Boy's Cinema (1939-40)

12 "No, I didn't ! I thought all along he died of drinking too much booze. It wasn't till I saw the headlines about his bein' murdered that I even suspected there'd been a fight." "According to tlie law," said Peter, "you're as guilty as they are !" "I'm not 1' GoUins was badly scared. "All I done was to " "Marty," interrupted Steve, "you've got one chaiit-e. Talk and talk fast—get your story in first, ll's the only way you can save yourself." "I—I'll do that." blurted Collins. "It'll help, eh? All right, I'll tell you the whole thing." The story was told, and at an early oppor- tunity Steve repeated it to Mary Lou over the telephone from a wayside filling station. The two-seater, driven without any regard for speed limits, v.as less than a dozen miles from tlie eourt-house when a radio patrol car shot past it. turned perilously and over- took it, and a young police officer leaned out of the iiear-sitlc window to signal to Stove to pull over to the edge of the highway and stop. The signal was obeyed, and the officer descended to plant a foot on the running- board of the two-seater. "Sony, Mr. Lewis," he said. Steve recognised him as a member of the highway patrol and quite a familiar figure on the roads around Fancsville. "What's the trouble, officer?" he inquired. " Bench warrants were issued for your arrest this morning." "For my arrest?" "You aial Collins and Dr. Sparks as well." "All three of us?" Steve was bewildered. "Who issued thoni?" - "Judge Burbridge." "Oh, that's all right. We're on our way to the coi\rt-holise right now." "Uhnh." grunted the young officer, "but my orders arc to take you to the County jail at' Gleinvood till the Fanesville police call for you." "But, officer " "Now, don't argue with me—orders is orders. Turn this crate around and head for Gleiiwood." "But we've got to be in Fanesville," ex- postulated Steve. "The whole case depend.* on it I" , , "That Herkimer case?" asked tha sturdy enforcer of speed laws. "Of course." •'Collins, here, has to testify in court," ex- plained Peter. "Which way is he goin' to testify—for Molly, or against her ?" "For her," Steve replied. "Well, why didn't you say so?" boomed the officer. "Follow me—I'll open the road for you!" THE END OF THE CASE MOLLY HERKIMER was still on the witno.=s-stand in the court-room, and Howard was still playing desperately for time. Most of th.^ luenibers of the public were yawn- ing arul the judge appeared to be asleep. Howard ha.! got no farther than Molly's school-di'ys. "Isn't it tr\ie," he asked, "that this lack of • nice clothes caused you extreme morti.P.cation, embarrassnu lit, mental suffering and anguish, rendering vou despondent, morose, and intro- spective, inhibitive, and generally unhappy?" "It sure did," confirmed Molly. "The first day I went to High School I never had no silk .stockings, nor fancy underclothes, nor any- thing." "Now tell the jury what eflfect this had upon your nervous system. In your own words, if you please." "It give me the jitters!" Laughter made the judge sit up and use his gavel, and then Tucker Tyler bounced to his feet. " Your Honour, this has gone beyond the bounds of reason I" ha protested _ loudly. "I demand that defence counsel be cited for con- tempt." "And I insist upon the right to question my witnesses" in my own way," retorted Howard. "We'7» ^.ad too much of your way, Mr. January 20th, 1940. BOY'S CINEMA Adams," the judge said severely. "This is a court trial, not an endurance contest. You will come to the point immediately, or suffer the consequences." "Yes, your Honour." Howard glanced round the court for probably the fiftieth time since Molly had been called to the witness-stand. On all previous occasions he had glanced in vain, but this time he saw Mary Lou at the rail and she was beckoning to him. There was a filter on a shelf near the rail, and cups of papier-mache for the use of those who were thirsty. Howard went to the filter, filled a cup, and drank water and Mary Lou whispered to him behind her handbag: "Steve just phoned. They got Marty. They're on their way here now. Marty told them everything. Herkimer demanded more money from the thieves—^" "Who are they?" interrupted Howard, sip- ping wa'or. "They're right here in court." Mary Lou pointed with her handbag. "Hold it till Steve gets back with Marty." People were staring in their direction, and the judge v.as frowning. "Mr. Adams!" he rapped "I humbly beg the pardon of the court," said Howard with a bow. "Get on with your questioning, please!" "I am eager to do so," said Howard, and he went back to the girl on the witness-stand and put a question to her that electrified the court. " When did you first learn that your father's barn was being used as a hide-out for stolon merchandise ?" "It never was used for nuthin'!" shrilled Molly. "Why did he quarrel with the men who brought the stolen silk to his barn?" "What men? I don't know what you're talking about!" Howard thundered at her: "Who told you to plead guilty when you knew someone else was the real killer?" She shrank iiway from his accusing finger, but quavered that she did not know any such thing. Henry Barton and Joe Mullins, who were in the second row of seats beyond the well, were becoming uneasy—and looked it. They started violently as Tucker Tyler sprang up to object. Confusion reigned. The judge restored order "Mr. Adams, just what are you trying to prove?" he demanded. "That Thaddeus Herkimer's barn was used as a hide-out for stolen merchandise." Howard stated dramatically. "That Thaddeus Her- kimer demanded a bigger cut from the thieves, and that during the fight which resulted Her- kimer fell through the trap of the hay-loft and broke his back." "It ain't true!" screamed Molly. "I did it! I killed him! I confessed, I tell you I con- fessed !" "Of all the outrageous stories " began Tucker. "Silence!" The judge addressed Howard: "Have you any proof of this?" "Ye.s." Howard flung out a hand. "Those men—Henry Barton and Joe Mullins——" The two men he named were on their feet and makinif for the nearest door, when a court officer barred thoir way; and they were strug- gling v/ith the officei-—amid general excite- ment—when the door was opened and into the court-room burst Steve and Peter with Collins between them. "You guys got me into a lotta trouble!" complained Collins. "Oh, so this is your work, is it?" roared Barton "You're under arrest!" shouted Samuel Q. Lawson, Cliief of Police, arriving breathlessly from his seat. The court was in an uproar, and the judge broke his gavel in a frenzied effort to restore order. Front-page headlines were almost too plenti- ful for Steve, during the next fortnight. Bar- ton and Mullins were held for trial. Molly was indicted for perjury. Barton and Mullins were tried, found guilty of manslaughter, and sentenced to long terms of imprisonment. Martin Collins was held as an accessory, but that charge against him was dropped and he Every Tuesday and Molly received comparatively light Bcntonces for perjury and misrepresentation. Fanesville settled down to its former calm after that, and Peter waited for patients who failed to engage his services, and Howard for clients who seemed to be non-existent. Steve suffered again from lack of news important enough to justify a front-page story. But they were all in funds, having shared the profits arising out of the Herkimer case. Peter was working on his wooden chain in the office of tlio "Bee-Clarion " one afternoon, and Howard was there as well, cheating him- self at solitaire, when Steve walked in fro.na the street a picture of gloom. "What's the matter, old man?" inquired Howard. "Want a murder every day?" "Not exactly," growled Steve, "but I could use a headline." Mary Lou sailed out from the printing-room with a big sheet of paper in her hands. Pi Kelly lurked in the doorway. "Steve," said Mary Lou, "here's the proof of the front page for to-night's edition." "The proof?" echoed Steve in astonishment. "I haven't written the feature story yet!" "I wrote it," she informed him. "You did?" He took the sheet from her, blinked at the headlines on it, chuckled, and read aloud. "' Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Lewis leave on honeymoon. Popular young couple elope.' " "Well?" questioned Mary Lou. He flung down the proof and took her into his arma. Adapted from the new Universal film, con- trolled throughout the United Kingdom and Eire by General Film Distributors, Ltd., the principal players in which are: William Lundigan as Steve Lewis Joy Hodges as Mary Lou Carroll Mictuel Whalen as Howard Adams Isabel Jewell as Molly Herkimer Lyie Talbot as Martin Collins Thomas Beck as Dr. Peter Sparks Spencer Charters as Chief of Police Lawson James Bush as Tucker Tyler Charles Halton as Dr. Ebeneezer Tyler Edward McWada as "Pi" Kelly THIS STAR DEMANDED A MINOR ROLE Some time ago Akim Tamiroff was readinR a script of the picture "Husbands or Lovers." In the script was a part of a window-washer. It was a very fine part, so lie went to the producer and asked to be allowed to play it. " But you're busy in ' Disputed Passage' right now," said the producer. "I know, but I'll be through in time to play this or else I'll double up," 'Tamiroff i-eplied. "But, Akim, this is a very small part. It'll only be on the screen for one scene, and, after all, your name is a pretty big name," the producer said. "Won't you bo lowering your prestige by playing such a small role?" "Sir," Tamiroff said, "I am an actor. I have never seen an actor lower his prestige by doing a good job in a good role. But I've seen a lot of poor actors lower their prestige by doing poor jobs in poor roles that ran through an entire picture. "And that's true." added the actor recently. "What do I care how big a role is? I only care how good the role is. If it's a good r61e, I want to play it. What if it is only one scene? I've played a lot of roles of only one scene, and those roles caused me to be noticed and resulted in bigger and better parts. "I was told that the role was so small that the producer wouldn't give me billing. That's all right with me. This matter of billing only worries me in one respect. I do not want to be a star. When you get up to be a star in Hollywood, in ton j'ears you are through. They feel they have to find special stories for you, and they strain too much to suit nie. "I'll take lower billing, or no billing, and keep on working. I'm an actor, and I love to act. I can't just sit around. So I found this little role which I liked. I wanted to play it, so I played it. It turned out bettor than I expected—bettor than Director Edward H. Griffith expected, too. In faot, he wrote in another aceno for me." £