On September 14, 1951, the front page of virtually every major newspaper in the United States carried the story of how B picture actor Tom Neal had brutally beaten dapper leading man Franchot Tone's face into a bloody pulp over the affections of sultry blonde actress Barbara Payton.The sordid narrative surrounding this ill-fated triangle would have "legs". Only Franchot Tone's career would survive the disgraceful events. Barbara Payton would soon descend into a desperate world of drugs and prostitution and, in the 1960s, Tom Neal would be prosecuted for first degree murder.B MOVIE dramatizes the most notorious scandal to hit Hollywood during the first half of the 1950s.2 Men; 1 Woman. Simple Open Set.