Sharing a legacy: Reflections on life with a famous father

The decor on the walls of Peter and Lynda Ford’s home on Swan Hill Drive are like no other.

Native American artifacts are accompanied by hundreds of signed black and white photos of movie stars from the Golden days of Hollywood.

Peter Ford has been collecting the pictures since he was a child, and many of those storied stars frequented his home.

“Since I was very little I started collecting autographed pictures of my parents’ friends,” he said.

Peter’s father, Glenn Ford, made a name for himself in Hollywood in 1958, being the number one box office star. He appeared in numerous films such as “Blackboard Jungle,” “August Moon,” “It Started with a Kiss,” “Superman” and “Gilda.”

Peter and Lynda have been busy settling into their new home in Bigfork, having been residents there for a year now, after moving from Beverly Hills in search of a change.

Peter brought more than photographs of past movies stars with him, but also memories from his upbringing and stories of his father and stars from Hollywood’s golden days.

Ford will share a few of those stories when the Bigfork Rotary Club shows “Gilda” at the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts on Oct. 12.

“Gilda” came out in 1946 starring Glenn Ford and Rita Hayworth. It was one of the films that rocketed Glenn to stardom. Glenn Ford appears in the film noir as Johnny Farrell, a small-time crooked gambler who arrives in Argentina and ends up working at a casino for Ballin Mundson. Mundson returns from a trip with a new wife, Gilda, played by Hayworth, who has a past with Farrell and a love-hate relationship.

“I think it would be one that people would appreciate,” Peter said. “It’s a classic film.”

Peter attributes Hayworth’s role in Gilda to the film’s success.

“She was quite a big deal,” he said. Hayworth and Glenn appeared in five films together and the pair had a long lasting friendship off the screen. She attended Peter’s wedding to Lynda in 1970, and wasn’t the only movie icon Ford recalls from his youth.

Among many stars of the day, James Mason often baby sat Peter and Charlie Chaplin was the family’s next door neighbor. Chaplin, as it happened, accidentally ran over and killed Peter’s childhood dog Bill.

While Glenn Ford’s career spanned seven decades, when Peter was born his mother was perhaps more famous. Eleanor Powell was one of MGM’s great musical stars. Her broadway connections from her early years introduced a young Peter to people such as Sophie Tucker, Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor and Mary Pickford. His godmother is Pearl Bailey and godfather is Billy “Bojangles” Robinson.

“I grew up with all those people and it was quite interesting,” Peter said.

Growing up with parents in the entertainment industry it was natural for Peter to also work in the field as a singer and musician. Lynda too, has seen some screen time.

Lynda played Harrison Ford’s wife in a miniseries. Peter appeared on “American Bandstand,” “Hullabaloo” and “Ninth Street West” and had his own musical group. He worked on nearly two-dozen film projects as an actor and dialogue director.

Peter met Lynda when both were studying English at the University of Southern California. After graduation Peter returned to acting and singing while Lynda attained her masters in education and began teaching elementary school.

Peter worked as an actor and musician until the couple began their family and he decided he wanted something more steady, eventually becoming a building contractor and starting a building company.

“My duty was to my family,” he said. As a contractor his interaction with the stars didn’t stop as he built homes for people like Julie Andrews and Dean Martin.

Now, after a life among movie stars, Peter and Lynda are enjoying a quiet, retired life in Bigfork.

Peter and Lynda have been residents of Bigfork for a year, and are just putting the finishing touches on their home nestled in the woods off of Swan Hill Drive.

“I wanted to get out of Beverly Hills in the worst way,” Ford said. The area had changed drastically since his youth and had gotten a bit too “hoity toity” for the couple.

The couple looked all over the west for the right place to move. They looked at places like Jackson Hole and Coeur d’Alene before a friend suggested they check out Whitefish. While Whitefish still wasn’t quite the right fit, the Fords drifted down towards the lake and found Bigfork.

“I wanted some funkiness,” Ford said. “We drifted down here and said this is perfect. We love it here.”

The couple said they might never go back to California if it wasn’t for their three grown children who still live there.

When the Rotary Club was granted the rights to do a screening of “Gilda” Peter and Lynda were happy to help support the fundraiser, which will benefit the Bigfork Food Bank and the Rotary Club bike path.

“I’m very happy to support that,” Ford said.

Glenn Ford and Eleanor Powell eventually divorced after 16 years. While Glenn was married four times, Peter is his only child. Glenn Ford died at 90 in 2006. All his life he kept a diary which Ford was able to use for reference when he wrote a biography about his father that was published in 2011.

“He revealed himself in those diaries quite a bit,” Peter said. “I just decided I needed to write the book for history.”

There will be copies of the biography of Glenn Ford available at the fundraiser. Peter has also offered a dinner at his home with he and Lynda, complete with stories about the stars as a raffle prize.

The Ford’s have appreciated the change of pace in Bigfork and the friendly people.

“It’s really a blessing not to be stuck in traffic for 45 minutes,” Peter said. “I love this part of Montana.”

“Gilda” will be shown at the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts on Monday, Oct. 12. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the Jug Tree, Nancy O’s and at www.bigforkcenter.org.

Desserts and drinks will be available during intermission. Doors open at 6:15 p.m.; screening begins at 7 p.m.

Sally Finneran is a reporter/photographer with the Bigfork Eagle. She can be reached at 406-837-5131 or reporter@bigforkeagle.com.