Frances Farmer: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 22:39, 19 January 2006

Revision as of 22:46, 19 January 2006

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===The false lobotomy claims===

A further biography, ''Shadowland'' ([[1978]]) by [[William Arnold]] asserted for the first time that Farmer had been subjected to a transorbital [[lobotomy]] performed by the notorious Dr. [[Walter Freeman]]. This claim was repeated in a [[1982]] biography by David Shutts entitled ''Lobotomy, Resort to the Knife'', which cites Frank Freeman (Dr. Freeman's eldest son), who claimed his father did perform a lobotomy on Farmer and offered what he purported to be a photograph of the procedure as evidence. However, the photograph was later shown to be from a July, [[1949]] Seattle ''Post-Intelligencer'' article about Walter Freeman and was one of a series of photos of a patient who, in other photos from the series where her face is completely visible, is clearly not Farmer (cf. ''Shedding Light on Shadowland'', linked below, which includes the photos).

Although Walter Freeman's younger son disputed the Farmer story, the alleged lobotomy was widely (and unfortunately) accepted as fact for several years and scenes of Farmer being subjected to the procedure were used to shocking effect in the film ''Frances''. UltimatelyIn a court case he brought against Brooksfilms, producers of the film ''Frances'', author William Arnold admitted hehis neverintention had thenever intentionbeen to create a true biography of Farmer and that much of his story had been "fictionalized," as he put it, including the lobotomy.

Moreover, the complete medical records for Western State Hospital (where Farmer was a patient) detail all the lobotomies performed during her time there. Because lobotomies were onsideredconsidered a ground-breaking medical procedure at the time, the hospital did not attempt to conceal their work and kept extensive records. Although hundreds of patients received the procedure, no evidence has ever been presented to support the claim that Farmer was among them. Farmer's own medical records show she was never operated on for any reason while she was institutionalized. Former staff members, including all lobotomy ward nurses who were on duty during Frances' years at Western State and who were still alive years later, confirmed in [[1983]] interviews with Seattle newspapers that Farmer did not receive a lobotomy. Freeman's private patient records have no reference whatsoever to Farmer. Dr. Charles Jones, who was Psychiatric Resident at Western State during Frances' stays there, and was personally trained by Freeman to perform transorbitals, is also on record firmly stating that Farmer was never given a lobotomy. As Jack El-Hai has reported in his biography of Walter Freeman, ''The Lobotomist'', Frank Freeman has hedged his earlier statements and later was no longer willing to assert unequivocally that his father operated on Farmer.

Associates who knew Farmer during her later years in Indianapolis described her as a woman capable of unreasonable or temperamental behavior who could sometimes be confrontational and difficult. They recalled emotional outbursts similar to those attributed to Farmer during her Hollywood years. They also described a woman who was able to establish a comfortable lifestyle and a successful career (nevertheless hampered by alcoholism) in which she was required to display creativity and intelligence, communicating and interacting effectively with a variety of people, especially during her 6 year role as a popular local [[Master of Ceremonies|television host]]. These comments do not support earlier biographical descriptions of her as a "lobotomized zombie."

All of these sensational and inaccurate claims seem to have been motivated by a desire to sell book and film properties after her death. By With the beginningadvent of the 21stinternet centuryage mostand filmbetter historiansaccess hadto concludedarchival thatmedical and court records, most researchers have concluded Frances Farmer never received a lobotomy and was not subjected to significant abuse during her periods of institutional care in Washington state.

==Trivia==