Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 16 March 1939 — Page 16
Kanin Cuts Colossal’
To lts Size
ew Director Shows Film
Chiefs Money Isn't Just Everything.
,Garson Kanin, who\, directed “The Great Man Votes” (on the Indiana's new ill starting tomorrow), made himself “one of the most talked-about young directors ever to hit Hollywood by turning out distinctive pictures on “shoestring” - budgets. Mr. Harrison’s first-hand report tells ‘you Just what Mr. Kanin . thinks about it all. i
By PAUL HARRISON HOLLYWOOD, March 168 (NEA). Those of you who are getting pretty tired of Talkietown’s milliondollar glorifications of dime-novel stories can take some comfort from the advent of young Mr, ‘Garson Kanin > Kanin is a director and has bossed only three modest pictures. The first was “A Man to Remember,” and it was better than 90 per cent of the top-budget films of 1938. The contrast is heightened when you consider that Mr.Kanin’s feature was shot in four days under a 19day schedule and for a total cost of $109,000—a sum which would just
about pay the extras in a Fox or,
Metro super-dooper.
John Takes If Easy Then came “Next Time I Marry,” a bright little comedy but with a story to which no amount of direc‘tion or star casting could have given real distinction. Mr. Kanin's
current effort is “The Great Man!
Votes,” with John Barrymore and Virginia Weidler giving such performances as you haven't seen in a long time. Mostly on account of Barrymore, who can’t be rushed, this one took 34 days to make and cost $240,000. This is still low budgef, but a truly fine picture. Mr. Kanin is 26 years old and is popping “with ideas and defiance of Hollywood’s cliches and conventions. No upstart, in spite of his youth, he has a sound dramatic background. Successively a vaudeville musician, burlesque at and Broadway actor, he studied at the "American Academy of Dramatic Arts and became a faculty member. Then he was an associate with George Abbott in the production of four hits—“Three Men on a Horse,” “Brother Rat,” “Room Service” and “Hitch Your Wagon”—none of which had a single star name. The latter show was directed by Mr. Kanin.
Samuel Goldwyn brought him to!in the last 10 years that hasn’ ; been
This is the Bicpeoty-ted =at- grand: aa’s scene from, “Love Affair,” which opens Jomorrow. i$ the Indiana.
Hollywood late in 1937 with an idea of making him a produce’. Mr. Kanin sat around for almoslb eight months, attending a production conference every day and often never opening his mouth. He| eagerly talked with cutters and jechnicians on the lot, though, ant read about 200 scripts. Finally, [fidgeting for a chance to work, ke per-| 4 suaded Mr. Goldwyn to release him and turn over his contract tp) Pandro Berman at RKO, Mr. Eerman decided to make him a director. The picture business is full of rules which are mostly “don'ts.” “Goldwyn once told me that you couldn’t make a successful episodic story of a man’s life,” Mr. Kalin recalled. “When ‘A Man to Rimember’ was mentioned, I though of that rule and decided to try io disprove it. | “Every time Hollywood -ihrows away its rule book it seems fc¢i make an interesting’ and different kind of picture. But theyll expeiiment only on the cheap ones. I chédlienge you to name one expensive picture
i os
Participants are
d ne before according to formula. I told Berman I'd like to go on experimenting with low-budget features, but I'm afraid he’s got something bigger in mind for me.” Mr. Kalin doesn’t sneer at the profit motive and the studios’ refusal to gamble fortunes on unusiial types of films. He'd like to on ke a lat of money, too. But he a3 believe that Hollywood is aliena huge bloc of the public with ster-stucided : trash of the dimenovel type. He believes the industry should make three distinct types of pictures: (a) - big, glittering, mass-appeal movies; (b) pictures for limited audiences which would have substantial, significant stories, goid acting with no attention to star names, and less pretentious sets; (c) films designed mostly for chi dren. Probably = four-reelers. Noiifiction material would be shown witi1 meticulous accuracy. He said: “Nobody in this town hatss censorship more than I do, but. I think it’s actually dangerous for youngsters to see the scrambled history that has been filmed lately, sucli as ‘Marie Antoinette.’ Norma
The Inside Story . of th: Munitions Rirg—with °
Irene Dunne (left), Maria Ouspens-
kaya and Charles Boyer.
Shearer didn’t want to play an unsympathetic role, so they rewrote history for her. “Youngsters will believe what they see on 'the ‘screen, and when they find such great differences between movie stories and: their textbooks, they'll begin to misteast the whole system of education.”
Sam Harris, 67, To Take Bride, 37
NEW YORK, March 16 ©. BP). :—Marriage plans of Sam Harris, 67, veteran theatrical producer, and Mrs. Kathleen Nolan . Watson, 37,
Due at May Mi sic Fete
high School © Groups. of 4 States in Region / Will Compste.
— a
Indianapolis will he Host to 5000 high school musicians May 18-20 when the National School Music Competition Festival, : on 3, holds. its annual Meeting here.
Ohio and Michigan will meet here for competitive pe:formances by
orchestras, ensembles and string and woodwind soloists. The festival is. sponsored. by the National School Orchestra and Band Associations, and is meeting hers through the efforts of the Indianapolis Public Schools, the Jordan Conservatary of Music and tie Indianapolis: Convention and Publicity Bureau, local
COSponsors. - Sessions will be lield in Caleb Mills ‘Hall, the: Odeon and other auditoriums noi yet designated, Miss Ada Bicking, Jordar. Conservatory director, said today. At present the
lonly announce Indianapolis par-
ticipant is the Shortridge High School Orchestra, Will Wise, Sirecior,
a
{HOFMANN IN CITY FOR REHEARSALS
Josef Hoffmann, the distinguished pianist who arrived in Indianapolis today for two rehearsals with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, will play the Beethoven Concerto in E Flat, No. 5 (the “Emperor”’) at the concerts tomorrow afternoon and Saturday: night. The remainder of the program which Fabien Hevitzky is to conduct includes Beethoven’s.“Leonore” Overture, No. 3, Debussy’s “La Mer,” “Sierra. Morena’ by Emerson Whithorne, and Brahm'’s Variations on a Theme by Haydn.
were disclosed today by the producer, |
Mrs. Watson, one of America’s first women newspaper photographers, is
the sister of film actor George Brent | and the former wife of Victor Wat= |
son, Hearst executive who jumped to his death from a hotel window last November. Mrs. Watson divorced her husband a few months before his suicide. Mr. ‘Harris said the would take place soon.
marriage
| Benchtey, broke out into s loud
IN NE YORK: —b GEORGE ROSS
‘Benchley. Ace Comic ord 'Aisle- Seat Cbiorver” ‘Makes First-Rate, Jovial Spectator. _
EW YORK, March 16.—Robert Benchley is a cheerful man with a humorous slant on life and he has made quite a success of recording the foibles of feeble mankind in what he writes and acts out. There's nothing restrained about Mr. Benchley. In his capacity as drama critic for the blase weekly, The New Yorker, he probably is the easiest mem-
ber of the “death watch” on the aisle.
He is a sucker for a good joke and his laughter can be heard in all parts of the house while other first-nightegs greet a jest with poWhen a show bores him beyond his patience, he takes the easiest way ‘out—if not the nearest exit. He goes to sleep, blissfully reposing until it is all over, but unlike a short. he once made, he does not snore. Mr. Benchley, to this observer’s eye, is one of the soundest aisle-sleepers in the theater. There have been occasions, however, when even Mr. Benchley couldn't slumber through a palling scene. Such gq night occurred some years ago when Mr. Benchley saw a show with an Oriental locale. In it a wench transposeti the English language by referring to ‘herself as “me Nubi, me /good girl,” some dozen times in”as many minutes. Mr, Benchley had enough of that after a while.
Calmly he Tose from his seat and, addressing his colleagues in a loud-
enough tone for many to hear, said,
“Me Benchley, me going home!” And he stalked out. Bui what I set out to relate was that Mr. Benchley’s high humor
"HURRY! FINAL DAY!!
and ‘exuberance seems to have struck back at him now in the guise of a Frankenstein monster. Even the most light-hearted humorist has his meditative or melancholy moments. And a smiling, beaming countenance sometimes changes to serious mien. Mr. Benchley’s is no exception. I saw him at a restaurant the other night, dining with some friends and talking to them in what
appeared to be the serious vein. Some folk came to an adjoining table and one of them, espying Mr
NORTH SIDE
VOGUE College at 63d
Franci “KING OF UNDERWORLD Lew Ayres “YO
G DR. KILDARE” J6th & Drlaware CINEMA Michael Whalen > “WHILE NEW YORK SLEEPS” Lew Ayres “YOUNG DR. KILDARE” EAST SIDE
2442 E. . Wash. st. Jack Be
Joan Bennett ISTS AND MODELS ABROAD Ja) Hy Bryan “GIRLS ON PROBATION
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TUXEDO Anita Louise
Allen Jenkins “GOING PLACES” Errol Flynn * “DAWN PATROL
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| guttaw.
He was asked to explain, “Well” he said, “every time I see his face I bust out laughing!”
“Comet Over ii Plus “WANTED BY THE POLICE”
>| INDIANAPOLIS SYMPHONY
ORCHESTRA FABIEN SEVITZKY, Conductor
CONCERT . Tomorrow a 2:45 JOSEF HOFMANN, Pianist
MURAT THEATER
RI-9697 Prices: $1, $150, $2, $230, $8
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to 6-150 at bowing East “FIGH' Mary St 0 Michael Whales “MYST
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LADIES—Special Matinee Tomorrow RIVOLI SPRY LOOKING ScHgoL Tomorrow at 12:30 SPECIAL FEATURE—ADMIS TON ec
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2702 W. 10th 5 STATE Don’t, Miss Itt Joan Woodb “THE NIGHT SPOT” Leo Carrillo “BLOCKADE” SOUTH SIDE
New Garfield lends CFRrR “THE Ea GE ra
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irene Dunne, as Terry McKay, Park Avenue lady of leisure . Charles Boyer, as the reckless, dashinternational lover, carefree heart-
ease
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and luxury.
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.playing at life!l... irresistible Michel Marnay . .. .Imagine these two — swept off their feet by an all-embracing
dreams
Bruce CABOT Rita HAYWORTH
26¢ Until 6-Bal. 306 After 6
romance in jewelled settings to stir the secret . The first picture produced under the magic touch Award bi since his priceless "The Avrfu)
love!...Dramatic of every womar
of Leo McCa rey, Academy
TODAY, LAST Times |
James 6