Jane Fonda made her film debut in the romantic comedy Tall Story (1960), directed by Joshua Logan. In the movie, she played the role of June Ryder, a college student who is determined to win the affections of a basketball player named Ray Blent, portrayed by Anthony Perkins.
The film, based on the Broadway play by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, showcases Fonda’s charm and comedic timing, marking the beginning of her illustrious acting career. While Tall Story was a lighthearted film, Fonda’s performance hinted at her potential as a versatile actress, which she would go on to demonstrate in her later, more dramatic and impactful roles.
Fonda had hated the Broadway play, but was pleased that her part in the film script had been expanded. Logan was a good friend of her father Henry Fonda and saw Jane as a potential major star. He wanted to guide her through her first film experience – she had been modeling for several years – but Fonda found it a “Kafkaesque nightmare,” explaining in her autobiography My Life So Far that during the making of Tall Story she suffered from bulimia, sleepwalking and irrational fears that she was “boring, untalented and plain.” In 2019, Fonda stated both she and Logan were in love with lead actor Anthony Perkins at the time of filming, causing tension during an already difficult shoot.
A wire-service story shared Fonda’s perspective about her good fortune: “Jane frankly admits how she got the role. The producer-director is Josh Logan, her godfather. ‘Of course I’m very grateful to Mr. Logan’ she said as she was getting her hair styled at Warner’s. ‘Because of my name, I’m getting the kind of role it would ordinarily take years to earn.’”
This debut positioned Jane Fonda as a rising star in Hollywood during the 1960s.
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