"Cause Tony Franciosa Used to Date My Ma" (Going Out West)

The Life that Inspired the Lyric

Actor Anthony Franciosa Dies at Age 77



Oscar-nominated actor Anthony "Tony" Franciosa, part of a generation of intense Italian-American performers who took Hollywood by storm in the 1950s, has died at age 77 after suffering a stroke, a family spokesman said on Friday.

Franciosa, who won a Golden Globe award for his performance in "Career," a movie about an actor who gives up everything for success, died on Thursday at the University of California at Los Angeles medical center with his wife of 38 years, Rita, at his bedside, the spokesman said.

Franciosa received both Tony and Oscar nominations for his searing portrayals of the brother of a heroin addict in "A Hatful of Rain" and was the lead in several television series, including journalism drama "The Name of the Game.'

He was also active in the fight for civil rights and took part in marches led by Dr. Martin Luther King. These activities led to a long friendship with the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

Franciosa, whose easy-going manner concealed an inner aggression, was a member of the 1950s wave of actors trained at New York City's Actors Studio who changed the Broadway stage and Hollywood with their energy and a new "method" style of acting that drew heavily on personal experiences.

Handsome in the manner of another New Yorker, Burt Lancaster, Franciosa received rave reviews for his first Broadway show, "End As a Man," and was nominated for a Tony for "A Hatful of Rain." He left Broadway for Hollywood in the mid-1950s, winning an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor for the film version of "A Hatful of Rain."

Along with Ben Gazzara and Harry Guardino, Franciosa belonged to a generation of ardent, introspective Italian-American actors who hit Hollywood in the 1950s, paving the way for such stars at Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.

DIRECTED BY KAZAN

He appeared in such films as Elia Kazan's "A Face in the Crowd" and Martin Ritt's "The Long Hot Summer," where he played Orson Welles's son-in-law. He also appeared opposite Anna Magnani in "Wild is the Wind," Ava Gardner in "The Naked Maja" and Jane Fonda in "Period of Adjustment."

He starred in several television series including "Valentine's Day" (ABC, 1964-1965), "The Name of the Game" (NBC, 1968-71), "Search" (NBC, 1972-73) and "Matt Helm" (ABC, 1975-1976).

He returned to series in Aaron Spelling's "Finder of Lost Loves" (ABC, 1984-85), which saw the actor playing a wealthy widower who helped people track down their former lovers.

Franciosa has also starred in numerous TV-movies and recently was cast as mobsters, albeit with a veneer of class, as in Harold Becker's "City Hall" with Al Pacino and John Cusack.

His spokesman said many of Franciosa's friends and family members were also at his bedside, including sons Christopher and Marco, daughter Nina and a granddaughter Ruby.

Franciosa was married to actress Shelley Winters from 1957 to 1960. She died in Beverly Hills last week at age 85.

Song: GOING OUT WEST
(Tom Waits/K. Brennan) -
Often performed by Govt Mule & Widespread Panic

Well I'm going out west
Where the wind blows tall
'Cause Tony Franciosa
Used to date my ma
They got some money out there
They're giving it away
I'm gonna do what I want
And I'm gonna get paid
Do what I want
And I'm gonna get paid

Little brown sausages
Lying in the sand
I ain't no extra baby
I'm a leading man
Well my parole officer
Will be proud of me
With my Olds 88
And the devil on a leash
My Olds 88
And the devil on a leash

Well I know karate, voodoo too
I'm gonna make myself available to you
I don't need no make up
I got real scars
I got hair on my chest
I look good without a shirt

Well I don't lose my composure
In a high speed chase
Well my friends think I'm ugly
I got a masculine face
I got some dragstrip courage
I can really drive a bed
I'm gonna change my name
To Hannibal or maybe
Just Rex
Change my name to Hannibal
Or maybe just Rex

I'm gonna drive all night
Take some speed
I'm gonna wait for the sun
To shine down on me
I cut a hole in my roof
In the shape of a heart

And I'm going out west
Where they'll appreciate me
Going out west
Going out west