Doctor X (Warner Bros.) (1932)

MORE PUBLICITY AND SCENE CUTS! Dad day of run ‘Doctor X’’ Example of _ Perfect Mystery Story se tor xX,” the First National Sa melodrama in Fechueelss which is thrilling huge crowds at the po a eacre, 18 declared to be one of the finest screen stories of the type ever brought to this city. : As a romantic mystery it is getting the highest praise from theatregoers, according to Manager....; of the csi a neatre, Discussing mystery stories, Manager . said: “Tt is no trick at all 4 write : stery story—up to a certain point. Anes cane ae gifted with an active imagination, can compound a are of circumstances and incidents whic baffle an audience and bewilder the characters involved. “But solving the mystery satisfac ily is a different story. The unectne has to be as well done as the knitting. The true mystery story, play or picture is no better than the weakest link of its denouement. To be successful the mystery has to work both ways, backward as well as forward, and it must leave no knots untied, no complications unexplained. “Doctor X” was put together and taken apart many times before the script was finally approved. Every incident can be checked backward to a logical end, with no threads left fiying loose in the weaving of the plot. A touching romance adds to the interest of the story, and with Lee Tracy affording excellent comedy relief, the gripping mystery offers the most unusual screen fare. The cast includes Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Preston Foster, John Wray, Harry Beresford, Arthur Edmund Carewe, Robert Warwick and George Rosener. Michael Curtiz directed. Bea day of run Scientist Used as Adviser During Filming of “Doctor X’’ Thriller ionel Atwill, the noted actor, abaes so much information on See istry during the filming of ee = X,” First National picture produce in ‘Technicolor and now at the. . : . Theatre, that he feels sure he as pass an examination in that subject, ing the making of the picture mee Sonetantly experimenting al drugs and chemicals and test tu a The technique was taught him by ne Cc. E. Warriner, diagnostician ore Glendale Bureau of Eeplogical = search, who acted as technical direc icture. r was engaged so that ek Fee re Cy trom a We: a t tor “Doctor X” When Lights Melted Those Made of Wax By out-dummying Hollywood’s famous Dummies, four character actors worked steadily for a week during the filming of First National’s mystery melodrama in Technicolor, “Doctor ~~~,” now at the .... Theatre. Steadily is really the word for it. They played wax figures in a waxworks and steadiness was the chief requirement for the job. There was a kind of poetic justice in the whole thing. Thousands of Dummies have replaced an equal number of actors and extras in the making of pictures in the past twenty years. The Hollywood Dummy is one of the best known and least liked figures in the film capital. He fills up the back rows of balconies and grandstands; he falls out of automobiles and rolls down cliffs. He is shot full of holes in night clubs and burns to death in flaming buildings. All of which the average extra in Hollywood feels he could do with greater realism if given the opportunity. done exactly in the right way, So that no fault could be found either by a doctor or Chemist who may be sitting in the audience. One of the seemingly simple things of which the layman is unaware 1s that in mixing drugs with a. mortar and pestle it must be stirred in me direction only or the chemicals wi not break up and mix. When Mr. Atwill picked up a mortar and are to stir from left to right, which is the natural method of a layman, he was instantly corrected by the doctor. ; cene in the picture was carSad ott with the se careful attention to the minutest detail. ; . = r X” was adapted from the a uay by Howard Comstock and Allen Miller. The cast is headed by — Lee Tracy, Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray ; Preston _ Foster, Arthur mi ruivih turned for the first time. Color photography requires about twice as much light as does black and white work, and twice as much light on a set means twice as much heat. The wax figures provided for the setting of the demonstration began to look discouraged after the first few minutes of work under the heat of the lights used. At the end of a half hour their faces were longer than Director Curtiz arm. Their hands hung to the floor and their noses began to rest on their chins, So a hurry call was sent to the Warner Bros. casting office to find four players, a young girl, a scrub woman, a young thug and a halfgrown child. When their friends asked them where and how they were employed they answered truthfully: “P’m doubling for a Dummy out at Warner Bros.” “Doctor X” is a First National picture adapted from the stage play by Howard Comstock and Allen Miller. The cast is headed by Lee Tracy, Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, John Wray, Preston Foster, Arthur Edmund Carewe, Robert Warwick and many others. Michael Curtiz directed. (SEINE eS eDth day of run Specially Designed Sets Used to Heighten Mystery Effects Seen in “Doctor X” Much credit for the effectiveness of First National’s new Technicolor mystery melodrama, “Doctor X,” now Bhs ss Theatre, must go to Anton Grot, art director for the production and the one man responsible, more than any one else, for the sets in which the screen story unfolds. Squares and levels were not much in evidence in the building of the interiors for “Doctor X.” Walls meet at distorted angles, roofs Sag, floors roll unevenly, weird and ungainly staircases lead from one chamber to another; there is a deliberate perversion of dimensions and perspective built into the sets which enabled Director Michael Curtiz to obtain remarkable camera effects with a minimum of effort. Director Curtiz made good use of these carefully planned settings in directing the picture. He used his camera to give additional emphasis to the mystery and suspense of the story by placing it either very low or very high, by using cranes, elevators and dollies to gain special effects against the menacing backgrounds. Against these backgrounds are enacted the mystery, romance and comedy of “Doctor X,” which stars Lee Tracy, Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Preston Foster and John Wray. un day of run Too Many Wrays and Rays on “Doctor X” Set, Caused Director Added Worries With Fay Wray, John Wray and X-rays all in one cast and on one movie set, and with Ray Ranahan on the camera and Fay Hanlin acting as hairdresser for the company, the First National company which filmed “Doctor X,” now at the .... Theatre, had daily lessons in phonetics, while the picture was in production. The first few times Director Michael Curtiz, whose Hungarian accent sometimes interferes with his English intentions, called for one of these important members of his cast or crew he found himself surrounded with willing and even anxious Fays and Wrays. But after a few such false alarms some of them began hanging back when Mike’s broad “a’s sounded a call to duty. The problem never was altogether settled and when, as sometimes occurs in the picture, all the Rays, including the X’s, work together, and both Fays are momentarily missing, while one fixes the other’s hair, Curtiz found his lack of facility in English decidedly distressing. “Doctor X” is a thrilling mystery story with a beautiful romance filmed in Technicolor. It was adapted from the stage play by Howard Comstock and Allen Miller. The cast is headed by Lee Tracy, Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, John Wray, Preston Foster, Arthur Edmund Carewe, Robert Warwick and many others. IN CURRENT STRAND HIT d Lee Tracy, the love interest in the Strand’s thriller, — Nc Lita Atwill has the title role. Cut No. 5 “ o olo ystery melodrama, “Doctor which is now playing at the... . Theatre, was started at midnight, due to conflicting schedules for some of the players, and most of the production was actually filmed during the nights following. The result was that the production was a mystery to the rest of the producing studio and the players involved practically disappeared from public view during the weeks the picture was being filmed. The cast includes Lee Tracy and Fay Wray, Lionel Atwill, Preston Foster, John Wray, Harry Beresford, Leila Bennett, Arthur Edmund Carewe and George Rosener. Michael Curtiz directed, x. > LEE TRACY Lee Tracy, whose rapid rise to screen glory is duplicated only by his similar achievement on the stage after his performance in “Broadway.” He is currenily seen in the role of a newspaper reporter in the Strand’s thriller, “Doctor X.” Cus No. 6 Cut 15¢ Mat 5c vives zi Cut SGe * + Mat 10 oe Oo picture out of Holiywood A decade has been made with such close secrecy as that which surrounded the filming of the new First National Technicolor mystery melodrama, “Doctor X,” now at the... .. No visitor was allowed upon the stages or locations while this company worked and many members of the cast and crew were kept in the dark concerning the amazing denouement until the last moment when those scenes were made. Lee Tracy, Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Preston Foster, Harry Beresford and several others of equal note are in the cast. Michael Curtiz directed. Mae Busch Back on Screen in “Doctor Ae Mae Busch, long a favorite with picture audiences, returns to the screen following a long absence, for a brief scene in First National’s thrilling mystery-melodrama, “Doctor X.” Miss Busch has distinguished company in “Doctor X,” including Lee Tracy, star of stage and screen; Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, John Wray, Preston Foster, Harry Beresford, George Rosener and Arthur Edmund Carewe. Michael Curtiz directed “Doctor X,” which is in Technicolor and is now playing at the... . The atre, rT Rare Electrical E fects Secured in *‘Doctor X”’ Electrical effects never pefore attempted in filming a motion picture are included in First National’s unusual Technicolor mystery, “Doctor As NOW at the After electricians had declared the plans of Director Michael Curtiz impracticable and dangerous, the studio electrical department found ways and means of producing the effects without danger to any member of the cast and crew and with only minor damage to one camera. The cast carries an “all star” rating with Lee Tracy, Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, John Wray, Harry Beresford and Preston Foster in the leading roles. Page Seventeen