In today's facts-packed video, we'll delve into the fascinating story of Frances Farmer,
an iconic actress who left an indelible mark on the silver screen during the 1930s and
1940s.
Frances was a woman of great talent, beauty, and conviction, known for her striking performances
on stage and in film.
But her life was not without its share of struggles, as she battled mental illness and
addiction, which perhaps may have ultimately led to her being subjected to one of the most
controversial and brutal medical procedures of the time: a lobotomy.
For those who may not be familiar, a lobotomy is a surgical procedure that involves removing
or damaging parts of the brain to alleviate symptoms of mental illness or behavioral disorders.
It was a widely used technique in the early to mid-20th century, often seen as a last
resort for patients who had exhausted all other treatment options.
Despite it's widespread use, the procedure was also incredibly controversial, with many
questioning its effectiveness and ethical implications.
In this video, we'll be taking a closer look at Frances Farmer's story and the details
surrounding her lobotomy.
But what makes this video even more intriguing is that we'll be hearing from Frances' own
sister, who has come forward to shed some light on what really happened to her beloved
sibling.
Her account is a rare and intimate glimpse into the life of a Hollywood star and the
dark side of the medical industry.
So stay tuned and get ready to learn more about Frances Farmer and the shocking reality
of lobotomies in the mid-20th century.
This is a story that you won't want to miss.
Facts Verse Presents: Frances Farmer's Sister Confirms the Details of Her Lobotomy
Farmer's Legacy And Origins
Frances Farmer was a renowned movie star in America during the mid-twentieth century.
Her acting career spanned from 1936 to 1958, and she starred in 15 films alongside the
likes of Cary Grant, Albert Dekker, and Bing Crosby.
However, she was as well known for her turbulent personal life as she was for her on-screen
roles.
At the peak of her career, Frances was institutionalized due to her mental health struggles.
There were rumors that the star had been lobotomized during her time in the facility.
Although her family later contested this claim, the story gave rise to a wave of books and
films focused on the horrific surgery.
Going forward, we'll be drawing much of what we know about Farmer's alleged lobotomy and
mental health challenges from these sources.
Despite her successful acting career, unfortunately, Farmer's mental health issues became the focal
point of her legacy in a world that is ever-obsessed with sensationalism.
Born on September 19, 1913, in Seattle, Washington, Frances Farmer had an unstable childhood.
Her parents divorced when she was four, and she moved to California with her mother before
being sent back to Seattle to live with her father when her mother struggled to balance
work and childcare.
Farmer later recalled that her childhood was chaotic due to the constant shuffling between
households.
She turned to writing as a way to cope with the confusion, and in her senior year of high
school, she won a prestigious writing award for her essay titled "God Dies."
Her passion for writing led her to study journalism at the University of Washington before discovering
her true calling in theater.
She went on to star in various university plays, and in 1935, she made the pivotal decision
to move to New York City to kickstart her stage career.
While that was her intention when making the move, instead she signed a seven-year contract
with Paramount Pictures and began acting in B-movie comedies.
Her breakout role came in 1936 when she starred in the western Rhythm on the Range with Bing
Crosby, which catapulted her to stardom.
Despite her newfound fame, Paramount studio head Adolph Zukor admonished her for not behaving
like a rising star.
Farmer wanted to be taken seriously as an actress, so she left Hollywood to work in
summer stock theater in upstate New York.
There she caught the eye of playwright and director Clifford Odets, who offered her a
role in his play Golden Boy.
The part earned her widespread recognition and praise, and she continued to work in the
theater, only making a few films a year in Los Angeles.
Unraveling At The Seams
In 1942, Farmer's life began to unravel.
She divorced her first husband, a fellow actor at Paramount, in June.
Then, when she refused a role in Take A Letter, Darling, Paramount suspended her contract.
On October 19, she was arrested for drunk driving during a wartime blackout, and the
judge fined her $500 and banned her from drinking.
However, Farmer had not paid the fine by 1943, and a judge issued a warrant for her arrest
on January 6.
On January 14, police found her at the Knickerbocker Hotel, where she was sleeping naked and intoxicated.
Farmer admitted to drinking everything she could get her hands on, including Benzedrine,
a decongestant and stimulant that has psychoactive effects when abused.
The judge overseeing her case sentenced her to 180 days in jail.
To make matters worse, newspapers reported that she "assaulted a matron, injured a police
officer, and suffered injuries herself" when the police denied her access to a phone after
her sentencing.
Workers allegedly had to remove her shoes as they escorted her to her cell to prevent
her from kicking them.
Her sister-in-law, who witnessed the sentencing, decided that admitting Farmer to a mental
hospital would be more agreeable than imprisoning her, and she was subsequently transferred
to Kimball Sanitarium in California, where she spent nine months.
Following her institutionalization, Frances Farmer's mother traveled to Los Angeles and
was awarded legal guardianship over her daughter by a judge.
They then returned to Seattle, but Farmer's situation did not improve.
On March 24, 1944, her mother checked her back into Western State Hospital after suffering
yet another mental breakdown.
Despite being released three months later, Farmer was readmitted to the hospital once
again in May 1945.
Although she was released briefly in 1946, she would spend almost five more years at
Western State Hospital.
During this time, rumors of a lobotomy emerged, which were popularized by William Arnold's
book, Shadowland, which was published in 1978.
Although Arnold later admitted that he had fabricated the story and that portions of
the book were untrue, the lobotomy rumor persisted as Farmer's most enduring legacy.
In fact, to this day, many still believe that Farmer was subjected to the procedure.
Farmer's Sister Speaks Out
In her candid memoir Look Back In Love, Farmer's sister, Edith Elliot, wrote that their father
stopped the lobotomy from happening when he visited Western State Hospital in 1947.
Nevertheless, Farmer suffered abuse while institutionalized, as she recounted in her
posthumously published autobiography, Will There Really Be A Morning?
Although Farmer did not finish writing her book before passing away, her friend Jean
Ratcliffe completed it for her.
However, it remains uncertain whether Ratcliffe embellished some parts of the book to satisfy
the publisher's requirements.
As we mentioned before, the world – especially the world of entertainment – is fixated
on sensationalism, and juicy details are what sell books.
Regardless of the veracity of Ratcliffe's account, it's worth nothing that on March
25, 1950, Farmer was finally released from the hospital for good.
Worried that her mother would institutionalize her yet again, Farmer moved to Eureka, California,
where she became a bookkeeper.
She later returned to television at the urging of her husband, Leland Mikesell.
Somewhat surprisingly, she even made a comeback of sorts in 1957 and even appeared on The
Ed Sullivan Show.
For the remainder of her life, she continued to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a
respected stage actress, working in the theater and eventually even appearing in one last
movie.
While at Purdue University, she served as an actress-in-residence and took on several
roles in productions.
She considered her performances there to be some of the best of her career.
Farmer's Passing and Legacy
Frances Farmer passed away in August 1970 at the age of 57 after being diagnosed with
esophageal cancer.
Despite her struggles with mental health, addiction, and institutionalization, her death
was a great loss to the world of Hollywood and beyond.
Although rumors of her being lobotomized persisted, as we've covered it has been proven that she
was never subjected to such a procedure.
Her legacy, however, extends far beyond this controversy.
Frances Farmer was a trailblazer in her own right, a woman who dared to follow her dreams
and stand up for herself, even in the face of societal pressures and mental health challenges.
Her life and career were emblematic of the Hollywood system during her time, which often
failed to support its stars and instead preyed on their vulnerabilities for profit.
But despite this, Farmer persevered and left behind a legacy that continues to inspire
and captivate audiences today.
Her story further reminds us of the importance of mental health advocacy and the need for
more compassionate and understanding attitudes toward those struggling with mental health
issues.
So with that, we'll go ahead and wrap this video up.
But before you move on to watching another one of our facts-packed videos, we'd love
to hear from you.
Did you know that Frances Farmer was rumored to have been lobotomized but her own family
denied that she ever had the procedure?
And did you know that even after years of spending time in mental institutions, she
ended up making a comeback, spending the remainder of her life acting on the theater stage and
teaching students of the theatrical arts?
Let us know in the comments.
And as always, thanks for watching.