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Ghapter Q lara Thomson had been hearing about Frances since shortly after Fred met her, but she had not let herself believe it was anything serious. Fred had written, very matter-of-factly, about his pride in Frances's work during the war and Clara knew they had spoken of marriage , but it wasn't until February 12, 1919, that she realized the truth in the black and white of newsprint.1 On page one, the LosAngeles Herald ran a large studio publicity picture of Frances with an inset of Fred in uniform. The headline read "Engaged, not Wed to Fred Thomson, says Scenario Star." Datelined New York, the article was in response to false reports in the trades that Frances and Fred had married in Paris and it was the first full coverage of her return to America. She was praised as the "famous" and "prominent scenario writer,"while the lone mention of Fred labeled him the "noted LosAngeles athlete and chaplain."2 To add to Clara's indignity, a friend sent her an article from the San Francisco Examiner a month later announcing Frances's heroic return to her hometown and recounting her war adventures. After listing all of the demands on Frances's schedule, the very last line of the front-page story read: "And as soon as she finds a moment to spare, she will marry Fred Thompson [sic], America's champion athlete, who was commander of athletics with A.E.F." His family and friends were so used to Fred's being the focus, the handwritten note on the article asked Clara, "I wonder if this is our Fred or if there is another athletic Fred Thomson in America?" While the picture was of an attractive, sedate Frances in her army uniform , Clara knew that this "government war correspondent, authoress, playwright, and native Californian" was not the demure virgin fit to be the wife of her son. Clara Thomson was not at all pleased. No mere female would ever be worthy of any of her boys. When Fred's older brother Henry brought home Janet Smart, an attractive college graduate from a well-off and socially established Santa Ana family, Clara let them know of her displeasure then and throughout their marriage,which was to last untilJanet's death fifty years later.3 113 S WITHOUT LYING DOWN If a wealthy, educated, and unmarried woman was not good enough for one of her sons, Frances's sins were beyond pardon. In addition to her marriages and her work for the movies, she was "bought and paid for by William Randolph Hearst." No one of any principles or stature read a Hearst paper. "He was a Democrat."4 When Clara and Frances finally met in Los Angeles, she and Fred were already married and he made it clear there wasnothing to be discussed. He assured his mother he would find another line of work to share his love of God and would continue to support her financially. Fred would always revere his mother and be deferentialin their communications, but she was no longer the number one woman in his life. Frances spent as little time with her mother-in-law as politely possible. The newlywedschecked into the Hollywood Hotel for a month's stay and Frances's mother came from San Francisco for a brief visit. While Fred spent time with his family and friends, Frances finished the titles for Pollyanna and when it premiered at Clune's Theater on January 19, 1920, Frances's name was not only listed on the credits, but before and in bigger letters than the director, Paul Powell. While she and Mary thought thefilm verged on insipid, the public and the critics loved it, praising Pollyanna as "the crowning achievement of her screen career."5 Frances had successfully seen Mary through her first United Artists production and now made preparations to return to New York to finish her commitments to Hearst and Cosmopolitan, clearing her slate for a long honeymoon. She recommended her old San Francisco reporter friend Waldemar Young to write Mary'snext scenario, returning the favor he had done for her when he told Oliver Morosco about her paintings eight years earlier. Yetthere was one more personal crisis to see Mary through aswell: Douglas was insisting that she divorce Owen and marry him. There was no question in Doug's mind of how much he loved Mary, but, "Oh that family." What would it be like when they...

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