Taming of the Shrew (United Artists) (1929)

Adapted and Directed by SAM TAYLOR UNITED ARTISTS PICTURE The Screen's (greatest Stars MARY PICKFORD and DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS in Shakespeare’s Glorious Comedy “TAMING OF THE SHREW” PUBLICITY SECTION- MARY PICKFORD AND DOUG FAIRBANKS SPLENDID TEAM IN ‘TAMING OF THE SHREW’ MAW PICKFORD s-DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS in'TAMING OF THE SHREW" 7 —One Col. Scene (Mat 05 c; Cut 30c) Screen’s Two Greatest Personalities Appear Together for First Time in All-Talking, All-Laughing Film Version of Shakespearean Comedy. The most popular starring team in the history of motion pictures is brought together for the first time in “Taming of the Shrew,” which opens at *be.Theatre next.for an indefinite run. Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks! “America’s Sweetheart" and Dynamic Doug” in William Shakespeare's glorious comedy! Audiences everywhere who have seen this Sam Taylor production are heaping praises upon it as being a jewel of film entertainment. “Taming of the Shrew” was meant for laughs and Director Sam Taylor has succeeded in deftly bringing out every iota of comedy which came from the pen of Shakespeare. It is a story chock-full of humor, color and de¬ lightful satire. Laid in the fifteenth century it sparkles with twentieth century laughs. In the role of Katherine, Mary Pickford goes beyond the heights she reached in the never-to-be-for- gotten “Coquette.” And the agile Doug loses not one bit of his cus¬ tomary bustling, swaggering self in his interpretation of the gay Petruchio. The story concerns the problem of the father Baptista in marrying his two daughters, Katherine and Bianca. The younger, Bianca, a sweet, charming, beautiful maid, is so desirable that suitors are legion. It is Katherine, however, who brings grief to Baptista. The elder daugh¬ ter is a shrew, a scolding, vexatious woman whose beauty is overshad¬ owed by intolerable outbursts of temper and jealous rage. So violent is she that her reputation is country¬ wide, and the strong masculine souls who approach because of an attrac¬ tive dowry, quickly withdraw. But Baptista stubbornly decrees that no suitor of Bianca's will be considered until Katherine is safely wedded. Into this situation comes the swaggering yet lovable Petruchio, intent upon marriage, and through Gremio and Hortensio, Bianca’s suitors and his friends, learns of the untamed Katherine. Intrigued by re¬ ports of her disposition and at¬ tracted by the size of her dowry, Petruchio makes plans to woo fair Katherine, boasting that he is not afraid of any woman’s tongue. Baptista fearfully gives his con¬ sent and the battle is on. At the first meeting of Katherine and Petruchio, the former is dazed and bewildered at the devastating tactics of the handsome stranger. She is powerless and speechless in the hands of this dashing gentleman who more than rouses her fury but in so doing forces her to admit her love. He is too much for her and despite her will she finds herself agreeing to marry him the following Sunday. Added humiliation comes to Katherine at the wedding ceremony when, in front of the restless guests, Petruchio arrives late and dressed in the rags of a beggar. Although mortified, she is forced to go through with the wedding, but when her new husband refuses to attend the feast, with the plea that he and his bride must be off, her fury breaks in tor¬ rent. Again, Petruchio wins, carry¬ ing her away in the face of her angry protests and a dazed assem¬ blage of guests. At his country home, after a tedious journey in the rain, the "taming” tactics of Petruchio are carried throughout dinner. He re¬ fuses to allow her to eat and startles her even more by his overruling, terrorizing methods, punctuated with protestations of love. In the bridal chamber that eve¬ ning, however, Katherine overhears Petruchio confide his plans to con¬ tinue the “taming” process through¬ out the night. Consequently, when Petruchio assails her with torment, she instantly becomes placid, agree¬ ing with every little whim, until he attempts to rob her of a coveted pillow. It is then that the Katherine fury breaks out anew and takes shape in the hurling of a stool which catches Petruchio squarely on the head. Moaning and groaning, the swaggering Petruchio betrays his true character—that of an injured little boy—and the smart Katherine, realizing that her husband's actions are a sham, again assumes the role of the acquiescent wife, with Petruchio still believing that he has tamed her. Later, when called upon by Petruchio to tell "of what duty these women owe their lords and masters, “Katherine makes the famous speech which includes the lines, “Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper.” But at its conclusion, Petruchio, and the rest of the men, do not see the large and knowing wink bestowed upon the assembled women by Katherine. Realizing the tremendous amount of subtle comedy to be put or the screen Miss Pickford and Doug¬ las Fairbanks selected Sam Taylor to adapt the story and also to di¬ rect the screen presentation. Begin¬ ning his career in motion pictures as a writer, Taylor has advanced to the front rank of directors through his splendid work with Harold Lloyd comedies and more recently as the director of Norma Talmadge in “A Woman Disputed” and with Miss Pickford in both “My Best Girl” and “Coquette.” "Lucky” Humberstone served as his assistant on “Taming of the Shrew.” Technical assistance was plenti¬ ful. Surrounding the director and two stars were Earle Browne, dra¬ matic coach, Constance Collier, noted Broadway stage player, John Craig, veteran of the speaking stage and Lawrence Irving, who with Wil¬ liam Cameron Menzies, is respon¬ sible for the remarkable art effects. The supporting cast is composed of the stage veterans, some of them making their motion picture debut in “Taming of the Shrew.” As the jovial but worried Baptista is Edwin Maxwell, for five years an associate director of Theatre Guild produc¬ tions. Geoffrey Wardwell, young English juvenile, plays the role of Hortensio after a brief but remark¬ able career upon English and Ameri¬ can stages. Miss Dorothy Jordan plays the charming, mild-mannered Bianca. Coming from the Theatre Guild and roles on Broadway in “Funny Face,” “Twinkle, Twinkle” and “Treasure Girl,” Miss Jordan, Maxwell, and Wardwell, make their first screen appearance in this pic¬ ture. "The grand old man of musi¬ cal comedy,” Joseph Cawthorn plays Gremio and Clyde Cook, a favorite for his whimsical comedy roles port¬ rays the faithful servant, Grumio. “TAMING OF SHREW” FAST-MOVING COMEDY Mary and Doug Co-Star in All-Talker Based on Laugh Masterpiece When a beautiful girl counters a legitimate proposal of marriage tendered by a handsome young man with such a statement as: “I'll see thee hanged,” things are bound to happen. And happen they do in "Taming of the Shrew” which comes to the .Theatre as the feature attraction next.and like¬ wise brings Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks to the screen to¬ gether for the first time. From the opening shot to the final fadeout, “Taming of the Shrew” is just one long, glorious laugh. From the first moment gay but stubborn Petruchio (Douglas Fairbanks) lays eyes upon his bride- to-be, the stormy, tempestuous Katherine (Mary Pickford) there ensues a battle of wits and wills. Loving her fiery temper, and in¬ trigued by her defiant remark: “I’ll see thee hanged!” Petruchio sets about -unceremoniously to tame the Shrew. To make things more com¬ plicated, he employs the very tactics that have won her the cognomen of "wildcat” throughout all of Italy. How she resists, and how the ultimate solution is worked out could only be told by Shakespeare. In this screen story of the Bard’s immortal comedy, brought to the screen for the first time in the his¬ tory of motion pictures by Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, every bit of essential dialogue, com¬ edy and striking situation has been left intact throughout production. This was accomplished by Sam Tay¬ lor, the man who directed “Taming of the Shrew” and, before that, “Coquette,” which established Miss Pickford as one of the greatest emo¬ tional actresses the screen has ever seen. Taylor succeeded in retaining all the humanness which characterizes Shakespeare’s works, and yet en¬ hanced the scope of the play through the medium of the motion picture camera. Critics who have seen the “Taming of the Shrew” hail it as an achievement in sound-recording, thanks to the innovations supplied by David Forrest, who was respon¬ sible for the microphone work on “Coquette.” Among the featured players who support the two stars in the comedy are Joseph Cawthorn, Clyde Cook, Dorothy Jordan, Geoffrey Wardwell and Edwin Maxwell. World’s Largest Sound Stage for “Shrew” The filming of interiors for ‘Taming of the Shrew,” which is now showing Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks to the screen of the . Theatre, for the first time as co-stars, was done on the world’s largest sound stage, re¬ cently completed. The first company to make use of the up-to-the-minute equipment supplied by the enormous structure, “Taming of the Shrew” thus was as¬ sured perfection in sound-recording results, surpassing the effects ob¬ tained in the stars’ most recent pro¬ ductions, “Coquette” and “The Iron Mask.” The stage itself is large enough to house three complete sets used in the production. The interior of a church, a residence in the Italian city of Padua, and the interior of Fairbanks’ country home all rested within the walls of the absolutely sound-proof stage. Players whose voices were re¬ corded in “Taming of the Shrew,” addition to those of Miss Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, are Dorothy Jordan, Geoffrey Wardwell, Joseph Cawthorn, Edwin Maxwell and Clyde Cook. Sam Taylor directed the pro¬ duction. MARY PICKFORD and DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS in An Adaptation of Shakespeare’s Great Comedy “TAMING OF THE SHREW” Copyright 1929 by the Pickford Corporation and the Elton Corporation UNITED ARTISTS PICTURE Adapted and Directed by SAM TAYLOR Settings By WILLIAM CAMERON MENZIES and LAURENCE IRVING Photography Film Editor KARL STRUSS ALLEN McNEIL Production Staff EARLE BROWNE LUCKY HUMBERSTONE WALTER MAYO CAST Katherine . Mary Pickford Petruchio . Douglas Fairbanks Baptista . Edwin Maxwell Gremio . Joseph Cawthorn Grumio . Clyde Cook Hortensio . Geoffrey Wardwell Bianca . Dorothy Jordan THE STORY Katherine and Bianca are daughters of Baptista, a wealthy merchant of Padua. Beautiful Bianca has several suitors, but Katherine, (Mary Pickford) older of the two, though “fair to see,” is such a fury that the young men of her set, notwithstand. ing a large dowry, shun her society. Baptista, however announces that he will not sanction the marriage of the younger sister until Katherine is wedded. Among the suitors for the hand of Bianca are Gremio, a rich man of middle-age, and Hortensio, a young, handsome gentleman, both residents of Padua. To Padua comes the swaggering, carefree, yet lovable Petruchio, (Douglas Fairbanks) a gentleman of Verona, to ‘‘see the world, haply to wed and thrive the best I may.” He is accompanied by his servant Grumio. From his friend Hortensio, Petruchio learns of the fiery Katherine, is told of the complications concerning the suit of Bianca and is also enlightened as to the magnificent dowry Katherine will bring to her husband. Boasting of his prowess as a rough lover and feeling no fear of the temptestuous Katherine, Petruchio obtains per¬ mission to seek her hand. He also aids Hortensio, by means of a disguise, to obtain the position as music instructor in Bianca’s home. Petruchio meets Katherine at the abrupt termination of the first lesson in which the erstwhile instructor is delivered at Petruchio’s feet in a pile, his head wearing the battered remnants of a lute placed there by the hands of the furious elder daughter. Try as she may to offset the strenuous and erratic lovemaking of the madcap gentleman, Katherine finds herself helpless, much to her fury, dgainst the will of the newcomer. When he sets the following Sunday as the wedding day she retorts: “I’ll see you hanged first!” But, as he takes things for granted and prepares his depar¬ ture, she agrees and finds much to attract her in the handsome stranger. With the wedding day, the “taming” begins in earnest. Petruchio, to the disgust of the guests and the mortification of Katherine, arrives at the ceremony inexcusably late and attired in the outlandish garb of a beggar. He will not remain for the wed¬ ding feast and despite the entreaties of friends and the defiance of his bride, takes her away after a mock battle with his guests. At his country home he fairly bewilders her with his caprices, alternating be¬ tween inconsiderate actions and protestations of love. He welcomes her but makes no attempt to provide dry clothing after a long ride in the rain. He also denies her dinner on the grounds that it has been ill-prepared. Katherine’s spirit is far from broken and she is defiant until she learns that her husband’s actions are tricks to batter down her will. With this enlightenment, the wise Katherine immediately changes her tactics, goes to the other extreme, and be¬ comes obedient and pliable. And, Petruchio, although startled at the sudden change in his beloved, attributes everything to the perfect working of his system of taming. At a wedding feast sometime later, Petruchio inviting the guests to notice how he has “tamed” the shrew, charges Katherine to tell of what duty “these women owe their lords and husbands.” Obediently, Katherine arises and delivers the famous speech containing the line, “Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper.” But, as she finishes, unseen by the men, she gives the women a large and understanding wink. 4 Our Mary 99 is Left Waiting at Church in Talking Film of “Taming of Shrew 9i Girls, what would you do if— You were waiting at the church, dressed in beautiful bridal robes; your guests were assembled; your attendants were ready; the organ was playing; the minister was be¬ coming impatient—and the bride¬ groom was missing? When he does finally put in an appearance dressed like a tramp— what would you do? That is the problem faced by Mary Pickford in “Taming of the Shrew,” which comes to the. Theatre next . for a run of.days. And it is just one of the hilarous situations furnished by Shakespeare in his immortal, glorious comedy which brings “America’s Sweet¬ heart” and her famous husband, Douglas Fairbanks to the screen for the first time as co-stars. It is in this situation we find Miss Pickford as the stormy vexatious Katherine getting a taste of her own medicine from the dashing, swaggering, con¬ ceited, yet lovable Douglas as Petru¬ chio, he who undertakes to tame the spitfire of Padua. Up to this time in the famous comedy, Katherine has held the whip hand. Through tyranny and downright orneriness she has suc¬ ceeded in making life unbearable for everyone in the vicinity until her meeting with the magnetic Petru¬ chio. Employing her own blustering tactics, Fairbanks sweeps her off her feet, sets a wedding day and then almost fails to appear. How Miss Pickford handles the situation and how it ultimately ends makes “Taming of the Shrew” one of the outstanding comedies of the year. Director Sam Taylor, the man who directed Miss Pickford in “Coquette” has given the produc¬ tion of "Taming of the Shrew” a deft touch, a subtleness which makes it one chuckle from beginning to end, enhanced by the original Shakespearean dialogue in the all- talking picture. Supporting the two stars, as members of a featured cast are Ed¬ win Maxwell, as Baptista; Dorothy Jordan, as the beautiful mild-man¬ nered Bianca; Geoffrey Wardwell, as Hortensio; Joseph Cawthorn, as Gremio, and funny Clyde Cook as the faithful servant Grumio.