaity movie website: Follow Film Stories on Twitter here, and on Facebook here. Buy our Film Stories and Film Stories Junior print magazines here. Become a Patron here.More like this
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