Another biography, He Ran All The Way: The Life of John Garfield by Robert Knott, also addressed the actor’s stuttering.
“Through O’Ryan’s patient work, Julie began to lose his stutter, though he would sometimes draw upon it to imbue his screen portrayals in later years. With O’Ryan pushing him, he joined the school’s debating team. She sensed that Julie had talent and cast him in several school assembly plays.”
Playing in the school plays The Division of Sir Launfal and A Christmas Carol, he definitely loved the applause and caught the acting bug. Dr. Patri would say later, “He found himself in that acting class. The moment he started to play a part he forgot himself. He was the king or the beggar – or whatever part.”
Acting definitely allowed the young Garfield to get lost in the world of make-believe. His childhood friend Arnold Forster elaborated on the situation, “Julie became obsessed with the stage. His only concern and thought was for acting. Everything he did was tied to that central focus. If I were a psychiatrist, I might say he was trying to escape the real world.”
Knott’s biography explored in detail the early examples of the acting techniques which later would make Garfield famous. He wrote: “O’Ryan and Patri were surprised and impressed with Julie’s ability to grasp direction and develop character. Once during an acting exercise, O’Ryan ordered him to stand in the corner until he understood what it was like to be blind. He amazed her by returning fully immersed in character, as if he had been born blind. Patri said of this ability, “He would go off and stand alone for a few minutes. Then you could actually see him shed his own self.”
In his theatre and film performances, there was never a sign of stuttering. During his years of fame, he never forgot how Dr. Patri and Mrs. O’Ryan had the strong intuition that speech and acting classes would help both his stuttering and self-image.
Unfortunately, Garfield’s career and life faced obstacles towards the end of his life. Always a promoter of liberal politics, the actor in 1951 was called to testify before the House Committee on Un-American
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Activities. While Garfield expressed that he opposed communism, he refused to name Communist Party members or followers. His forced testimony to this committee is largely viewed as having harmed both his reputation and career. His early death by heart attack at age 39 on May 21, 1952, was attributed to the actor’s history of heart problems. However, friends and family knew that the severe damage done to his reputation after his testimony to the House Committee on Un- American Activities definitely took a toll on his heart issues and overall health.
While a brilliant life and awesome career were cut short at age 39, John Garfield serves as a striking example of a person who stutters who overcame his speech difficulties to have an amazing career which revolved around speaking. Of course, he joins many actors who used acting a tool to free them from their stuttering bonds. One of the most unique actors in the history of Hollywood was a member of the stuttering community.
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