Mr. Robinson Crusoe (United Artists) (1932)

PUBLICITY SECTION // II Win. Farnum Reveals He Is Hollywood’s Champ “Still Man” William Farnum, recently returned from the Sogth Seas with Douglas Fairbanks, has won himself a new honor. He’s cinemaland’s highest priced “Still Man.” A still man doesn’t keep still, however, nor does he conduct the sort of institution Mr. Volstead prohibited. He merely makes photographs. Practically all of the pic¬ tures being used for publiciz¬ ing and advertising Doug’s new film, “Mr. Robinson Cru¬ soe,” were made by Farnum. He has been keeping the fact that he is Hollywood’s champion amateur pho¬ tographer a deep dark secret all these years. Adventure and High Romance Blended in Doug's New Picture "Mr. Robinson Crusoe" Invests Star With Old-Time Dash, This Time in South Sea Setting Douglas Fairbank’s latest picture, "Mr. Robinson Crusoe,” comes to the .. theatre on......., and -thus local fans will have their first opportunity of seeing the ad¬ venturous star in--a modern version of the- famed Defoe character, a character destined to take 'a" >: high place with the gallery already com¬ posed of “Rpbin Hood,” “Don Q,” “The Three Musketeers” and all the other Fairbanks masterpieces. “Mr. Robinson Crusoe” is not a travelogue, not even as near as was “Around the World in 80 Minutes.” It is an original story by Tom Ger¬ aghty, one based upon the famous classic, but it only draws upon cer¬ tain adventures in the Defoe story. Moreover, it is jazzed u'r and done with a sense of humor which is not one of the manifold features of the original Crusoe yarn. A Modernized Crusoe ’ Doug’s Crusoe is a young sports¬ man who, on a bet, undertakes to duplicate the life of the famous story-book character. Not only does he equM Crusoe’s accomplishments; he also unearths many other compli¬ cations, including a hand-to-hand fight with a head-hunter, battles with cannibals and, even more in¬ triguing than these, the capture of a beautiful maiden in one of his game snares. Fairbanks made his picture in its entirety in the South Seas^ photo¬ graphing most of it on the island, of Tahiti. With him went a complete production staff, a writer, a director and his three leading supporting players. Maria Alba was the leading woman, portraying a South Sea siren, and the remaining belles in the picture were recruited from the beautiful natives. William Farnum played the so-called “heavy” and Earle Browne had a principal role. Hundreds of natives assisted. 1 E-award’ S utM srta; wodd’s best comedy directors, had charge of the picture, and Tom Ger- aghty, who wrote the story, went along to help. They were augmented by cameramen, sound technicians, assistant directors, - electricians and production executives. Music in Minor Key The only contributor to the pic¬ ture who didn’t go to the South Seas, in fact, was Alfred Newman, celebrated Hollywood composer, who did the incidental music. New¬ man would have'Toved to go, but press of work kept him in Cali¬ fornia. In his music, which is em¬ ployed as a sort of obligato, Newman has lent infinite quality and color to the action. He used the quaint and plaintive strains of South Seas’ music entirely, most of it-pitched in minor keys. Customs of the South Seas, glori¬ ous pictorial value and unique cos¬ tuming round out. the picture and lend it great novelty. It is said to have some of the most beautiful nat¬ ural settings ever seen upon the screen. The presence in Tahiti of Douglas Fairbanks and his company was one of the high spots in recent history of the South Seas. Officials every¬ where did all in their power to make their stay a happy one, and more than 500 natives recruited from sev¬ eral islands enjoyed a sort of holiday by working in the picture. More than once they refused to accept pay for it, on the ground that they h^d so much fun they just couldn’t accept money for it. Schenck Yacht Used The party journeyed from San Francisco in two sections. The In¬ vader, private yacht of Joseph M. Schenck, President of United Ar¬ tists, was used in the picture, and some members of ' the company journeyed across the Pacific in it. But Fairbanks and the remainder of the party went on the Union Royal Mail Liner Makura to Pap- ,- eet .gu , Th e , return was mad e j nq h^ Gayety Keynote of Doug’s New Picture Douglas Fairbanks//* *Mr Robins o n Crus oe*.. same manner. —Two Column Scene Drawing (Mat 10c; Cut 50c) When Douglas Fairbanks cast about for an idea for his current production, “Mr. Robinson Crusoe,” coming to the.. next.. he demanded one thing. It must be a joyful subject that would prove not only entertainment iq these days of long shadows, but carry an optimistic and hopeful note. Doug spent more than a year in serious contemplation before he hit upon his subject. In a word, it is a tale of a modern Robinson Crusoe, who finds himself upon an uninhabited island. Instead of being depressed and giving up, he pitches in and makes the best of things through sheer grit and perse¬ verance. Gathering about him a band of co- workers, Doug set forth for the South Seas, and after cruising about for weeks selected an island far from civilization to work out the start of the story, right on the ground. In the cast are William Farnum, long a star in his own right, Miss Maria Alba, -Earle Browne and others. Edward Sutherland directed, and Tom J. Geraghty worked with the star on the story and dialogue. "It is a joyful story of the South Seas,” said Doug, “made in an earthly paradise of bubbling happi¬ ness, laughter and Song ... a ro¬ mantic fantasy of today. Heretofore most pictures of life in the Islands have depicted the drab and the sordid ... the staggering beach¬ comber, .the wasters and ne’er-do- wells—unpleasant pebple in un¬ pleasant surroundings and situations. "“The theme of the tale is keyed in the purposeful; character of a modern Robinson Crusoe who tackles and meets every, emergency with this thought: ‘There’s a way out.’ In this, is reflected a spirit of hope and optimism, a concrete truth ~T.lrat itappineso'-- 4 s t S ^ : ^ corner.’ ” Douglas Fairbanks/* *Mr Robinson Crusoe' 5—1 Col. Star Scene Head (Mats 05c; Cuts 30c) DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS “MR. ROBINSON CRUSOE” Copyright 19J2 by Douglai Fairbanks Story by....Elton Thomas Adapted for the Screen by.....Tom Geraghty Mnsical Score Composed by.......Alfred Newman Directed by....Edward Sutherland Photographed by.....~.Max Dupont Technical Effects by...Walter Pahlman Film Cutter.......Robert Kern Production Managers.Chas. Lewis and Harry Ham THE PLAYERS with Mr. Fairbanks include William Farnum, Earle Browne, Miss Maria Alba . . . and native chiefs, tribesmen and native girls. UNITED ARTISTS PICTURE SYNOPSIS On a yachting cruise in the South Seas with William Belmont, sportsman, and Professor Carmichale, ethnologist, Steve Drexel, a young adventurer, bets that he could subsist upon a desert island for a month, and they take him up. Steve finds the island a paradise. He improvises his first tool, an axe, and sets to work building a home. He gathers about him a parrot, a monkey, two goats, a giant turtle and, of course, his dog. One day, as he draws in his fish net, he discovers footprints upon the sand, and, tracing them, he captures a head-hunter, whom he calls “Friday the Thirteenth.” Strung around Friday’s neck are a set of radio tubes, and on his canoe are strips of zinc and copper wire, the nucleus of a radio set. Steve commandeers the material and, after much ingenuity, gets the voice of a tenor singer. Lured by the strange singing, a beautiful native girl creeps up to the house. In doing so she falls into one of Steve’s animal traps, where Steve finds her later. But before he comes across her, Friday has been scared by an unusually heavy burst of static and flees. Meantime, Belmont had shot his tiger in Sumatra and was on the return trip. His yacht is put in at an island near that occupied by Steve, and Belmont, with the aid of expensive gifts, arranges to have a group of natives make up as cannibals and swoop down upon Steve. This would have been all right if it hadn’t been for the fact that one of the chiefs in the group was the man from whom Saturday had fled. An additional menace came from the fact that the escaped Friday had mustered about 500 savages to annihilate Steve. When the make-believe cannibals arrive and the chief sees his native girl there, his group decides to become cannibals in reality. Steve is captured and a fire is lighted under him, but voices from his crude radio scare the natives away, with the result that Steve takes advantage of the lull to chase the natives into his largest animal trap. Belmont and Professor Carmichale arrive, and Belmont hands over his check for the thousand. But at this point Friday and his head¬ hunters arrive. The island is surrounded and attacked from all sides. Escape looks impossible, but Steve says: “Double or nothing on that bet that I get out of this one.” Steve hurries his friends to the yacht, and after a spectacular chase he manages to clamor aboard himself. And there, hidden under a tarpaulin, he finds the girl Saturday. Belmont laughs and says: “Now let’s see you get. out of this one.” Steve replies: “Triple or nothing ■ on the bet.” And he does get out of it. 2-Day Feast Held in South Seas as Fairbanks Aid Weds Native Bride of Walter Pahlman Direct Descendant of Most Famous Chief in History of Tahiti While filming “Mr. Robinson Cru¬ soe,” in the South Seas, which opens.at.Doug¬ las Fairbanks stopped production for two days to participate in the Tahitian wedding ceremony of Wal¬ ter Pahlman, chief of his technical staff, and Simone Terai, a direct de¬ scendant of the most famous chief in the history of Tahiti. The native ceremony was per¬ formed in the district of Tiariroo, the bride’s ancestral home. It was marked with all the colorful, ancient pageantry consistent with , the his¬ torical Polynesian tribe. 500 Natives Attend More than five hundred natives, in costumes and full regalia—relatives and guests—were augmented by Mr. Fairbanks and several members of his company, including William Farnum, and his leading lady, Maria Alba. The first day was given over to feasting and dancing, together with many contests and games, a sort of Junior Olympics. Doug was right at home in many of these events. Near the end of the first day’s feasting and making merry, the bride was taken to a mountain pool and bathed by her bridesmaids, an old Tahitian custom. Then there was an evening banquet, lasting all night, spread upon banana leaves under the trees, the chief dish being wild pig—many of them baked whole. An Old Custom The marriage ritual consisted of a review of the girl’s ancestors and their deeds of prowess. In part the chief read (from words and signs painted on tapa cloth) with a great and feverish display of dramatics: “Vaiarii-Tu-Te Moana, the high chief of the Oropaa, boastful of their forebears, is my ancestor. “The birds that fly to the sun are mine, the little birds of the Oropaa. “The groom (Mr. Pahlman) shall henceforth be known as ‘The Red Glow in the Sky.’ “If the first-born be a girl she shall be known as ‘Cloudy Sky.’ But if the first-born be a boy, blessed is he and all shall call him ‘Clear Sky from Afar.” “The thundering sea i§ your9 . . . the birds in the cave are yours, and the mountain top is yours to the highest tree of Mount Papoti. “You have bathed in the pool of Maofetauroa — no more will little Torea color with burning eyes. “Your chief (husband) shall carry the war spear of Itutemoana who often spoke thus: “I drive my war spear and the land is torn up by the roots— “I lay down my spear, and my spear is wet with blood in the day.” An Enormous Chief The legend of Mrs. Pahlman’s great forebear heard most often in Tahitian history, relates to his size and ability to conquer all enemies. There is a mountain peak on the island of Moorea, which has a large natural tunnel about thirty feet in diameter through the highest peak. The story told (and fully believed) is that the Chief’s enemies attacked him in Tahiti, then sought refuge behind the island of Moorea. Like the chiefs of Greek classics and nursery rhymes, this Chief was enormous, about four or five stories high (as Americans compute height). To show his contempt for his enemy he lay flown on the grass, under a pendanus tree, cooled his feet in the surf some distance away, then leaning one elbow on a rock he called for his biggest spear. When it was brought he non¬ chalantly hurled it fourteen miles through the air, straight through the mountain peak of Moorea. The fall¬ ing spear and the tumbling stone sent the enemies flying, confused and bewildered—-and they never came back again. Strangely enough, the large stone upon which the Chief leaned, with his left elbow (there is the imprint of this in the stone) is in the grounds of the home Doug occu¬ pied during his stay in Tahiti. It is one of the show things pf the island and a shrine visited more than ever now that it has become known that . Fairbanks lived there.