The Devil to Pay (United Artists) (1930)

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Biographies and Special Features Biography of Ronald Colman loret ta y oung - Leading Lady to Ronald Colman A ROMANTICIST TURNS COMEDIAN in Star’s "The Devil to Pay” Screen’s Best Loved Lover Appears in "The Devil to Pay” Smart Comedy Drama Written for Him by Famous English Dramatist Not as a sad and sombre lover, but as a laughing, carefree prodigal son, will Ronald Colman go down in the annals of film history—and who can say which role is the more romantic? The transition was caused by two factors, the first the com¬ ing of the talking pictures, and the second by the tremendous popularity of “Bulldog Drummond.” Colman’s reputation as a subtle and lovable light comedian is clinched by his latest and greatest picture, “The Devil To Pay,” which comes to the.. Theatre on. with much advance acclaim _ She was born Gretchen Young in Salt Lake City, Utah; her name was changed to Loretta when a film career came. She is one of three lovely sisters, the others being Polly Ann Young and Sally Blaine, also in the movies. Polly is twenty- one; Sally is nineteen, and Loretta is eighteen years of age. A brother, Jack, was in pictures several years ago with Wallace Reid; but he de¬ cided to become a lawyer. When Loretta was four, her fam¬ ily moved to Hollywood. Perhaps there was a reason, for all of her life she wanted to be on the screen. In Hollywood her uncle was busi¬ <Hona[d Colman in The Deuil toPa^'ajith JbrettatjourLC^ 12—Two Col. Scene (Mat 10c; Cut 50c) MYRNA LOY Tihe career of Ronald Colman has been a story of steady progress to the top of the movie tree, largely under the careful guidance of Sam¬ uel Goldiwyn, the producer who first brought him to Hollywood, and under whose banner he has become one of the most prominent figures in the picture colony. An Englishman by birth, trained V^-for engineering, descended from , the Colmans, father and son, who were playwrights and theatrical pro¬ ducers in eighteenth century Lon¬ don, young Colman early felt the hereditary call of the stage, and was doing well as a juvenile until the war broke out in 1914. A mere youngster, he enlisted in the Lon¬ don Scottish immediately and serv¬ ed during the first and second bat¬ tles of Ypres. Invalided home in 1917, he went back to the stage and in time be¬ came a prominent leading man, con¬ tinuing to get engagements unt.l post-war depression in England drove him to the Upited States as a potential field for his abilities. Two Broadway engagements—and then, Henry King, looking for a leading man for Lillian Gish, saw him at the Henry Miller Theatre in New York, and sent him to Italy to play opposite Miss Gish in “The White Sister.” In this picture, and in “Romola,” which followed it, Colman attracted much favorable notice in this country. Samuel Goldwyn signed him by cable while he was still in Rome, and brought him to Hollywood. With Vilma Banky, then newly im¬ ported from Hungary, he made a sensation in “The Dark Angel,” and with “Beau Geste,” for which Mr. Goldwyn loaned his services to Par¬ amount, he was established as a leading film actor. Co-starred with Miss Banky, in a series of films which made them a traditional pair of lovers — “The Magic Flame,” “The Night of Love,” “The Winning of Barbara Worth,” and “Two Lovers,” his reputation made still greater strides. Universally acclaimed as the screen’s greatest lover, he soon showed other and even greater ability in widely different parts. Individually starred for the first time in Joseph Conrad’s “The Res¬ cue,” he prepared himself, for his triumphant debut in talking pic¬ tures, the sensational “Bulldog Drummond,” which earned him ov¬ ernight the title of the first actor of the talking screen. His work in that picture, one of the first sound films, as reviewed by leading critics, did more to convince the sceptical re¬ garding the successful future of talking pictures than any other like production, or actor engaged in them. There followed “Condemned,” the ; adventure romance of the convict on Devil’s Island, which proved that the star could continue to play heavy romantic roles if he so de¬ sired. To this lengthening gallery of portraits he added that of the suave and resourceful gentleman burglar, “Raffles,” a role which Col¬ man himself considered, at the time of its production, to be the most successful he had ever portrayed. In his newest vehicle, “The Devil To Pay,” the star of varied achieve¬ ments has an unusual opportunity for revealing that cheerful, warm¬ hearted, spontaneous, and sunny side of his manv faceted character heretofore known only to his chosen intimates. This original screen play and dia¬ logue was written by Frederick Lonsdale, the famous English play¬ wright, whose many stage successes, “Aren’t We All?”, “The Last of Mrs. Cheney,” “Spring Cleaning,” and others, have made his name and works almost equally well known on both sides of the Atlantic. “The Devil To Pay” depicts the life and loves of a happy-go-lucky prodigal son, whose playboy ten¬ dencies have frequently closed the parental check book against him, but who, flush, or broke, is always cheerful, never worrying, spending his last penny for a dog, plunging headlong into love, and captivating with his gay nonchalance, everyone whom he meets. Myrna Loy, the actress - sweet¬ heart of Ronald Colman in “The Devil To Pay,” now at the. Theatre, was born in Helena, Mon¬ tana. After attending the Westlake school for girls in Los Angeles, she studied dancing under the best teachers available, including Ruth St. Denis. Made her first public appearance in prologue at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Mrs. Rudolph Valentino, becom¬ ing interested in iher, gave her her first role in a motion picture. Picture was “What Price Beauty?” made in 1925. Later she played roles in “Bitter Apples,” “Don Juan,” “The Black Watch,” ‘The Great Divide,” “The Squall,” “State Street Sadie,” “Evi¬ dence,” “Hard-Boiled Rose,” “Bride of the Regiment,” “Cameo Kirby,” “Last of the Duanes” and “Rene¬ gades.” Signed a Fox Films contract in October, 1930. Prefers to do character roles; finds them most interesting. Single and lives with her mother. Hobby is sculpture; pastimes, horseback riding and swimming. Reads everything, including fic¬ tion, history and biographies. Doesn’t care for pets. Studied the piano for some time; confesses that she plains it. Early ambition was to become an actress or stage dancer. Not at all superstitious. Height five feet six inches, weighs 120 pounds, has titian hair and green eyes. DAVID TORRENCE David Torrence who portrays the role of “Hope” in Ronald Colman’s “The Devil To Pay” now at the . Theatre, was born at Edinburgh, Scotland. His charac¬ terization of “Detective McKenzie” in Ronald Colman’s Raffles” first brought him fame on the talking screen. Torrence was educated in Eng¬ land and Germany, and started his stage career in New York about 1900 where he had a small part in Richard Mansfield’s “Beau Brum- mel.” After completing this part he played for eight years in one role, the leading role opposite Maude Adams in “The Little Minister.” He later played with George Arliss in “Disraeli,” Julia Marlowe in “When Knighthood Was in Flower” and with Jane Cowl in the original ‘Smiling Through” company. ness manager for George Melford the director. She detested school, but consented to attend Ramona Convent in Los Angeles. When a film career came along, the girl gave up school; but for a year and a half she has been tutored by Mrs. Carman Holiday, who devotes her entire time to Loretta’s mental de¬ velopment. Her screen career began almost by an accident. Mervyn LeRoy, First National director, telephoned Loretta's home in an effort to se¬ cure her sister, Polly Ann, for a picture, but Polly Ann was out of town. Her brother answered the phone and said, “Polly Ann is away, but Loretta is here—she looks very much like her sister.” “Send her out,” said LeRoy, and when Loretta arrived he was so im¬ pressed that he presented her to Colleen Moore and the result was a small role in “Naughty But Nice.” Colleen Moore “sold” Loretta to the Studio executives and the result was a long-term contract. This was not really the beginning, for her first screen role was with Fanny Ward, at the age of four. Her excellent work as a child artist created a demand for her services. She studied dancing under Ernest Belcher, is very graceful and pro¬ ficient in both classic and ballroom dancing. She has appeared with Mae Murray and other dancers. One of Loretta’s biggest thrills came when she was cast for the feminine lead in Lon Chaney’s “Laugh, Clown, Laugh.” She was one of forty-eight girls who took tests for that picture. Another thrill was when she was selected to play the ingenue lead in her first talking picture, “The Squall.” And another thrill came when she was selected a Wampas Baby Star for 1929 with her sister Sally Blaine. She was greatly disturbed because Polly Ann was not also selected. Loretta Young is a rabid motion picture fan and visits picture the¬ atres whenever she gets a chance. She keeps a scrapbook and has ev¬ ery line that she has found which has ever been printed about her. Lillian Gish is her favorite actress. She likes both blonde and brunette men, and has no preference. She loves dancing and music and pretty clothes. She dances tire¬ lessly for hours. Loretta is of fair complexion, with brown hair and blue eyes, and is slim and willowy. She is five feet three inches in height and weighs less than one hundred pounds. She prefers highly emotional roles to light and frothy characterizations. She is the second brunette lead¬ ing lady for Ronald Colman, the first being Kay Francis who ap¬ peared in “Raffles.” “The Devil to Pay” comes . to the .Theatre. He Didn’t Believe in Love — And So — He was fed up with South Africa, where a typical British parent had sent him to “make a man of him¬ self.” Even the mystery of the long African nights failed to work their traditional spell. Where an American would say, “I’m sick of it,” the handsome young Englishman said more de¬ cidedly, ‘‘I’m not having any more of it, thank you!” And so a hurried auction disposed of his goods and chattels, bringing enough pounds, shillings and pence to pay his passage home, and to land him in his beloved London with an unspent twenty-pound note in otherwise empty pockets. He knows there will be a bit of a row when his governor learns he has “cut it,” and sends his luggage to the Berkley Square mansion in ad¬ vance—to serve the double purpose of announcing his home coming, and to take the edge from the par¬ ental wrath by enabling him to vent some of it on the unresponsive bags and baggage. The twenty pounds burns in his pocket. In a window a wire-haired terrier wags his first friendly greet¬ ing. Fifteen of the twenty sovereigns go for this unlooked for sympathy. He buys the dog. And then the last five went for dinner with a Gaiety actress whose memory had solaced him many times during the long African exile. But when our .hero turned up at home for breakfast next morning he met a friend of his sister—a Girl. Something happened. It couldn’t be true. He’d met scores, hundreds, of girls. But she was different somehow. All his future plans seemed useless unless they included her. But he was broke. The governor had threatened him with disinheritance if he failed in South Africa. It was all absurd. He must be sensible, find a nice looking heiress, and settle down. This couldn’t be love, and besides love was only for flappers and nov¬ elists. He counted his handicaps, and being English, the greater the odds the more determined he became to see the affair through. Of course, that threw into the discard all sen¬ sible plans, but he saw it through, with many funny incidents bobbing up throughout his headlong wooing, his set-tos with angry parents, a flustered rival, the other girl, and his birthright of plunging into trouble, according to the smart comedy drama, “The Devil To Pay,” Ronald Colman’s latest picture which comes to the . Theatre on . An unusual role, it is interpreted by a genius whose admirers are becom¬ ing accustomed to the wide varia¬ tion of the characters Ronald Col¬ man so capably portrays for the talking screen. FREDERICK LONSDALE Won’t Talk for Print — But is Said to be Outstanding Writer of Witty Dialog For information about the cele¬ brated English author and play¬ wright who wrote the original screen story and dialogue for Ron¬ ald Colman’s latest talking picture “The Devil To Pay,” which comes to the ... Theatre on .. one must con¬ sult “Who’s Who.” An English¬ man seems to resent inquiries into what he rightfully considers his pri¬ vate affairs, and can conceive of no possible public interest in his age, whom he married, and when; what his clubs are, or the nature of his favorite recreation. Even consenting to be listed in “Who’s Who” seems to be a con¬ descending gesture. But the pub¬ lic is interested, and the mentioned book of names and personalities on being consulted gives certain im¬ portant details at least. From the fat red volume we learn that Fred¬ erick Lonsdale is English, born in 1881, is married and has two daugh¬ ters. He is listed as a dramatic author, and is credited with nearlj r a score of “publications.” For the works of dramatic authors, the suc¬ cessful ones at least, are nowadays published as well as played. Frederick Lonsdale’s devotion to his profession and to the stage is evidenced by his London clubs, the Garrick, the Beefsteak, and the Green Room. That he is not a re¬ cluse is shown by his recreations vhich are given as golf, tennis, and motoring, in the order named. In the past decade the New York stage has harbored a constant suc¬ cession of smart comedy dramas from his pen; their opening always being heralded as events, and their future as hits seeming from the rec¬ ord to be well assured. A number of these have been played “on the road,” so that Lonsdale’s fame as a writer of sophisticated plays in the modern manner has spread widely on this side of the Atlantic. A few have been adapted for the screen, but “The Devil To Pay” is the author’s first essay at writing directly for cinematic production. His reticence seems to be strictly personal, as he is said to write the most brilliant talk, or dialogue, of any living playwright. Among his outstanding stage suc¬ cesses in this country are “The Last of Mrs. Cheney,” “Spring Cleaning,” and “Aren’t We All?”. An old and intimate friend of Ronald Colman’s since the latter was a popular leading man in Lon¬ don, Frederick Lonsdale has sup¬ plied a vehicle for the “best loved lover” on the screen which, though it differs greatly from his past suc¬ cesses, yet provides the star with a role that fits him like a glove, and reveals further evidence of his amaz¬ ing versatility. ^Ronald Oolmari in'TheDeuil toPa^'tuith lore ttaTjouriCL 11—Two Col. Scene (Mat 10c; Cut 50c) FREDERICK KERR ON STAGE FIFTY YEARS To Frederick Kerr, who plays the role of Lord Leeland in Ronald Col¬ man’s “The Devil To Pay” now at the . Theatre, goes the distinction of having played in more original stage productions than any other living actor. Kerr was born in London in 1858 and started his stage career in America in 1881 as Fir Toby in a revival of Sheridan’s “A School for Scandal.” He has appeared in more than 200 original productions as well as acting as stage manager and producer in many others. Among his late productions are “So This Is London” and “The High Road.” Kerr was brought from New York City by Samuel Goldwyn to play the role of Lord Melrose in “Raffles.” It is his first appearance on the talking screen.