between William Cagney Productions and Warner Bros. at a salary of $5,000 per week, a large sum for an actress yet to demonstrate star power at the box office. For a relative newcomer in Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye, Payton managed to hold her own among a cast of Hollywood veterans. Her portrayal of the hardened, seductive girlfriend, whom Cagney's character ultimately double crosses, was praised in newspaper reviews of the movie. Her acting skills were recognized, and her significant screen charisma was widely acknowledged. Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye was the high point in Payton's career. Her screen appearances opposite Gary Cooper in Dallas (1950) and Gregory Peck in Only the Valiant (1951), both Westerns, were lackluster productions that did little to highlight her skills as an actress. Payton's career decline began with the 1951 low-budget horror film Bride of the Gorilla, co-starring Raymond Burr. Personal life In addition to her first two marriages and affairs with Howard Hughes, Bob Hope, Woody Strode, Guy Madison, George Raft, John Ireland, Steve Cochran and Texas oilman Bob Neal, Payton was married three more times. In 1950, Payton met actor Franchot Tone. While engaged to Tone, Payton began an affair with B-movie actor Tom Neal. She soon went back and forth publicly between Neal and Tone. On September 14, 1951, Neal, a former college boxer, physically attacked Tone at Payton's apartment, leaving Tone in an 18-hour coma with a smashed cheekbone, broken nose, and concussion. The incident garnered huge publicity and Payton decided to honor her engagement to Tone. Payton and Tone, who was recovering from his injuries, were married on September 28, 1951, in Payton's hometown of Cloquet, Minnesota. After being married, Tone discovered that Payton had continued her relationship with Neal, and Tone was granted a divorce in May 1952. The Payton-Neal relationship essentially ended their Hollywood film careers. They capitalized on the notorious press coverage by touring in plays such as The Postman Always Rings Twice, based on the popular 1946 film of the same name. They also starred in The Great Jesse James Raid, a B-movie Western that received a limited release to theaters in 1953. In England that year, Payton co-starred in two low-budget pictures for Hammer Films: Four Sided Triangle and The Flanagan Boy (or Bad Blonde). In May 1953, Payton announced that she and Neal were to be married that summer in Paris. The couple cancelled their engagement and