This is great news, Joanne! Bravo to the Library of Congress!

Happy New Year, everyone!

*cough* Peachtree, not Joanne. :)

I'm sorry, Peachtree--I didn't look close enough at the entry to see that it was your post!

I hope you had good holidays and all the best in the new year!

Thank you, I had a nice break from work which included finally opening up my Murnau, Borzage and Fox box set. I think I'm in love with Charles Farrell. :) *sigh* Farrell's great screen partner was Janet Gaynor -- they made 12 films together, three of them masterpieces directed by Frank Borzage -- and of course Gaynor was in Ladies in Love with Tyrone Power.

In Hollywood, everyone is connected by six degrees -- usually less. ;)

From Lucky Stars: Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell, by Sarah Baker:

Page 187:

Studio politics aside, the film [Ladies in Love] is also memorable because Janet actually fell in love in Ladies in Love: with her handsome costar Tyrone Power. Power, scion of an acting dynasty that included his father, Tyrone Power Sr., was just beginning his film career when he was assigned to Ladies in Love. Power had seen 7th Heaven when he was only thirteen year s old and fell head over heels in love with Diane [Gaynor's character]; working with Janet Gaynor he was "a fan meeting a star, and so was speechless." [Quote from a Photoplay article.] The day after they met on the set, he anonymously sent three dozen roses to her dressing room; he then upped the ante by sending three dozen roses to Gaynor three times a week, from different florists so the orders could not be traced. Power continued his affair with ice-skater turned movie star Sonia Henie, but remained a secret suitor of Janet's until the following spring, when he finally asked her to lunch at the Brown Derby. In the meantime, until Power asked her out, Janet was seen with Al Scott, Gene Raymond, and most often Robert Taylor. She also dated a New York dentist by the name of Dr. Veblen.

Page 203:

After A Star Is Born was released, Tyrone Power finally gathered his courage and asked Janet out. At the time he was still dating Sonia Henie, but soon he and Janet became inseparable. In fact, it was on a Hawaiian holiday with Power that Janet finally signed her contract with [David] Selznick.

Janet genuinely loved Tyrone Power; of all her Hollywood romances, she only ever spoke to her son Robin of two men: Power and Charles Farrell. At the time, though, it appeared that Tyrone was completely smitten with Janet while she was proceeding with more caution. In November, Power tried to modify the "no marriage" clause in his contract so that he and Janet could wed, while Janet kept denying any rumors that she would be married. By January 1938, their engagement announcement was supposedly imminent, but suddenly Power began issuing denials: "I'm at the formative period of my career and I'm going through enough readjustment without that one. It wouldn't be fair to either party." By June, their romance had definitely ended. Neither said what caused their break-up, but as Annabella, Tyrone's first wife, said, "Tyrone was the nicest man in the world. The only thing was, he was a little weak." Annabella recalled that, on their honeymoon, Power allowed a studio publicity man to follow them everywhere until she protested; they ditched the publicity man by leaving their hotel at 4 a.m. "That was the fault of Tyrone, but he had no others that I know. He was too, too sweet." Given that Power was under contract to 20th Century-Fox, and his "no marriage" clause was a part of that contract, Power's sudden switch to focusing on his career may have been encouraged (or pushed) by [Darryl F.] Zanuck. Janet observed this weakness and knew what it meant for married life. Scarred by her [failed] marriage to Lydell Peck, Janet was eager to find someone self-fulfilled and strong. She loved Tyrone, but he was not the man for her.

****

Charles Farrell AND Tyrone Power -- how lucky can one woman get? :)

Finally, a bit of trivia I read in the book: Gaynor's third husband, theatrical producer Paul Gregory, produced the stage production of John Brown's Body with Tyrone Power, Raymond Massey and Dame Judith Anderson.

That was certainly a nice break, Peachtree--I really enjoyed the excerpts you posted.

Great stuff, Peachtree many thanks! If memory serves, he had a crush on screen-Janet long before he met her. He was pliable that way, no doubt; still, can't help thinking that at 23/24 he was too young to get hitched, BUT it was a different time then, as well.

THANKS for all the great info. :-)!!