Q&A with Arlene Francis biographer, Jennifer Bitman
- Why Arlene Francis?
- She was a trailblazer for women in television, and I’m not sure how many people know that. Besides her own 1978 memoir, there was no current biography available, so I wrote one.
- Wasn’t she on that classic game show “What’s My Line?”
A Yes, she was on the panel for 25 years, but she did so much more: radio, TV, film, and Broadway.
- Can you explain the title “All Three Channels”
- It was her grandson, Sam Gabel’s idea. Back in the 1950s, there were only three major TV networks: ABC, NBC, and CBS. Arlene had shows on all three channels at the same time. And the book expounds on three significant elements of her life: actress, women’s trailblazer, and television pioneer.
- Does the book cover her personal life as well?
- Very much so. Her son, the late Peter Gabel, and I chronicled her family tree with the help of other relatives, and I tried to dig deep into who Arlene Francis was as a person. Her life, from beginning to end, the magnificent and the tragic, are all in these pages.
- Were you able to interview anyone who knew or worked with her?
- Yes, I did several interviews. Her son Peter Gabel, his partner Lisa Jaicks, and their son, Sam Gabel, all graciously granted me multiple interviews. I also spoke with producers who worked closely with Arlene and was able to interview those who were with her during her final years.
- Did you have access to any personal archives?
- Thanks to Arlene’s family, yes. Her son loaned me an entire lot of photographs, manuscripts, personal scrapbooks, transcripts, etc. I also did a lot of outside research.
- How long did the process take you?
- Well, I reached out to Peter in 2019 and asked for his blessing. I wouldn’t have written the book otherwise. He and I embarked on about a three-year journey, from start to finish.
- Arlene’s husband, Martin Gabel, was a Tony-winning actor. Does the book chronicle his life at all?
- Yes. And that was something I was passionate about from the beginning. Martin Gabel was an excellent actor, and he really deserves his own book! I covered as much of his life and career as I could alongside Arlene’s.
- What do you think will surprise readers most about Arlene Francis’s life?
- The fact that it wasn’t always a bed of roses. Most people probably think of Arlene and assume her life was one decades-long cocktail party. It definitely had its high points. But it also had devastating lows.
- Is this your first book?
- It’s actually my second one. I wrote the biography Joan Crawford: A Talent for Living in 2018. When I told Peter about my first book, he said to me: “You know my mom wasn’t anything like Mommie Dearest, right”?