Black Legion (Warner Bros.) (1937)

“BLACK LEGION’ PUBLICITY (Lead-Off Story) Secret Night Riders Seen In *‘Black Legion”’ Picture Michigan Fanatics in Hoods Come to Grief in Movie As In Real Life Taking a news-subject that is hot in the minds of the paper-reading public, and transforming it into a motion picture that everyone wants to see, seems to be a Warner Bros. specialty. They’ve done it again with ‘‘ Black Legion,’’ a melodrama based upon the pernicious activities of the secret order of that name which operated in Michigan, and some of whose leaders recently were sentenced to life imprisonment for murder. Other examples of this type of movie-making were “China Clipper,” which was showing in the theatres of the country before the actual flying boat made its first passenger trip; “Mountain Justice,” based upon the case of the young Southern girl who killed her father in self-defense; “G-Men,” and, further back, “I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang.” “Black Legion” has been booked by the......... Theatre, and will have its first local show Humphrey Bogart, who has the leading role, plays the part of a young automobile mechanic, a decent enough fellow, who gets into the clutches of the grafting and hatred-breeding secret society, and who goes altogether to the bad through his mistaken loyalty to the order and its commanders. He is estranged from his loyal wife, played by Erin O’BrienMoore, and their baby son, and falls victim to the wiles of a flamboyant blonde. He goes so far, even, as to kill his best pal, played by Dick Foran. But he makes reparation, to a certain degree, when he is on trial for the murder, and as a result the leaders of .the cowardly night-riders are arrested, tried, and—just as they were in Michigan—sentenced to life imprisonment. A splendid cast presents “Black Legion,” including Joseph Sawyer, Erin O’Brien-Moore, Ann Sheridan, Helen Flint, little Dickie Jones, Samuel Hinds, Paul Harvey, Addison Richards and others. Archie Mayo directed the picture from a screen play by Abem Finkel and William Wister Haines. Robert Lord wrote the original story. Burnings of houses, floggings, torture of innocent victims, seeret night meetings of the men in black robes and gowns — all these are said to be portrayed vividly in “Black Legion.” It sounds like a real thriller. Apple Tree Root Makes Foran’s Favorite Pipe Off screen, Dick Foran, a featured player in various sorts of Warner Bros. pictures, is a_ pipe-smoker, though his usual cowboy parts call for him usually to smoke cigarettes, hand-rolled while in the saddle. The prize specimen of his pipe collection is one made out of an old root of an apple-tree, which-his great grandfather picked up during the battle of Bull Run. Dick says it is the sweetest-tasting pipe of all. In “Black Legion,” which comes to the Thhegtre OMe cece as Foran is not a cowboy, but a young mechanic who falls victim to the cruel hooded night-riders of Michigan. (Opening Day Story) “Black Legion,” Thriller-Movie, At Strand Today The films write a page of ecurrent history in “Black Legion,” a thrilling melodrama produced by Warner Bros., which will open at thes. ae Theatre today. Recently, in Michigan, a band of masked and hooded men took the law in their own hands and -killed their chosen enemies with out semblance of mercy. Newspaper accounts of its activities shocked the law-abiding elements of the entire country. Outraged opinion demanded swift justice and got it. Confessional testimony of the chief suspect brought out incredible ruthlessness on the part of the night riders. On the mere rumor that a man had beaten his wife, the man was killed. That the rumor was without the least foundation made this lawless execution the more horrible. In another case, some of the members—according to the confession of the suspect—deliberately shot a colored citizen because they wanted “to see how it felt to kill a Negro.” Investigation clearly showed that the Black Legion was founded on the prejudices, racehatred and bigotry of half-baked mentalities, herded together by glib organizers, who were making fortunes out of the sale of hooded gowns and firearms. The story of the organization as it is filmed is the more dramatie for being based on fact. The havoe wrought in the families of its victims, as well as in the families of its members is stark melodrama. The main character in the screenplay is a young workingman deluded into the belief that it is a duty to take the law into his own hands. Because the job which he thought he deserved was given to a foreigner, he feels that he has been cheated of his rights as an American citizen. By so doing, he spoils a beautiful romance, utterly destroys the happiness of his neighbors, and in the end kills his own best friend. The part is played by Humphrey Bogart, who was the outstanding bandit in “Petrified Forest.” As a picture of an actual phase of America’s complicated social struggle, “Black Legion” is said to be unusually interesting and possessed of greater dramatic force than any previous movie “from the headlines.” Dick Foran, Erin O’BrienMoore, Helen Flint, Ann Sheridan, Joseph Sawyer and other well known players are among the principals. Archie Mayo directed the picture from a screen play by Abem Finkel and William Wister Haines, justice or Victims of Black Legion Humphrey Bogart, the killer of “Petrified Forest,” and Erin O’Brien-Moore, in “Black Legion,” Warner Bros.’ daring expose of the mad mob behind 50,000 bloody murders, which comes to the See er ieee TD ROGLIG ON 8 yeh a oo Mat No. 201—20c (Review) ‘Black Legion”’ Picture Exposes Cowardly Order Hooded Night Riders’ Reign of Terror Brought Red Hot to the Screen Lifted directly from the banner-lines and news columns of the daily papers of a few weeks ago is the thrilling melodrama ‘‘Black Legion,’’ which opened yesterday at the Theatre. This Warner Bros. production was begun a few days after the press revealed that such a secret organization was operating in Michigan, and was concluded, according to studio officials, on the very day a Detroit judge sentenced the hooded order’s officials to life imprisonment. As timely as today’s newspaper, “Black Legion” gripped the interest and won the applause of deeply-moved audiences at the If it were purely a fictional story, it would have been an excellent movie. But containing, as it does, so many close parallels to the truth about the dastardly night-riders, it has tremendous additional power as a social document. “Black Legion” will probably take rank alongside that other Warner “spot news” film of several years ago, “I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang,” which was one of the most successful pictures any studio ever turned out. The story concerns a young automobile mechanic, played by Humphrey Bogart, who joins the Black Legion—purportedly a patriotic order—in a fit of bitterness over losing the foremanship of his shop to a foreign-born fellow-worker. The Legion, of course, is portrayed as a racket, enriching its promoters. The young mechanic takes part in house-burnings, floggings, tortures—all vividly shown and finally kills his best pal, Dick Foran. He loses his wife and childa—Erin O’Brien-Moore and Dickie Jones—and has to stand trial for murder. In a stirring court-room scene, the deluded youth makes what reparation he can, and justice closes in upon the leaders of the fanatical Legion, who have been stirring up racial and religious hatred. Bogart, well remembered as the bandit in “Petrified Forest,” excels in “Black Legion” even that remarkable performance. This is the best thing he has done on stage or screen. Incidentally, the same man who directed him before directed him in this — Archie Mayo. Miss O’Brien-Moore, a veteran stage actress, gives a convincing performance as Bogart’s wronged but loyal wife. Dickie Jones is splendidly cast as their son. Dick Foran and his sweetheart in the picture, Ann Sheridan, are more than adequate in their romantic roles. Joseph Sawyer is impressively cruel and heartless as the leader of the Black Legion. Helen Flint is excellent as a siren partly responsible for Bogart’s aberrations. The rest of the cast, including Samuel Hinds, Henry Brandon, Paul Harvey, Addison Richards and Eddie Acuff, give believable and admirable performances. Mayo’s direction is perfect. “Black Legion” is a picture to be seen and remembered. “Black Legion” Truest To Life Film Ever Made On the very day—almost at the same hour—that Judge Joseph A. Moynahan of Detroit passed sentence in the Black Legion case, the exact thing was being enacted on a Hollywood stage, with Samuel Hinds, character actor, as the Judge. The film version of “Black Legion,” now showing at the...... Theatre, is a Warner Bros. production based on the activities of the society of that name, and the big trial scenes are the climax of the story, with Humphrey Bogart as the guilty night rider. The coincidence of time is heightened by the fact the words of the screen judge in passing sentence were almost identical with those used in Judge Moynahan’s indignant castigation. Both the real Judge and the actor Judge uttered scathing excoriations of secret societies that stir up racial and religious hatred among American citizens. “Black Legion” is a daring and thrilling melodrama based upon the actual operations of the secret, hooded, night-riding order which terrorized Michigan recently. The cast includes, besides Bogart, Dick Foran, Ann Sheridan, Erin O’Brien-Moore, Helen Flint, Joseph Sawyer, Dickie Jones and others. Fish Notifies Actor That He’s On the Line Goofy gadgets interest Humphrey Bogart, featured in the sensational “Black Legion” picture, more than anything else when he isn’t working. He invents them, and, if possible, makes them himself. “Bogie’s” latest is a fish ing outfit with a small electric bulb on the reel, which will light up when a tug of two pounds or more pulls the line. “Black Legion,” which comes to the __--.....-.Theatre on shows Bogart as a young workman who is deluded into joining the Michigan order of hooded night-riders. Again A Killer Humphrey Bogart, whose sensational characterization of the killer in “Petrified Forest’ brought him instant film fame, is starred in “Black Legion,” Warner Bros.’ authentic story of what really happened when the brothers of butchery met behind black hoods. It opens at the Ae: Bie E Theatvé; onic 22", Mat No. 102—10c Page Nine