Secrets (United Artists Pressbook) (1933)

Don’t Keep ‘‘Secrets’’ From Your Editors! Hot Latin Types Over-Played\ She Says Mona Maris Declares “Hot Cha" School is Not Representative of Spain The Hollywood idea that “fiery Latins” should interpret their roles with much “hot-cha” and hip-wiggling is all wrong, declares Mona Maris, playing “the other woman” opposite Mary Pickford in “Secrets” now at the . The “fiery Latin” should be “fiery” without being obviously so, says Miss Maris, who is half Spanish and half French. She was born in Argentina, educated in Europe, and won popu¬ larity in America. Worked in Europe In the role of a Spanish Californian who tries her blandishments on Leslie Howard, the romantic male interest in the picture, Miss Maris gives what she claims to be the first true repre¬ sentation of the “fiery Latin” type, properly interpreting the sinuosity and hot pepper siren stuff. Miss Maris was a featured actress in European pictures before she came to Hollywood as an unknown four years ago and started her career all over again. Educated in Buenos Aires, France and England, and speaking fluent English, French, German, Italian and Spanish, she arrived in Hollywood on New Year’s eve, 1928. Not knowing a soul in the film capital, she daily made the rounds of the studios without receiving en¬ couragement. Eventually, however, she obtained a small part in “Under the Texas Moon,” and overnight found her services in demand. First Big Role Her first important role in Holly¬ wood was in “Romance of The Rio Grande.” Subsequently she played the leading feminine roles in “The Arizona Kid” and other pictures. Although Miss Maris plays sophis¬ ticated roles, she smokes only in pic¬ tures, and she says she never has been in love, but often wonders what it is like! Ned Sparks Picks His Own Way of Dying Student of Old Western Days Shows How Things Should Be Done It took a comedian to change a Hollywood studio’s interpretation of how a man reacts when he is shot. Ned Sparks, noted dead-pan laugh provoker, who plays one of the chief supporting roles in Mary Pickford’s “Secrets,” now showing at the .... ...., took issue with the “busi¬ ness” in the scenario that called for him to go into a spin and pitch for¬ ward on his face when struck by a bullet, and finally persuaded Director Frank Borzage to let him do the scene his own way. Sparks, it was revealed, is an au¬ thority on gun-fighting and old wes¬ tern badmen. He owns one of the largest private libraries in existence dealing with the lives of desperadoes and famous gun-fights in western America during the past seventy-five years. The comedian also is an ex¬ pert on all kinds of firearms. Guns and gun-fight lore are his hobby. So when Borzage rehearsed Miss Pickford, Leslie Howard and Sparks in a scene at the United Artists stu¬ dios, requiring Sparks to do a heroic fall when supposedly shot by cattle rustlers, the comedian objected to the “dying technique.” “All wrong, all wrong,” protested Sparks. “I’m shot through the chest. At the range these gun-men are fir¬ ing, and with the kind of ammunition they’re using, I would cough con¬ vulsively and merely slump to the ground. I’ve been waiting for years to be shot in a scene like this, and I know how it should be done.” Borzage, after listening to Sparks expound at length on shootings and firearms, finally said: “All right, you’re to be the wounded man, so be shot your own way.” New Screen Father Mary Pickford, who has had scores of screen fathers during her career, boasts a former international cricket champion as her parent in “Secrets,” which opens at the ...He is C. Aubrey Smith, Cambridge man and eminent British athlete, who won fame on the London and N'ew York stage before he entered pictures. Mary Pickford in "SecretsV//A Leslie Howard 2 — Two Col. Scene (Mat .10; Cut .40) MARY PICKFORD Mary Pickford, re-christened “America’s Sweetheart” in San Fran¬ cisco by Sidney Grauman, father of the Pacific Coast film showmen, is really Gladys Smith. She began her stage career in her native city of Toronto, when she was five years old, playing a speaking part with the Valentine Stock Company in that city. When she was eight years old, she was already a veteran actress, going on the road with “The Little Red School-house.” A year later she was starred in “The Fatal Wedding.” Many roles in popular melodramas of the day followed. When she was thirteen the little Smith girl played with Chauncey Olcott in “Edmund Burke.” Her first appearance on Broadway was made under the auspices of David Belasco in “The Warrens of Virginia,” in which she originated the role of Betty Warren. Went to Movies Then Miss Pickford went to the old Biograph Studio, bent upon try¬ ing “these new moving pictures.” She happened to meet Director D. W. Griffith coming out of his office and she was hired then and there. Her first film appearance, she says, was in a 500-foot film called “Her First Biscuits.” Florence Lawrence also played in that picture, as did William Courtwright, who again supported Miss Pickford in “My Best Girl” (1927). The third day she was in the studio Miss Pickford was cast in the leading role in “The Violin Maker of Cremona,” a one-reeler. She re¬ mained with Biograph for a year and a half, her salary going from $40. a week to $5,000. a year, a high salary at that time, even for a movie star. For a time, Mary Pickford was with the Independent Motion Picture Com¬ pany, who paid her $75. a week. How¬ ever, she returned to Biograph for less remuneration since she felt the opportunity offered by that famous old company was greater. Belasco succeeded in winning her back on the stage the following sea¬ son, and presented her in “A Good Little Devil.” In the spring of 1913 she made a film play for Famous Players. Then came her rapid rise to present preeminence in motion pic¬ tures. Her Salary Soars Alary Pickford was vice-president of the Mary Pickford Famous Play¬ ers Company in 1915, her salary hav¬ ing been raised from $1,000 to $2,000 a week, with 50% of the profits. A year later her salary was doubled. For Famous Players Miss Pickford made the following films: “Good Little Devil,” “Caprice,” “Tess of the Storm Country,” “Hearts Adrift,” “Such A Little Queen,” “Eagle’s Mate,” “Behind the Scenes,” “Fanchon the Cric¬ ket,” “Cinderella,” “Mistress Nell,” “A Dawn of Tomorrow,” “Rags,” “Little Pal,” “The Girl of Yester¬ day,” “Poor Little Peppina,” “Madam Butterfly,” “The Found¬ ling,” “The Eternal Grind,” “Hulda from Holland” and “Less Than The Dust.” In 1916 the Mary Pickford Com¬ pany was organized and Miss Pick¬ ford was allowed her choice of stories and cast, to say nothing of her new and enormous salary. She owned a one-half interest in the profits of her films, which were re¬ leased through Artcraft Pictures. Among these films were: “Pride of the Clan,” “Poor Lit¬ tle Rich Girl,” “Romance of the Redwoods,” “The Little American,” “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm,” “Little Princess,” “Stella Maris” “Amarilla of Clothes Line Alley,” “M’liss,” “How Could You, Jean,” “Captain Kidd, Jr.” and “Johanna Enlists.” Becomes Own Producer On Armistice Day, November 11, 1918, Mary Pickford became an in¬ dependent producer, making pic¬ tures for release through First Na¬ tional. These films included “Daddy Long Legs,” “The Hoodlum” and “Heart O’ The Hills.” Early in 1919 Mary became one of the organizers of United Artists Corporation, the other members being Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks and David Wark Grif¬ fith. This organization releases her pictures today. “Pollyanna” was her first pro¬ duction for United Artists, fol¬ lowed by “Suds,” “The Love Light,” “Through the Back Door,” “Little Lord Fauntleroy,” “Tess of the Storm Country,” “Rosita,” “Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall,” “Little Annie Rooney,” “Spar¬ rows” and “My Best Girl.” “Coquette,” released early in 1929, was Miss Pickford’s first all- talking picture. “The Taming of the Shrew,” all- talking picturization of Shake¬ speare’s comedy, represented the first joint appearance of Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks in a film. “Kiki,” the play made famous by Lenore Ulric on the stage and by Norma Talmadge in silent films, followed “The Taming of the Shrew.” Sam Taylor directed and Reginald Denny was leading man opposite Miss Pickford. Weds Doug Fairbanks Mary Pickford and Douglas Fair¬ banks were married March 28, 1920. Their happy married life and loyalty to each other have done much to elevate the motion picture industry’s place in public confidence. Miss Pick¬ ford’s acting and the clean whole¬ some type of film which she pro¬ duces are popularly cited as reasons for her present position at the pin¬ nacle of her profession. Miss Pickford’s sister, Lottie Pick¬ ford, lives in Beverly Hills, Cal. Her brother, Jack, died in Paris this year. Howard Looks To Literature as Next Step Pickford Leading Man Nurses Am¬ bition to Become Writer Sometime Leslie Howard, who plays opposite Mary Pickford in “Secrets,” coming to the . Theatre, next ., rides three hobbies with the same earnestness and enthusiasm he puts into his screen roles. They are amateur photography, writing and pipes. The English-born actor carries a camera with him wherever he goes, in and out of the studios, and he can be seen snapping photographs every spare moment. If he gets an idea for a unique angle, he is apt to disappear from the set and reveal himself a couple of minutes later, hanging from a rafter on a sound stage. He is liable to snap anybody or anything. Unforeseen Problems Toughest in Making of Motion Pictures Ingenuity Taxed to the Utmost During Filming of Mary Pickford's Film It’s the unexpected — the unfore¬ seen problems constantly bobbing up in the making of motion pictures — that in many ways most forcefully testify to the resourcefulness of Hollywood. No matter how well planned a pro¬ duction may be, or how carefully the thousand and one details are worked out in advance, there always are last- minute Gordian knots to be cut by the studio “trouble shooters.” Ingenuity Taxed When the complicated machinery of a picture-making unit starts roll¬ ing, it must be kept going without interruption until the finished product — the entertainment you see on the screen — is ready. It sometimes taxes to the utmost the ingenuity of the “trouble shooters” to keep figurative monkey-wrenches out of the ma¬ chinery, but ninety-nine times out of a hundred they come through. For instance — The desert country within a couple of hours’ drive from Hollywood to¬ day is again “knee deep in sunshine,” but in creating Mary Pickford’s “Secrets,” which comes to the. on . filmdom’s magic had to pinch-hit for nature. One of the im¬ portant sequences in the story called for action on the desert. Members of the technical staff spent the night on location, getting everything in readi¬ ness for the day’s shooting. One hun¬ dred Texas longhorns, transported from the United Artists lot to the desert in motor trucks, were ready for their picture debut. Imported Sunshine Director Frank Borzage and his staff, seventy actors and studio work¬ ers were preparing to push off from the studio at dawn when word came that the desert location was cloudy for the first time in weeks. To have abandoned the trip at the last minute and rearranged the production sched¬ ule to permit shooting other scenes inside the studio would have thrown a good-sized wrench into the ma¬ chinery. Borzage, M. C. Levee, production manager, and their aides went into a huddle, emerging with a decision in less than a minute: “We’ll take our own sunshine to the desert!” A small army of electricians loaded scores of huge sun-arcs on trucks, manned portable generators, and L nine o’clock had the desert location flooded with artificial sunshine. The day’s shooting — cattle stampede, battle with rustlers, heat waves shim¬ mering on the desert — went through as scheduled. Another Problem A few days later, in the studio, Borzage was rehearsing a reception scene with the star, Leslie Howard, Ned Sparks, Mona Maris and fifty supporting players on the set. The highly-polished floor of the palatial home was slippery, so slippery, in fact, that every one was in danger of doing some slap-stick falls. “Do something about it,” was all that the director said. Within a few minutes technicians were busy equipping the entire cast, from the star to the last extra, with non-skid footwear. Strips of specially prepared material were affixed to soles, and when cameras began to grind, the company was able to walk across the floor and dance without worrying about going into a nose dive. Another problem to be solved in “Secrets” was shattering of crockery, in a gun-fight without endangering the lives of the actors. Blank car¬ tridges won’t break dishes, and real bullets, even if fired by experts, have a habit of ricochetting. Miss Pick¬ ford’s director, the man who made “Bad Girl,” and “Farewell to Arms,” “Humoresque,” “Seventh Heaven,” and the only two-time winner of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and recruited Hollywood’s only sling-shot champion — Charles Cline. Shattered Crockery Cline, with the unerring ability to hit a bulls-eye at fifty feet with the weapon of old-fashioned American boyhood, stood behind the cameras and smashed dishes and crockery as Miss Pickford, Howard and Sparks poked guns through holes in a desert cabin and held off cattle rustlers. That’ll give you an idea. LESLIE HOWARD Leslie Howard was born in Lon¬ don, England, the son of Frank Howard, a broker, and Lillian How¬ ard. He was brought up in the suburbs of London and educated at Dulwich College in England. After graduating he became a bank clerk. He served with the British Army in France during the World War. Following his discharge from the army, being without a job, he turned to the stage. His first stage roles were Jerry in “Peg O’ My Heart” and Charley in “Charley’s Aunt” on tour in the English provinces. Rise Was Rapid His first appearance in London was in a play called “The Freaks.” There¬ after his rise in the theatrical world was rapid. He appeared in New York for the first time in 1921 in “Just Suppose,” which was followed by “The Wren,” “Danger,” “The Truth About Blayds,” “The Serpent’s Tooth,” “The Romantic Age,” “Isabel,” “Lady Cristilinda,” “Anything Might Happen,” “Aren’t We All?”, “Outward Bound,” “Escape,” “The Green Hat,” “Her Cardboard Lover,” “Berkeley Square” and the recent Philip Barry hit, “The Ani¬ mal Kingdom.” He made his American film debut in “Outward Bound” and has ap¬ peared in the following films: “Her Cardboard Lover,” “Free Soul,” “Reserved for Ladies” and “The Animal Kingdom.” Loves Sports He loves to play cricket and when a youth won fame for his remarkable game. He is an ardent enthusiast of polo and does a lot of swimming. He owns several horses and dogs. He plays the piano by ear. His favorite stage play is “Richard the Third.” He has blonde hair and blue eyes. He is five foot ten and one-half inches tall. He weighs one hundred and forty-five pounds. Serial Kings Meet Remember Paul Panzer and Fran¬ cis Ford, the serial kings of the silent picture era? You can see them both on the screen at . playing atmospheric roles in Mary Pickford’s “Secrets,” which presents Leslie Howard opposite the star. Comedian Gets Chance The comedian who yearned to play Hamlet has his counterpart in Ned Sparks, Hollywood’s famous dead¬ pan laugh-provoker, who, all his life, has cherished an ambition to give a dramatic performance. This ambition is realized in Mary Pickford’s “Se¬ crets,” now on the screen at the .... Sparks shares supporting honors with Leslie Howard in the romantic story directed by Frank Borzage, whose previous productions such as “Seventh Heaven,” “Bad Girl” and “Farewell to Arms,” have been ac¬ claimed throughout the world. Director an Athlete Outstanding athletes in Holly¬ wood’s film colony are not confined to the screen’s “he-men.” One of the outstanding athletes is Frank Bor¬ zage, director of Mary Pickford’s “Secrets,” at the . Theatre, who has won championships in handball, squash, golf and other sports. He is also a licensed flyer, pilots his own plane. Yachting is another of his diversions. He owns a racing hydroplane and a cabin cruiser. An expert horesman, he was one of Hollywood’s best polo players until studio and physicians’ requests caused him to give up the sport after his mount fell on him in a game. * Mary Pickford star of 'Secrets"* 4 -— One Col. Star Head (Mat .05; Cut .20)