Nothing Sacred (United Artists) (1937)

Slapsie Maxie” Rosenbloom Renounces Ring For Screen HERE'S MAX IE IN MOVIE SCENE A scene from the new David O. Selznick, Technicolor comedy sensation, “Nothing Sacred,” in which the former light heavyweight champion “Slapsie Maxie” Rosenbloom has a featured role. He is shown here with Fredric March and Walter Connolly. It is a United Artists release. 5 -B — Two Col. Scene (Mat .30; Cut .50) Fredric March Swings At Carole Lombard’s Chin - - - And Misses Fredric March in . “Nothing Sacred” . 16-A —Thumbnail wince or move back, and I must have thrown two dozen punches in the taking of that one knock-out blow. “If the action were reversed, I’m not at all sure I could say as much for myself.’’ “Nothing Sacred’’ is re¬ leased thru United Artists. Carole Socks March---And How! Fredric March tells me: Never again does he want to be subjected to the strain of swinging at Carole Lombard’s pretty chin, for he doesn’t think his nerves could stand the tension. For eight hours straight, in a scene for David O. Selznick’s technicolor com¬ edy, “Nothing Sacred,’’ now at the .... theatre, March swung his right hand at Carole, at the be¬ hest of Director William A. Well¬ man. “It is one of the comedy mo¬ ments of the pic- ture,” March ex- “Nothing Sacred plains, “and by far one of the most difficult Cut .2o) jobs I have ever encountered. I had to graze Carole’s chin by less than a quarter of an inch, to make it look real. The slightest bit of misjudgment and—well—I would have been guilty of knocking a lady kicking. “Preceding the shot, we scuffled and punched our way around the set, followed by the camera, and when the time came for the knockout blow, the only one, incidentally, that could be faked, we were both breathless and swaying on our feet. “I had to measure off against a swaying target, none too steady my¬ self at the same time, and swing with all my might past Carole’s jaw. We rehearsed the scene for hours, then made it in long shots, medium shots and closeups, with an extra rehearsal preceding each take. “You can well imagine the strain, the fear in the back of my mind that I might stretch my arm just a frac¬ tion of an inch too far. The fear grew with succeeding shots, until I began to think I could go no further. I couldn’t pull back too far, without ruining the effect, and I was hitting so close I could almost feel friction as my fist whizjed by the target. “I’ll say this for Carole: She has the nerves of steel. Not once did she Carole Lombard finally got the chance for which she was waiting— the opportunity to swing a right across to Fredric March’s jaw. Throughout the David O. Selznick technicolor comedy, “Nothing Sacred,” the feature attraction at the . theatre, directed by Wil¬ liam A. Wellman, Miss Lombard has been on the receiving end. She was kicked and punched in the hotel room fight scenes; she was pushed off a dock, shoved into a packing case and pulled beneath two wrestlers. The return bout came with the shooting of a new scene, in which Miss Lombard, catching March un¬ awares, swings once, and with finality. “This,” she said, as Director Well¬ man gave the call for action, “is in¬ deed a pleasure.” Then she swung. March couldn’t retaliate because it wasn’t in the script. Hilarious scenes of the screen play written by Ben Hecht, from an orig¬ inal story by James H. Street, are of the type in which fast action and dialogue are mingled. Many of the funniest lines are spoken between punches, during kicks, or while the stars are dodging pursuers. Former Champ In “Nothing Sacred” ‘Slapsie Maxie” Rosenbloom, form¬ er light-heavyweight boxing champ¬ ion, announced he would hang up his gloves at the end of 1937, climaxing a colorful ring career which saw him riding the crest of Fistiana from 1930 to 1934. Rosenbloom intends to become the first ring champion ever to make good in a screen career! Turning down a $5000 offer from Promoter Jack Kearns in Detroit, “Slapsie Maxie” fixed his attention instead on his newest screen role. He plays the part of “Max,” a newspaper circulation department heavy, in the David O. Selznick technicolor comedy sensation, “Nothing Sacred,” co-star¬ ring Carole Lombard and Fredric March, and directed by William A. Wellman, now at the.theatre. “If I’m a big success in this pic¬ ture,” said Max, “I’ll be through with the ring for good, and I have every reason to believe that my last fight will be behind me. This role doesn’t show me as a boxer, but calls for straight acting.” Rosenbloom’s confident of making pood where other ringmen have failed. There have been champions in pictures —Max Baer, Jack Demosey, Gene Tunney, and more—but all have been exDloited for their punching prowess. “Slapsie Maxie” wants to act, with¬ out eight-ounce fighting gloves. The bright lights have always held a lure for Rosenbloom. So much so, that he is renowned as the fighter who trains in night clubs. To this day, however, Rosenbloom cannot be accused of dodging an opponent or failing to give a fine performance in the ring. His unorthodox style of throwing punches from every angle and all stances earned him the “Slap¬ sie Maxie” cognomen. Max tried his wings on the screen in “Mr. Broadway,” “King for a Night.” “Muss ’Em Up,” and “Don’t Pull Your Punches.” But when he quits the ring, he wants to leave off the gloves in films, too, and have roles as diversified as the Marches and Gables. “Nothing Sacred” is the starting point. Maxie has an agent represent¬ ing him as an actor, and all the other trimmirfgs that go with film celebri¬ ties. To hear Director Wellman say, “Let’s take it, Maxie,” is sweeter music to his ears, he says, than the referee’s warning. “Come out fight¬ ing!” “Nothing Sacred” is released thru United Artists. NOTE: Material on this page is of particular interest to Sports Editors as well as Motion Picture Editors. Wrestling Behemoths Put On Real Show In “Nothing Sacred” All the comforts of home were provided for “Bad Ben’’ Morgan and Hans “The Terrible’’ Steinke when they clashed in a fixed, rehearsed five-hour wrestling duel which took place almost entirely outside the ring. “Bad Ben, who scales a mere 31 5, not counting the mattress on his chin, and Hans, a 240 pound shaver including the vegetable gardens on either side of his head, went Holly¬ wood in a big way. They turned ac¬ tors, a profession for which they have been well-trained, and went through their act with fewer missed cues than Wednesday night at the Olympic. Director William A. Wellman at Selznick International Studio sent out a call for two big, bearded behemoths, to be used in a scene for the techni¬ color comedy, “Nothing Sacred,” now packing them in at the . theatre. Morgan was brought back from Texas, and “Man Mountain” Dean signed to oppose him, but since Dean broke his leg at the Olympic, Steinke was called to substitute, with¬ out the beard. With elfin-like grace, Morgan and Steinke dived over the prop ring on the sound stage, smack into the laps of Carole Lombard and Fredric March. To the accompaniment of crashing chairs, the bush-league favorite and the Terrible One squirmed, groaned and tugged in the approved Daro style. Mickey McMasters, in the real-life role of referee, dived after them, just to make it unanimous. Then they wresteld their way back to the ring again, with the camera using a wide-angle lens to catch both of Morgan’s shoulders. The stars, meanwhile, were picking themselves up from the debris. “It’s just like Wednesday nights,” said ^teinke, “Nice soft laps to fall into.” “Yeah,” replied Morgan, “I could waltz with you forever.” For the various close-ups, long shots, reverse shots and other angles, the swan-diving duo kept it up the rest of the afternoon. And when it all was over, the only one who needed first aid was Steinke, who hurt his leg. Miss Lombard and March, at the bottom of the pile, emerged unscratched. A TRIUMPH OF REALISM ACTORS NOW? Five hundred and fifty-five pounds of wrestlers, plus one referee, weight 142, were dumped over the topmost rope of a ring into the laps of Carole Lombard and Fredric March, in a scene filmed for the David O. Selznick sensational technicolor comedy “Nothing Sacred,” directed by William A. Wellman, coming to the - theatre on -. “Bad Ben” Morgan, 315 pounds, and Hans “The Terrible” Steinke, 240, squirmed and struggled atop the stars, while Mickey McMasters, in the real-life role of referee, fought to separate them. Chairs were broken and scattered in the encounter, and at one time Miss Lombard was entirely hidden by the beefy mass. When it all was over, and Miss Lombard, assisted by March, raised to her feet, a hurry call was dispatched for the first-aid attendant. Steinke had injured his foot. The stars escaped unscathed. 17-2? — Two Col. Scene (Mat .30; Cut .50) “Bad Ben” Morgan, 315 pounds, Hans “The Terrible” Steinke, 240 and Mickey McMasters, weight 142, stage a grunt and groan exhibition in this scene from “Nothing Sacred,” the David O. Selznick Technicolor comedy sensation co- starring Carole Lombard and Fred¬ ric March and released thru United Artists. 15-A —One Col. Scene (Mat .15; Cut .25) Art Lasky Gets A Real Break Hollywood, whose famous person¬ alities are among the most enthusias¬ tic boxing fans, rallied loyally yester¬ day to the assistance of the “hard- luck” heavyweight fighter, Art Lasky, whose ring career came to an abrupt halt as the result of a blow. Lasky, after a year of idleness, during which time he could neither fight, because of a blinded right eye, nor work for the same reason, started a screen career at Selznick Interna¬ tional Studio. He plays the role of “Moe,” a tough character, in David O. Selznick’s technicolor comedy “Nothing Sacred,” now at the. theatre, co-starring Carole Lombard and Fredric March, and directed by William A. Wellman. When the rugged heavyweight was at the peak of his career a year ago, he was regarded one of the chief threats for the world championship. It was during a bout with Johnny Pacek that he received the injury which threatened for a time to leave him totally blind. A glove-thumb from a left jab tore the retina of the eye, although Lasky, who won by a knock¬ out in the fifth round, didn’t think the injury serious. A year’s treatment at the hands of specialists, and a delicate operation that swept away all of Lasky’s ring earnings, resulted in complete recov¬ ery. With no funds, and with the re¬ sponsibility of a wife and infant daughter, Lasky has turned to motion pictures for a career. He does not intend to remain an actor, declaring yesterday he is study¬ ing photography with the intention of becoming a cameraman. Page Fourteen