Taming of the Shrew (United Artists) (1929)

THE SCREEN’S BIGGEST STARS IN THE SCREEN’S BIGGEST TALKING PICTURE Review and During Run Stories (LONG REVIEW) . . . (City) . . .had an opportunity yesterday to see for themselves the much heralded “Taming of the Shrew” in which Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks appear for the first time as co-stars. It was truly an event of importance and the crowds at the . Theatre attested the success of this great combination. It is only fair to say that advance reports of the film were not exagger¬ ated. Here is a rollicking comedy that brought gales of laughter and kept the audience at a high pitch of enthusiasm from the opening scene to the final one. While “Taming of the Shrew” is from the master pen of Shakespeare, it is so modern in handling and so human in plot that it might just as well have been the product of a con¬ temporaneous playwright. Director Sam Taylor, who also wrote the fine adaptation, never lost a single bit of Shakespeare’s delicious comedy and, in fact, contributed many bits of busi¬ ness that added to the hilarious pro¬ ceedings. Mary Pickford as Katherine, the Shrew, gave a performance that will stand for many moons as the high water mark of dramatic perfection. She wore her gorgeous costumes with grace and somehow seemed more beautiful than ever. The ebullient Douglas Fairbanks was his own self as Petruchio. It is a part that suits him admirably in every aspect, and in addition to the usual audacious rascal that he al¬ ways manages to make of every part, he contributes some of the finest com¬ edy that has ever reached the screen. The play is supposed to be laid in Padua, Italy, in the fifteenth century, but would have lost nothing if it had (name of city) for a locale. It concerns a young man who comes from Verona in search of ad¬ venture and a wife. He meets some old friends who tell him about a beautiful girl of gentle nature who has a sister even more beautiful but so high tempered and tempestuous that no man can woo her. This whets the curiosity of the young traveler, Petruchio, and he wants to know more about the beauteous Shrew, Katherine. He hears that she is very rich and determines to meet her, tame her and marry her. The conflict between the two brings about the most boisterous comedy situations that sent yester¬ day’s audience into bursts of laugh¬ ter that rocked the theatre. In their glorious comedy. Miss Pickford and Mr. Fairbanks are sup¬ ported by a very able cast of well- known stage people, including the well-known character actor, Edwin Maxwell who plays Katherine’s fa¬ ther; Joseph Cawthorn as Gremio, Clyde Cook as Grumio and Dorothy Jordan as Bianca. “Taming of the Shrew” will un¬ doubtedly go down in cinema history as the first great step forward in the development of talking pictures and no one should miss the wonderful MARY PICKFORDsDOUGLAS FAIRBANKS, STARS in'TAMING of theSHREW' 9a—One Col. Pickford-F air banks Scene Heads (Mat 05c; Cut 30c) comedy. It is so riotous that it verges on slap stick, but on a magnificent scale. Like all Fairbanks productions it has backgrounds of such size and grandeur that it must be considered the season’s biggest production as well as the most humorous and en¬ joyable. The engagement at the. Theatre is for.days. Mary and Doug Convulse Audience with Laugh Hit (SHORT REVIEW) In a day when every picture is heralded in superlatives, the motion picture goer hardly knows where to look for the really outstanding film. It has arrived at last with the two foremost stars of the cinema, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks in “Taming of the Shrew,” at the .... Theatre. This is the first appearance of these famous stars together, and is a real event in local theatrical cir¬ cles—an event no one should miss. While this is a transcription of Shakespeare, it is the same kind of rollicking comedy one would expect from any modern dramatist adept in handling a farcical courtship. The part of Katherine is perfectly suited to Mary Pickford’s flair for comedy, and Douglas in the part of Petruchio has never had a part that fitted him as well. The story is laid in Padua, and relates the experience of a young man who sets out to win a girl who is famous for temper so fiery and a tongue so sharp that no man dares woo her. Petruchio beats her at her own game or thinks he does, and meanwhile we are treated to the most amusing comedy situations that any screen has offered. This Sam Taylor Production offers wonderful scenic beauty as well as an absorbing story. The distinguished cast includes a number of Broadway stage celebrities, Edwin Maxwell, Geoffrey Wardwell, Clyde Cook, Dorothy Jordan and Joseph Caw¬ thorn. The engagement at the. is for.days. (FLAPPER REVIEW) As the pool shark said to the six ball “It’s in,” and I don’t mean may¬ be. I mean Mary and Doug in “Tam¬ ing of the Shrew,” down at the .... Theatre. This Sheakespeare boy may be highbrow to a college president but he’s just a class A slap sticker to the audiences at the. Theatre. Yesterday, I saw people en¬ joying themselves who never read anything more literary than street car ads and then have to look at the illustrations to get the meaning. What a Mack Sennett that fellow Shakespeare must have been. The audience rocked with laughter from beginning to end and this fair re¬ porter rises to remark that laughs that come from just below the chest line are far from plentiful in movie theatres. The press agent who called this a 100% talking picture knew his arithmetic; I personally would have stood for it if he had called it 200%. The story of the play looks to me like the father of the cave man tales. A guy named Petruchio tries to tame a swell young dame whose temper is so hot, they have to dress her in asbestos. It’s a fast fight and a merry one between these two, and if you don’t howl when you see it, some of your ancestors must have been burn¬ ed at the stake for general cussed¬ ness. The scenery is swell, too. Whole acres of Italian cities and flossy houses and some rain and storm stuff that Director Sam Taylor can brag about, without a word from me. These Pickfair people are pretty foxy. Big as they are they were smart enough not to depend on their own names and hire hams for the other parts. Nossir! They got hold of a bunch of real actors. A fellow named Edwin Maxwell plays Mary’s father and he’s a scream. Then there’s old Joe Cawthorne that used to knock ’em cold in musical comedy and Clyde Cook, my favorite comic, and Geoffrey Wardwell, who toppled ’em over on the London stage, and Doro¬ thy Jordan, ‘pretty as a picture from old Broadway. All in all I had a great party all by myself at the. Theatre. I saw through this show and howled with delight. To me it’s a knockout, and I’m telling my friends to see it for their own sake, and my enemies because it’ll make them love me. , What a show! 600 Costumed in Two Hours for Star Film A new record in “transforma¬ tion” was established by the make¬ up department of Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks during the filming of “Taming of the Shrew” which comes to the. Theatre next. More than 600 Hollywood extras were turned into citizens of the 1 5th century Italian city of Padua in the astounding time of two hours. Seven assistants, skilled in the use of cosmetics and crepe hair, were re¬ sponsible for the record-breaking performance. These seven artists arrived early at the studio lot where the tre¬ mendous set representing a thorr oughfare of the city had been erected, and laid their preparations for the handling of the large crowd. They were ready when the players arrived. Then the work started. For the men, flannels and berets gave way to velvet and fur, beards and tights. And the women discarded short-skirted chiffon for long trains trimmed with pearl. Turbans were replaced by gorgeous head dresses of the period. Bobbed hair reached the waist with one wave of the wig maker’s hand. Mustaches and beards grew in a twinkling. Flappers became ma¬ trons with a few deft strokes of rouge and lining pencil and strange and colorful figures took their as¬ signed places minutes before Direc¬ tor Sam Taylor gave the signal to start the cameras. Among the featured players to share in the transformation are Dorothy Jordan, Geoffrey Ward- well, Clyde Cook, Edwin Maxwell and Joseph Cawthorn, all of whom have important roles in support of Mary Pickford and Douglas Fair¬ banks in “Taming of the Shrew.” MARY PICKFORDfrDOUGLAS FAIRBANKS. STARS in TAMING of the SHREW"' 1—Two Col. Pickford-Fairbanks Star Scene Heads (Mat 10c; Cut 50c) DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS, in TAMING oftheSHREW" 11—One Col. Character Scene Head (Mat 05c; Cut 30c) 'TAMING OF SHREW J HOME TOWN LIST York, England—The birthplace of Geoffrey Wardwell, who plays the role of Hortensio in "Taming of the Shrew.” Mr. Wardwell is well known to audiences of London and the provinces. Clarksville, Tennessee—Here Dor¬ othy Jordan, the Bianca of "Taming of the Shrew,” was born. She attended Southwest¬ ern University in Memphis. Miss Jordan received fame when she took a screen test and talked her way into a contract within the course of twenty- four hours. Port McQuarrie, Australia—Clyde Cook, playing Grumio in "Taming of the Shrew,” was born here and spent his child¬ hood in this country as a mem¬ ber of dancing and pantomime acts. New York, N. Y.—Joseph Caw¬ thorn, “the grand old man of musical comedy,” who plays the role of Gremio in “Taming of the Shrew,” was born in New.York City and made his stage debut there in 1874 at the old Robinson’s Hall. Dublin, Ireland—The birthplace of Edwin Maxwell, playing Bap- tista in the production. Maxwell holds a degree of Doctor of Medicine from the University of Edinburgh. For the past five years he has been an associate director with the Theatre Guild. Cleveland, Ohio-The home of Bruce “Lucky” Humberstone, who acted as assistant director to Sam Taylor on “Taming of the Shrew.” He is a graduate of East High School of this city. New York City, N. Y.—Sam Taylor, who directed “Taming of the Shrew,” was born in New York. He received an A.B. de¬ gree from Fordham University and then entered motion pic¬ tures as a scenarist. Globe, Arizona—Lou Johnson, chief electrician for the production, calls Globe his home city. Elkhart, Indiana—David Forrest, in charge of sound recording for “Taming of the Shrew,” was born in Elkhart. He is a grad¬ uate of the University of Cali¬ fornia. Albany, New York—Cora Palmatier, who served as script clerk on “Taming of the Shrew” was born and educated here. She is a graduate of the Albany Business College. Brooklyn, New York—Karl Struss, chief cinematographer on the production, and winner of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ award for outstanding photography for 1928, was born in Brooklyn. Toronto, Ont.—Like Mary Pickford, Stuart Thompson, cameraman on “Taming of the Shrew,” calls Toronto home. He was educated at Toronto Tech. Mary Marries Doug Twice Mary Pickford is twice a bride with only one ceremony in “Taming of the Shrew,” Shakespeare’s im¬ mortal comedy which brings "Amer¬ ica’s Sweetheart” and her famous husband, Douglas Fairbanks to the screen as co-stars for the first time. According to old Italian custom, the blessing of the father, with the hands of the betrothed in his, makes the engaged couple man and wife in the eyes of the law. In the picture, this is done, followed by a religious cere¬ mony. “Taming of the Shrew” comes to *he . Theatre TELL YOUR PUBLIC ABOUT THEM BY PUBLICIZING IT BIG Mary and Doug Tearn in Films for First Time The most talked about film in America today is “Taming of the Shrew”-the first co-starring vehicle of Mary Pickford and Douglas Fair¬ banks. The outstanding achievement of the motion picture world, it is now on exhibition at the. Theatre, where it will be shown for . This great comedy will undoubtedly be seen by more people than any picture ever shown. The tremendous interest in the first appearance together of the two great¬ est stars is heightened by the fact that they have made a picture that ap¬ peals to everybody. “Taming of the Shrew” was writ¬ ten by Shakespeare at a time when he had temporarily forsaken the weightier forms of writing. As a re¬ sult he gave the world a farce that is full to the brim with comedy. It is practically a slap stick and riot¬ ously funny. One thinks of a Pickford or a Fairbanks picture as a beautiful pro¬ duction and in this will not be dis¬ appointed, as “Taming of the Shrew is said to represent the last word in magnificent settings. It is, however, a very fast moving, cyclonic comedy. Mary has the delightful role of Katherine, a girl whose furious tem¬ per and lashing tongue make her a person to be feared by all young men, no matter how her beauty might at¬ tract them. They are afraid to face her ridicule and also her whip which she always carries. She is not above throwing a tender suitor down the stairs with a chair wrapped about his neck. Doug as Petruchio decides that he of all men can tame the devilish shrew and undertakes to make her eat from his hand. The tussle be¬ tween them is so very fast and ludi¬ crous that every audience that has seen the picture has been swept by a storm of mirth and laughter. Sam Taylor has both directed and adapted the story. The cast which he chose is composed of noted stage actors, Edwin Maxwell, Joseph Cawthorn, Clyde Cook, Geoffrey Wardwell and Dorothy Jordan. No one who cares for the joyous opportunity of an evening of hilari¬ ous fun will miss the chance to see Mary and Doug at the. Theatre now. Mary and Doug Co-Stars in All-Talking Comedy Doug and Mary together. Picture fans have been waiting for this for years! And now they can be both seen and heard together. The two outstanding figures in the film world, each a great attraction, have now joined forces to give theatre-goers a measure of entertainment full to the brim and overflowing. Next week all roads will lead to the. Theatre. The first joint appearance of these great stars will be in a glorious all- talking frolic of love and laughter: Shakespeare’s "Taming of the Shrew.” This is not only the lightest and frothiest of Shakespearean works, but is the story on which all the modern tales of cave men are based. Directed and adapted by Sam Tay¬ lor, the picture has been superbly mounted and costumed. Doug plays the part of a young man who sets out to win a girl famous for a temper so wild and stormy that no man dares to come near her. Mary has the role of the beautiful Katherine who is not afraid of any man and matches her wits and good right arm against any one who dares try to woo her. The whole story revolves around the attempts of Doug to win the girl who will not be won by any method ever tried. He finally finds a way but not until the audience is carried through a series of the most laugh¬ able situations. Written as a farce and always played as such on the Shakespearean stage, “Taming of the Shrew” is one of the broadest of comedies and promises a laugh fest for. (city) movie-fans. Miss Pickford and Mr. Fairbanks are supported by a notable cast that includes Edwin Maxwell, Geoffrey Wardwell, Joseph Cawthorne, Clyde Cook and Dorothy Jordan. The engagement at the. Theatre begins.and since it will only remain. days, it is not likely that everybody in ... (city) . . . will be able to see the most important motion pic¬ ture of this or any previous season, and it has been suggested by the management of the. Theatre that everyone who can do so, attend the early shows.