Corsair (United Artists) (1931)

A WEALTH OF ADVANCE NEWSPAPER MATERIAL Author of “Corsair” Tells Producer He Knoivs Nothing of Picture Making Walton Green Content to Leave Filming to Those Who Know More Than He; Story Facts Gained from Experiences Not all authors who sold their sympathy with Theodore Dreiser in tion picture producer. As a matt< of them are content to wash their Hollywood. That is exemplified in the recent case of Walton Green, former chief investigator of Pro¬ hibition Enforcement at Washing¬ ton, whose “Corsair” comes to .theatre on . with Chester Morris in the star¬ ring role. Mr. Green, whose retirement from public life consists of a di¬ vision of time between running his up-to-date farm in Litchfield, Conn., and writing fiction, received a letter prior to the production of this pic¬ ture, in which Roland West, United Artists producer, outlined the help which he hoped the novelist would give him in the picturization of the story. The offer was flattering, both from the standpoint of com¬ pensation and literary deference, and had Green been of the Dreiser temperament he could immediately have laid down a whole set of de¬ mands. But he did nothing of the sort. To the contrary, he replied that he knew nothing whatever of picture making and that he was willing to leave that point of it to those who do know. Will See Results “Having sold the screen rights to ‘Corsair’ to a producer,” the author explained, “I am content to leave its filming to those who know more about it than I do. I will probably see the result in the talkies.” The peculiar feature of the thing is that Mr. Green’s own story is as compelling as many flashed upon the screen. He has been, at various stages of his career, an editor and publisher, a Wall Street operator, a lawyer, a cow-puncher, polo player, yachtsman and chief inves¬ tigator of the Prohibition forces in Washington under Gen. Lincoln C. Andrews, as well as having led a battalion into battle in the World War. Gen. Andrews, incidentally, was his commander in France, and it was after their return to this country that they joined hands in Washington. Material Gotten from Experience Much of the material in “Corsair” was gleaned during those days in prohibition enforcement, as was the material in several articles upon prohibition which were published in the Saturday Evening Post, Lib¬ erty, Colliers and other magazines. These articles created a sensation, because, having become disgusted with methods employed in prohi¬ bition enforcement, he told the truth about them. It was significant that Gen. An¬ drews became disgusted, too, and left Washington when he found that his department was a foot¬ ball for politicians. In line with this, Maj. Green says: “Gen. Andrews sought to enforce the Prohibition Law squarely, openly and undeviatingly, exactly as an honest policeman enforces order in the public streets. He isn’t a spy and he isn’t a fanatic. But the Anti-Saloon League doesn’t want a dispassionate executive. They want a red-hot hallelujah zealot, full of quaint vows and propaganda. And they want the jobs.” All of which has transformed Major Green from a staunch be¬ liever in Prohibition into a firm opponent of the law, on the grounds that it has defeated the very things for which it was designed. The re¬ sult is, in his opinion, that nulli¬ fication is a fact, and that the only way out is a modified control of liquor sales. Chester IDorris^ 'Corsair with QlisonXbyd 7— One Col. Scene (Mat 05c; Cut 30c) novels to movie producers were in his legal entanglements with a mo- :r of fact, a preponderant majority hands of the stories they sell to In Reverse! Chalk up another advance for Hollywood. From time immemorial, any story about college foot¬ ball must of necessity show the game being won in the last three minutes of play. The hero always came through at the eleventh hour with a ninety-yard run, just when things looked blackest for the home team. But in “Corsair,” the Ches¬ ter Morris picture which comes to the . theatre on., the football game is won in the first three minutes. Because that’s as long as it takes to show the hero leaving col¬ lege and entering into a busi¬ ness career. ALISON LOYD BECOMES A DRAMATIC ACTRESS IN WEST’S “CORSAIR” Screen Comedienne Portrays Im¬ portant Female Role With Chester Morris In changing her personality and adopting a new name, Alison Loyd, leading woman for Chester Morris in “Corsair,” the United Artists picture, which opens at the. on., closes a book upon a colorful past. In this pic¬ ture, as previously announced, Thelma Todd, comedienne, becomes Alison Loyd, dramatic actress. Alison Loyd was born in Lawrence, Mass., the daughter of an alderman. She was the beauty of her part of town, but somehow she managed to side-step romantic swains and attend the Normal Training School at Lowell. She was duly graduated, but instead of becoming a school ma’am, she went right back to school— a school of a different kind, though. Joined Paramount School A motion picture theatre owner in Lawrence heard that Jesse L. Lasky was organizing the Para¬ mount School of Acting, so he sub¬ mitted Thelma’s name and a pic¬ ture. The school was for the dis¬ covery and training of young actors and actresses, and its first pupils included Charles (Buddy) Rogers, Josephine Dunn, Roland Drew and. among others, Thelma Todd. Miss Todd was graduated and appeared in the class picture, “Fas¬ cination,” and. with the other stu¬ dents was given a chance in “God Gave Me Twenty Cents” and “The Popular Sin.” Her first big picture, however, which was the equivalent of her graduation thesis, was op¬ posite Ed Wynn in “Rubber Heels.” That bounded her across the con¬ tinent to Hollywood. It has been said that Miss Todd entered pictures as the result of a beauty contest. Thelma Todd did win a beauty contest, but it had nothing to do with her picture ad¬ vent. It was during negotiations for her entrance in the Para¬ mount School that her home town Elks Lodge insisted that she be¬ come a candidate in the State-wide beauty contest. She won hands down and became “Miss Massachu¬ setts.” and a ball was held in Lawrence, at which she was crowned queen. The day after the ball she received word that she had been accepted for the school. Play Opposite Many Stars Her first picture after her arri¬ val in Hollywood was opposite Gary Cooper in “Nevada.” Follow¬ ing that she was leading lady for Richard Dix, Richard Barthelmess and the late Milton Sills. Most of her roles were in the lighter veins, and it was natural that, having been thus rubber-stamped, she drifted into light comedy. First came a role in a Harry Langdon film. Then came the talkies, and Hal Roach signed her to play with Laurel and Hardy and Charlie Chase. When this contract expired she free-lanced for a year, following which she was recalled by Roach to team up in short com¬ edies with Zasu Pitts. She com¬ pleted three of these before Roland West borrowed her for “Corsair.” Chester Morris Gets Actual Facts on Rum Runners for “ Corsair ” Role m w r / «.. Chester morris m Corsair with Glison Jbyd 4—Two Col. Scene (Mat 10c; Cut 50c) Star in Roland West’s Screen Version of the Walton Green Novel Gains Information from New Vork Rum Runner Chester Morris, star of “Corsair,” the United Artists picture which comes to the .theatre on .didn’t know any too much about rum running vehicle, but it was characteristic o came assigned to the story he set about to correct that deficiency. The star of “Alibi,” “Sergt. Grischa” and other pictures had just completed a world tour when word came to him in New York that his next picture would be a yarn about liquor piracy on the high seas. So naturally he laid plans to learn about such things. Never having met a liquor hi¬ jacker personally, he dug up a de¬ tective friend and the two attended the famous morning line-up at New York police headquarters. Gets Actual Facts “It so happened.” Morris ex¬ plained in recounting the story, “that that morning a rum ship known as the ‘Eluder’ had been captured by Revenue men off Fire Island, and the three occupants of the rum runner were brought in for identification. We got talking to one of these chaps, named Tony, a smooth fellow who might easily have been a bond salesman. “Tony gladly consented to show me the ropes. He had just pur¬ chased a new boat which, if pressed would do 55 miles an hour with a load of 100 cases. But he told me he would rather dump a load than risk capture. He feared the one- pound guns of the Government. Learns Tricks of Trade “The third day I knew him, he took me for a long drive on Long Island. We crossed the ferry to Fire Island, a long stretch of sun¬ baked sand that runs parallel to Long Island for 60 miles. He took me to what appeared a deserted shack, near which was tethered a fishing yawl. before starting his latest starring : the young man that when be be- “That,” he said, pointing to the yawl, ‘holds all the goods we dropped four nights ago.’ “Naturally, I expressed surprise that a load of liquor could be dropped overboard by a pursued rum ship and that the jettisoned liquor could be redeemed later. So he expained: “When Tony, aboard the ‘Eluder,’ noticed that a Government boat was chasing them he scooted at top speed for a spot about a mile off a certain shore beacon. There men began pulling cases of liquor from the holds and placing them on deck. Large chunks of rock salt which had been secreted in lockers also were carried out, and a piece of the salt was tied to each case, the case then being dropped over¬ board. “The entire load was dropped over the side in this manner, each case being dragged below the sur¬ face by the weight of the rock salt. The Government boat finally caught up with the ‘Eluder,’ but all the evidence was gone, and there wasn’t anything in sight on the surrounding waters. Retrieves Load “An hour after the Government cutter had left Fire Island fisher¬ men put out to the spot and soon the cases began bobbing up to the surface, the rock salt having dis¬ solved in the meanwhile. This and many other similar tricks are incorporated in ‘Corsair,’ where Tony will probably see them, but I suppose he is working new stunts by this time.” Do All All-American Football Stars Become Bond Salesmen? See “Corsair” Chester Morris Star in Roland West’s New Production Tries Wall Street But Finds Hi-Jacking More Profitable The shouting and the tumult die —the captains and the All-Ameri¬ can gridiron kings depart. But after college—then what? As star of Roland West’s screen adaptation of the Walton Green novel, “Corsair,” which comes to the .theatre on. Chester Morris is called upon to face the problem. It is often said that most All-American football heroes end up as bond salesmen. The Chester Morris of United Artists picture, “Corsair,” is no ex¬ ception. Many All-Americans are faced with the choice between poverty and marrying a millionaire’s daughter. Chester Morris is con¬ fronted with that choice, too. But the hero of “Corsair”, refuses to play the game that wa.y. He re¬ fuses to play the game as Wall Street plays it. He wants a million dollars, but he wants it on his own terms. Walton Green, former leader of the secret service division of Pro¬ hibition Enforcement, has shown in his book how rum runners who prey on the public’s weakness for defying the law, are in turn preyed upon by pirates. When the Wall Street magnate who is secretly financing a bootleg syndicate, discharges him as a bond salesman, Chester Morris turns pirate and preys on rum fleets for revenge. Those who recall “Alibi,” “The Big House” and other tense dramas, will realize how realisti¬ cally Chester Morris can pursue the avenging theme. This story of a football hero who leads one life in high society and another on the high sees is a new one both for Morris and for the film screen. Roland West, who introduced Morris to the screen in “Alibi,” also produced “Corsair,” and di¬ rected it in association with Rollo Lloyd and Robert Ross. In the sup¬ porting ca.st -are Alison Lovd, Emmett Corrigan, Fred Kohler. William Austin, Mayo Methot, Ned Sparks. Frank Rice, Frank Mc¬ Hugh, Gay Seabrook and Addie Mc- Phail. THRILLING TIME HAD BY CHESTER MORRIS DURING FILMING OF “CORSAIR” Fights With Rum Runners and Unexpected Storm at Sea Experienced by Star Two weeks at sea with a deck load of pineapples sounds safe enough in any weather, especially on a 90-foot steam yacht. But— never again, says Chester Morris, star of the United Artists picture, “Corsair,” which comes to the .theatre on . Not, at least, when the “pine¬ apples” are of the Chicago variety —high-explosive bombs. A few fights with rum running boats, an unexpected storm and the difficulty of taking movies on the high seas and the reason for Ches¬ ter’s “never again” becomes ap¬ parent. It was all necessitated by the fact that Chester Morris was star¬ ring in Roland West’s production, “Corsair.” This is an adaptation of the Walton Green novel of the same name — the tale of an All- American football hero who turns pirate. Realistic Situations “Corsair” gives the real “low- down” on the rum fleets which ply between the Nova Scotia coast and the Bahamas, feeding the stream of launches which the big bootleg syndicates of New York send out to the 12-mile-limit under the noses of the Government revenue cutters. It is the truth of the situation re¬ vealed by an author who at one time headed the secret division of Prohibition Enforcement. Two large yachts, the “Corsair” skippered by 'Chester Morris, and the “Queseda” a rum carrier, formed the nucleus of Roland West’s fleet for the ocean scenes. In addition thfere were several launches and motor boats carrying camera crews. For two weeks the expedition worked up and down the coast, out of sight of land, filming thrilling episodes. Fleet Used Radio Telephone West’s entire fleet was equipped with radio telephone apparatus, to maintain communication between boats and the film studios in Hol¬ lywood. It also served for com¬ munication purposes with the base of the filming expedition on Cata¬ lina Island, and with coastal au¬ thorities in San Pedro harbor in the event of an emergency. This is said to be the first use of radio telephone in film making. Rollo Lloyd and Robert Ross, who co-directed with West in the pro¬ duction of “Corsair,” were able to take and give orders to the var¬ ious units under their command while filming was in progress just as a war fleet would operate dur¬ ing an actual sea battle. Dialogue Filmed at Sea Complete talking - recording equipment was installed, so the dialogue sequences were filmed actually at sea instead of having to be recorded on sham sets inside the studio sound stages after the return to Hollywood. A touch of war times was added by the use of camouflage for Ches¬ ter Morris’ boat. A disappearing extension for the bow and deck housing were rigged up so that the pleasure yacht could resemble a freighter when coming in sight of a rum ship. The cargo of bombs added the danger of real adventure for the crew and actors, and was carried on deck to minimize dan¬ ger. Among the well known players who shared the thrills and adven¬ tures of the filming expedition with Morris were Fred Kohler, Emmett Corrigan, Alison Loyd, Mayo Methot, Gay Seabrook, Ned Sparks, William Austin. Ray June headed the “Corsair” camera stuff. Chester ITJorris in 'Corsair with QlisonXoyd. 6—One Col. Scene (Mat 05c; Cut 30c)