Blessed Event (Warner Bros.) (1932)

Your Papers Will Echo These Reviews! UES PO) alm EIN June 14, 1932 ‘BLESSED EVENT’ A SMASH PICTURE-DEPRESSION CHASER Story, Direction, Cast Perfect “BLESSED EVENT” Warner-First Nat. Directorce aii tise Roy Del Ruth From:-play: by. ck Manny Seff, Forrest Wilson Screen Play..........---Howard J. Green Photograpiny i. 220... -.ece tack Sol Polito Cast: Lee Tracy, Mary Brian, Allen Jenkins, Ned Sparks, Milton Wallace, Ruth Hall, Frank McHugh, Walter Walker, Dick Powell, Emma Dunn, Ruth Donnelly. Give the Warner production staff a yarn with a bunch of gangsters in it, the sirens of a police patrol, a couple of night clubs, the rattling of ‘the press in a newspaper office, a dash of guns punctuating a double-cross here and there, and 99 times out of 100 you will get a swell piece of entertainment. ‘‘Blessed Event’’ is all that and a bit more. To this reviewer Warners have topped all their fastmoving, fast-talking, fast-shooting pictures with this production. In cosmopolitan centers, with populations that know their tabloids, their columnists, this picture is a cinch to be a smash hit. In the rural districts that are not so well acquainted with ‘present-day journalism) as it pertains “Blessed Event” A NATURAL. ACE ENTERTAINMENT ALL AROUND. HIGHLIGHTED BY KNOCKOUT PERFORMANCE BY LEE TRACY, Based on the Broadway stage hit, this is a fast-moving drama about a Broadway columnist of the Walter Winchell type. As an exposition of how such a dirt disher works, the story leaves nothing to be desired, and Lee Tracy in the title role gives a dynamic performance go down as one of the sereen’s vy Del Ruth’s direction koeps to keyhole peepers and scandal-dishers, it will still be a big attraction, but not with the understanding and word-of-mouth plugs that it will get along Broadway, in the Loop and other mazda lanes. However, Mr. Exhibitor, we suggest you look into this whole thing. You have no names to play with, nothing to draw them in where they have not read those blessed events or been able to talk about the stage show as a hit. But you have a GOOD picture to: play with that moves from start to finish like a shot out of a cannon, and some of the best performances you or | have ever seen on the screen, directed by one of the best. If you have anything in you that may identify you as a showman, pull it out and start to work. Get them in for the first show and that audience will do the rest, You probably know the story of ‘Blessed Event’’ better than this reviewer can tell it. So why go into that. Suffice to say that this yarn, as originally written by Manny Seff and Forrest Wilson and adapted for the screen by Howard Green, has been given an excellent production by the Warners. Roy Del Ruth is the director, and what direction; Sol Polito photographed it and what photography. soermnesonsine GQ catserennanncss OFFICIAL BILLING -_—a Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. & The Vitaphone Corp. present ‘‘BLESSED EVENT’? 100% with _ Lee STACY ay. Brian 15%, a soues 5% there is 1, SmmGa. ou! wisecracks and human interest stuff so that the story will strike an appeal with Peoria as well as Broadway audiences. The principal dramatic moments in the piece concern Tracy’s refusal to be intimidated by a racketeer who wants his scandal kept out of the paper. Tracy crashes a ritzy night club opening which had advertised that he would be barred, and there he foils the gangsters, with the head crook being bumped off in the set-to. Mary Brian is the love interest, and Dick Powell is swell as a ‘‘crooner’”’ who is poison to the columnist. —FILM DAILY. Ctisiia, tps Mia ny Directed by Roy Del Ruth 20% A Warner Bros. and Vitaphone Picture 40% Running Time..... 84 Min. Length.............. 7722 Feet Lee Tracy, a long, anemic, fasttalking actor (and what an actor) polishes off the leading role in a manner that would be hard to duplicate. He gets plenty of assistance from Ruth Donnelly, Allen Jenkins (from the stage) and Ned Sparks. The rest of the cast, consisting of Mary Brian, Milton Wallace, Ruth Hall, Frank McHugh, Walter Walker, Dick. Powell and Emma Dunn, do everything they are expected to do. There is one scene that caught this preview-looker right where GREAT scenes are supposed to catch you. Tracy is trying to talk a hoodlum out of some things he has in mind for that columnist. He starts a run of chatter about an electrocution that is faster than a machine gun _ trigger, but every word is enunciated perfectly, you do not miss a syllable, an inflection of the voice. He gets the hoodlum worked up into a heavy perspiration by the graphic picture of the chair. It was one of the best acted and directed scenes we have ever seen. What more can be said? We hope that the exhibitor gives as much to the exhibition of this picture. as Warners have given to the productiom. This being done, ‘‘The Blessed Event’? engagement will pav off the panic for several weeks.to come. ‘Blessed Event’ ‘¢The picture goes merrily on its way to providing some of the best screen humor af entertainment seen in man” Ai day. Most hilarious epic. “fracy’s performance in ‘ Blessed Event,’ which is little short of brilliant, shouldn’t be missed. Packs a end iusgas 1s 5 exciting. Tab? ¢ gains = admirable support from Ruth Donnelly and from Ned Sparks. Sparks’ dry wit is particularly effective. Allen Jenkins gives color. Roy Del Ruth, the direetor, deserves preise for retaining a rapid *empo and the screen play by Howard Green is excellent.’’ —Lvs Angeles Times. Enlarge these raves and give them a big advance play in your lobby. THE STORY Alvin Robert, a youth in the advertising department of the Daily Express, has contributed so many seandal items to Moxley’s column that he is allowed to run the column while the latter is on vacation. Far from avoiding the libelous, Alvin dishes all the dirt he ean get, and hits on the phrase ‘‘ Blessed Event’’ for describing the news of births to come, regardless of whether they are with or without benefit of clergy. Moxley returns from his vacation to find the paper threatened by libel suits and the office crowded with subscribers complaining of the tone of Alvin’s column. Instead of being fired, Alvin is given the regular job of columnist while Moxley is shifted to feature writing when Miller, the publisher, senses that the sensational Alvin will build circulation. There are no secrets of the great or near great that Alvin does not learn—and tell. As a result of running several items about Gobel, a Big Shot racketeer, Frankie Wells, a Chieago gunman, pays Alvin a visit and threatens him with a one-way ride if he does not lay off. Getting Wells into conversation in which he admits a murder, Alvin switches on a dictaphone and records the conversation on a wax record which he sends downstairs with a boy. With this con Page Two 1G merece erete evidence, he is not only able to intimidate Wells, but also to win him as an unwilling ally. Wealth and fame come to Alvin, and things go easy with all but his love for Gladys, motion picture editor of the paper. She cares for him but disdains his column, especially when he betrays the confidence of Dorothy, a radio singer, and almost wrecks her life by announcing her as expecting a ‘‘blessed event—without benefit of elergy.’’ it, but the damage has been done. Alvin has conceived an utter con Alvin tries to make up for tempt for Bunny Harmon, a radio crooner, whom he pans in his column When Bunny opens his night club, he announces to the world that Alvin will never be allowed there. Alvin promises that he will. The challenge intrigues Broadway, and although Bunny has a gang almost daily. guarding the doors, Alvin manages to get in. Because Frankie Wells has failed to rub out Alvin, and on the chance that the columnist may show up, Gobel and a couple of henchmen lay for him in the night club. Frankie Wells warns Gladys of this, and she rushes to the night club and tries to head Alvin off, but without success. Bunny gets up to make his announcement that his arch-enemy has failed to put in an appearance when Alvin burst in on the scene. The merriment is cut short by pistol shots, but when all the confusion is over, Alvin is ‘intounched and it is Moxley who received the bullet, only wounding him slightly. When Alvin and Gladys return home, Dorothy burst in on them with a@ gun in her hand. She had shot Gobel, who was the father of her child and who had double crossed her. A policeman who saw the shooting comes to arrest her, but Alvin is sure he can get Dorothy off by starting a campaign to show what sort of a man Gobel was. All differences between Gladys and Alvin are patched up, and when he phones in the story of the shooting, he also dictates an item about his marriage to Gladys and that they ex pect a ‘‘blessed event’’—as soon as possible. TABLE OF CONTENTS Accessories Advance Publicity Biographies Current Publicity Exploitation Review Shorts WALTER WINCHELL says: “That ‘Blessed Event’ Flicker Is Something to Rave About ..... It Is Magnificent Movie Magic!’ “BLESSED EVENT” IS A BIG SHOW--SELL IT AS SUCH @ Here at last is the real thing in columnist pictures. Based as it is upon the great stage hit that is inspiring a lot of “‘quickie” imitations, “‘Blessed Event’ is so vastly superior to anything that has been shown before, that there simply is no comparison. @ The tremendous stage show, which was a national sensation, was grabbed off the noses of all other producers. The picture has a readymade audience waiting for it because of the nation-wide fame of the play. The title has become a national by-word. (SELL the picture as a BIG SHOW, getting over to your public the thought that “Blessed Event” is tremendous in scope, with music, uproarious comedy, romance, night club scenes, newspaper glamour and melodrama. q SELL it as being twice as great as the sensational stage success from which it has been adapted and which created the vogue of columnist pictures. @ PLAY UP DICK POWELL as the “BIG FIND” of the year! He is immense in this picture and has a screen personality that will have the fans wild about him. a uiken ens picture toa gre. =. appearanc. at. big event is delayed until lesser people have had their fling, thus creating a great dramatic entrance. @ SELL the picture as the starter and the finisher of the columnist picture cycle. THE PLAYERS BRETTE, Se cpete eaurni Rint. eae EeREEN 7 UCnR An icin BERRI eRe” Sr Lee Tracy POLIO) TSS ce tReet nane Ween ate REO carpe RO Car Dene mien Mary Brian PPE. WES a a a ee nas ea Allen Jenkins WEEE BEERERS ice Le es ae Ruth Donnelly MORLEY S55. Sh eee Sa es Ned Sparks PUI TOSROR. ee ee ae ee Dick Powell BORROWS oiikc, CAs RS ACS are eae Milton Wallace TROD) Ceo eo eae oe oie Edwin Maxwell ALOU 8 OTROS So Emma Dunn EYE Sans eee OR nies SEMA AnM GS Ney Spopne fortran Walter Walker CES OY iui Cea Bobby Gordon DIOEDENIE ok ih Res ee hs Isabel Jewel REISS TRNM Ch ON OR Sc eden Ruth Hall LUMSOW Ge eh Oe Bee George Chandler OUI DI ie aa Cee Frank McHugh COODET i, Bed ackete cL Nes eotren eee eyecare. Tom Dugan POGUE CRAY Seek, eon icebiioc kina teak conan aka eke Walter Miller UUM Sieh ign [his soe oysacth Sec RG ace William Halligan Sy Te | BNE On GROVE EAP GOP tok aoe ERIN SLR Ula de George Meeker MIUEDENO NG eS heel, Cee Mh auick herel ahacnes Jesse DeVorska DOU ROY a ie ition apes ea Harold Waldridge PE ABR Bry (artes PLU FARO R TONE ETE ORNS SORTS eeu Herman Bing BANG Seg es ik ee Charles Levinson EiQUIS: PIC TN OVEO Sock eco s a Jack LaRue FOE SOU ei ai CR ee Lew Harvey PRODUCTION STAFF Based on play by ........... Manuel Seff and Forrest Wilson GT OOM MEH. DY se aS oe Howard Green PR CCLCOE DAF eee ee se ah ee Roy Del Ruth PHOTOGVORICO OU ee i Soe a ly Sol Polito TO OP eed CoN wie a ee Jim Gibbons APT POPPI UC i a Oe er el Robert Haas