New biography champions Barbara Payton's humanity

For many years, the late film actress Barbara Payton (1927-1967) has been grist for the mill of writers who have mercilessly pummeled her in print over the sensational nosedive she took from Hollywood's glitz and glamour to its seediest backstreets and gutters.

Barbara at her best, circa 1950s

Barbara was Franchot Tone's third wife, if only for 53 days, and in my years of researching his life story I've read countless sordid stories about her that have left me wanting to take a long, hot shower after I've put each of the articles or books down.

Until now.

Enter John O'Dowd's exhaustively researched and incredibly balanced biography of Barbara, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye: The Barbara Payton Story, (BearManor Media, 2007) that, unlike the mythical white knight that failed to rush in to rescue her during the last reel of her life, finally arrives to lift the remains of her sad yet poignant legacy and present Barbara in a thoroughly engaging humanistic light.

I've known John for about eight years or more.  We met because our biographical subjects intersected in the early 1950s.  We've spent hours on email and the telephone discussing and debating Barbara and Franchot.

John has always been unwaivering in his respect and compassion for Barbara as a very troubled human being, something that is clearly evident in his final product.  In a world where biographers seem to take joy in exposing the worst in their subject in gossipy fashion, John addresses Barbara's issues (sexual addiction, drug and alcohol abuse, mental instability) by delving deeper into the circumstances and reasons which ultimately lead her down the path of hell.

Barbara & Franchot (John O'Dowd Collection)

My introduction to Barbara came when I began digging in to the details of the headline making fist-fight that Franchot lost to Tom Neal over the affections of fickle Barbara who flip-flopped between the two men with no apparent rhyme or reason.  I flat out didn't like her for that reason alone, I'm ashamed to say today.

What I learned from John and Barbara more than anyone else to-date is that no one is purely good or evil, and a person's life and personality is never the black and white that it may appear to be on the surface.  This is the beauty of John's approach to Barbara in his everyday life and in his book.

I've had the luxury of getting to know the different sides of Barbara's life and complex personality over time through my friendship with John.  As my quote on the back of Barbara's biography states, she truly did carve a niche in my heart and I never expected that.  I "get" her now and I think that readers of this book will have the same experience.

Cover design by LYNNPDesign.com

Major sources of information in this in-depth (over 400 pages of text and photos) book include many people who have never gone on record with their memories and insights about Barbara, including her brother, sister-in-law and son, John Lee.  For decades these people have refused to discuss Barbara because of the way she was previously treated in print, and who can blame them.  Their memories are bittersweet and often painful but incredibly enlightening.

One of the things I like best about John's presentation is that he often lets his interviewees (which also include a former husband, intimates, business associates, neighbors and friends) speak for themselves.  Page after page of direct quotes give you the feeling that you're sitting in a room full of Barbara's inner circle, partaking in candid conversation. The quotes are woven together by John's skillful, descriptive writing.

This entry is less of a review of John's book than it is a personal endorsment.   I know the blood, sweat and tears that he invested in Barbara's story and how many times various publishers told him that a compassionate look at her life just wouldn't sell.

Thankfully, Ben Ohmart at BearManor Media saw the need for such a book and published it.  I was so impressed with BearManor's enthusiasm for Barbara's story that I asked Ben to publish my book about Franchot, too.  Happily, he agreed.  Look for Franchot to join Barbara at BearManor in September 2008.

Barbara's niche at Cypress View Mausoleum in San Diego, CA

Yesterday I took the day off from work to venture down to San Diego with three friends so that we could leave flowers at Barbara's cremation niche to commemorate the 40th anniversary of her passing.  I took a copy of John's book with me to "show" her.

Call me crazy (and I know some people do) but we could definitely feel Barbara's presence around us.  I could almost hear a faint sigh of relief echoing in the quiet, marble-lined corridor, aptly named Chapel of Promise.  Someone cared enough to try to understand her and now there is the promise of new understanding from others.  And isn't that what we all want and deserve?

Related Websites
Hollywood Starlet Barbara Payton (official website)
Bay Area Reporter (book review)
Findagrave.com (memorial page)
IMDB.com (film credits)
Wikipedia (biographical information)

Comments

[Joe]

Interesting post

[jan redfield]

Thank You, Lisa, and I will be lookin forward to reading the book you are writing about Franchot.......He was always nice to me, and such a perfect gentle-man.....

[Lisa]

Thank you for taking the time to write a book on Mr. Tone. I can't wait to read it.

[Lisa]

Thank you for taking the time to write a book on Mr. Tone. I can't wait to read it.

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I think a movie should be made on her life it was something else. Who else agrees with me. If you knew her story you would agree with me. And also who would be the best actress to play her.