Mother of Actress Says Being Cast as Harlot Responsible; Daughter in a Rest Home

"Consistently being cast as a professional harlot in motion pictures" caused Frances Farmer to be overcome by nervous exhaustion, her mother, Mrs. Lillian V. Farmer, 2636 47^th S.W., said here yesterday after returning from a trip to Los Angeles to visit her actress daughter.

The actress, who was graduated from the University of Washington caused a terrific uproar in Los Angeles police court when she was arrested two weeks ago and charged with breaking parole on a drunken driving violation. She knocked down a policeman and bruised another in a wild melee in the courtroom. 

Be There Six Months

She was ordered to a convalescent home a few days later after a sanity hearing at General Hospital in Los Angeles.

"She’ll be there six months," her mother said yesterday. "And when she gets out there’ll be no more of those miserable roles. Everyone familiar with acting knows that Frances Farmer should not be cast in the kind of pictures she’s been given. She’s been cast as a professional harlot."

"There was one called ‘South of Pago Pago.’ Frances said, ‘Mamma, when I saw myself in that I felt contaminated and degraded.’"

Quacks Besiege Them

Mrs. Farmer said she and her daughter were besieged by "quacks of all kinds and people with axes to grind"after the courtroom scene two weeks ago.

"While she was at General Hospital thirty men and women called on the telephone at one time or another and said they were either Frances’ brother or sister and demanded to see her," her mother said. "Lawyers from all over the state of California wanted to represent her. While I was there people rang the telephone in my hotel room until I had it disconnected and knocked on my door until I had the desk clerk send them away."

"Frances isn’t suffering from a psychosis or anything like that. She’s just suffering from nervous exhaustion. She’s in a beautiful place. She can rest and live quietly. It’s a very exclusive place and there are only twenty or thirty other patients there."

"Frances was glad to see me. She said, ‘Hello, mom, you’re looking swell.’ She was quiet and during her hearing she was just charming. The woman in charge of the ward at General Hospital told me a woman had been crying there and Frances went over and sang to her. She says she wants to help the people she’s with now."

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