Arlene Francis

Arlene Francis, the witty actress and popular television personality, was born Arlene Francis Kazanjian on Oct. 20, 1907, in Boston. Her father was an Armenian immigrant, later painter and portrait photographer; her mother was the daughter of actor Alfred Davis. Even at an early age, Arlene said, "I started out with one goal: I wanted to be a serious actress. " She studied at the Theatre Guild and then went to Hollywood.

Began her Broadway career in early 1928 in the flop play "La Gringa" (directed by Hamilton MacFadden and starring Claudette Colbert). She remained very active there until early 1954 when her TV commitments increased. Arlene continued to appear on Broadway with far less frequency through 1975 (see "Other Works").

Her movie debut was in Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932), in which Bela Lugosi (often cast as a villain or mad scientist in many of his over 40 horror movies) tied her to an X-cross to extract her blood (trivia: Arlene and Bela were both born on Oct. 20). The live theater, however, was her first love, and she appeared in many plays.

In 1935, she married movie executive Neil Agnew; they'd stay together for 10 years.

Arlene made her Broadway debut in 1936 and had her first major role in "All That Glitters" two years later.

She appeared with Orson Welles in the Mercury Theatre production of "Danton's Death" in 1938, and in "Journey to Jerusalem" in 1940.

" In the 1940s, she played in as many as five radio serials a day.

Her big hit was "The Doughgirls" in 1942; it ran for 1-1/2 years. Arlene had auditioned for her first radio part at the same time she was getting started in the theater; she later recalled, "Radio came easily.

Arlene married actor Martin Gabel in 1946 (he died in 1986), and they had a son, Peter.

She and her husband Martin Gabel were the parents of a son, Peter Gabel born January 28, 1947.

She also was host of a radio dating show called "Blind Date," which was adapted to a TV series in 1949 (Your Big Moment (1949)), and she was the host (1949-1952). It was television that brought Arlene fame, and she became one of the highest-paid women in TV.

Arlene was a permanent panelist on CBS' What's My Line? (1950) (a Mark Goodson-Bill Todman production) from 1950 through 1967 and continued as a panelist in a syndicated version that ran until 1975, thus being with the show for its entire 25-year run. She was warm, witty and had a cute laugh--and was always fashionably dressed. She wore a diamond heart-shaped necklace, which started a fad.

On December 4, 1954, she was awarded a citation for outstanding performance in her profession by Emerson College in Boston.

On her television show, Home, of April 3,1957, she interviewed then Senator and future President John F. Kennedy and Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy.

She was still doing radio while on TV, and in 1960, she was the star of "The Arlene Francis Show," a daily interview show in New York, on WOR; it ran for 23 years. Arlene retired from show business after that and lived comfortably.

On May 26, 1963, Arlene was involved in an automobile accident in which she was injured and prevented her from being on the show that night. Kitty Carlisle stood in for her on that night.

She appeared in her only episode of the "CBS Radio Mystery Theater" in 1974.

Suffered from Alzheimer's disease from mid-1980s until her death in 2001.

Although semi-retired starting 1983, Arlene was the co-host up until about 1986-1987 of a local New York show that aired once a week (early Saturday nights) on WNBC-TV

Was offered the role of Jessica Fletcher on Murder, She Wrote (1984) but declined because she felt the part would be mundane.

She was still giving interviews in 1991. Arlene spent her last years living in San Francisco.