Francis X. Bushman Collection

Francis Bushman
(1883 – 1966)

Great beauty has always been a hallmark of Hollywood's leading ladies, but a terrific physique could hardly be called a liability for a leading man. When the silent era came to a close, it became just as important for an actor to have a good voice, but beauty remained an important part of the equation. Heart-throb Francis X. Bushman was one of the first to be called "King of the Movies" (a title deservedly usurped by Clark Gable). When the movies learned to talk, Bushman fell from A-list prominence but there can be no doubt that he set the standard for how movies stars were expected to live.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, 1883, Francis was the ninth of his parent's dozen children. The middle name Xavier was suggested by his baptizing priest, after nine kids his parents were probably running out of names. Francis was able to join the Maryland Athletic Club where he excelled as a wrestler, boxer, bicycle racer and became a student of Eugene Sandow, the German strongman now known as "the father of modern bodybuilding". Sandow was a showman as well as an athlete with ties to Thomas Edison, which may have helped Bushman to get into the movies had he not become a teenage groom. Seamstress Josephine Fladine Duval became his bride. Her career choice is interesting, considering that Bushman turned to nude modeling for sculptors to support his growing family.

Bushman went to work for Broncho Billy Anderson's Essanay Studio's in 1911. The technology of the time meant that directors preferred long shots to close-ups, and Bushman's imposing physique insured audience recognition. He starred in at least 17 films during his first year in the business. Since his biggest fans were the girls admiring his bulging muscles, the studios encouraged him to keep his marriage a secret. Bushman was profitable enough to demand that Essanay starlet Beverly Bayne become his co-star, and they made 22 films together. They also entered a torrid affair which caused Josephine to demand a divorce in 1918. Fans may have forgiven him for taking up with his co-star, but the fact that he had hidden his status as a married man with five children was a different matter. Bushman and Bayne were married three days after the divorce was final and moved to Metro Pictures. Although his fall from stardom is usually blamed on the divorce and the transition to talking pictures, Bushman blamed a feud with Louis B. Mayer which began when the producer showed up at Bushman and Bayne's house and was snubbed by a newly-hired valet who didn't recognize the mogul.

Although his star began to fade after the scandal with Miss Bayne, Bushman had already set the standard for how a movie star was expected to act. He went through a "lavender period" where he was seen driving around Hollywood in a low-slung lavender auto, dressed his servants in lavender livery, and smoked monogrammed lavender cigarettes. In an effort to regain his stature, he hired publicist Harry Reichenbach. When word that MGM would be filming Ben-Hur (1925), Francis was convinced that he would be perfect for the role as Messala. To boost his client's marketability, Reichenbach met Bushman at the train station and walked him to the studio offices. As they walked, the publicist began dropping pennies from his pocket. Soon a crowd was following to recover the coins, but all the studio brass saw was a huge following for what must be a popular star. Bushman was an accomplished enough horseman to drive his own team during the climactic chariot race, leading Charlton Heston to quip while filming the remake in 1959 that, "The only man in Hollywood who can drive a chariot is Francis X. Bushman, and he's too old!"

Although Bushman had commanded high salaries, enough so that he donated the land where Grauman's Chinese Theatre would be built, his fortune was wiped out by the Wall Street Crash of 1929. Since his popularity in film was beginning to fade, he took up a second career as a Radio Row player. He starred in the CBS soap Those We Love (1938-1945) and the ZIV Syndicated Western Lightning Jim (1944). He was also part of the company for DuPont's Cavalcade of America . He also brought his talents as a guest voice on The Line Up, Suspense, My Friend Irma, Stars Over Hollywood, The Upper Room, Broadway is My Beat, and Yours Truly Johnny Dollar. It was more for his radio success than the movies which got him into early television. Bushman played a silent movie historian victimized by The Riddler during the first season of Batman.

Francis X. Bushman suffered a fatal heart attack at his home in Pacific Palisades, California, on August 23, 1966. A Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1651 Vine Street was dedicated in 1960 honoring contributions to Motion Pictures by Francis X. Bushman.