3 Men on a Horse (Warner Bros.) (1936)

PINCUSHION PORTRAIT FRANK McHUGH CARLISLE JONES He once froze his right foot while sitting on the church steps, waiting for a girl to keep a date with him. He made his first public appearance when he was six years old, singing imitations of Al Jolson in blackface. At nine Frank was made a member of the McHugh family stock company, playing such roles as Topsy in ‘‘Uncele Tom’s Cabin” and Mary Morgan in “Ten Nights in a Barroom.” He was the little “girl” who sang “Father, dear father, come home with me now,” in a high childish treble. He has been on the stage in some capacity or on the screen all but the first nine years of the thirty-seven he has lived to date. He knows by heart the punch lines of hundreds of shows, particularly the old melodramas which he and his family played around Pennsylvania, where Frank was born. He used to make curtain speeches which started: “Ladees and Gentlemen: Pardon me for appearing before you in the costume of the evening.” The great impresario, Max Reinhardt, says he is one of the finest actors he has ever known. “Like an old master,” said Reinhardt. There is no higher praise than that. At nineteen Frank took his older brother’s advice and went to New York to break into the “Big Time.” A $3.50 per week room had been arranged for him. He went to an agent’s office and waited his turn there. While he waited a bug of unpleasant variety crawled out from under the brim of his new hat. He left in a panie and didn’t go back for three weeks. When he did go back he got a job with a company that rehearsed a week and then went immediately to Hartford, Conn., to play in stock there. When Frank found he was back in another stock company he quit at the end of the first performance and went back to New York. His capital had dwindled to six huadred dollars when he met James Gleason and Robert Armstrong. That was the turning point in his life. He went to London with them to stage and play in “Iz Zat So” and “The Fall Guy” and then returned to New York to play featured roles in several hit shows. Then the depression hit the stage and Frank turned to Hollywood to see what motion pictures had to offer. He was an immediate success. His famous laugh resulted from a story he told on the set, a story in which he used his own peculiar cackle. Mervyn LeRoy, the director, heard the laugh and told McHugh to incorporate it into the comedy characterization he was playing. It’s his trade mark now. McHugh is married and has three small children. ‘He lives in the Toluca Lake district in a house which he built for his family three years ago. He is a devoted father and attends ParentTeacher meetings. He is a string saver, a dime store visitor, an electric light turner-offer, and like Mrs. MeHugh, a furniture auction enthusiast. He likes watermelon, believes weather forecasts, sings at church and plays checkers. He is afraid of the dark but he likes rainy weather and the sound of the wind. He slams doors, works eross word puzzles, likes picnics and he can spell supersede beeause it is one of the eight words, generally considered diffi “Oiwin” As Frank McHugh LeRoy Consumes Own Length in Cigars Daily Mervyn LeRoy, who directed “Three Men on a Horse,” the First National comedy starring Frank McHugh and Joan Blondell, which is now showing at the Theatre, smokes more than his height in cigars every day. LeRoy is 66 inches tall. He manages to get through, in the course of each 24 hours, fifteen cigars of a speciallymade brand, each 5 inches long, making a total of 75 inches of tobacco. Frank McHugh reaches stardom in Warner Bros.’ film version of Broadway’s biggest hit ‘‘Three Men on a Horse’’ which brings to the screen goofy Owin, the galloping girls and the phony ponies. Now the world’s funniest picture, it will come to the Mat No. cult to spell, which he learned to confound his guests in a parlor game, As a child he wore a knitted chest protector during the winter months. Bald heads fascinate him, He likes a hammock and he knows exactly how much money he has in the bank. He hopes his new contract with Warner Bros., under which he is the star of the famous comedy, “Three Men on a Horse,” which opens=at thei iiccascns Theatre ON a nee ee » will increase that balance materially. Frank knows one Chinese word and he likes to visit a flea circus. He has been lost, he never puns and he knows a parachute jumper personally. He is red headed, freckled, serious minded, good company and he can be found, at least one night each week, listening to political speeches over the radio. In spite of the role he plays in “Three Men on a Horse” he has never written a piece of poetry in his life. Frank McHugh Raises 47 Kinds of Flowers Frank McHugh, First Nationa] comedian who has the leading role in “Three Men on a Horse,”’ now showing at the ................. Theatre, is a yard-putterer at home. Although Frank numbers a gardener among his servants, he insists on donning old clothes and doing much of his own yard work. The McHugh place is especially rich with flowers, there being forty-seven varieties, including many so-called “old-fashioned” posies. ie ig a a TE RCGANC2ON: ast ie Race Track Like Belmont Park Is Found For Film Studio location departments will tell you that you can find any type of scenery in the world in Southern California. The territory around Lone Pine resembles India. The Simi valley is a dead ringer for the French farming country and Catalina makes a fine South Seas island. But until “Three Men on a Horse,” the First National picture now showing at the .............. Theatre, was filmed, Joe Barry, of the location department, had been unable to find a spot resembling Belmont Park, the famous New York race track. He finally found it. And not very far away—at Brookside Park, in Pasaqena. When the search began, Harry secured photographs of the paddock of Belmont Park. Then he sent out scouts to find a spot that looked like the photograph. Brookside Park, he says, resembles in every detail the famous race track of the east, so they filmed all the race track scenes there. “Three Men on a Horse,” is a rollicking comedy based on the famous stage play by John Cecil Holm and George Abbott. The cast includes Frank MeHugh, Joan Blondell, Guy Kibbee, Carol Hughes, Allen Jenkins, Sam Levene and Teddy Hart. The picture was directed by Mervyn LeRoy from the screen play by Laird Doyle. Frank McHugh’s Scene Stealing Is Over Forever If the city of Los Angeles passed an ordinance against scene stealing, there would be a lot of actors and actresses in the bastille. You can’t steal automobiles, safety pins, your neighbor’s laundry, horses, or old ladies’ savings in Hollywood without tangling with the coppers, but you can steal scenes. There are two types of scene stealers, the players who do it intentionally and the ones who do it unintentionally. But the former group is frowned upon. Frank McHugh is a legitimate scene stealer. He doesn’t go around with light fingers looking for scenes to lift. He just can’t help it, that’s all, but his days of scene stealing are numbered because he is featured in “Three Men on a Horse,” the First National production which comes to GG ese fie oy, Sica Theatre on Se occ The leading player can’t steal sceries, but a supporting player can. And in this picture is a notorious scene thief, one Allen Jenkins. Mr. Jenkins started his career of thievery in “Blessed Event,” when, as the gangster, he compared notes on bringing up children with Lee Tracy’s mother. Joan Blondell, the feminine lead, doesn’t have much chance to steal scenes nowadays, because her roles are too important. But she got where she is by larceny, starting on her career of crime in “Office Wife,’ which starred Dorothy Mackail. Joan quite unconsciously stole the big scenes from the star. Guy Kibbee, another scenethief, is also in the cast, so it’s a ease of crook meets crook. “Three Men on a Horse,” is an hilarious comedy taken from the famous Broadway play by John Cecil Holm and George Abbott. The picture was directed by Mervyn LeRoy from the screen play by Laird Doyle. They're. Some Lovers Play Is Mammoth Success Despite All Predictions No one knows when a play is going to be a hit. Take ‘‘ Abie’s Trish Rose,’’ for instance. Scorned by every critic, and apparently headed for Cain’s warehouse, this bit of drama suddenly kicked up its heels and ran for five years. Critics lavished praise on ‘‘The Green Pastures’’ but they predicted that its run would be short — that it wouldn’t be popular. It was — even in Sweden. The cast of ‘‘Three Men on a Horse,’’ the First National picture which comes to the ................ Thea$6 cOM se seen » gave it a week when it was being rehearsed for the stage, according to Sam Levene who played ‘‘ Patsy’’ in the Broadway production. and has the same role in the film version. After the tryout in Washington, they gave it three weeks. After the opening night in New York, Levene said, they figured it would have a fair run. It was still running on Broadway at the end of 85 weeks. Seven roadshow companies toured America with it. It ran for a year in London. **T didn’t think that the play was particularly funny when I read it,’?’ Levene says. ‘‘Nor did the rest of the cast. And when we were rehearsing it, none of us was particularly enthusiastic. ‘*But it turned out to be one of those comedies that plays hilariously,’’ Levene says. ‘‘ That first night in New York they rolled in the aisles and they rolled in the aisles every night after that. It was a sell-out from the first night.’? The picture is an wuproarious comedy taken from the Broadway stage hit by John Cecil Holm and George Abbott. Others in the cast include Frank McHugh, Joan Blondell, Guy Kibbee, Carol Hughes, Allen Jenkins and Teddy Hart. The picture was directed by Mervyn LeRoy from the screen play by Laird Doyle. Joan Blondell has a new screen sweetheart in Sam Levene, who makes his film debut in the role in which, for two years, he convulsed Broadway. It’s that of the tout gang leader of ‘‘Three Men on a Horse,’’ which First National has made into the funniest picture of any year. It opens QtaNe Fass ess THEAELE OM woeceseccsescccesieceens é Mat No. 209—20c Page Twenty-seven