Oscar Profile #230: Jane Darwell

Born Patti Mary Woodward on October 15, 1879 in Palmyra, Missouri to railroad president William Woodward, who claimed to be a direct descendant of Andrew Jackson, and his wife, the future actress first wanted to be a circus rider, then an opera singer and even thought of entering the convent before finally deciding to become an actress. She changed her name to Jane Darwell to avoid sullying the family name.

Darwell made her Broadway debut in 1909 in The Wedding Day. On screen in shorts from 1913, she made her feature film debut in 1914’s Brewster’s Millions. She made her talkie debut as the Widow Douglas in the 1930 version of Tom Sawyer and repeated the role in the 1931 version of Huckleberry Finn. She continued in supporting roles throughout the 1930s, usually playing kindly housekeepers, nurses and landladies. Her films in this period included Back Street (in a rare villainous role as Irene Dunne’s mother), Design for Living, Wonder Bar, The Scarlet Empress, One Night of Love, Bright Eyes, Captain January, Ramona, Craig’s Wife and The Rains Came. She stood out in two 1939 classics, Jesse James as the martyred mother of Frank and Jesse James and Gone With the Wind as the local busybody.

She had the role of career as Ma Joad in 1940’s The Grapes of Wrath, winning a much deserved Oscar for her performance. She followed that with interesting roles in such films as Brigham Young, The Devil and Daniel Webster,All Through the Night, The Loves of Edgar Allen Poe and The Ox-Bow Incident in which she received rave reviews for another of her rare villainous roles.

Darwell had the title role in 1945’s Captain Tugboat Annie but continued to spend most of the next decade in smaller roles in such films as My Darling Clementine, 3 Godfathers, The Daughter of Rosie O’Grady, Wagon Master, Caged, The Lemon Drop Kid, The Sun Shines Bright, The Bigamist and Hit the Deck. Mostly on TV and in regional theatre thereafter, she did appear in the occasional film such as 1956’s There’s Always Tomorrow, 1958’s The Last Hurrah and 1959’s Hound Dog Man.

Although she continued to work, the actress moved to the Motion Picture Country Home in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California in 1959, the year she turned 80. It was there that Walt Disney came to visit her to convince her to play the Little Old Bird Woman in 1964’s Mary Poppins, which would be her last film.

Jane Darwell, who never married, died at the Motion Picture Country Home on August 13, 1967 whilein preparation for another film. She was 87.

ESSENTIAL FILMS

JESSE JAMES (1939), directed by Henry King

Darwell was a fixture throughout the 1930s in mostly warm, comfortable supporting roles as housekeepers, nurses and landladies, often in Shirley Temple films. Her portrayal of Tyrone Power and Henry Fonda’s mother in Jesse James was her first notable role of substance.

Railroad man Brian Donlevy and his thugs have been buying up property along the route of the railroad on the cheap but run up against a formidable obstacle when Mrs. James refuses to sell. Donlevy goes after Jesse (Power) on trumped up charges and inadvertently frightens poor Mrs. James to death. Darwell isn’t in the film for long but her death scene establishes the sympathy for Jesse and Frank James that held audience attention in this box-office bonanza.

THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940), directed by John Ford

John Ford had originally cast Beulah Bondi as the matriarch of the Joad family, but Daryl F. Zanuck insisted that she sign a Fox contract which the fiercely independent actress refused to do. Her loss was Darwell’s gain as Zanuck rewarded the loyal contract player with the role of her career.

Darwell proved to be more than equal to the task in both the film’s beautifully tender quiet moments or in the scenes which called upon her to speak her mind. Most people remember best her final “we’re the people” speech written by Zanuck and filmed behind Ford’s back to give the film an extra heart tug, but her best scene is the one in which she says goodbye to her son, Tom, played by Henry Fonda..

THE OX-BOW INCIDENT (1943), directed by William A. Wellman

In yet another film with Henry Fonda, Darwell is not his kindly mother this time around. Far from it, she is a grotesque harridan, a blood-thirsty hag who taunts the lynch mob led by Frank Conroy to hang the three strangers suspended of horse theft (Dana Andrews, Anthony Quinn, Francis Ford) over the objections of Fonda, Harry Davenport and few others in this masterful film that earned a well-deserved Oscar nomination for Best Picture, but oddly received no other nominations.

Darwell’s performance is often cited as her best by those who find her Ma Joad too much on the sweet side.

THE LAST HURRAH (1958), directed by John Ford

Ford’s “old man’s movie” as it has often been called was a terrific adaptation of Edwin O’Connor’s best-seller about a Boston Irish politician. Spencer Tracy had one of his best late career roles as Frank Skeffington, the political boss and mayor running in his last election. Aside from Jeffrey Hunter, Dianne Foster and few others, Ford cast the film with the creamof the crop of veteran character actors then available including Pat O’Brien, James Gleason, Donald Crisp, Basil Rathbone, John Carradine and Darwell.

79-year-old Darwell in her high plumed hat and mink stole (pictured) had them rolling in the aisles as the old lady whose greatest joy in life was attending wakes and commenting on how well the recently departed looked in his or her casket.

MARY POPPINS (1964), directed by Robert Stevenson

Walt Disney personally visited Darwell at the Motion Picture Country Home to offer her what would be her last screen role.

This hugely popular film, nominated for 13 Oscars and winner of 5, established Julie Andrews as a megastar and provided Dick Van Dyke, Glynis Johns, David Tomlinson and others with fondly remembered characterizations.

Darwell has only one scene but it’s a memorable one as the little old bird woman who feeds the birds in front of the cathedral while Julie sings one of the Sherman Brothers’ best remembered songs.