In 1958 I had the great good fortune to be cast in a pre-Broadway, summer tryout of Shaw's "Caesar and Cleopatra" starring Susan Strasberg and Franchot Tone. Susan had made her movie debut in "Picnic" in 1955 and in 1956 she rendered her brilliant portrayal of Anne Frank on Broadway. And many consider Franchot Tone the finest screen actor in the early Hollywood years. It was quite a cast that also included the acclaimed black actress, Vinette Carroll, playing the role of Ftatateeta, servant to Cleopatra. Vinette went on to be the founder of the Urban Arts Corps and the first African American woman to direct on Broadway.
We rehearsed first in New York City and then moved to the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago where we would open for a a two week run before our tour. This was after the Supreme Court decision regarding desegregation of 1954. However, private entities could still discriminate by charging fees and setting up restrictive entrance requirements. One such was the swimming pool at the Edgewater Beach Hotel. Not knowing this, Vinette had joined several cast members for a quick dip only to be refused permission to use the pool. It was the talk of the cast at the afternoon rehearsal and upon hearing of the incident, Franchot said, "Let me see about this."
Well, his "seeing about it" led to his joining the 'private club' at the pool cabana the very next day. Then he proceeded to host a pool party for the entire cast. Vinette did a graceful dive into the pool, swam its length and then, without exception, we all headed to Lake Michigan for a proper swim - Franchot included. He was suffering dreadfully from arthritis at this time, so we fetched a golf cart to get him back to the hotel for rehearsal. We opened, toured and closed without much fanfare at the Westport, Connecticut playhouse later in the summer. The show didn't make it to Broadway but it was a memorable experience working with some brilliantly talented folks. And it was another example of breaking the back of segregation in America. Franchot was a great actor but to me he is a greater American hero for his action in getting Vinette into the pool of the Edgewater Beach Hotel.
