The Last of the Mohicans (United Artists) (1936)

James Fenimore Cooper ‘Natural’ Filmplay Writer If James Fenimore Cooper were alive today he’d be in terrific de¬ mand as a Hollywood scenarist. According to George B. Seitz, who directed “The Last of the Mo¬ hicans,” coming next .... to the .... Theatre, Cooper was defi¬ nitely “movie-minded,” although he wrote over a century before the cinema came into existence. Starring Randolph Scott, Binnie Barnes and Henry Wilcoxon, the film is being re-released by Pro¬ ducers Releasing Corporation. “I know of no more prolific and imaginative writer of his times,” says Seitz. “Here was an author who could blend fiction with his¬ tory in a convincing and enter¬ taining manner and at the same time do a good, workmanlike job. His ‘Leatherstocking Tales’ is one of the most amazing series of novels of contemporary life turned out in this country during the eighteenth century, and all of these stories might have been written by an author who had one eye on Hollywood. “Of the group, ‘The Last of the Mohicans’ is better theatre than ‘The Deerslayer,’ ‘The Pathfinder’ or ‘The Pioneers,’ although all of them have sufficient action and romance to make them attractive as backgrounds for screen stories.” Cooper became an author in a very strange way. One day, while reading a novel of English society, he impatiently threw down the book and exclaimed that he him¬ self could write a better story. His wife, who was within earshot, took him up and challenged him to write his better book. So he wrote and published “Precaution,” a dull conventional story of Eng¬ lish social life. The book was not a success, but urged by his wife and friends to try again, Cooper next chose a subject on which he was somewhat of an authority. The novel titled, “The Spy, A Tale of Neutral Ground,” dealt with the American Revolution, and marked the beginning of a long series of successes. During the ensuing years, Cooper turned out “The Leather¬ stocking Tales,” which, with the exception of “The Spy,” were the most popular of his works. Edward Small produced “The Last of the Mohicans.” Make-up Expert Paints Indians Darker Shade Some of the real Indians used as extras in “The Last of the Mo¬ hicans,” the Reliance picturization of the James Fenimore Cooper classic now playing at the .... Theatre, were so “pale-faced” that they required make-up in order to register as redskins on the screen. This was especially true of certain members of the Humboldt and Klamath tribes from northern California. Randolph Scott, Binnie Barnes and Henry Wilcoxon head the cast of the film, which is being re-re- leased by Producers Releasing Corporation. ‘Mohican’ Star Former Boxer British fight fans were very disappointed when Henry “Biff” Wilcoxon tossed aside his boxing gloves to don greasepaint. When “Biff” gave up the ring, England lost one of her best heavyweights who was a promising contender for the world championship title. Although Wilcoxon was achiev¬ ing considerable success as an amateur boxer he was determined to become an actor. He joined a small London theatre group and appeared in “The Barretts of Wimpole Street,” “The White Assagai” and “Eight Bells.” His early films include “Cleopatra” and “The Crusades.” I n the Reliance production of The Last of the Mohicans,”’ which is coming .... next to the .... Theatre, Wilcoxon shares honors with Randolph Scott, Bin¬ nie Barnes, Bruce Cabot and Phillip Reed. The picture is being re-released through Producers Releasing Corporation. Redskin Brave Mat No. ID Bruce Cabot, as Magua, the rene¬ gade Indian, in a scene from “The Last of the Mohicans,” which is coming to the . . . . Theatre. Phillip Reed Star Of ‘Mohican 9 Film Although he has been in pic¬ tures for a few years, handsome Phillip Reed has appeared in many notable films. One of his most famous roles is as Uncas in “The Last of the Mohicans,” which is coming next .... to the . . . . Theatre. His career began when he left Cornell University, where he was studying engineering, to take a bit part with a stock company. Later he entered the cast of the Grand Street Follies when his friend Jimmy Cagney got him the job. From there he went to Holly¬ wood where he has appeared in “Week-end for Three,” “A Gentle¬ man After Dark’” and “Old Ac¬ quaintance.” In “The Last of the Mohicans” he co-stars with Randolph Scott, Binnie Barnes and Henry Wil¬ coxon. The picture is being re-re- leased through Producers Releas¬ ing Corporation. Cabot Trades Silver Spoon For a Spade Bruce Cabot, who plays Magua, the renegade Indian, in “The Last of the Mohicans,” now playing at the .... Theatre, could have been a banker, a social leader or a diplomat, but instead he sought adventure. Born Jacques de Bujac in Carlsbad, New Mexico, he at¬ tended military school and later the University of the South. After knocking himself out of a prize ring career when, as a sparring partner, he licked his boss, he traded his silver spoon for an iron spade and became a railroad builder. Then he decided to strike out and see the world—but not until he made his expenses by breaking the bank of one of the Riviera casinos. He stopped long enough in England to do some studying to complete his educa¬ tion before returning to America. Then Cabot went to Hollywood for a visit and stayed to open a night club. A prominent producer noticed him and offered him a screen test and he’s been before the cameras ever since, in both heavy and heroic roles. His recent pictures include “Desert Song,” “Salty O’Rourke” and “Fallen Angel.” In “The Last of the Mo¬ hicans” he shares honors with Randolph Scott, Binnie Barnes and Henry Wilcoxon. The picture was produced by Edward Small and is being re-released through Producers Releasing Corporation. New Film Tells Story of Early American Days A true picture of the early American Indian and the early American pioneer is seen in “The Last of the Mohicans,” which is coming next .... to the .... Theatre. The picture, which is being re-released by Producers Re¬ leasing Corporation, stars Ran¬ dolph Scott, Binnie Barnes and Henry Wilcoxon. The tribal life, times and cus¬ toms of the Mohegan tribe of upper New York State in the mid¬ dle years of the eighteenth cen¬ tury are vividly and faithfully reproduced. The fictional charac¬ ters from Cooper’s pen are represented in the film with authenticity. Others prominently featured in the cast are Phillip Reed, Heather Angel and Bruce Cabot. Frontiersman and Lady Randolph Scott and Binnie Barnes in the Mohicans,” which is coming next . scene from “The Last of . . . to the .... Theatre. ‘Boner Hunters’ Give Movie Producers Bad Nightmares If a lieutenant-general in a movie army of Louis XV should wear two buttons on his sleeve instead of three, some 500 persons would write in and denounce Hollywood’s picture producers as fakers. Because producers, being human, do not like to be told they are wrong, and because 500 is the average number of letters a studio receives as the result of a “movie boner,” they have established a corps of “anti¬ boner specialists.” Edward Lambert, a walking en¬ cyclopedia of modes and manners of the past, is the father of the order of “anti-boner specialists.” He started twenty years ago when he worked for a costume com¬ pany. His knowledge is the reason why little or no fault was found with the authenticity of such pro¬ ductions as “The Birth of a Na¬ tion,” “The Four Horsemen,” “Robin Hood,” “The House of Rothschild,” “Clive of India,” “Les Miserables” and “The Great Bamum,” to name a few of the hundreds of films on which he has worked. His latest job was checking up on the Sacaga Indians, Colonial French, English and North Amer¬ ican modes, manners, customs and costumes for “The Last of the Mohicans,” which comes next .... to the .... Theatre. Star¬ ring Randolph Scott, Binnie Barnes and Henry Wilcoxon, the film is being re-released by Pro¬ ducers Releasing Corporation. A Fellow of the Pacific Geo¬ graphic Society, Lambert is also an accredited research worker in the Congressional and Huntington Libraries. He is one of the inject few who receives from alz^the governments of the world notifica¬ tion of all new regulations and data on war materials and current history. Lambert’s research for “The Last of the Mohicans” required at least 400 volumes of histories of arms, modes, manners and the like. He read everything from Thwaits’ “France in America” to Fosdick Cook’s “Journal of the Military Expedition of Major-Gen¬ eral Sullivan Against the Six Nations in 1779.” He had to divide the Indian tribes of the North American continent, and describe them in minute detail, right down to the size of a wampum shell. He had to discover the correct, ap¬ proved manner of scalping a per¬ son and also the lighter matters of how the Iroquois’ “Bean Song” should be sung properly. Lambert worked directly with Philip Dunne, who prepared “The Last of the Mohicans” screenplay. As Dunne completed each page, it went to Lambert who checked it, attached pages of comment and returned it. Often the pair got into heated arguments, Lambert fighting tooth and nail for abso¬ lute authenticity and Dunne de¬ manding a measure of dramatics. Mat No. 1C Randolph Scott, as Hawkeye, in a scene from “The Last of the Mohicans,” which is now playing at the .... Theatre. Famed Attorney In ‘Mohican’Film Willard Robertson, one of Hol¬ lywood’s most popular character actors, who will be seen in “The Last of the Mohicans,” arriving on .... at the .... Theatre, had a rather illustrious career before he turned to theatricals. Robertson was one of the three attorneys to draw the order tak¬ ing over the railways of the United States by the Federal Government in 1918. Prior to that he had been appointed criminal counsel by Secretary of the Treas¬ ury William G. McAdoo. Robert¬ son is also the author of two novels which he wrote coinci¬ dentally with his Hollywood career. In “The Last of the Mohicans,” which is being re-released by Producers Releasing Corporation, Robertson is seen with Randolph Scott, Binnie Barnes and Henry Wilcoxon. Buckler Featured In ‘Mohican’ Film The thrill that comes once in a lifetime came to Hugh Buckler, who plays an important role in “The Last of the Mohicans,” now playing at the .... Theatre, when, as a young soldier, he served as color bearer at the funeral of Queen Victoria. A veteran of 33 years on the legitimate stage, Buckler made his film debut in “Lost Horizon.” In “The Last of the Mohicans,” which is being re-released by Pro¬ ducers Releasing Corporation, he plays Col. Munro, the father of Binnie Barnes and Heather Angel. Actor Uses Voice Double To save the fine singing voice of Phillip Reed, who plays Uncas in “The Last of the Mohicans,” coming next .... to the .... Theatre, a voice double was en¬ gaged to sound war-whoops and yells for him. This was done on the insistence of Reed’s vocal in¬ structor, who complained that the “battle cries” were playing havoc with Reed’s throat and voice. Randolph Scott, Binnie Barnes, Henry Wilcoxon and Bruce Cabot head the cast of the James Feni¬ more Cooper classic. The picture is being re-released by Producers Releasing Corporation. Unusual Scene Greets Guests C Recent visitors to Culver City, California, began to doubt their sanity when they saw painted Indians pedalling diligently along the streets on bicycles. They felt a lot better, however, when they learned that the cyclists were extras working in “The Last of the Mohicans,” which comes next .... to the .... Theatre with Randolph Scott, Binnie Barnes and Henry Wil¬ coxon heading an all-star cast. As several sequences of the picture were filmed at the back lot of the studio, which is nearly a mile from the dressing rooms, a number of extras used this means of transportation. Edward Small produced “The Last of the Mohicans,” based on James Fenimore Cooper’s classic, which is being re-released by Producers Releasing Corporation. Indians Too Pale All the principal Indian roles in “The Last of the Mohicans,” now playing at the .... Theatre, were played by white actors. Real Indians were used in the at¬ mosphere scenes and many tribes were represented in the extra ranks. The film is being re-released by Pro-^ ducers Releasing Corpora-*- tion. Page Ten