Blessed Event (Warner Bros.) (1932)

YOUR FEATURE STORIES Advance Feature ‘“‘Blessed Event’’ Focuses Attention on Columnists It was inevitable that the ubiquitous newspaper columnist, having become a figure of importance, should be immortalized on the sereen. To Warner Bros., who pioneered talking pictures and have been first in so many other things, must be given credit for being first to discover the columnist as an entertainment entity and bring him to the sereen. They did it first with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. in ‘‘Love Is A Racket,’’ and now comes ‘‘Blessed Event,’’ featuring Lee Tracy; which: opens.at.7 the: scat tiv ascee. WUGAPO ORG oh... 5-500 esc heds eres , and which is hailed as not only the finest of the columnist stories but the greatest piece of screen entertainment to come out of Hollywood in five years. ‘*Blessed Event’’ is the most authentic of all the columnist dramas and the only one that was produced in play form on Broadway. It had enthusiastic support and admiration during its New York run. Warner Bros. have brought it intact to the screen, even to the extent of acquiring some of the original players from the Broadway production. 3 From Stage Cast Those who were transplanted were Allen Jenkins, Milton Wallace and Isabel Jewell. She, by the way, is the ‘‘victim’’ of the hero’s column. Mary Brian, who did such a swell job . with young Doug Fairbanks in ‘‘It’s Tough to Be Famous’? is the heroine. The rise of the columnist to his present position in everyday American life is dated by many from the advent of Walter Winchell, who, with his uncannily accurate forecasts of ‘‘blessed events?’ (births in high places), forthcoming marriages, divorces and even murders, made publication of the deepest secrets, an industry. Such things formerly were frowned y = 7 Sein nam oe ghenaen fe cue dropping. But now, practically all columnists are trying to scoop each other with intimate gossip stories. That is the type of columnist you will meet in ‘‘Blessed Event.’? The fellow who is columning today, may involve the scorn of the old time newspaper reporter, but the fact remains, that columnist’s columns are the most widely read features of the newspapers. Column-conducting has long been a phase of newspaper life, but it has not always been so impish, so bold and so telltale as it is today. A quarter of a century ago, Bert Leston Taylor, with his ‘‘ Line o’Type or Two’’ in the Chicago Tribune, was the outstanding daily columnist of America. The Rise of the Columnist He it was who invented that coy style of initialing words, using ‘‘w.k.?’ for well known, ‘‘o.f.’’ for old fashioned, ete. That trick still survives in wisecrack writing and at least one famous columnist, the famous ‘*F.P.A.’? (Franklin Pierce Adams of the New York Herald-Tribune) learned his trade at the knee of old ‘‘B.L.T.’’ Adams, however, has been a celebrated wit in his own right for over twenty years and was the author of the noted baseball lyric whose catch-lines, ‘‘Tinker-to-Eversto-Chance,’’ immortalized the famous double-play trio of the great Chicago Cubs. Hugh E. Keough (HEK) and Ring Lardner also did their first columning on the old Trib. Heywood Broun, whose ‘‘It Seems to Me,’’ was born on the late lamented Morning World in New York and for more than two years has been published in the N. Y. World-Telegram, probably was the first day-byday contentious columnist. Others there are and have been, who did not shrink from combat or criticism of any policy or person that had a wal lop coming. But ‘‘Hey’’ was the first to make boxing gloves a regular part of his wardrobe. He seemed to court controversy and did not, from the start, hesitate to challenge preacher, potentate, publisher, or president on their words and works. Brisbane More Editorial Arthur Brisbane, sage of the Hearst domain, is generally conceded to be one of the most widely read columnists today, his ‘‘Today’’ running in hundreds of newspapers. ‘‘ AB,’’ however, is more the editorial commentator than the gossiper. Arthur ‘‘Bugs’’ Baer, another Hearstling, has been called by his own kind the greatest wit-philosopher of the clan, and with Winchell, has been outstanding as the inventor of graphic new words. O. O. ‘*Odd’’? MeIntyre is said to be the most widely read of all the columnists and he, like Brisbane and Baer, sails his entertaining course under the Hearst pennant. ‘‘Odd’’ is a self-made columnist, meaning that he became a columnist of his own volition without waiting to be ‘‘discovered.’’ ‘*Mc’? arrived in New York something less than 20 years ago, a confirmed ‘‘fan’’ of Jimmy Allison, whose ‘‘New York Day By Day’’ was BE Hi 0Sv -— uss PUUSADIC Leoture OF THe Cincinnati Times-Star. ‘*Mc’’ enlarged upon the Allison idea, which dealt chiefly with theatrical affairs and Cincinnati folk, and wrote ‘‘home town’’ stuff about people from many places. He supplied special columns to a string of papers —at first for scant revenue but later for important money—and then the Hearst eye fell on him. He had a style of his own and made a niche for himself that no reader wants him to leave. Mark Hellinger, of the New York Mirror, with his human interest drama stories, has one of the largest followings in New York and stands in a class by himself. H. I. Phillips of the N. Y. Sun, whose column is widely syndicated and whose biting satire is read and admired even by the subject of his keen wit. Sid Skolsky of the N. Y. Daily News and Louis Sobol of the Journal all are individual—and way up in front for original humor and ‘‘Spot’’ comment. Skolsky is the boy who established the ‘‘tintype,’’ a staccato style of biography of prominent men and women. Nationally Famous These New York fellows, because of the excellence of their material and the wide syndication thereof, have become nationally famous. But there are, scattered through the country, a great many original thinkers who have a great local following and whose columns are factors in the daily lives of their cities. Most of them, however, seldom go in for ‘‘ dishing out the dirt.’’ Practically every section of the country has its columnist and each, surprisingly, has his individual style of writing and cofmment. Consequently all followers of columnists will doubtlessly claim Lee Tracy, as the prototype of their favorite as the hero or villain of ‘‘Blessed Event.?’ NOTE:—Almost any story or feature in the publicity section of this merchandising plan can, with slight revision, be used as either advance or current material. It is to your best advantage that all publicity matter be submitted to your paper typewritten and NOT merely cut from this manual. Page Six MARY BRIAN, LEE TRACY and FRANK McHUGH in an exciting moment of the ...............0...0.00065 Theatre’s current hit, “Blessed Event.” Out No.4 OQOut80c Mat10c “Blessed Event’ Contains Advance Fashion Hints (Current Fashion Feature) No longer does the really smart American girl take her boy friend nightly into the motion picture theatre for the sole purpose of getting a good evening’s entertainment, and, incidentally, hoping he’ll absorb a few hints in love making from the screen’s latest heart throbs. She goes now for another, more practical reason—to find out what to wear. In ‘‘Blessed Event,’’? recent Warner Brothers production featuring Lee Tracy and Mary Brian at the .......... eee Theatre, the feminine public has been given another picture that is ahead of the times in fashion in addition to being up to the minute in romance, acting and plot. Mary Brian, as a clever motion picture editor on one of New York’s great dailies, and the sweetheart of the most popular columnist in the world, wears many suits and frocks _ that the ladies! will not only admire on the screen, but will adopt for private life. And their interest will center, primarily, on the fascinating new uses for plaids in daytime attire, and the latest of style innovations, square-crowned hats. Orry-Kelly, brilliant Warner Bros. designer, created for Miss Brian in this picture, a suit of gray tweed, on which a two-yard scarf of stiff blue plaid taffeta ties in a perky bow at the shoulder, the ends falling both to the front and the back. The jacket pulls on, the front being additionally trimmed with stamped brass buttons, and the high round neck, collarless. With this suit, Miss Brian wears a gray felt hat, gray kid pumps, and purse and gloves of bright blue suede. Another costume, suitable also for business wear, is of checkered silk in black and white, consisting of a high belted frock with white blouse, all in one piece, and a matching jacket. With this Miss Brian selected black aecessories, including one of the new felt hats showing a flat, shallow folded crown, and the medium, tilted brim, somewhat in effect like the old-fashioned straw sailor. Quite different in type, however, is the hat that she wears with a suit of bright green wool crepe, closely fitted and trimmed with an enormous lei collar of silver-tipped fox. This, designed for more dressy occassions, has a hat matching in shade, of silk crepe intricately tucked into a tiny turban, cut up in front off the face, and worn with a starched, circular black veil. Accessories, in this case, are of green. Business girls, college girls, and those who merely stay at home, will like her all-around frock of black crepe, tucked vertically as to skirt, and lightened with wide collar and cuffs to the elbow, of heavy dull crepe. Plain black pumps are correct for this model, and the dashing flat black hat worn with the checkered outfit might be made to do double duty. Isabel Jewell, a new actress of the sophisticated blonde type, playing a radio singer, also introduces new fashion ideas for evening wear in ‘*Blessed Event,’’ in which Ruth Hall, Ned Sparks, Frank McHugh and Ruth Donnelly also have important parts. Roy Del Ruth directed this story of the modern newspaper columnist. Lee Tracy Best Known Journalist Actor in Films (Advance Feature) Just because an actor is very convincing on the screen as a prizefighter, reporter, or ganster doesn’t necessarily mean that he knows any too much about these professions. But stage and screen producers have been taking it for granted that Lee Tracy is ‘‘in the know’’ on whatever profession his play or picture character calls for. His wise-cracking columnist role in the Warner Bros. picture, ‘‘ Blessed Event,’’ which opens at the ................ Theatres iscpctinaccease: , is a result of just this circumstance. Tracy has become a writer and keyhole peeper despite the fact that he doesn’t know how to write and wouldn’t know a gossip item if it sprang out of the keyhole and bit him in the eye. Moreover, he is determined to remain an actor. When he jumped into fame as a hoofer who didn’t have to hoof in _** proaaway,’’ a Holiywood ~ sent for him post haste to play a hoofer who really hoofs in a picture called ‘‘Big Time.’’ Despite all of Tracy’s protestations that he couldn’t hoof to save his neck, the producer merely winked and said: **You can’t fool me. I saw you in ‘Broadway’.’’ Tracy played the role in ‘‘Big Time,’’? and the producer still believes that the actor is a hoofer. He was saved from a career of simulated hoofing by playing a reporter who didn’t have to report in ‘‘The Front Page.’’ In some way or other, that impersonation seemed to suit him better with the public and the producers, and he did three reporting roles for Warner Bros. before turning columnist in ‘‘ Blessed Event.’’ There is something in his happygo-lucky, care-free and independent personality which matched up with the public’s conception of what a newspaper man should be. Publishers, editors and real reporters may complain bitterly that Tracy represented only one kind of reporter—and that a rapidly disappearing kind—it makes no difference. Tracy was an ideal reporter as long as he didn’t have to report. His identification with reporter roles on the New York stage brought Tracy a wide acquaintance with, and many friends in, the newspaper fraternity there. He was probably the best known pseudo journalist in America—and so far as any one knows, he has never written a stick of copy in his life. Friendship with many famous newspaper men, however, gave the actor an added assurance in playing his reporter roles in ‘‘The Strange Love Of Molly Louvain,’’ ‘‘ Love Is A Racket,’’ and ‘‘Doctor X.’? Without ever having reported as much as an amateur baseball game, Tracy developed the ‘‘feel’’ of the newspaper game. He learned the language, the tricks of the trade and the reporter’s attitude toward life, love and the pursuit of happiness. Tracy is supported in this picture by a marvelous cast of actors, headed by Mary Brian, as the leading lady, Ned Sparks, Ruth Donnelly, Milton Wallace, Frank McHugh, Dick Powell, Emma Dunn, Edwin Maxwell and others. The story is an adaptation of the play by Manuel Seff and Forrest Wilson; the screen play by Howard Green. Roy Del Ruth directed.