Fireman, Save My Child (Warner Bros.) (1932)

Opening Day Story “Fireman, Save My Child”’ Opens At........ Today Joe E. Brown’s latest starring vehicle for First National and Vitaphone pictures, “Fireman, Save My Child,”’ variously described by New York critics as a “laugh riot,’ ‘‘frolic of fun,” etc., opens today at the .... Theatre. Brown appears as assistant fire chief and local baseball hero in ‘‘Fireman, Save My Child.’”’ In order to secure enough money to finance a fire extinguisher which he has invented, Brown, as ‘Smoky Joe” Grant, accepts an offer to pitch in the major league for the St. Louis Cardinals. His adventures in the city do not, however, prevent him from forgetting all about the baseball game at a crucial moment when he hears the sirens of the fire trucks. As the baseball player and lover whose prime affection is for fires and fire equipment, Brown is furnished his greatest comedy opportunity. That he is at home on the baseball diamond is evident in the game sequences. Brown once played professional baseball, first in the St. Paul League and later with the New York Yankees. Evalyn Knapp, as the home town girl ‘Smoky Joe’ loves and Lilian Bond, as the blonde adventuress he becomes embroiled with in the big city, furnish attractive feminine background for Brown’s humorous antics. The large cast also includes a score of major and minor league baseball players, among them Jim Crandall, Ernie Orsatti and Mike Donlin, one time slugging king for the New York Giants. Non-athletic members of the cast include Guy Kibbee, Richard Carle, Walter Walker, Dickie Moore, George Meeker and many others. Lloyd Bacon, son of the late Frank Bacon of ‘‘Lightnin’”’ fame, directed “Fireman, Save My Child.” The story was written and adapted by Robert Lord, Ray Enright and Arthur Caesar, three of Hollywood’s most famous writers of comedy. Manager So ee assures a ‘‘screamingly funny time’? to patrons who attend the local showings of ‘‘Fireman, Save My Child.” Feature Brown “Happy As A Kid Breaking Windows” In ‘Fireman, Save My Child” According to Joe E. Brown, the star had the time of his life making the First National picture, ‘‘Fireman, Save My Child,’”’ in which he will be seen at the Theatre Pye foe fast oe tee ee ees er er ee am a ae ee er i ee Tae er oo “If the audience enjoys the showing of the picture as much as | did the making of it, I’Il be happy. There is nothing that gives me a bigger kick Page Seven in lite than to see people laugh at one of my pictures.” Joe was sitting on the seat of an old time fire wagon with his feet cocked up and an old fire helmet cocked slantwise at a rakish angle on his head as he spoke. Every few minutes he would blow the siren on the hose cart and grin happily like a small boy, or bandy witticisms with other players. “You know | have had more fun making this picture than anything | ever played in. When | was a kid, | was a fire fan and | don’t think | ever outgrew it. “PIL bet if you could find out the real truth, all of you would turn out to be fire fans. It’s like that sneaking longing for the circus. A\lll of us like it, but won’t always admit it. “‘l still like the things | liked when | was a kid: circuses, fire engines, baseball and such. And two of my boy ambitions have been realized. | was in a circus for years, and for a time | was a professional base ball player playing for a time with the Yankees. “Now I have experienced my third big ambition, being a fireman. | think | like it best. You don’t know the thrill of driving around the corner on two wheels with a couple of horses breaking their necks to get to the fire. We’re using real fire horses and they enjoy the work. “! like to blow the old siren just like a kid too,’’ and he emphasized the point with a long blast. Then he led the way to a pop stand where he gobbled wienies and drank ginger pop during baseball scenes in the picture. “‘Gee, they were good. lunch and everything. A fireman’s life isn’t so bad. Outside of squirting water on a fire | think | had the most fun in smashing windows. There was a whole row of windows and all | had to do was to walk up and hit ’em a crack with my axe and break the glass all to smithereens. | got rid of a lot of that old latent desire to bust things up in this picture.” But the group of boys who play in the picture, headed by Georgie Ernest and Dickie Moore had just as much fun. They chased after the engines, watched the burning of a sauerkraut factory, and followed Joe E. Brown with eyes of wonder as he strutted about in full fireman’s uniform, helmet and red shirt. And that isn’t all the fun,” said Joe laughing. ‘‘Two girls fight over me. They’re just cr-razy about the big fire hero. Let me introduce June here. I'll bet you wouldn’t recognize Lilian Bond in her make-up.” As a matter of fact Miss Bond was scarcely recognizable. Her mahogany red tresses had been dyed a light yellow so she could be the blonde who took Joe for a sleigh ride. ‘And here’s Sally,” said Joe, introducing Evalyn Knapp. ‘“‘She’s my little sweetie from the small town who keeps the home fires burning, so | can extinguish them when | get back from the wicked city. “So, all in all, can you blame me for having the best time | ever had in making a picture?” Got free Review Joe E. Brown Brings Gales Of Laughter To Always provocative of laughter and good humor, Joe E. Brown outdoes himself in ‘‘Fireman, Save My Child,” his newest First National feature frolic which opened yesterday Se ae aa) Rear are atthe. = <7. Bheatre. Joe E. Brown is a big laugh in himself. Every thing he does is funny. But when he’s in a knockout comedy there’s__ roaring laughter. Never were there funnier gags or situa tions than those packed So eee ~~ into this picJOE E. BROWN ture. It’s a Cut No. 14 “natural” — Cut 15¢ Mat 5¢ made to order for Brown’s good-natured whimsies. The story concerns ‘‘Smoky Joe’’ Grant, assistant fire chief, a natural born fire fan who would rather go to a fire than make love to his best girl. He is also the star pitcher of the local team. “Smoky Joe’ gets an offer from the St. Louis Cardinals. He accepts it in order to get the money to put over his fire extinguisher invention. He makes good, but is constantly battling with the team manager because he forgets the game when fire wagons pass. Picture the convulsive situations that arise when the assistant fire chief and small town baseball hero stops an exciting game at a crisis to chase a fire. Picture a pitching star in the big league dropping the ball to race after a fire wagon when the siren blows. Picture him forgetting the deciding game of a pennant race only to show up in the ninth inning to win by a three bagger and stealing home. And there you have the source of real comedy. Who doesn’t thrill to the lovable rube making good in the metropolis after a series of excruciatingly funny adventures with a blonde adventuress and “‘city slickers.’”” And never was there a more lovable rube, played in Joe’s inimitable manner. He grabs a tight hold on the heart strings, while he is making the audience shake with laughter. You can’t help liking ‘Smoky Joe’? any more than you can help laughing at him. The story, prepared for the screen by three famous humorists — Arthur Caesar, Ray Enright and _ Robert Lord — has an undercurrent of ro mance in the form of a simple love affair. There is just enough romance to balance the uproarious comedy. It’s really a riot of roaring fun. The excellent cast of ‘Fireman, Save My Child’ includes Evalyn Knapp, as the girl Joe loves, Lilian Bond, as the blonde adventuress, Guy Kibbee and a strong line-up of a score of famous baseball players. Advance Readers Evalyn Knapp Appears In Second Role Since Injury Evalyn Knapp, Warner Bros.-First National featured player, appears in her second role, since her severe injury of last year, as the hometown sweetheart of Joe E. Brown in ‘‘Fireman, Save My Child,” First National production coming to the ......... RSs Meet. se es Miss Knapp was confined to Hollywood Hospital for several months, missing several important parts intended for her. Upon her complete recovery she was given a role in ‘‘High Pressure,” following which she was assigned to a more important role in ‘‘Fireman, Save My Child.’”’ Lilian Bond, Guy Kibbee, Andy Devine and many others complete the special ‘‘Fireman, Save My Child’? cast. Lloyd Bacon directed. Joe E. Brown Realizes Kid Ambition To Be Fireman Joe E. Brown, star of ‘Fireman, Save My Child,’ First National picture’ Coming to the=... =: 5 cos seas Theatre= next =". =... , realized the third of his childish ambitions in his latest production. He plays the role of a fireman and says he actually lived his part during the filming of the picture. His previous ‘“‘kid’? ambitions were to be an acrobat and a baseball player. He was both at one time or another, having been connected with a circus, and later with the New York Giants. He also appears as a baseball player in “Fireman, Save My Child,” which was directed by Lloyd Bacon. Fidelity To Picture Details Gave Joe Brown Stomachache Joe E. Brown, star of ‘‘Fireman, Save My Child,” the First National picture coming to the ._. Theatre, suffered from old-fashioned stomachache as a result of | a heterogeneous diet enforced on him during the filming of the picture. Brown appears in ‘Fireman, Save My Child’? as a small town fire chief and baseball hero who journeys to the big city. While there, he consumes large quantities of bananas because they are cheap and eats weenies and drinks pop at a baseball game.. After con~ suming large quantities of bananas, weenies and pop, Brown protested to Lloyd Bacon, director, who permitted him to drink root beer ine stead of pop, but insisted on fidelity to detail in regard to the fruit and frankfurters.