Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 10 September 1936 — Page 20

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"PAGE 20

FILM HO

————————————

Actor Adds

New Honors

to His List!

| i | i

Accepted Role of ‘Godfrey’,

Only After Appeal by Producer.

BY JOHN W. THOMPSON

With all deference to the! flighty little society debt por-| trayed by the facile Carole]

Lombard, we think the rea-

"son Kénneth Collins is hold-|

ing “My Man Godfrey” for a

second week at the Apollo is the wily William Powell. When Charles R. Rogers, tion boss at the new studios first got a firm grip on the mdvie rights of Eric Hatch's novel, he laid seige to Mr. Powell { title role. If lookec pretty dark fo Mr. Rogers because Mr. Powell happens to be about the busiest actor in Hollywood, excepting redric March. But when Mr. Rogers was threatened with having to give all the old tin cans he had borrowed from the city dumps back ‘to the Hollywood Indians, he laid a styponger seige and won William's signature on a contract. : . Whatever the particular brand of hoodoo is that Mr. Powell throws over both male and female movie fans, it seems that he can't hel it. Off set, we understand, he might be mistaken for “The Thin Man,” or “The Great Ziegfeld,” or the current man Godfrey. He is courteous, soft-spoken, pos+ sessor of a dry, crackling wit. When answering questions his face is expressionless except for a continuous sparkle in his eyes. He will talk on any subject, but is careful to interrupt the conversation at many points and say that what he is about to say is not for publication. !

‘Broke’ Condition Chronic The applause he received after his stage debut in a high school play turned Powell's head to the theater. Turning down the legal profession, he borrowed $700 from an aunt, set | out for New York. He completed a course in the Academy of Dramatic Arts. found himself in “The Ne'er Do Well,” with a salary of $49 a week. Following the close of the. play he was broke, and remained in that condition ‘until the spring of 1913 when he was given an important | role.in “Within The Law.” Subsequently he played in stock in Pittsburgh, Portland, Ore., Buffalo and | Boston. i His first screen role was with John | Barrymore in “Sherlock Parts in “The Bricht “Romola.,” and “When Kni Was In Flower,” followed. © After a series of detective roles. Mr. Powell sky-rocketed to the! heights of fame in “The Thin Man,” and “Manhattan Melodrama.” He admits knowing nothing about symphonic or grand opera music! and -doesn't want to. He says he! likes to worry because it makes him lose weight and he's best when he's lean, In the current “My Man Godfrey,” with Mr. Powell and Miss Lombard are (Gail Patrick, Alice Brady and Eugene Pallette.

produc-

Holmes.” | Shawl,” | 100d

ohtt Siavd

HARMONICA KING CAST Larry Adler, harmonica king, is in Hollywood to work in “The Big Broadcast of~1937.” He is one of nearly a score of famous entertainers who will appear in the picture

Universal !

| personality to take the part. i theaters, [stock companies and dra-

how in production.

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

LDOVER AT APOLLO CREDITED TO POWELL'S ACTING

THURSDAY, SEPT. 10, 1956 |

ROAD TO GLORY' STARS

of Hollywood's most veractors ‘are rivals (for the hand of June Lang in “The Road

Two

satile

{ To Glory,” which opens at the Lyric tomorrow. They are Fredric '! March and Warner Baxter.

'Kahn’s Best Ditties First,

{ By United Press

New York family. Saves papa's

younger,

Stevens,

home town girl when assets total

13 Sip.

Warner Baxter, June Lang. Story—War nurse

for troops. Vaudeville Revue Carter and Holmes, knockabout

Four Fays, comedy and dancing.

Opening Tomorrow Apollo :

“MY MAN GODFREY” (second week) —William Powell. Carole Lombard, Gail Patrick, Alice Brady, Eugene Pallette, Alan Mowbray. Story—Down-and-out aristocrat taken in as butler to wealthy

outwits scheming elder daughter, dragged into matrimony by the

Circle

“SWINGTIME"—Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Eric Blore, Helen Broderick, Betty Furness, Georges Metaxa.

Story—Small town hoofer, duped out of marriage to home town girl, falls for New York dance teacher. night club, wins' huge sums gambling.

Vhen dance teacher finds out about other girl, gives hoofer the But Cupid and hoofer’s pal rectify romance.

Loew's

“THE GORGEOUS HUSSY” Lionel Barrymore, Melvyn. Douglas, Robert Taylor, James Stewart, Franchot Tone, Alison Skipworth. Story—Peggy O'Neal, close friend of Andrew Jackson, marries sailor who dies at sea, falls in love with Senator who repulses her, marries Jackson's secretary, becomes involved in murder case. Jackson dissolves cabinet which demands that Peggy leave Washington. She and husband take post in foreign ministry. Lyrie “THE ROAD TO GLORY”—Fredric March, Lionel Barrymore, Directed by Howard Hawks. loves one officer, father, nervous wreck, gets battalion into trouble, makes mistake and throws grenade at own men.

Handsome officer gets lovely nurse. (on stage) —Rufe Davis, “The Radio Rube”;

dancing artists; James Alvin, harmonica stylist; Billy Wells and the

fortune, cures mama's hangovers,

Directed by George

With her makes good in Has promised to return to $25,000. Tries hard not to make it.

(second week)-—Joan Crawford,

likes another. TLatter’s

Father and son sacrifice lives

comedy; The Three Kings, tap

‘Offer Big Chance

to Film Newcomer

| Times Special

HOLLYWOOD, Sept. 10.—Over-

i night stardom awaits some unknown

young actor who can fill the qualifications for the

“Talent scouts today started a na-

| tion-wide search for.a new movie

Little

DEE

FASTERN BURLESK ASSN.

Im 3 ho EEN

A SMASH A~ SHOW ON

» STARTS TOMORROW

Ai iI} iy : ’ V//

TAGE!

RUFE DAVIS

“The Rube From Radioland”

BILLY WELLS AND 4 FAYS

Variety in Comedy and Dance

CARTER AND HOLMES

“Funny Sayings and Stuff”

3 KINGS Top Trio

JAMES ALVIN

leading role in| | William Cowen's “They Gave Him | a Gun.”

matic clubs are to be contacted. The scouts are looking for a young { man about 19 years old, five feet, six inches tall, with no previous film experience but who can handle a strong dramatic role. F-

FROM JACKSON'S STATE Clarence Brown, who directed “The Gorgeous Hussy” based on the

life of Andrew Jackson, was educated in Jackson's home state, Tennessee.

— Tablecloths | Are Help to

J |

Song Writer,

Written on Linen in Restaurants.

HOLLYWOOD, Sept. 10—Eating |

| habits of struggling songwriters be- |

ling what they are, no one was sur- | | prised to learn that Gus Kahn does | { his best work on tablecloths. } Mr. Kahn is a lyricist, and he can {ascend to aesthetic heights over a | mound of mashed potatoes—a hang- | over from leaner years when song- | writers were too weak from hunger | to write between widely spaced | meals. - i “Yes Sir, That's My Baby,” Mr. | Kahn wrote during luncheon at Luchow's in New York while watching a petite waitress flit from table | to table. When the song was fin- | ished, so was the tablecloth, and | the restaurant manager made him | pay for it.

Hard on Napkins

There's no excuse for Mr. Kahn indulging in this indiosyncrasy now [that he's in the well-fed class, but

| he persists. He has become such a {confirmed tablecloth scribbler that { Hollywood hostesses—yea, even the { Brown Derby, Cocoanut Grove and | the Trocadero—scatter paper nap(kins about him like a housewife {when the painters come to do-over { the kitchen. | Usually after one of these ses|sions a secretary is called in to- | transcribe the song from the origiinal, If they are dining out, -where {no secretary is handy, they beg, buy | {or steal the cloth. That's why host- | | esses get paper napkins. Dislikes Crumbs | “I don’t know why I like to write {on them,” Mr. Kahn confessed. “But | there's something about a smooth, [spotless tablecloth that inspires me. I guess it's like automatic writing of spirit mediums. I don't like crumbs on the cloth though, be- { cause when I'm stuck for a word to (fit I start counting them. That | wastes time.” |

NOW! FIRST SHOWING!

ZANE GREY'S “King of the Royal Mounted”

Rit: Kent—Rosiland Keith

Extra Joy BUSTER

Ascs BRADY oil PATRICK Jean DIXON Eugene PALLETTE » alten MOWBRAY

MISCHA AUER + JOHN LIGHT « PAT FLAHERTY ROBERT PERRY « FRANKLYN PANGBORN

I A a... , Produced sod Dicactad by Gragery LeCove CRARLES R. ROGERS, Execeiive Producer

..of love..witha.. POWELL-ful Punch!

HOLLYWOOD SOCIAL LIFE TOO PUBLIC, STAR SAYS

HOLLYWOOD, (NEA) Sept. 10.—Gladys George was the comedienne in “The Milky Way,” on the New York stage,

| but she wasn’t considered for the movie made from that play.

She was the comedy star of “Personal Appearance,” behind the footlights for 85 weeks, but nobody thought of her

for;the screen version. When Hollywood did get around to thinking about Miss George, she was put into the intense and lugubrious principal role of “Valiant Is the

Word for Carrie.” But if anybody in talkietown con-

WHERE, WHAT, WHEN

APOLLO

“My Man Godfrey.” with William Powell: Carole Lombard, Gail Patrick, Alice Brady, at 11:13, 1:18, 3:25 5:32, 7:39 and 9:46,

CIRCLE

“The General Died at Dawn.” with Gary Cooper and Madeleine Carroll. at 12:30, 3:40, 6:50, and 10. Also “Lady Be Careful,” with Lew Ayres and Mary Carlisle, at 11:15, 32:25, 5,35, and 8:45.

KEITH'S

“Broken Dishes,” a comedy presented by Federal Players. Curtain

at 8:15. LOEW'S

“The Gorgeous Hussy,” with Joan Crawford, Robert Taylor and Lionel Parrymores at 11, 1:10, 3:30, 5:35, 7 an 3

7:50 LYRIC Major Bowes’ Anniversary Rand and ‘Revue on stage .at 12:40, 2:52, 5:04, 7:29, and 9:30. ‘Peppers’ with vane Withers and Irvin S. Cobb, at 11:20, 1:43, 3:55, 6:07, 8:30 and 10:39.

ALAMO “Tickets to Paradise.” with Roger Pryor and Wendie Barrie. Also ‘‘Secret Agent,”” with Madeline Carroll and Peter Lorre.

AMBASSADOR : “King of the Royal Mounted,” with Robert Kent and Rosalind Keith. Also ‘'State Fair,” with Will Rogers. OHIO

“Working Man,” with Dick Powell, George Arliss, Also “Murder by

sidered this a masterpiece of miscasting, he was mistaken. For Miss George is-a player of intense and lugubrious roles from away back. She has played ‘em from Boston to Honolulu, and from Nina Leeds in “Strange Interlude,” to Sadie Thompson in “Rain.” She has jerkéd more tears in her time than you could shake a mop at. : She went on the stage at 5, and

Aristocrat.”

{ Lord Fauntleroy.” She played in | vaudeville. At 17 she played an | unhappy old lady. { For 12 years she worked in prac- | tically all the big stock companies lin the United States, playing as | many .as 46 parts in a single season | and most of them tragic, or at least | heavily dramatic. For a few years

| she and her parents had three com- | panies and among] their employes | were Guy Kibbee 3 Victor Jory. Along the way, Miss George had some experience in silent pictures, with Jesse Lasky and Tom Ince. | Next time she came to Hollywood was after she had pitracted atten-

for a few years was Seen in sad- | { little-boy parts, including “Little |

{tion in a couple of Broadway plays. M-G-M put her under contract and

“Straight Is the Way,” which was nire. of the 10 worst pictures of 1934.

“Personal Appearance. After the long run of that laugh-riot on Broadway,

itinerary included Los Angeles, and good play.

her as Carrie. good word for this particular Car-

stage to studio, after 85 weeks

shooting schedule. the verge of a breakdown, and was

not to be interviewed, or even watched.

OS a

See It As Late As 10 P. M.

NEXT! “GREAT ZIEGFELD":

cast her as the blond trollop in|

" So it was all right with the studio | when she wanted to go east to be in |

Miss George went on tour. She went on tour because the | she wanted to be seen there in a |

Paramount saw her and signed! Valiant is a pretty |

rie, because she stepped right from |

Fact was that Miss George, a| t congenial soul with nothing of the!

A SMASHING ROMANTIC SUCCESS!

| Garbo about her, would have vel« i comed visitors. It was Director | Wesley Ruggles who didn't wans people around. He can't stand gawking, = whispering, snickering, | pin-dropping, vawning, or Knucklecracking on the set. While her professional life was {so closely cloistered, Miss George = | found she had no private life at all. “It's the screwiest thing of all the screwy things about Hollywood,” she said, “and I can’t get used to it; | “I used to have the guaint idea { that parties were given for the pur= pose of getting a gang of friends | around and having fun. Hollywood | parties are given for publicity.

| ity { |] ALL NEW PROGRAM TODAY i George Arliss—Bette Davis §

“WORKING MAN"

Plus: “Murder hy an Aristocrat”.

. etaxs . Musi, by JER 7 Dorothy Fie 14, * AP,

Di andro S, g, trected py George st