Blazing Sixes (Warner Bros.) (1937)

P OST y LAZING SIXES” FORAN FINE MARKSMAN Two years ago, Dick Foran had never fired a revolver. Now the Warner Bros. western star is one of the best pistol shots in the movie colony. Foran demonstrates his marksmanship in his latest western, “Blazing Sixes,” which comes to the Theatre on Learning to shoot wasn’t easy for Foran. Born in the east, and educated at Princeton University, he seldom saw a gun—much less used one. When the Warner Bros. studio decided to put him in horse operas;,* Foran bought two guns and started making daily visits to the police pistol range in Elysian Park in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles police, under professional tutors, are the champion shots of the United States. Foran doesn’t think he’s so good yet, though he ean hit a silver dollar thrown into the air if he shoots right handed. Left handed he ean hit a tin can. With either hand he ean knock ‘the spots out of a playing ecard at fifty feet. And he’s as quick on the draw as was William S. Hart, dean of western actors. During the past year, Foran has learned to “fan” a gun. He has also learned to “spin” both guns at once, firing them as they revolve. He does all these things in “Blazing Sixes,” a fast action western in which his leading lady is Helen Valkis. Noel Smith directed the picture. GLEN MUSICAL COWBOY Glen Strange, who has an important part in Warner Bros.’ “Blazing Sixes,” the newest Dick Foran western, holds _ three world’s records for roping, is an accomplished violinist, makes his own violins, and can play seven other musical instruments ineluding the oboe. He plays and sings —as does Foran—in “Blazing Sixes,” which will open next patie os 7 at: thew weg pl beaene: LONG BROTHERLY RIDE Ted Valkis, hotel man from Rhinelander, Wis., drove all the way to Hollywood to see his sister, Helen Valkis, Warner Bros., featured player, work in her first movie. Miss Valkis is playing the lead opposite Dick Foran in his latest western, “Blazing Sixes,” which comes to the Theatre next Foran Foils Hold-up Men Dick Foran (centre) Government agent—lays plans to trap Glen Strange (left) and Henry Otho, thieves who have been taking gold from supplies from the Denver Mint — in a scene from the Warner Bros. melodrama of the Old West, “Blazing Sixes” which OPCS 0b Ne a. ame .. Theatre on.... Mat No. 201—20c GETS QUEER FAN MAIL Helen Valkis, who plays opposite Dick Foran in his newest Warner Bros. western, “Blazing Sixes,” now at the Theatre, receives 100 fan letters a week although the fans have never seen her in a film. They have only read her name or seen her pictures in newspapers. LAW WAS TOO DULL Mira McKinney, who has a leading part in the new Dick Foran wesern, “Blazing Sixes,” which Warner Bros. will present at the Theatre next a , is the daughter of W. M. McKinney, noted law book publisher of San Franciseo and author of many tomes on California jurisprudence. She started to study law but found it dull. CORN HUSKING ACTRESS Helen Valkis, who is leading lady for Dick Foran in his new est western, “Blazing Sixes,’ which Warner Bros. are now presenting at the ...... Theatre, won a corn-husking contest in Iowa when in high school. HELEN’S A SNOWBIRD Helen Valkis, leading lady for Dick Foran in Warner Bros.’ “Blazing Sixes,’ walked three miles to school daily as a little girl in Wisconsin. During the winter it was usually through snow up to her waist. This is probably the reason that she was one of the few in the film colony who didn’t suffer from the ‘flue’ in the ‘unusual’ California weather last winter. Helen’s hardihood may be seen when “Blazing Sixes” comes next to the Theatre. SHARPSHOOTING FORAN Dick Foran, star of Warner Bros.’ latest western, “Blazing Sixes,” never shot a revolver until two years ago. Now he is one of the best pistol shots in Hollywood. He does some great shoot ing in “Blazing Sixes,” which COMeSs: toOrthe re ee: Theatre ONG Ge ieee PERPETUAL BAD MAN John Merton, the bad man in Warner Bros.’ “Blazing Sixes,” the new Dick Foran western, now at the Theatre, has played 23 villains during the past year. He was formerly with the Theatre Guild in New York. Western Movies Have Qwn Strict Codes of Conduct Hero Must Be Altogether Good; Villain Equally Bad; Not Much Talk There is place for fancy riding and faney roping and fancy shooting in a western movie, but no place for fancy writing. The less dialogue in a horse opera. the better, according to Noel Smith. Smith, who directed Dick Foran’s newest boots and saddle epic, ‘‘Blazing Sixes,’’ for Warner Bros. has been making westerns for lo these many years. If all the cow epics he has directed were laid end to end they would circle the state of Texas and there would be enough film left over to fence Wyoming and Montana. “Blazing Sixes,” his latest, =comes-sto the A..0%... Theatre on When Smith gets a new script he takes out his blue pencil. He’s as heartless as a newspaper copy reader when it comes to cutting a script down. And when he gets through with it the dialogue has been reduced to a minimum. “What the western fans want is action,’ Smith says. “They want to see chases and hear guns going off and see men shooting at each other. They don’t want tale” “The ‘boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl’ formula is no good for horse operas,” Smith says. “The western formula is: ‘villain chases hero, hero chases villain, villain doublecrosses hero, villain shoots hero, hero shoots villain, hero gets gal’.” “No western is complete without a stagecoach holdup. There are three in ‘Blazing Sixes’.” “The hero always has to ride hell-bent when he goes anywhere. The villain has to be a real one— usually owns a _ saloon, which proves he has a black heart, or cheats at cards. You can’t have a half-way villain—he’s got to be all bad.” “A western hero can’t have a flaw in him,” Smith says. “He must never get drunk and it would be fatal to let him make a pass at a woman. He ean only have the purest thoughts about the heroine. If he kisses her he must marry her. His intentions must always be honorable. He has to be good to his mother and his horse.” Smith says that it’s a good idea to let the hero’s father get killed in a horse opera. This has happened in every western he ever directed with the exception of “Blazing Sixes.” He points out that this movie has a new twist —the hero’s father doesn’t get Heroes Both Dick Foran—fighting, riding, rope-slinging, song-singing cowboy in the Warner Bros. melodrama of the Old West, “Blazing Sixes,” which opens at hard the. MT heatrevon. .f220% Mat No. 101—10c killed. But the hero’s pal does, so the fans won’t be cheated. Nothing makes Smith more angry than to get a seript in which the characters’ stand around and talk. “What the fans want is action —and I give it to them.” Helen Valkis, lovely young aetress from the stage, is Dick Foran’s leading lady in “Blazing Sixes,” which will come to the Theatre next THE STORY The story opens in 1890. Bandits have been robbing stage coaches of government gold shipments being sent from the Denver mint. ‘Red’? Barton (Dick Foran), a government agent, posing as a holdup man, comes to town ostensibly looking for work. His purpose is to round up the bandit gang. He meets Jim Hess (John Merton), proprietor of the ‘“‘Four Queens’? gambling house and saloon, and gets a job on the “Diamond M” ranch. Hess is leader of the gold robbers and the ranch is his hideout, where he melts down the gold coins into bars. That afternoon Hess’ men hold up another stage not far from town. On the stage are Barbara Morgan (Helen Valkis) and her Aunt Sarah (Mira MeKinney) who are on-their way to take charge of the “Diamond M” ranch, willed to them by Barbara’s uncle, who was killed a few months before. Just as Hess’ men finish robbing the stage, another masked bandit appears and takes the loot from Hess’ gang. It is Red in disguise. He gives the passengers back their belongings but takes the gold shipment. Reporting at the ranch late that afternoon, Red reveals to Hess that he is the masked bandit on whom there is a $2500 reward. He makes a deal with Hess to split the loot. Barbara and Aunt Sarah arrive at the ranch with Peewee (Glen Strange) who is Dick’s partner. Hess gives Peewee a job. Red and Peewee try to frighten Barbara and Aunt Sarah so that they will leave the ranch but they won’t frighten. Barbara fires Red but Hess Page Two steps in and persuades Barbara to let Red stay. Another gold shipment is due by stage. Red and Hess plan to rob the stage and bring the money back to the ranch and melt it down. A dance is arranged in town so that Barbara and Aunt Sarah will be out of the way. Hess doublecrosses Red and goes to the sheriff (Wilfred Lucas). The sheriff sends a posse to the spot arranged for the holdup to capture Red, but he finds out about the trap and remains at the dance. Then Hess tells Barbara that Red is a bandit and has her hold Red at the dance until the sheriff comes back. She does and Red is arrested. Meanwhile Hess, knowing that things are getting hot, decides to move out of the ranch with the loot. Peewee goes to the sheriff’s office, and when the sheriff won’t listen to his tale of being a government agent, he knocks the sheriff out and releases Red. He and Red ride toward the ranch with the sheriff’s posse in pursuit. Peewee is killed. The sheriff realizes his mistake and rides with Red to the ranch where the bandit gang is rounded up and Hess is killed. The picture ends with Barbara on a stage coach. Red holds up the stage and takes her in his arms. Length ...........4986 ft. Running Time .....55 min. THE CAST .Mira McKinney oes John Merton ..Glen Strange ..Milt Kibbee enneth Harlan Henry Otho Wilfred Lucas ..Bud Osborne ..Maleolm Waite Stage Driver... ..Tom Burns Wells Fargo Agent .rccecceccccccccccccooe Jack Mower PRODUCTION STAFF Director Screen Play by... Original Story by.. Photography by... Film Editor ...... Dialogue Director Art Director .............. Musie and Lyrics by Noel Smith .John T. Neville a Anthony Coldeway .Ted McCord, A. S. C. at xt Thos. Richards Frank Kowalski ans See cc cae aes Ted Smith M. K. Jerome and Jack Scholl ao ge OM 22 IB oe ag Bh BLAZING SIXES 100% with DICK FORAN 75% (The Singing Cowboy) 10% and Helen Valkis 65% Mira McKinney—John Merton—Glen Strange 40% Milt Kibbee—Gordon Hart—Kenneth Harlan 40% Henry Otho—Wilfred Lucas 40% Directed by Noel Smith 20% Music and Lyrics by M. K. Jerome and Jack Scholl 10% A Warner Bros. Picture 20% BIOGRAPHIES Dick Foran Equally at home with the 6-gun and chaps of a Western hero, or the tails and walking-stick of a socialite, Dick Foran has made 11 Westerns and 9 straight dramatic pictures since signing with Warner Bros. two years ago. He’s 6-feet-1, 185 pounds, blue-eyed, with hair of bright red. Has a fine baritone voice and sings in all outdoor pictures. Born in Flemington, N. J., graduated from Princeton University, where he starred on football, basketball, lacrosse and ice hockey teams. Was snatched by movie-makers while on business visit to California as Pennsylvania Railroad employe. Among recent pictures are “Black Legion” and ‘The Cherokee Strip.” Present picture, ‘‘Blazing Sixes,’? which comes to the Theatre on Helen Valkis Born in Chicago, and migrating to Sioux City, Iowa, where she went to college, 21-year-old Helen Valkis acted as a model and stenographer before deciding upon dramaties as a career. Is 5 feet 4, weighs 112 and has brown hair, blue-gray eyes. Was discovered by Warner Bros. while playing with Pasadena Community theatrical organization. Is poet and essayist as well as actress. Most recent picture, “The Prince and the Pauper.” Current picture, leading lady in “Blazing Sixes,’’ which opens. ROG ett acco St then) ..x.,, ee Theatre with Dick Foran.