TVue, Week of Sept. 25 - Oct. 2, 1971

Cover Story
James Franciscus Conquers TV's Most Challenging Role
By Anthony La Camera

WHATEVER THE FUTURE of ABC's new "Longstreet" series, some Sort of 
special award should be made ready for title star James 
Franciscus. In playing the weekly hero role of a blind insurance 
investigator, he may well be handling the toughest acting 
assignment -- physically and emotionally -- in all television.

"Playing an unsighted person does make it more difficult for an 
actor," said the blond Franciscus in a bit of understatement. 
"While moving with a dog or a cane, you still must remember your 
speaking lines. While keeping your eyes out of focus, you must 
register expression or emotion in other ways. An actor's greatest 
asset is his eyes."

To Jim's credit, he has indeed managed to project the visual 
handicap of his character without neglecting histrionic 
requirements. It was something that did not come easily and 
overnight.

*

The slight, medium-height Franciscus went through a two-month 
training period before essaying his role on film. He trained with 
guide dogs, learned how to use a cane, visited various schools for 
the blind in California, did research on the philosophical 
attitudes, as well as physical problems, of the unsighted.

Even now, he rehearses with his eyes closed, relying on his mind's 
eye to guide him as he walks around the Hollywood set. His steps 
are measured as he reflects the caution of a sightless person 
moving around an unfamiliar room. The first information imparted 
to a blind man starting on a rehabilitation course is always to 
walk with his head up, and this he has mastered, too.

As hard as he applies himself, Franciscus insists that his work 
week close before Friday night. Since he works from 10 to 12 hours 
a day, he makes sure that he is in his North Hollywood home for 
the weekend.

"I have two kids at home, and I have a family life which I want to 
maintain," said Jim, who has been married for 11 years to the 
former Kitty Wellman daughter of famed movie director William 
Wellman. They have two daughters, Jamie Allen, 9, and Kellie 
Allen, 7.

"I do my homework by reading scripts and preparing for the next 
week's work. I see no reason others shouldn't."

*

With all the physical demands made by his "Longstreet" role, 
paradoxically enough, Jim prefers acting to his part-time status 
as a film producer. He is a partner with producer Fred Brogger in 
Omnibus Productions, which produced the "Heidi," "David 
Copperfield" and "Jane Eyre" specials and now is preparing a new 
theatrical film version of "Kidnaped," starring James Caine.

"I like acting much better, I must tell you," he said. 'The 
producing end of this business is so full of deals, money talk, 
finagling. It sometimes makes me- uncomfortable."

"Longstreet," of course, is Jim's third series. The Missouri-born 
Yale graduate co-starred first in the half-hour edition of "Naked 
City" and then played the title role for two seasons in "Mr. 
Novak," a meaningful teacher series which probably w as ahead of 
its time In the last three years he also has made a half-dozen 
feature films.

*

'I'm very proud of 'Mr. Novak.' It did a lot for me and for the 
image of the school teacher. Until then, television's idea of a 
teacher was 'Our Miss Brooks' or 'Mr. Peepers,'" he said.

Just the same, I would never do another series under the 
conditions of 'Mr. Novak,' because it seemed 1 never stopped 
working. The only way I agreed to do "Longstreet," a most 
difficult role, was under my own terms. I wouldn't accept it any 
other way because I was eating, I had a few bucks in the bank and 
the producers came to me."

About money Franciscus has a personal rule of thumb. Thus far, it 
seems to have worked.

"I've had my ups and downs as an actor, but I've never really been 
in financial trouble," he explained. "I try to live on 20 percent 
of what I make and, after taxes, put the rest away for rainy days.

"I figure that, in this business, you need a year and a half where 
you can be not working and still survive. I look on that as a 
year-and-a-half grace, because there will be times when business 
will be bad or you don't want to accept certain roles.

"Since I'm not a big night-club goer and don't have extraordinary 
expenses, it has been working out fine."