Bright Lights (Warner Bros.) (1930)

DON’T FORGET THE IMPORTANT BOX-OFFICE NAMES IN THE SUPPORTING CAST! SOME TALKIES REQUIRE LOVE SONG Outshines the Moon for Romance! OTHERS CLICK BETTER WITHOUT Although “Bright Lights’ Offers Many Musical Treats, Love Duets Were Purposely Left Out (Feature) No less authority than Michael Curtiz, director of “Noah’s Ark,” “Under a Texas Moon,” “Mammy,” for Al Jolson, and perhaps most notable of all, “Bright Lights,” coming to the Theatre Bee sacar , declares that sing ing lovers give truest performances. Curtiz, with Johnny J. Murray and the song com posers and lyricists of “Bright Lights,’”’ Harry Akst, Grant Clarke and Herman Ruby, held research to discover whether or not it would be advisable¢——_--— ‘to have a bit of singing in the love affair in “Bright Lights.” Due to the unique nature of the romance between Dorothy Mackaill --and Frank Fay, featured romantic leads in the picture, it was decided not to have such a scene. That fact doesn’t alter the status of singing love-making, some of which is included in “Bright Lights,” for the romance isn’t centered upon the leads. The all-star cast, including Noah Beery, Daphne Pollard, James Murray, Tom Dugan, Inez Courtney, Frank McHugh, Eddie Nugent and other notables are all singers, although the production, which is all in color, is not in musical form but a plotpicture following a show girl’s rise from a dive in Africa to a New York revue. The research revealed many curious facts, among which are: Tenors and high baritones make the. best love-makers. Bass voices and deep baritones are for villains. Slinky villains, weaklings and comedians may have high thin tenor. voices. Having found that singing love was the most effective type, Curtiz asked Clarke, Akst and Ruby, song writers and composers, and John J. nn Tero waite LANEY ——and singer of many off-scene songs for films, why singing was so effective. Also, why tenor and high baritone voices were more effective than voices of lower register. Their conclusions follow: “Women like love-making in song because music, poetry in song lyrics, and the vibrations of a handsome male’s voice from the screen are more appealing than. the best efforts of the most seductive talker or pantomimist. Love is primitive, emotional and basic rather than intellectual. Music, poetry, singing and crooning Jove songs are its primitive complements. “Women are more affected by the love songs of men than men by the love songs of women, because women are more primitive in emotional aspects, and therefore are more readily touched by music, which plays on their heartstrings like musical vibrations on a tuning fork. : “Tenor voices are high and wailing, and they demand sympathy from the primitive emotional reflexes, whereas lower baritones and bass strike fear. Deeper voices are for cave-man love, costume period, picturesque, swashbuckling heroes, and, of course, for villains. That is why a deep operatic bass like Noah Beery’s are ideal for villains. “Sympathy is also another key to the preference of women for singing lovers. Love songs disarm and appeal to sympathy and the maternal as well as the purely sexual instincts.” Curtiz used no singing love-making in “Bright Lights” in scenes between Dorothy Mackaill and Frank Fay, because of the unique character of their affair. The characters had been intimate for years in all sorts of surroundings, but in the story discover a higher sort of love for each other through attempted sacrifices. The lovers in “Bright Lights” are pictured as “hard-boiled,” sophisticated, and professional entertainers, he a master of ceremonies who has risen from barking in dives and medicine shows, she as the “hoochdancer’? who has risen with him Page Eight step by step to New York revue star. Love songs do not figure here because, according to Curtiz’s findings: “The type of women particularly affected by love songs is the more innocent, inexperienced and unsophisticated; one who is primitively emotional but not of the highest intellectual type; higher mental types tend to separate the personality of the singer, the quality of his voice, the quality of the music and of the verse: The more receptive type absorbs them all without analysis, in a combination that lets the man symbolize and reap the benefit of the attractions of voice, music and verse.” So it looks like a great season ahead of the movies for Alexander Gray, Lawrence Tibbet, John Boles, Ramon Novarro, Frank Fay, Allan Prior, Walter Pidgeon, Lawrence Gray, Charles King, Jolson, and the host of other warblers now in pictures. DOROTHY MACKAILL A HULA DANGER Star’s Part in “Bright Lights” Brings Added Laurels in New Form of Characterization. (Advance News) The widest range of dances a musical picture leading woman has been called on to do were performed by Dorothy Mackaill in enacting her hula girl role in “Bright Lights,” all-technicolor melodrama coming to the Theatre. The First National actress does everything from a low form of the hula to more classic interpretations. A story of the glamour and shabbiness. of backstage life, “Bright Lights” follows the career of a dancer from its beginning in a low African dive to a Broadway theatre and her engagement to a millionaire’s son. . Miss Mackaill as she drifts abou the world does many novel and eccentric forms of the terpischorean art. The snake dance, Voodoo, eee eee ee ee LU ELLIS gener esos Irish clog, fandango and the latest | modern jazz steps are performed before the lavish backgrounds of the story. She studied six months in preparation for playing the role of Louanne, which she has wanted to do for some time. She sings as well ag dances. Miss Mackaill came to the screen from a career in the “Follies” and as a dancer at the London Hippodrome, so she is well fortified for the difficult role by experience. During her: four years on the screen she kept up her dancing and vocal lessons. “Bright Lights” is one of the few .all-musical talkies featuring an ac tress popular in the silent screen days, as well as the present. The story is by Humphrey Pearson, author of “On With The Show,” and was directed by Michael Curtiz. Frank Fay is featured with Miss Mackaill. Prominent in the lengthy cast are Noah Beery, Daphne Pollard, James Murray, Inez Courtney, Frank McHugh and Eddie Nugent. BRIGHT] LIGHTS) With This Great Cast of Stars DorotHy MAcKAILL Frank Fay Noah Beery Eddie Nugent Inez Courtney Tom Dugan James Murray Jean Barry Daphne Pollard All Technicolor Cut. No. § Cut 60c Mat 15¢ such thrilling action. All in Technicolor. —and much better. dives of South Africa to the highest of New York’s social set. Never such a cast! Never such a story! Never Dorothy Mackaill’s greatest role since “The Barker” Takes you from the low A FIRST NATIONAL~<\ WE TASHD= ' Begins Today! ALSO An Excellent Selection of Vitaphone Varieties ! IGE Br “Vitaphone” is the registered trade mark of the Vitaphone Corp. MANY LOCALES IN “BRIGHT LIGHTS” (Current Reader—Silent) Life, melodrama, and tinsel of the theatre are brought together in First National’s exotic picture, “Bright Lights,’ now shown in 100 per cent technicolor at the Theatre. The vivid, red-blooded story, an original for the screen by Humphrey Pearson, deals with the life and loves of a_ beautiful hula dancer. It brings into its exciting plot such glamorous sides of existence: as the newspaper, police, underworld, backstage of the theatre, Broadway, South Africa, hula girl side shows, murder, society, and romance. It is one of the most lavish melodramas ever filmed. Dorothy Mackaill portrays the hula dancer. Frank Fay is her leading man, and Noah Beery, Daphne Pollard, James Murray, and Tom Dugan are inthe cast. Michael Curtiz directed. 57 Varieties! . Every type of chorus girl in the world, “figuratively” speaking, is seen in “Bright Lights,” a big First National all-color film offering at the Theatre. Dorothy Mackaill is the principal one and as she dances all over the world in the course of the story, all sorts of girls are seen with her. ee see eee ewe Noah Beery Still Villainous as Ever Noah Beery is seen in a villainous talking role in “Bright Lights,” First National’s all-color and Vitaphone musical melodrama at the Fee ROR ae Theatre. He recently was seen in “Song of the Flame.” Dorothy Mackaill and Frank Fay are featured in “Bright Lights.” Globe Trotting Story “Bright Lights,’ the First National and Vitaphone musical melodrama at the Theatre, is a new type of realistic story of the stage. It follows the careers of its characters all over the world. Dorothy Mackaill and Frank Fay are featured in the all-color film. Strange Courtroom A murder trial held in the musty “prop” room of a Broadway theater, while the accused persons must go on and off for their numbers, is one of the exciting scenes in “Bright Lights,” First National’s all technicolor and Vitaphone melodrama at Theater. Dorothy Mackaill portrays her first musical role in the picture, as a hula dancer. Gagging to Acting Eddie Nugent, who appears in a comedy role in “Bright Lights,” First National’s all-Technicolor musical melodrama at the Theatre, began his film career as a gag man. Dorothy Mackaill and Frank Fay are featured in the picture. ee ee er}