On January 14, 1943, Frances Farmer was tried for violation of her probation and failure to pay the remainder of her previous drunken driving fine. Her sarcastic retorts and violent behavior made her trial sensational in both The Seattle Times and Seattle P-I. The Seattle Times featured its article, "Ex-Seattle Girl Cries She 'Drank Everything'" on its front page.
Both articles (Times and P-I) cover the main points of her trial in a very similar fashion, emphasizing her sarcasm and belligerence. Both contain the following quotes by Farmer:
"'Have you ever had a broken heart?' she screamed."
"'I'm an actress, hadn't you heard?'"
"'The judge sentenced me to 180 days. Where do I eat,
where do I sleep, where do I brush my teeth?'"
"'Since you appeared in this court last October 24,' Judge
Marshall Hickson asked her, 'have you had anything to
drink?'
Her answer was a shout:
'Yes, I drank everything I could get, including benzedrine!'"
"'What do you expect me to do? I get liquor in my orange
juice - in my coffee. Must I starve to death to obey your
laws?'"
"'Yes, I was fighting for my country and myself.'"
From here, the articles differ slightly. The article in the P-I continues with Farmer in court as she makes sardonic remarks about avoiding her parole officer, and it also quotes her asking, "What I want to know is do I have any civil rights?" after she was prohibited from calling a lawyer.
The Seattle Times' article instead details the scene of her arrest the day before, where she asked the police for permission to bathe before going to jail and then left the bathroom with nothing on in the presence of the officers. Like the P-I the day before, The Times emphasized how inappropriate her (lack of) clothing was rather than her outstanding fees and probation violation. The Times' article did not mention Farmer's outcry about civil rights.
The Seattle Times, 1/15/43
