Taming of the Shrew (United Artists) (1929)

PERSISTENT HAMMERING BRINGS RESULTS Personality and Feature Stories KEEP THE NEWS COLUMNS FILLED WITH STORIES AT ALL TIMES MARY PLAYS WITH DOUG IN NEW FILM Mary Pickford is leading lady to Douglas Fairbanks for the first time in her screen career in the all-talking comedy picture of Shakespeare s “Taming of the Shrew” which comes to the.. .theatre on.America’s Sweet¬ heart, as she was christened by Sid Grauman, famous San Francisco showman, plays a tempestuous shrew who is the bane and despair of all suitors until there comes one, Pet- ruchio, Douglas Fairbanks, a bold and reckless cave man whose strong arm methods work ye great change in ye wild spitfire. With the advent of talking pic¬ tures, Mary Pickford was right in her element inasmuch as years prior to her appearance in the movies, she had been a stage headliner. Her career began at five in a stock com¬ pany playing her home town of Tor¬ onto, Canada. There were many plays and many parts before she came under the auspices of David Belasco in "The Warrens of Vir¬ ginia,” in which she won the heart of Broadway with her portrayal of Betty Warren. Intrigued by the new-fangled art —the movies, Mary applied at the Biograph Studios where D. W. Grif- fith cast her in her first picture, “The Lonely Villa.” Other pictures fol¬ lowed and Mary’s salary rose to the handsome sum of $5,000 a year. At this point David. Belasco punc¬ tuated Miss Pickford’s cinema en¬ deavors by winning her back to the stage for a season’s appearance in the title role of "A Good Little Devil” in which Ernest Truex played the boy. After returning to the screen via Famous Players at $1,000 a week, Mary Pickford in 1916 formed her own company. 1919 witnessed the formation of the United Artists Corporation with Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Charles Chaplin and D. W. Griffith as the charter members. “Pollyanna” was Mary’s first pic¬ ture for the new company. Then there followed such successes as “Little Lord Fauntleroy,” "Tess of the Storm Country,” “Rosita,” My Best Girl,” and “Coquette.” "Taming of the Shrew,” Mary’s newest picture, is an all-talking screen version of the ever modern Shakespearean farce comedy of the same name. Doug Mary’s Cave Man in “Taming of Shrew” # Douglas Fairbanks appears as a ,-star with Mary Pickford for the st time in “Taming of The Shrew , e rollicking talking farce which mes to the. t I ^. e ® tr ^ . . This big United rtists attraction gives Doug his sec- id speaking role on the screen. As an admirer of Shakespeare ice the age of ten, it was but nat¬ al that Doug should become a ember of Frederick Ward’s Shakes- :arean repertory company when he snt forth in search of fame and for- ne as a lad of seventeen. But pep id poetical reserve are apt to clash; iug admits the engagement was not iqualifiedly successful.. After a five months’ sojourn at arvard Doug entered upon a stage ,reer interrupted only by a brief rer into Wall Street. It was a rapid ascent to stellar lights for the energetic Doug. Af- r appearing opposite various stars. iug found his name in lights as the ain figure in “A Gentleman of lisure,” “The Show Shop,” "Officer .6” and "He Comes Up Smiling.’ The movies offered Doug an ideal itlet for his dynamic enthusiasms, d when D. W. Griffith came along th a $2,000 a week offer, a new ir shone in the film firmament, rhe Lamb,” Doug’s first picture, is a smashing success. Joining the Famous Players or¬ ganization Doug played in thirteen pictures including He Comes Up Smiling” and "The Knickerbocker Buckaroo.” The Doug Fairbanks Corporation then came into existence. With the exhibition of such hits as His Maj¬ esty the American,” “When the Clouds Roll By,” “The Mark of Zorro” and "Robin Hood" the name of Fairbanks became synonymous with the best in cinema entertain- llicm. T T • J Fairbanks’ most recent.. United A Artists successes prior to “Taming W of The Shrew” are “The Black Pirate,” "Don Q,” and “The Iron Mask.” “Taming of the Shrew," the all- talking comedy film, presents the bouyant star as the irrepressible Pet- ruchio, barnstorming Romeo, who explodes a bomb-shell of high spirits in the home of his father-in-law-to- be to woo and tame the fair but shrewish Katherine (played by Mary Pickford.) 6—Two Col. Character Scene Heads (Mat 10c; Cut 50c) Who’s Who in Pickford-Fairbanks Cast; Entire Company Has Had Stage Training Every member of the supporting cast selected by Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks to appear in “Taming of the Shrew,” now being shown at the.Theatre, had stage experience prior to en¬ tering pictures. The two stars, as everyone knows, were brought up on the stage, Miss Pickford appearing before the pub¬ lic as a child and Fairbanks played his first role before an audience while still in his teens. Of the other principals, Edwin Maxwell, Joseph Cawthorn, and Clyde Cook are vet¬ erans, while Dorothy Jordan and Geoffrey Wardwell have had much experience crowded into their young careers. JOSEPH CAWTHORN Cawthorn, who plays the role of Gremio, started his theatrical work in the famous Robinson’s Hall, New York, 1874. As a child he toured the country in company with his brother Herbert, followed by a four- year sojourn in England in which he played many of the principal musical halls in London and the provinces. Upon his return to the United States in 1880 he was starred in musical comedy by some of Broad¬ way’s most celebrated producers and for the next thirty years was a member of some of the most suc¬ cessful companies the profession has ever known. For eight years he starred with Julia Sanderson, ap¬ pearing in such plays as “The Sun¬ shine Girl,” "The Girl from Utah” and “Rambler Rose.” Entering mo¬ tion pictures in 1926, Cawthorn has appeared in such pictures as “Two Girls Wanted,” “Silk Legs,” “Street Girl” and others before being se¬ lected for the role of Gremio in “Taming of the Shrew.” CLYDE COOK Clyde Cook, who portrays Petru- chio’s faithful servant, Grumio, is a native of Australia and first ap¬ peared in that country in a dancing act at the age of six. He later played stock and in pantomime shows and went over the Tivoli circuit in a dance act. For five years he was a comedian and dancer in London fol¬ lowed by an engagement at the Folies Bergere in Paris. After a visit to Australia he went to New York and obtained a role with Charles Dil¬ lingham in "Happy Days.” His work in this won him a motion picture contract with Fox. Then he turned to vaudeville, touring the Keith and Orpheum circuits. His return to Hollywood came a year or so later. In roles calling for whimsical comedy, Cook has made his greatest successes. Some of his more recent performances have been in “Barbed Wire,” “The Spieler,” “Captain Lash,” “The Docks of New York” and “A Dangerous Woman.” DOROTHY JORDAN A new and pretty screen face is that of Dorothy Jordan. A Clarks¬ ville, Tennessee miss, whose big chance in motion pictures is like¬ wise her first. She is the only feminine principal besides the star and plays the fair, mild mannered Bianca. After attending Southwestern University in Memphis, Miss Jordan went to New York and studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Art and through a friend was given a tryout for a role in “Garrick Gaieties.” She won this part which was followed by appearances in "Twinkle, Twinkle,” “Funny Face,” “Treasure Girl” and Theatre Guild productions. On a trip to Hollywood, she took a chance, “crashed” the gate at the United Artists studio, impressed Director Sam Taylor, was given a test and assigned to the cast of “Taming the Shrew” within a period of 48 hours. She is not yet old enough to vote, has brown hair and blue eyes, is five feet, two inches tall and weighs just 99 pounds. GEOFFREY WARDWELL Portraying the role of the hand¬ some Hortensio is Geoffrey Ward- well, young English, Shakespearean actor, who is making his first screen appearance in support of Miss Pick¬ ford and Mr. Fairbanks. Born in York, July 30, 1900, he started his education across the water and, at the age of 12, migrated to New York in which city his education was completed. Born with a longing to embrace the career of an actor, young Wardwell was writing opret- tas at the age of 16. When 17, he wrote Otis Skinner a “fan” letter asking for a place in the famous player’s company. The letter was ignored and Wardwell was so angry at the implied slight he determined to make good on the stage without any assistance. He managed to get several roles with various repertoire companies, finally attracting the attention of Mrs. Fiske, who offered him a place in her company. Wardwell had his "revenge” when after a performance of “Much Ado About Nothing,” witnessed by Otis Skinner, the old veteran voluntarily went backstage and complimented the young man on his portrayal. Arriving on the Pacific Coast only a short time ago, Wardwell was as¬ signed immediately for the role of Hortensio. He is six feet, one inch tall, weighs 160 pounds, has dark hair and dark eyes. EDWIN MAXWELL In the role of the jovial but per¬ plexed Baptista, father of Katherine and Bianca, is Edwin Maxwell, long associated with the stage as player, director and “doctor” of anaemic scripts. Born in Dublin, Ireland, Maxwell made his first appearance in back of the footlights at the early age of seven. He returned to the “old country” to matriculate at the University of Edinburgh where for five years he pursued the study of medicine. His summers, however, were spent in stock companies in New York. He received his doctor’s degree at the University, but the call of the footlights was too strong. He served in the capacity of player and associate director with such pro¬ ducers as AI Woods, George Tyler, William Harris, Al Lewis and Earl Carroll. He directed such stars as Henry Walthall, Wilton Lackaye, Fay Bainter, Bertha Kalich and Fanny Brice, and appeared in such successes as “The Jazz Singer”—in which he created the role of the cantor—“Easy Come Easy Go,” “The Donovan Affair,” “The Doc¬ tor’s Dilemma” and "John Fergu¬ son.” For the past five years he has been associated with the Theatre Guild as associated, director. Menzies Prize Designer William Cameron Menzies, who as art director, designed all sets of “Taming of the Shrew,” coming to the.Theatre next.. won last year’s award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for outstanding art achievement in the screen world. “Taming of the Shrew” brings Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks to the screen for the first time as co- stars. Adapting Shakespeare to Talking Picture Screen By ARTHUR J. ZELLNER Translating Shakespeare into terms of sound pictures presents several difficulties that do not ap¬ pear from a cursory consideration of the matter. It seems simple enough to say that a producer has only to costume the characters prop¬ erly, give them proper settings and let them speak the lines intelligent¬ ly. This, however, misses or ignores several major problems. When Mary Pickford and Doug¬ las Fairbanks decided to make a dialogue picture of “Taming of the Shrew,” they faced first the fact that a motion picture performance must be shorter than a stage play. This meant deletions. Then arose the concomitant difficulty of deleting in such a manner that the orthodox worshippers of Shakespeare who clothe his every word with an aura of sanctity, should not take offense. To these the fact that Shakespeare never wrote the original story of the “Shrew” may not be enough to excuse heretical tampering. Furthermore, it is bound to be a matter of conjecture how the stilted phrases of the 15th century will af¬ fect the still incomplete illusion of vitality that the two dimension pic¬ ture creates. Greene, Peele, Kyd and Marlowe are all credited with authorship by various authorities, but there is full agreement that the present version is Shakespeare’s with, perhaps, minor collaboration. Grant White claims that at least three hands are traceable; the author of the old play, Shakespeare himself, and a collaborator. John Lacy, the English actor, played the "Shrew,” or rather a ter¬ ribly mangled version of it under the name of “Sauny the Scot.” In the middle of the eighteenth cen¬ tury, David Garrick played a garbled version under the title of Catherine and Petruchio. Edwin Booth altered it again for presen¬ tation in the early 40’s. In 1887, Augustin Daly presented it with John Drew and Ada Rehan. Other stars have essayed the parts of Katherine and Petruchio; most re¬ cently Sothern and Marlowe of our own generation. With all the various versions from which to choose, what is a mo¬ tion picture producer to do? Brave the literati with an adaptation of his own or hew to the text and let the kicks fall where they may? He is between Scylla and Charybdia, in faith. With the explanation that “Taming of the Shrew” never but once has been produced as written in the first folio and that time ex¬ perimentally by the Ben Greet play¬ ers, Pickford and Fairbanks pro¬ ceed to delete where deletion is necessary, having in mind the en¬ joyment of their audiences and a due respect for the arbitrary de¬ mands of the screen. Shakespearean technique is no¬ torious for two peculiarities that make screen writers tremble. One is the habit of putting into the mouths of minor characters signifi¬ cant plot speeches, and dialogue that motivates important dramatic action. In eliminating one or two characters by leaving out the first scene of the pla.y, Fairbanks has the authority of the Garrick version. This version by eliminating the en¬ tire first act and opening with a scene between Katherine and Petru¬ chio, has the virtue of greater brev¬ ity than was therefore followed as part of the process of reducing the length of performance. Another thing; Shakespeare almost invariably alternated interiors and exteriors with mathematical regularity. Ob¬ viously, the screen, with its much broader scope than the stage can¬ not accept Shakespeare’s limitations as to backgrounds. There are some who consider the Pickford-Fairbanks venture a risk from the standpoint of "Shakes¬ peare being too high brow for mass acceptance.” This is sheer poppy¬ cock. The “Taming of the Shrew,” the screen version of which comes to the.Theater next .. is a broad comedy, that could be told and understood in a deaf and dumb asylum. Its story is straight-forward and human. The production problems were purely matters of shaping a de¬ sirable story written for one medium so that it would properly fit an¬ other. This story is largely of action, simple in plot and undeniably of general appeal—all basic require¬ ments of popular screen material; the leading parts are of types par¬ ticularly suited to the stars who play them. All things considered, one may reasonably expect that with the resources at their command Pickford and Fairbanks have found means of avoiding the dangerous crossovers between the Elizabethan stage and the modern screen. in'TAMING OF THE SHREW" 10—One Col. Character Scene Head (Mat 05c; Cut 30c) Prep Teacher Discusses “Tanting of The Shrew” By CHARLES BLEVINS DAVIS (Head of English Department Wm. Chrisman H\ S., Independence, Mo.) The class room teachers in the great public school system of the United States should welcome the forthcoming production of "Taming of the Shrew” which co-stars Mary Pickford as the temperamental Kath¬ erine, and Douglas Fairbanks as the swaggering Petruchio. It opens at the . Theatre next .for an indefinite run. Since Shakespeare has embodied a distinct moral lesson in his well- defined plot—something very rare in his comedies—it would be well in making out a course of study for fall work in literature to require the reading of “The Shrew” so there will be "intelligent” auditors at the screen performance of the play. I was so interested in the an¬ nouncement that Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks were going to translate Shakespeare into terms of moving pictures and filmed dialogue, that I managed to arrange a kind of temporary employment in the picture. This I was able to do through a friend. Therefore, what I have to write at least has the value of being based on information gleaned at first hand. The first thing I learned was the necessity of making certain changes in the original play in order that it might conform with the arbitrary limitations of the screen. First of all, a stage play is allowed a longer performance than a motion picture, and deletions of dialogue had to be made. Furthermore, the screen has so much more scope than the nar¬ row confines of the stage that it is possible to introduce effects that heighten the dramatic movement of Shakespeare. I learned also that screen tech¬ nique differs so materially from the technique of the stage that Taming of the Shrew” could never have been made exactly as it has been written, and still be the enjoy¬ able play that Miss Pickford and Mr. Fairbanks are making of it. Miss Pickford and Mr. Fairbanks have gone the limit to produce it. For many weeks a great staff of skilled persons have done exhaustive research and technical study. Art directors, musical directors, archi¬ tects, authorities on Shakespearean texts and the like have delved deeply into the world of the Elizabethans to give us what promises to be the most finished presentation the field of drama has produced. Miss Pickford and Mr. Fairbanks have paid the theatregoing public a compliment in offering Shakespeare for their approval. T believe that their version of the play will do more to elevate the mental concep¬ tion of things Shakespearean than anything which has been done thus far. In my class work I rather insist that my students attend all Pickford and Fairbanks productions for they invariably present exceedingly worthwhile things. Mr. Fairbanks did more in a single evening in “The Iron Mask” to impress history, cos¬ tume and settings of medieval France than the concentrated class¬ room efforts of many months could hope to realize. Through the medium of the sound picture the fine lines of the drama¬ tist are presented, and the musical cal score will be equally corr»~* in theme.