Elmer the Great (Warner Bros.) (1933)

ADVANCE FEATURES. Cheer Up! Boe E. Brown’s Here A Comedian Turns Serious “One of the oldest situations known to vaudeville comedy is ‘the ghost in the Pawnshop,’ as it is known to the profession. It consists of one man talking disparagingly of an absent party, unaware of the fact that the presumably absent party is standing behind him taking in every word, while the one who is listening to the tirade is trying to tip off the unsuspecting talker that the subject of his conversation is right behind him. Joe E. Bia ae Some of the Tricks of His Trade Star of “Elmer the Great’? Points Out Elements That Go Toward Building Successful Comics “Babe Ruth! Who’s That Guy? I Make His Hits Look Like Bunts!’’ “How many times have you seen this gag worked without tiring of it? It is ten to one that you have seen it in so many variations and with so many forms of approach that you do not recognize it as one and the same cerned, there were never any truer words written than, “There | 5. yon A NY comedian can tell you that so far as his profession is conis nothing new under the sun.” Yet, there are new comedians who come along with a new technique, with new methods of getting real laughs from theatre audiences. They use new stories and different situations of course, but basically, people laugh at the same things they did fifty or a hundred years ago. And the reason for it is obvious—only the time changes—human nature is still very much the same as it was centuries ago. Joe E. Brown, as a highly successful comedian, whose latest First National comedy, “Elmer the Great,” will open at the... . Theatre, next . , is well qualified to discuss the Make-up Important “The broadness of my nose is further enhanced by grease paint shad matter of comedy and what makes people laugh. “The downfall of dignity,” says Joe E. Brown, has always been a surefire laugh-getter. Take a haughty looking gentleman, dressed in silk hat and a frock coat, have him slip on a banana skin into a puddle of mud and the response from the audience is tremendous. Laughter comes in gales. “Then there is the play that is made on technical language, such as I did in ‘Local Boy Makes Good.’ Always Brings Laughs For instance, the doctor says to me, ‘It may be a partial laparotomy of the posterior schizophrenic vertebret... To which I reply knowingly, ‘Sure! That runs in my family. My head feels numb.’ The medical phrases ~~ anthentic and the actor who plays * the doctor makes no at<stting “-smedy into the aos : << Ta si.aation. The medical . _ familiar to the audien.. who also realize they are just as unfamiliar» to me. That sort of situation always brings a big laugh. “Embarrassing situations too are invariably good for laughs, Especially when these situations are the type that most people have experienced themselvs. “The first thing a comedian must do is to learn exaggeration, beginning first with himself. My work commences with make-up. I know that my eyes are small in proportion to the balance of my features. In making up, I stress their smallness, by using no make-up on the eyes. hhas_helped to ing, and the use of lip rouge enables me to broaden my already generous mouth. On the screen, nothing appears to be exaggerated in my features, but it is, nevertheless. “Then come mannerisms and facial grimaces. There are a number of these that I use which have no place in my daily life, but largely they are every day habits and idiosyncrasies which not only I, but everyone possesses. Broadening them by exaggeration makes a mirth-provoking element out of a universal trait. The manner in which I peel a banana or put my hands inside the lapels of my coats, are illustrations of this point. Fast Tempo Needed What all comedy has in common, and on which it depends largely for success, is fast tempo. This is, without a doubt, the most important element. Sustained acceleration of pace make comedy out of otherwise un y situations. ‘This. condensing of the time element is another angle in the matter of exaggeration and also in the very important factor of not allowing the audience time to think the situation over. Comedy must do its own thinking or be thoroughly pre-digested for its audience, otherwise it loses its function of becoming a relaxing tonic. This does not mean that the “gags” must be sprung one after another like a machine gun. They must all have the element of suspense. There must be a building up process toward each laugh, and it is in this building up process that makes many similar “gags” look different. the Two Favorite Types the superiority complexes. types. “The character of the gawky botany student who was forced to turn athlete in “Local Boy Makes Good” was, stripped of its slight exaggerations, as human and pathetic a character as thousands who daily walk the streets of any city. His ill-fitting, baggy track suit, his modesty at displaying his limbs in public, and his fear of being shown up in competition are all things which helped build up my characterization. “The superiority complex as manifested in a number of my pictures, and particularly the baseball comedy, “Elmer the Great,” by Ring Lardner and George M. Cohan, carries nothing that is offensive to an audience. The supreme ego of the comedy hero is justified by the fact that he can actually do the things that people think he is bragging about. Moreover, a great deal of the comedy in this lies in the fact that he does not brag, but takes his accomplishments for granted and speaks about them in a nonchalant manner. Needs Serious Players ‘Ano ne essen ‘ial | ; comedy is to have a ber of players who are serious. In ‘Elmer the Great’ Patricia Ellis supplies the seriousness as leading lady. Her beauty and sweetness act as a perfect foil to the player in situations grossly exaggerated or ridiculous. tha nal accentua “Preston S. Foster and Emma Dunn also play straight roles, while Frank McHugh and Claire Dodd are a part of the comedy element. It is the director’s and the screen writer’s job, in the case of the current picture, Mervyn LeRoy and Tom Geraghty, to see that there is a proper admixture of comedy with serious action for relief, and that each comes in at just the proper time.” Medics Say 10 Hearty Laughs Daily Will Prolong Life 85 Abdominal Guffaws in Joe E. Brown’s Comedy, “*Elmer the Great,”” Adds Over a Week to Span ORRY, your family physician will tell you, is the greatest cause of shortened life the doctors know of. And by the same token, he will tell you that laughter is not only good for the soul, but also a great health tonic. Since this story deals with the value of comedy and its contribution to health because of the laughs we get out of watching a comedian such as Joe E. Brown strut his stuff, we are going to throw Old Man Worry into the ash can and concern ourselves with laughs, and their effect upon us. From the medical standpoint, there were some very interesting figures given out by a doctor not long ago proving that laughter works as a lifeprolonging tonic. Ten hearty laughs a day—and by laughs the doctor meant abdominal guffaws and not just mild titters—will add one day to a person’s life. Such hearty laughter, says the doctor, is not only a valuable emotional outlet, but the situations which give rise to it drive all care and worry from the mind, giving it a much needed rest from daily, troubling affairs. Ten laughs per day is quite an order when it is known that there are really only seven basic situations for pure comedy. Every “gag” and Page Four comedy situation used on the stage and screen is a variant or offshot of one of these seven. But this does not prevent getting more than _ seven laughs into a feature length comed film. : 85 Laughs Clocked At the preview of Joe E. Brown’s latest First National comedy, “Elmer the Great,” which comes to the .... Theatre on... ., an analyst clocked the audience for 85 unrestrained, hearty laughs which the picture gave them At this rate, according to the aforementioned doctor’s statement, each member of the audience thus added eight and one-half days to his life, barring accidents and acts of God. And while we are still in a statistical vein, it will be interesting to note that approximately twenty million people will see this picture all told. Though these figures are more or less arbitrary, the fact remains that American audiences pay more for comedy than for any other form of entertainment on either stage or screen. During the recent trip of Warner Bros. “42nd Street” special across the continent, Joe E. Brown, who was on the train, had but to open his mouth or make a grimace before the crowds that waited at each station to bring down a yell of laughter. And this was during the period of bank closings and bank holidays. The sight’ of his funny face would drive all worry for the moment from the minds of the people. Easy on Audience Comedy, be it known, is easier on the audience than any other form of entertainment. Heavy drama causes a certain amount of tension while an engrossing romance has the same sort of effect. With comedy, there is no tension—only a complete relaxation which is what we all seek when we go to the theatre. With Joe E. Brown in “Elmer the Great,” in which he plays the title role of this famous Ring LardnerGeorge M. Cohan stage show, appear Patricia Ellis, Frank McHugh, Claire Dodd, Preston S. Foster and Emma Dunn. Mervyn LeRoy, who directed that great hit, “I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang,” directed this baseball comedy. “Two types which I have found to my advantage are the inferiority and It will be found that a large percentage of comedy characters are based on these Joe E. Brown, the wide-mouthed laugh-hitter is funnier than ever as the high-powered ball-swatier in “Elmer the Great,”’ the First National production now at the Strand ... and no wonder, because the story was written by Ring Lardner and George M. Cohan. Patricia Ellis and Frank beac | ertainnum-| to the. . McHugh head the support. Cut No. 5 Cut 30c Mat 10c Patricia Ellis’ Film Success Foreordained by Training Daughter of Famous Broadway Producer, She Has Se > ‘; SSSR Nees Studied for Stage Since 2 geste is nothing mysterious about Patricia Ellis’ rapid prog Early Childhood in pictures. It was expected by all who were familiar with her background. The daughter of one of New York’s foremost directors and pro ducers, Patricia finds it as natural to act as it is to breathe. From the time she was old enough to theatre is her native habitat. The walk, she has worked with her father, Alexander Leftwich, learning the business of the stage from the ground up. Small wonder that, in a few short months after her migration to Hollywood at the invitation of Warner Bros.-First National Studios, Patricia should find herself forging ahead from one leading role to another, opposite the screen’s best known stars. Her most recent accomplishment is the principal feminine role in Joe E. Brown’s latest First National comedy, “Elmer The Great,” which comes .. Theatre on.... Just before that, she filled the same spot with distinction in “Picture Snatcher” with James Cagney. Despite her youth, Patricia came to the screen with a record of theatrical experience behind her that was unusual. In her father’s shows, she had understudied the ingenue roles as a primary school training. From that she had gone to small parts in stock companies around New York. Then leading roles had rewarded her diligence and aptitude. And finally she had graduated to Broadway, appearing in the cast of such important productions as “The Royal Family,” “Rlizabeth The Queen” and “Once In a Lifetime.” As a part of her stage curriculum, Patricia had studied both music and dancing. For five years she was a pupil of Ned Wayburn. Flair For Clothes Among the younger set of Hollywood’s motion picture world, Patricia Ellis stands out as one of the smartest-dressed girl in the.exacting milieu of the screen. She has a flair for clothes, chooses her costumes with taste and wears them with distinction. To her work on the screen, Patricia brings all the energy, and enthusiasm of youth. Her attitude on the set is that of one who is absorbing and learning something valuable from everything that happens around her. She is a keen student of the methods and technique of the various stars she plays with. Learned From Arliss No two greater contrasts could be | imagined than Joe E. Brown and George Arliss. Patricia has played with both stars, and enriched her knowledge of acting by her association with each. She still chuckles over the real attack of stage-fright she felt, the first day she walked on to the set of “The King’s Vacation” to play a scene with Mr. Arliss. “Tt didn’t last five minutes, though,” she explained. “He put me so completely at ease that, before I knew it, I felt as though I had known him afl my life.” Of Joe E. Brown, Miss Ellis said: “TJ thought I knew something about comedy until I found myself watching him rehearse a scene. And he’s the sweetest thing about helping you. I got more valuable pointers from Joe E. Brown during “Elmer The Great” —little things, you know, that mean so much—than I could have discovered for myself in five years.” “Elmer The Great” is the screen version of the famous Ring LardnerGeorge M. Cohan stage success, with Joe E. Brown playing the title role of Elmer Kane, world’s champion batter. Mervyn LeRoy directed this laugh-epic of big league baseball, while the screen play is by Tom Geraghty. Important members of the supporting cast are Preston S. Foster, Frank McHugh, Claire Dodd, Sterling Holloway and Berton Churchill. Tess _