“OLD HOLLYWOOD’s TOXIC TRIANGLE” - 5/19/2025 (088)

Hollywood in the mid-20th century was a world of glitz and glamour, a realm where dreams could be made or destroyed in an instant. It was an era when the silver screen crafted illusions of romance and perfection, yet behind the scenes, the personal lives of its stars often unraveled into chaos, scandal, and tragedy. Few stories exemplify this dark side of Hollywood better than the volatile love triangle involving actress BARBARA PAYTON and actors FRANCHOT TONE and TOM NEAL. What began as a passionate romance descended into obsession, violence, and ultimate ruin—forever marking the three as cautionary tales of unchecked desire and self-destruction. In this episode, we explore this explosive love triangle and its aftermath.

SHOW NOTES: 

AVA GARDNER MUSEUM:

If you would like to make a donation to help support the Ava Gardner Museum in Smithfield, N.C. (Ava’a hometown!), please click on the following link:

https://ava-gardner-museum.myshopify.com/products/donations

Sources:

Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye: The Barbara Payton Story (2012), by John O’Dowd;

I Am Not Ashamed (1963), by Barbara Payton;

“Tone, Payton, & Neal: Hollywood’s Most Toxic Triangle,” January 29, 2022, by Burt Kearns, legsville.com;

“Blazing Blonde Bombshell: Barbara Payton’s Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” January 6, 2021, by Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair;

“The Bottle and Barbara Payton,” November 16, 2018, Travelanche.com;

“Notes From The Unashamed,” May 19, 2016, by Kim Morgan, sunsetgun.com;

Wikipedia.com;

TCM.com;

IBDB.com;

IMDBPro.com;

Movies Mentioned: 

Once More My Darling (1949), starring Robert Montgomery & Ann Blyth;

Trapped (1949), starring Lloyd Bridges & Barbara Payton;

Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950), starring James Cagney & Barbara Payton; 

Dallas (1950), starring Gary Cooper, Ruth Roman, Steve Cochran, & Barbara Payton;

Only The Valiant (1951), starring Gregory Peck & Barbara Payton;

Dancing Lady (1933), starring Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, & Franchot Tone;

Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), starring Clark Gable, Charles Laughton, & Franchot Tone;

Detour (1945), starring Tom Neal & Ann Savage;

Another Thin Man (1939), starring William Powell & Myrna Loy;

Crime, Inc (1945), starring Tom Neal & Martha Tilton;

Blonde Alibi (1946), starring Tom Neal & Martha O’Driscoll;

I Shot Billy The Kid (1950), starring Don “Red” Barry, Robert Lowery, & Tom Neal;

The Great Jesse James Raid (1953), starring Tom Neal & Barbara Payton;

---------------------------------

http://www.airwavemedia.com

Please contact [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices