Frances Farmer, 30-year-old talented former University of Washington co-ed and Hollywood motion-picture actress, today was confined to the Western State Hospital at Steilacoom after she was judged insane at a formal hearing yesterday at Harborview County Hospital.
The Seattle-born woman was committed under her married name, Mrs. F. E. Anderson. Her former husband, William Anderson, also an actor and known on the stage and screen as Leif Erickson, divorced Miss Farmer several years ago, charging desertion..
Mother Filed Complaint
The actress' mother, Mrs. Lillian V. Farmer, 2636 47th Ave. S.W., filed the insanity complaint. She testified, according to records in County Clerk Norman R. Riddell's office, that her daughter's difficulty dated from her marital trouble or at least was caused by it, about four or five years ago.
"She would have hysterical attacks and send for doctors," the mother testified. "Frances was married when she was 22 and she and her husband separated after three or four years. At that time she became upset and hysterical, but as far as I know she did not show any mental symptoms until December, 1942."
Mrs. Farmer told the examining board of the incident when her daughter talked back to a traffic officer in Santa Monica and was arrested.
Unable to Control Her
"She was given a fine and six months in jail but the judge, realizing that she was mentally sick, had her sent to a psychopathic hospital. After six months I got her out on a court order, against the advice of a physician who said she was not well."
"She made some progress at home," the mother continued, "and showed no evidence of violence until the last three weeks. On March 12, she turned the radio on loudly, which I knew would annoy the neighbors. I asked her to turn it down and she became quite angry, grabbed my wrists and pushed me into a chair. I realize that she needs institutional care, as I am entirely unable to control her at home."
The examining physician, Dr. D. A. Nicholson and Dr. George E. Price, described Miss Farmer's form of insanity as schizophrenia. They reported that noticeable change in habits included, "she started drinking, became agitated and delusional." They described the delusions as "paranoid." Her speech, they reported, is "voluble and at times rambling."
Drama Student at U. W.
"Marital difficulty is said to be a pre-disposing cause of the insanity," the board reported.
The commitment order was signed by Superior Judge John A. Frater.
Miss Farmer's father is E. M. Farmer, Seattle attorney.
The talented young woman was a drama student at the University of Washington in 1929, when she won a trip to Russia in a contest conducted by a newspaper. On her return, she took a movie test in New York and was offered a Hollywood contract. Miss Farmer appeared in numerous motion pictures and was regarded as one of the better actresses.
Article appeared in the Seattle Times, March 24, 1944
Provided by Ulrich
Fritzsche M.D.