The Bowery (United Artists) (1933)

IS SELL PERSONALITIES FLED FROM SCHOOL UNO PIANO LESSONS Wallace Beery Achieved His Greatest Fame Combining Menace with Humor REPS BEAUTIFUL WITH OUTDOOR LIFE Fay Wray, Heroine of Many Exciting Dramas, Never That Way Herself (BIOGRAPHICAL FEATURE) Life has been one long struggle to Wallace Beery, co-starring at the .Theatre . with George Raft and Jackie Coopei in “The Bowery,” a 20th Century Picture and a United Artists release. It was only by the hardest, most grinding work that Wally rose to his present eminence on the screen. Born in Kansas City, Mo., on April Fool’s Day, Wally was the son of a policeman who had struggled to provide for two other brothers, Wil¬ liam and Noah. From boyhood the rough side of life has been experienced by Wally. He didn’t like school and hated piano lessons, so he ran away. When he realized the anxiety he must be caus¬ ing his mother, he returned, was for¬ given and granted permission to leave school and go to work. joined Brother in Chorus He was a wiper in a railroad round¬ house, tossed red-hot metal in a bolt and nut factory and was elephant man with Ringling Brothers. By that time his brother, Noah, was making $25 a week in the chorus, so Wally went to New York and got a chorus job in the company with his brother. A good voice, coupled with acting ability, brought him a small part and he made such rapid strides that he replaced Raymond Hitchcock in “The Yankee Tourist.” Later he toured the country at the head of a Henry W. Savage company and added to his stage experience by playing dramatic roles in summer stock companies in St. Louis, Kansas City and other places. He was playing in a musical show in Chicago when Essanay made him a moving picture offer. It was there he met Gloria Swanson, then an ex¬ tra girl, who became his first wife. Oddly enough, Beery made his first appearance in the movies as a Swedish servant girl in a two-reel comedy. While acting in Essanay pictures he worked also as an elec trician and a cameraman. He learned so much about the business generally that he directed Francis X. Bushman and other stars of that experimental period. Managed Western Studio When Essanay decided to open a studio at Niles, California, they sent Beery as its manager. He gave up that position and went to Hollywood, where he became a comedian in Key¬ stone comedies. His first heavy role was with Ho¬ bart Bosworth in “Behind the Door,” a picture made in 1917. It was so successful that he forsook comedy. Then he conceived the idea of com¬ bining menace and humor, thus cre¬ ating the type of characterization which was to speed him on to fame. Wallace Beery was elevated to stardom by M-C-M, to whom he is under contract and who loaned him to 20th Century Pictures, in “Min and Bill.” In “The Bowery,” he por¬ trays Chuck Connors, an actual char¬ acter in the New York life of the gay nineties. Although fond of hunting and fish¬ ing, his greatest enthusiasm is for aviation. He has an airplane and de¬ lights in flying it to an island he owns in a lake of the High Sierras. He is married and he and his wife have adopted a two-year-old daughter named Carol Ann. He is six feet tall, weighs 180 pounds and has brown hair and blue eyes. Bad ’80’s , Naughty ’90’s Hilarious and Exciting (CURRENT READER) “The Bowery,” hilarious and ex¬ citing comedy drama at the . .Theatre until ., brings back to life Chuck Connors, the “Mayor” of Chinatown; Steve Brodie jumoing again from Brooklyn Bridge; John L. Sullivan fighting again his bare-knuckled fights; Carrie Nation smashing “dens of vice” with her hatchet, and many other famous characters of the Bowery of the bad old eighties and naughty nineties. Wallace Beery plays Chuck Con¬ nors, George Raft is Steve Brodie and Jackie Cooper plays a real-life Bowery newsie, Swipes. George Walsh is John L. Sullivan and Lillian Harmer is Carrie Nation. Buxom, bustled dancing girls sing such song hits of the period as “Ta- ra-ra Boom De-Ay.” Fay Wray and Pert Kelton provide heart interest. (BIOGRAPHICAL FEATURE) Despite the excitement she endures in most of her pictures, Fay Wray on the set is never excited or tempera¬ mental. When not rehearsing or study¬ ing dialogue, she spends her time making tapestries for her home, or sketching her fellow actors in char¬ coal. Sometimes they recognize them¬ selves in her portraits, but they are al¬ ways polite about it because she is one of the best liked girls in Holly¬ wood. Her idea of revenge is to coax meanies out on her tennis court and trim them. Fay Wray, who plays the leading feminine role in “The Bowery,” in which Wallace Beery, George Raft and Jackie Cooper are starred by 20th Century Pictures at the. Theatre . , was born in Al¬ berta, Canada. Her school chums knew her as Vina, which was her first given name. But when she was cast as the clinging vine type of actress, Vina Fay Wray be¬ came plain Fay. The fortunate circumstance of her parents moving to Hollywood was re¬ sponsible for Fay’s adoption of a screen career. Graduating from Hollywood High School, where she studied dra¬ matics, she did her first work for Cen¬ tury Comedies. She was an extra when Eric von Stroheim picked her out of the ranks and gave her the leading role in his production, “The Wedding March.” That single picture established her in the top rank of dramatic artists. Many times celebrated artists have picked Fay on their lists of the ten most beautiful screen stars. She leads an active outdoor life off the screen, playing a good deal of tennis, attend¬ ing athletic contests where she cheers like a college sophomore. Miss Wray is the wife of John Monk Saunders, the dramatist. He is her favorite writer, and for him she once left Hollywood to play the title role on Broadway in “Nikki,” which he adapted from one of his magazine stories, "Nikki and Her War Birds.” Recent pictures in which Miss Wray has been the beautiful and suffering heroine include “Below the Sea,” “The Wax Museum,” “Dr. X,” “The Most Dangerous Came” and “King Kong.” In “The Bowery,” directed by Raoul Walsh and released by United Artists, she is the beautiful Lucy Calhoun, but her suffering is less intense. Tennis and Airplanes Jackie Cooper’s Hobbies (BIOGRAPHICAL FEATURE) Quite fittingly, the youngest star of the screen was born in Hollywood. He is Jackie Cooper who, with Wallace Beery and George Raft, co-stars in “The Bowery,” 20th Century Picture showing.at the. Theatre. Jackie started his education in the kindergarten class of public school, but now continues his studies in studio classrooms and with private tutors. Be¬ cause his uncle was a director, it nat¬ urally followed that he was thought of for a part on the screen. His first part was a very small one in a Lloyd Hamilton comedy at Educational Stu¬ dios. It netted him five dollars. Other bits followed here and there, including some with the “Our Gang” comedies at the Roach studios. Jackie began to attract attention—enough to land him in the Fox Movietone Follies. There followed “Sunnyside Up,” “His First Seven Years” and then “Skippy,” which launched him to stardom. “Donovan’s Kid,” “Sooky” and others followed, and then he appeared in the biggest hit of his entire career, co-starring with Wallace Beery in “The Champ.” His most recent pic¬ tures are “When a Feller Needs a Friend” and “Divorce in the Family.” Jackie celebrated his eighth birth¬ day on the set while making “The Champ.” He is under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, from which company 20th Century Pictures bor¬ rowed him for “The Bowery,” a Uni¬ ted Artists release. His hobby is tennis and airplanes. He likes geography and history and hates multiplication tables. His clos¬ est friends are Richard Dix, Wally Beery, Robert Coogan and Mitzi Green. He is 51 inches tall and weighs 73 pounds, has blonde hair and hazel eyes. He is enthusiastic about ath¬ letics, hates to have to sing and likes dogs. BEERY AND JACKIE TOGETHER ACAIN Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper are together again! Ever since “The Champ,” in 1931, the movie public has been yearning Memorable Events Recalled By “Bowery” Old Timers In Those Days Wallace Beery Stepped Into Raymond Hitchcock’s Role and Raoul Walsh Was for such a treat. 20th Century brings it about by borrowing these a Lightiveight Fighter two M-G-M stars and putting them with George Raft in “The Bowery,” a United Artists release showing . at the Theatre. As Swipes, the newsie, Jackie is the pal of Chuck Con¬ nors, played by Beery. (ADVANCE FEATURE) D O you remember when the Bowery was to New York what Broadway is today? When there was talk of impeaching Rutherford B. Hayes to prevent his serving as President of the United States? When Steve Brodie announced he had jumped from the Brooklyn Bridge? When Madame Restell committed suicide after Anthony Comstock had her arrested for advocating birth control and the FAMOUS ENEMIES OF OLD BOWERY Wallace Beery and George Raft in " The Bowery 2 —Two Col. Scene (Mat .10; Cut .40) Fighting enemies and yet, in the bottom of their hearts a great admira¬ tion for each other. Such are Chuck Connors and Steve Brodie, leading characters in “The Bowery,” played respectively by Wallace Beery and George Raft. Connors owned the leading saloon and honky tonk of the New York thoroughfare that was world famous for its gayety. Brodie is the man who never took a dare and who jumped off Brooklyn Bridge and lived to tell about it. “The Bowery,” 20th Century’s first production, released through United Artists, is at the . Theatre .. with Jackie Cooper sharing stellar honors with Beery and Raft. TAKES CHANCES W'ent in Movies Against His Better Judgment (BIOGRAPHICAL FEATURE) Like Steve Brodie, the famous Brooklyn Bridge jumper whom he por¬ trays in “The Bowery,” George Raft believes in taking chances. Raft tried being a prize-fighter, ball player and stage dancer before he found his real success in films. It was after his portrayal of the gangster in “Scarface” that Paramount signed him and made him a star. 20th Century borrowed him to co-star with Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper in “The Bow¬ ery,” a United Artists release showing . at the . Theatre. Raft was born in New York City, September 27th, on 41st Street be¬ tween Ninth and Tenth Avenues, of German and Italian parentage. During his school days and summer vacations he worked as an electrician’s helper for the munificent salary of $4 a week. A retired pugilist named Bert Keyes had a ring set-up in a vacant lot near George’s home and the boys of the neighborhood watched the profession¬ als working out and often staged bouts of their own. When he was fifteen George decided to be a boxer. He was bantam weight but, after two years of no particular success, he quit the game. Professional baseball as a career came next. He was signed as an out¬ fielder on the Springfield, Mass., East¬ ern League team but was dropped after two seasons because his batting aver¬ age didn’t compare favorably with his fielding average. Next he was to be found hoofing at tea dances at Churchill’s and Rec¬ tor’s, in New York. After several stock engagements he was dancing in musical comedy. Then he went to Europe and was the highest paid American dancer in Europe. He be¬ came famous for his speed in danc¬ ing. He taught the Prince of Wales new dance steps. On returning to New York, George met Rowland Brown, the director. Several months later, against his bet¬ ter judgment, he accepted Brown’s offer to go to Hollywood to enact a role in “Quick Millions.” He next played in “Hush Money,” but it was “Scarface” that brought him recog¬ nition and his role in Paramount’s “Dancers in the Dark,” which led to his Paramount contract. George Raft is five feet ten inches tall, weighs 155 pounds, has an olive complexion, black hair and brown eyes. He is not married. His hobbies are baseball and prize fights. In the way of literature he prefers realism to romance and biography to fiction. DANCED AROUND Pert Kelton Comedienne Who Lives Up to Name (BIOGRAPHICAL FEATURE) Pert Kelton, who has virtually danced her way around the world, is dancing in “The Bowery,” 20th Cen¬ tury Picture starring Wallace Beery, George Raft and Jackie Cooper at the .Theatre . She was born twenty-two years ago in Great Falls, Montana, where her parents were appearing in a vaudeville act. As soon as she was old enough, she joined the act as a dancer and singer. Vaudeville took the three Keltons to the far corners of the world—England, France, India, South Africa and Australia. When her parents retired, Pert went on the Broadway musical comedy stage. She proved to be a pert come¬ dienne and won fame in “Sunny,” “Five O’clock Girl” and “The DuBar- ry,” all New York hits. RKO-Radio took her to Hollywood under contract and she distinguished herself in her first picture, “Bed of Roses.” 20th Century borrowed her from RKO to lead the chorus in Chuck Connors’ concert saloo.n where much of the action of “The Bowery,” a tale of New York’s East Side during the gay nineties, takes place. Miss Kelton is five feet six inches tall, weighs 125 pounds, has brown hair and hazel eyes. She started as a singer, won success as a comedienne, and is now proving herself a dramatic actress of great ability. public paid twenty-five cents to view her remains during the coroner’s in¬ quest? Those are some of the memories of many of the Hollywood film play¬ ers and extras appearing with Wal¬ lace Beery, George Raft and Jackie Cooper in “The Bowery,” 20th Cen¬ tury’s screen production of early New York showing .at the .Theatre. Old-time fight champions, stage celebrities, bartenders, politicians and other frequenters of the old Bowery in the preceding century were among the crowd that peopled the studio sets while the picture was in production under the direction of Raoul Walsh. Among the historic memcr : es re¬ vived by their earlv-day reminis¬ cences were these: John Jacob Astor’s appointment of his son, Waldorf, as manager of his 3,000 houses . . . The Jefferson Market Prison opening with a 13- year-old boy as its first prisoner . . . james J. Corbett astounding the sports world by knocking out John L. Sullivan . . . Sign over a cloth¬ ing store: “Men’s Suits $3 and $5 — Imported $10” . . . The great circus man, P. T. Barnum, announc¬ ing his free lecture on temperance at Cooper Union Hall. Wallace Beery, as the star’s under¬ study, stepping from the chorus to Raymond Hitchcock’s role when the star took sick during the Broadway run of “The Yankee Tourist” . . . Raoul Walsh making his first bid for fame as a lightweight fighter. Mike Lyons’ restaurant at 259 Bowery Street, where “Boss” Croker, Teddy Roosevelt, Chauncey Depew and Jacob Riis went for corned beef and cabbage ... A pair of detec¬ tives rescuing a Salvation Army lass from a pair of White Slavers from whose hands she had snatched a gi' 1 they were kidnapping at the Chatham Street corner ... Sign over a bar¬ ber shop: “Haircuts 7c.” . . . Charlie Bradenbaugh opening the first theatre which had no saloon annex, with free Ladies Nights on Fridays and a raffle on Saturdays . . . Volks Garten, when the tightrope walker, Jose Farren, burned to death after her skirt caught fire from a gas jet . . . The theatre-going public shedding tears at “Bertha, the Sew¬ ing Machine Girl,” “Wedded Yet No Wife” and “Dick Turpin.” The opening of Brooklyn Bridge May 24, 1883, and the agitation to combine New York and Brooklyn under the name of Yorklyn . . . Maltby’s depots, where you could buy eighty choice Norfolk oysters for 20c. . . . The Bowery, “livest mile on the face of the globe.” Old Time Pugilists Appear in 6i Bowery” (CURRENT STORY) Those who remember the old time pugilists will recognize “Pueblo Jim” Flynn and Frank Moran in “The Bowery,” new 20th Century Picture of New York’s wicked old East Side. Flynn and Moran appear in support of its three stars — Wallace Beery, George Raft and Jackie Cooper. It will be remembered that “Pueblo Jim” Flynn knocked out Jack Demp¬ sey when the latter was a ring be¬ ginner, while Jess Willard, when he was world champ, took a powerful pounding from Moran. A score of other ring stars also appears in “The Bowery,” a United Artists release current at the . Theatre. Hatchets and Fists Carrie Nation, who started the prohibition crusade by demolishing saloons with her hatchet, and John L. Sullivan, the old-timer’s choice as the greatest fighting man who ever lived, are part of a procession of colorful characters who step from the pages of history in the 20th Century Picture, “The Bowery,” showing at the . Theatre.