A Night In Casablanca (United Artists) (1946)

Lovely Redhead, Lisette Verea In Latest Rib-Tickling Marx Hit Lisette Verea, the blonde enchantress whose hair was dyed red for her dynamic role in the Marx Brothers’ newest laugh riot, “A Night in Casablanca,” was born in Bucharest. Her father was the well- known artist, Henry Verea, and she shared his enthusiasm for the country and a free, roving gypsy life. Together, while she was a child, they traveled far and wide while he painted landscapes. She showed a preference for theatricals while she was still a school girl and, at sixteen, made her professional stage debut in a musical production in her native Bucharest. In the years that followed she appeared in such successes as “The Front Page,” “White Horse Inn” and numerous other plays and musical comedies. She appeared on the stage in Hungary, Bulgaria, Turkey, Italy, Syria, Egypt, Palestine, India, England and France. Between engagements she starred in several films in Budapest. Naturally, in time, her ambitions turned to Hollywood. The war, however, made it difficult for her to reach America. She did manage to reach here five years ago, by such a circuitous route that the very thought of it now makes her grow pale and gives her a fine case of the jitters. In New York, this season, she has been singing in the swank night club, Ruban Bleu. Last season she played on Broadway and on tour in “The Merry Widow” stage revival. When in Los Angeles with the company, she was tested by Warner Brothers but could not reach an agreement with them. She was in rehearsal, playing the lead in another New York musi¬ cal, when Producer David L. Loew offered her the feminine lead in the Marx Brothers’ comedy. She secured her release and went imme¬ diately to Hollywood. Since her appearance in “A Night in Casa¬ blanca,” which opens on . at the . Theatre thru United Artists release, every major studio in Hollywood has put in a bid for her services. Lisette has another interest, second to her film ambitions. She is an artist and designer and this season some of her fabric prints are being featured in New York’s smartest shops. And, as a hobby, she designs all her own clothes. This lovely new threat to Holl/wood’s outstanding glamour girls speaks four languages, Roumanian, French, German and English. She is five feet four and one half inches tall, weighs 118 pounds and has blue eyes. Her birth date is October 1st. LOIS COLLIER, who plays the romantic role of Annette opposite Charles Drake in the current Marx Brothers’ laugh hit, “A Night in Casa¬ blanca,” now at the . Theatre, hails from the obscure little town of Salley in South Carolina. She’s another small town girl who made good with a bang in the cinema city. The win¬ ning of a radio contest brought her to Hollywood where she appeared on many important air shows, among them the Lux Radio Theatre. She also appeared in both Hollywood and Los Angeles stage plays. Film scouts took note of her talent and she was soon playing small parts. The part of Eileen in Irving Berlin’s “This is the Army” earned her a film contract with Universal and a succession of good parts culminating in a lead with Abbott and Costello in “The Naughty Nineties” and the ingenue role in “A Night in Casablanca,” which David L. Loew produced for United Artists release. Lois is five-feet-one and weighs just under one hundred pounds; she can eat anything and never has to worry about diets. She is an American of Welsh-English-Irish de¬ scent, and was born on March 21, 1922. Her eyes are grey-blue and she has reddish-brown hair. She is married to Bob Oakley, a talent represen¬ tative, whom she met last year. She likes light operas and popular music. Her favorite writers are Somerset Maugham, Faith Baldwin and Louis Bromfield. Lois claims that her current term con¬ tract with Universal and her fine role in “A Night in Casablanca,” resulted from her ambi¬ tious work on the stage and in radio, and not from the fact that she once was a contest-winner. CHARLES DRAKE, ihe handsome six-fool- three actor who plays the role of Pierre oppo¬ site Lois Collier in the fabulous new Marx Brothers’ comedy, “A Night in Casablanca,” is a veteran of some thirty-five pictures during his six-year stay in Hollywood. But he is not too proud to reminisce about the time, just seven years ago, when he was wandering around the streets of New York with exactly five cents in his pocket. Fresh from college, where he had majored in advertising, Drake recalls that he listenedi to more “no’s” in one year than an¬ other man hears in a lifetime. Disliking the idea of starving to death, he worked by turns in a ten-cent store, in a department store trim¬ ming windows and with various small theatre groups. Then, with seventy-five dollars in his jeans, he embarked for Hollywood and more “no’s.” He left one of his photographs with a talent scout and hitch-hiked back to New York. When Jesse Lasky organized a “new faces” contest, Drake’s photograph won him a return trip to the film capital and a contract. He has been working steadily ever since in such films as “Whistle Stop” and “You Came Along.” His most important work to date is the fat role he drew in “A Night in Casablanca,” now at tbe .Theatre. This is a David L. Loew production released by United Artists and star¬ ring the zany Marx Brothers. Rough and Tumble Marx Brothers’ Jokes By Nimble Sig Rum an Funny stories galore center around any play¬ ers who work with the fabulous Marx Brothers, and Sig Ruman, who plays the role of Count Pfefferman in “A Night in Casablanca,” their latest screen riot, can’t say he wasn’t warned. When Sig was playing the lead in Alexander Woollcott’s and George J. Kaufman’s “Channel Road” on Broadway a number of years ago, the late Towncrier said to him: “I understand that Hollywood took notice of your success and has designs on you. When you get there you will no doubt run into the Marx Brothers. If you do, you’d better look out for their rough and tumble jokes.” Some time later 20th Century Fox imported Sig and, sure enough, one of his first assign¬ ments was a loan-out to the Marx Brothers for the role of the heavy in their picture, “A Night At The Opera.” It was then he found out that Woollcott was right. The Mad Marxes did plenty to Sig during the shooting of that picture. His introduc¬ tion to Groucho was typical. Groucho looked Sig over from head to foot and said: “So— you’re going to be a louse! Are you a good louse?” Sig was floored by this haymaker. After all, he had come to Hollywood like most Broad¬ way actors with the “I’ll show them how to make artistic pictures” attitude, and his dig¬ nity was piqued. But before the count of ten he reassembled what was left of his wits and retorted: “Good louse? I hope to be the lousiest louse you ever had the misfortune to meet up with.” Evidently his “louse” was satisfactory, for“A Night in Casablanca” is his third assignment with the Marx Brothers. The film is being released by United Artists and can currently be seen at the Theatre. It was Sig’s role of Preysing, in the Broadway run of “Grand Hotel,” which appar¬ ently brought him to the direct attention of theatre fans. Katharine Cornell caught him in that show and engaged him to play in her next production, “Alien Corn,” which was followed by a tour with Ethel Barrymore in “An Amazing Career.” After that came Hollywood and he has played in films ever since. The many pictures in which he has appeared are too numerous to mention. Suffice it to say, the moment Sig Ruman’s name is flashed on the screen when cast credits are given, the audience knows instinctively that they’re going to enjoy his performance no matter what the picture turns out to be. Taken In Stride Mat IE—.15 Sig Ruman plays in “A Night in Casablanca” with the Mad Marxes. This United Artists release is at the.Theatre. Mat ID—.15 (diaries Drake in “A Night in Casa¬ blanca,” the United Artists release at the.Theatre. Mat 1C—.15 Lois Collier in “A Night in Casa¬ blanca,” the United Artists release at the.Theatre. Page Sixteen