East of the River (Warner Bros.) (1940)

PUBLICITY LEAD STORIES « ADVANCE PRODUCTION FEATURES e SHORTS Mat 201—30c HOMESPUN DRAMA in Mama Raviola's restaurant is played by John Garfield, Brenda Marshall, Marjorie Rambeau and George Tobias in Warners’ "East of the River,"’ coming to the Strand Theatre Friday. (Lead) ‘Kast of the River’’ Has Good Cast and Gripping Story—At Strand Friday A moving drama of life in New York’s lower East Side, is Warner Bros.’ “East of the River,” starring John Garfield, Brenda Marshall and Marjorie Rambeau, which opens at the Strand Theatre next Friday. The talented cast was particularly well chosen for the drama’s colorful roles. There’s John Garfield in the role of an East Side tough. John well remembers his own youth in just that neighborhood. There’s Brenda Marshall, young and lovely screen newcomer in her fourth film. There’s Marjorie Rambeau, whose years of Broadway and _ Hollywood have made her name stand for the best in character acting. Opening on the pushcart section of New York, the story tells of Mama Raviola, played by Miss Rambeau, who works hard in her restaurant to raise her son Joie, Garfield’s role, and an adopted boy, Nickie, portrayed by William Lundigan. Nickie graduates college with respectability and _ scholastic honors. Joie comes home for the event as he gets out of San Quentin with his girl friend, Laurie, played by Brenda Marshall, a girl made tough by a series of bad breaks. The warmth and homeliness Mama gives her has a deep effect, and the two develop a warm friendship. F When Joie gets into another scrape and wants Laurie to go away with him again, she refuses, and he goes to Mexico alone. She and Nickie fall in love and at the engagement reception, Joie shows up again. He threatens to expose her past to Mama and Nickie. But Mama hears of it, goes on a rampage and slaps some sense into her son. Joie promises to square things. He holds off the mob out to get him until Nickie and Laurie are safely married, then starts a street riot, in which the hoodlums are captured. All ends happily as Joie pulls out with a mere 60 days for disturbing the peace. The talented supporting cast includes George Tobias, Jack La Rue, Moroni Olsen and Russell Hicks. Alfred Green directed the Fred Niblo, Jr. screen play, adapted from a John Fante and Ross Wills original story. CASE 5. «is JIoemorenzo “ihren... oe Secon pa ee Laurie Romayne............ccccccccceceecseteeseetees MGNOSA-FORONZON se cea io vic, cope nde gasnep vealed faeces Pon ys ares ark eee Nick: Morenzos 7) 2 ie eee dudge Devic. ccr ae Cy Tummetos 82 .......1a. dog Suck eee Gastomer. 2k kee en es es Flonchmalicsccs. hh et eee Flenchmans 2h. 2 eer Sea aes Patrolman Shanahan..........0...0cccccccseeeseeees Joe ("AsvacBoyycc: ot rin he Deh AA a Bel cs ek gcc edn PRODUCTION . laa aaeke. Ke Nee ot tes George Tobias Ke phd aCe ee William Lundigan Fst SRR eens Y teectsceevsseessee.Moroni Olsen OO Sa te eo Douglas Fowley mi! ys RG kh 5 oe ie ea Jack LaRue Se ea ee eae peep es Jack Carr SE ge eins GONG Sie i ty Paul Guilfcyle RR Ee SE Se a Russell Hicks Diy ES irk. tes TY aes Shere Charley Foy Feo, 2s cupheipe mets euhter fi oe cee Ralph Volkie Saree 2 ce tee ie As ey Ee Jimmy O'Gatty RGR eens UO aT ae Robert Homans ar Ti, Bec Siac ae aE aie Go Joe Conti 5 AOR ARE CES 22 O'Neill Nolan Directed by ALFRED E. GREEN Screen Play by Fred Niblo, Jr.; From the Original Story by John Fante and Ross B. Wills; Associate Producer, Harlan Thompson; Director of Photography, Sid Hickox, A.S.C.; Art Director, Hugh Reticker; Dialogue Director, Hugh MacMullan; Film Editor, Thomas Pratt; Sound by Stanley Jones; Technical Advisor, Marie Jenardi; Gowns by Howard Shoup; Makeup Artist, Perc Westmore. S T 0 R Y (Not for Publication) .« e« e Mama Raviola (Marjorie Rambeau) is a voluble Italian restauranteur in New York's Italian East Side sector, and she has her hands full rearing her son Joie (John Garfield) and an adopted boy Nickie (William Lundigan). The boys are raised on the streets through a maze of crap games, fruit filching and cop baiting. At 25, Nickie graduates from engineering school and Joie is released from San Quentin. His moll Laurie (Brenda Marshall) is hard, tough, but faithful. The two head East for Nickie's graduation and are warmly welcomed by Mama and the good-hearted head waiter Tony (George Tobias). Mama accepts Laurie as Joie's fiancee and a strong affection grows between the two. Then Joie gets into trouble with the "mob," so it's to the road again, this time Mexico. Laurie refuses to go with him, says she's tired of rackets. Nickie and she fall in love, and in the midst of their engagement party Joie returns. He threatens to expose Laurie's past to Mama and Nickie if she doesn't return to him. Mama hears of this, then slaps some sense into Joie, who promises to square things. The mob shows up, but Joie holds them off until Laurie and Nickie are married. “East of the River” To Show at Strand Starting Friday John Garfield is starred as the tough guy who wants to “live” without working in Warner Bros.’ “East of the River,” which opens at the Strand Thea. tre next Friday. The story of New York’s tough neighborhoods also features such prominent players as Brenda Marshall, Marjorie Rambeau, William Lundigan and _ George Tobias. The impelling drama revolves around John Garfield, East Side tough, and his foster brother, an aesthetic boy in spite of his environment, and Mama Raviola, whose strong hand straightens out the complications that set in their lives. The fast action of the drama follows Garfield to California, where he falls in love with Miss Marshall—then to San Quentin —then back to New York with his girl. When Garfield gets into another scrape, Brenda _ is through with him and falls in love with his foster brother, Lundigan. This doesn’t set so well with John who tries to split them. Mama steps in and in a dramatic scene slaps more sense into the boy than his twentyodd years have given him. He puts himself on the gangsters’ spot to stay in town to see Brenda and Bill married. Star Couldn’t Get Copy of Movie Dress Pity the poor movie star who can’t wear the clothes she likes, even away from the studio. This was the difficulty facing Brenda Marshall now starring in Warners’ “East of the River,” openHO? ab the Strand on Friday, while the picture was being filmed. In the picture she wears a gray wool jersey dress, which she liked so much that she asked to have it copied for her own personal use. The production department gave her an emphatic “No.” The reason? Because Brenda is a target for cameras wherever she goes and the dress might be copied by fashion bootleggers immediately. It would no longer be a new style by the time the picture was released! Mat 102—1 5c Brenda Marshall “East of the River” Powerful Film Fare An action drama of life in the New York slums is Warner Bros.’ “East of the River,” thrilling film starring John Garfield, Brenda Marshall, Marjorie Rambeau, George Tobias and William Lundigan, which opens at the Strand Theatre next Friday. The fast-paced film tells the story of Mama Raviola’s attempts to raise two boys in the hard-bitten lower East Side of New York. One turns out a hoodlum, the other an honorable student. When they fall in love with the same girl, it takes Mama Raviola to straighten thing's out. Star Far From Home Brenda Marshall has not returned to her home on the Island of Negros, Philippines, since she left for school in Texas at the age of 14. Her father operates an enormous sugar cane plantation. Her current film is Warners’ “Kast of the River,” opening at the Strand on Friday. More Publicity on Next Page — John Garfield Sets Tempo For Dramatic New Film John Garfield, whose name is synonymous with ‘tough,’ was Marjorie him, shedding real tears. Rambeau stormed at JOHN GARFIELD slapped him, kissed him, and wept. Both players faced each other trembling, intense, honestly weeping. This was on the set of Warney Bros.’ “‘East of the River,” which opens at the Strand Theatre on Friday, as the picture turned toward its close. Rambeau and Garfield are mother and son, and sen is a crook. Their meeting now, in a cheap hotel bedroom, is the crux of the story. : They didn’t know how it began or what happened. Simply, they forgot everything else and were swept up by the scene itself. Both were shaken and weeping tears long before it was over. Director Green called “cut” so softly he was scarcely heard. Cast and crew broke into a chatter of inconsequential talk relieving the tension. “IT want to say something,” Marjorie Rambeau said. “And Film’s Setting Not New for John Garfield Every scene in “East of the River,” his new starring picture, will be intimately familiar to John Garfield. The chief action of the picture takes place in Little Italy, New Y ork, lower East Side. “T lived there for ten years before Angelo Patri rescued me,” said Garfield. ‘Looking at these sets makes me a little homesick. “There’s a banana wagon, just like the one we used to steal fruit from. And the clothes lines from tenement windows. I see we’re going to have lots of shots in an Italian restaurant. I used to eat in one just like it. Maybe I still owe ’em money.” Garfield was sentimental and reminiscent about his old home. It is “home town” to him. Mat 105—15c John Garfield Gambler in Films Only John Garfield, who will win a large blackjack pot in a scene in “East of the River,’ will be really acting when he does it. He is known as the most atrocious poker player ever fleeced on Broadway. The Warner film opens on Friday at the Strand Theatre. I don’t know what I want to say. It’s about this boy—John Garfield. I’ve been on the stage a long time, and on the screen too and so of course I’ve played some big scenes. But I didn’t know it could happen in pictures —like that. I never before knew an actor who could make me ‘give’ like John Garfield.” Cast of Strand Film in Demand A unique record in popularity was set by members of the cast of Warner Bros.’ “East of the River,” starring John Garfield, Brenda Marshall and Marjorie Rambeau, which opens on Friday at the Strand Theatre. During _ production, every member of the company, including the director, was wanted at once for another picture, was sought by another studio, or carried a double load by working in two pictures at the same time. George Raft insisted on having Alfred E. Green direct his forthcoming picture, “East of Suez,” but “East of the River” was considered too important to release Green before completion. Brenda Marshall was being sought on a loan-out by Paramount, and may go there to star with Bill Holden for a one-picture deal. John Garfield is slated for “The Fabulous Thirties” as soon as he completes “East of the River” and is also being paged by Broadway again. Bill Lundigan is doubling in brass, appearing as John Garfield’s brother in “River” and Olivia deHavilland’s in “Santa Fe Trail.” George Tobias, who made his hit in “Torrid Zone,” is wanted by every Warner director who has a new picture coming up. Film Dramatizes N. Y. East Side Wedding The bride arrived accompanied by three gangsters and John Garfield with a gun in his ribs. Thus began the season’s most elaborate wedding scene in Hollywood. It took place on Tenement Street at Warner Bros. in the picture “East of the River,” which opens on Friday at the Strand, and it showed New York’s lower East Side, Italian sector, in matrimonial celebration, complete with flouncing bridesmaids, ushers in uncomfortable collars, laundry wagons, 200 dress extras, including shrieking children, Marjorie Rambeau in 40 yards of silk and taffeta, 20 rattling pushcarts and Brenda Marshall as_ the beautiful but confused bride. Two friendly Irish cops strolled by, wishing the bride luck and Garfield made a lunge. He smacked a cop on the jaw, a whale of a smack. The result was the shrill of police whistles, the double tattoo of night stick on pavement, hysterical yells in Italian, a shriek from the bride. It was a beautiful wedding. The bride looked wonderful, and the mother-in-law, Marjorie Rambeau, weeped copiously. Old-Timer in New Film Marjorie Rambeau, who played Tugboat Annie as an Irish woman in her recent Warner Bros. picture, is cast as an Italian, Mama Ravioli, in ‘East of the River.” It is her first Italian character part in a quarter of a century but she required no coaching.