Expensive Husbands (Warner Bros.) (1937)

“Country and the Woman.” The Working Man’s Answer To Gold-diggers (Advance ) Beverly Roberts Has Fast Ascent To Screen Stardom After less than two years in Hollywood, blonde eurlytopped Beverly Roberts says she feels like a veteran. ‘‘It seems as though at least five years of screen career and movie colony social life had gone behind me,” she declares. ‘‘Not, of course, that it has been dull. The time passed quickly — but so much was packed into the few months that in review it seems as though I must have been here a very long time.”’ In progress, too, Beverly has come a long way in a short time. It’s a far cry from her original bit in an Al Jolson picture to the top spot in a comedy such as her current one for Warner Bros. — “Expensive Husbands,” in whic she plays a movie star. This opens next Friday at the Strand Theatre. She has made seven pictures, not all big or successful pictures, but every one a milestone in her OPP PP PPP PSPSPS SPP PPS PFF FPF FPF PPPS Beverly Roberts goes most gals, even actresses, one better in the way of dressing room and stage makeup mirrors. The curly-headed Warner Bros. blonde used a quadruple mirror in filming her new picture, “Expensive Husbands,’ so as to get a proper view of the back of her head. As she plays a movie star in the film hairdress is particularly important. RWArnnrnrnrnnnrn rrr personal march up the steep narrow-trail to cinema heights. Her first notable leading role was opposite Pat O’Brien in “China Clipper.” After that she was featured, and then had the remarkable luck — if you eall making grand film tests luck — to be chosen as the star in “God’s That was a role Bette Davis had wanted, and Jean Muir had tried out for, and Josephine Hutchinson was once announced in — but Beverly got it. Beautiful in Technicolor, and proving herself in the big picture a splendid actress, Beverly made the most of her unusual opportunity. Originally a stage and radio singer and night club entertainer, she was somewhat disappointed when in picture after picture at Warner’s she was given dramatic leads to play, and never had the chance to offer the wares which had originally attracted attention to her. Now she is glad. Musicals remain an experience in reserve, and meanwhile she has proven herself as a fine dramatic actress and a refreshing personality. “If I’d been given the chance to sing I might have been typed as a singer and given no opportunity to prove I could act,” says Beverly. “As it is, chance brought me gradually into good parts as a dramatic actress. The powers that be know I can sing, or if they’ve forgotten it can always be proved to them. “Pretty soon I hope to be well enough known as a dramatic actress that there’s no need to fear Pll be forgotten in that field if I do a musical occasionally.” Pat Handy With Pistol Patrice Knowles, Warner Bros. star, is champion automatic pistol shot (.45 caliber) among film industry guests of the Los Angeles police pistol ranges. He ran up the record score during a lunch period while his movie company filming ‘‘Expensive Husbands’’ was on location near the range. John Boles is tops with a Thompson sub-machine gun — but a nonmovie shot holds the target pistol record. No guest, however, has quite equalled police marks in any division of this sport. (Advance ) WIFE READS MAIL FANS SEND HUBBY PATRIC KNOWLES Patric Knowles, the film actor, lets his wife, Enid, read all his fan-mail mash notes. They’re analyzed, like the rest of the handsome young Englishman’s fan mail, to give Pat an inkling about how he’s getting over on the American screen. When Enid reads a large number of exceptionally torrid love notes from her husband’s feminine admirers of the film audience, she tells him he’s doing all right. When the number and temperature of the notes slack off, she warns him that he’s slipping! The Knowles fan mail got its start when Warner Bros. brought him from England to play Errol Flynn’s brother in ‘‘The Charge of the Light Brigade.’’ Pat was the boy who got Olivia deHavilland in the end. But Flynn got most of the sympathy in that part. When Knowles really began to click with the American girls, judging by fan mail, was in the lead opposite Kay Francis in ““Give Me Your Heart.’’ ‘“Mister, you can have mine!’’ was the general tenor of many a letter that Mrs. Knowles inspected. But she didn’t mind. Young and beautiful herself, she used to be a stage and screen actress in England, so she understands this matinee idol business. She anticipates quite a boost in Pat’s popularity from his role as romantic male lead opposite Beverly Roberts in ‘‘ Expensive Husbands,’’ a comedy in which he shares top honors with Beverly Roberts. This film, which deals with the love affair and marriage-of-convenience of a Hollywood movie star and a prince, offers Knowles his first light, romantic comedy role in American films. He starts out as a waiter, reveals himself as a prince when he finds out that the lady of his heart is seeking a royal husband to give her screen career a boost. Contrary to usual movie procedure, however, Knowles does not adapt a pseudo-foreign accent for his princely role. ‘‘ Expensive Husbands’’ opens next Friday at the Strand Theatre. It was directed by Bobby Connolly. CAST OF CHARACTERS Prince Rupert Laurine Lynne Joe Craig Ricky Preston Herr Meyer Andrew Brenner Country of origin U.S.A. Copyright 1937 Vitagraph, Inc. Patric Knowles Vladimir Sokoloff Se i Mat 202—30c HE GETS THE POINT — It’s Patric Knowles (a cash and carry husband) taking it on the chin from Gordon Oliver (left), Allyn Joslyn, and Beverly Roberts, principals in the cast of ‘‘Expensive Husbands.’’ Lonely Young Britisher Now Happy In Hollywood Hollywood is the lonesomest place in the world for an Englishman, declares the young actor Patric Knowles — there are so many Englishmen there! Stand-offish anywhere, your Englishman in Hollywood is more so. It’s probably a protective instinct against the many birds of prey who hover around filmland, some of them sporting thick British accents. Or Irish, or French or Spanish — whatever the occasion requires; ‘“professional’’ countrymen of any visiting nation. But now, Knowles declares, all that is changed and he is no longer lonely in Hollywood. He has been accepted as the real thing by his fellow-Britishers in mrnnnrnnsnnnsnrmme anes sn 2) 8 0 Orr ons’ Patric Knowles created a screen precedent in the current Warner Bros. comedy “Expensive Husbands.” He plays a light-comedy Balkan prince whom the movie star heroine Beverly Roberts marries for his title—and plays him without an accent! Director Bobby Connolly decided that Pat’s own authentic British accent was much better than any assumed one could be. POPPA P PP PIP IPI FIVSIVIIY the film colony, and has become popular with the localites as well. On contract as leading man to Warner Bros., the handsome British actor came here from stage and film successes abroad to play Errol Flynn’s brother in “The Charge of the Light Brigade.” He remained to do a lead opposite Kay Francis and several other pictures, but got so lonely he once had to pick up stakes and hie back to England with his wife Enid — who was as lonely as Pat was. Son of an Oxford publisher, young Knowles ran away to London to become an actor, since his family didn’t approve of the profession. His wife had similarly risked the disapproval of a fine family to go on the stage. Al Director Beverly Roberts Allyn Joslyn Gordon Oliver Photography by Film Editor Fritz Feld John Butler Ann Codee George Humbert Otto Fries Dialogue Director Art Director though successful, she gave up her career to marry Knowles, shortly before they came to America. Both were employed for awhile at Teddington Studios owned by Warner Bros. in England. Knowles recently finished a romantic lead with Olivia DeHavilland in the Leslie Howard-Bette Davis picture, “It’s Love I’m After,’ and then got his best part to date, the male lead in “Expensive Husbands,” with Beverly Roberts opposite and Gordon Oliver as romantic rival. The part is his first light comedy role in American p**tures and is particularly promis 1g because it was in light comedy that Knowles showed his greatest flair on the British stage. He plays a prince from Vienna who marries an American movie star who is seeking publicity and a title. Once more or less “marooned” in their pretty little North Hollywood house, the Knowles family is now in lively demand socially — with the British as well as American contingent of the film colony. They’ve been accepted and hall-marked at last so there will be no more loneliness for them. Knowles will be seen in “Expensive Husbands” next week at the Strand Theatre. Beverly Roberts plays opposite him. Bobby Connolly directed. PRODUCTION STAFF Bobby Connolly Lillie Hayward Jean Negulesco Jay Brennan Kyrill deShishmareff James Van Trees, A.S.C. Lou Hesse Jay Brennan Hugh Reticker oh K. Jerome Jack Scholl Francis J. Scheid Howard Shoup All rights reserved. Copyright is waived to magazines and newspapers. (Lead Story) NEW CO-STAR TEAM COMING TO STRAND IN COMEDY DRAMA Playing together for the first time as co-stars, Beverly Roberts and Patrice Knowles come to the Strand Theatre next week in a Warner Bros. romantic comedy called ‘‘Expensive Husbands.’’ Both are well-known in their own rights — Beverly as the leading lady of the successful Technicolor romance ‘‘God’s Country and the Woman,’’ and Pat as Errol Flynn’s younger brother in the big spectacle ‘‘The Charge of the Light Brigade.’* As a team they are said to be altogether excellent. Many scenes of Hollywood’s life, and many, again, of luxurious spots in the Old World are said to be presented on the screen in ‘‘ Expensive Husbands.’’ The story is about a movie actress who, through no fault of her own, is sliding downward into the has-been class. She figures that the best possible publicity she could obtain to bring her back into the limelight and the affections of her fans would be to get a titled husband. This is Beverly’s part. So she goes to Europe, brazenly offers to buy a titled husband for $10,000, and thereupon gets into a series of amusing, though romantic episodes with a young Prince disguised as a waiter. This, of course is Patric Knowles. With the title, she returns to Hollywood and resumes her rightful place as a great screen star. Besides the splendid .wark—of — Beverly and Pat, there are grand performances turned in by Gordon Oliver, as a rich socialit3 who wants the actress to quit the screen, and by Allyn Joslyn as the actress’ press agent. The picture was directed by Bobby Connolly from a screen play by Lillie Hayward, Jean Negulesco and Jay Brennan. Fed With Peanuts Movie: director Bobby Connolly, formerly of Broadway show fame, isn’t so severe on press agents and’ newspaper men as some of his contemporaries, when he characterizes them in a picture. In his current Warner Bros. comedy, ‘‘Expensive Husbands, ’’ which opens next Friday at the Strand Theatre, a press agent, who plays an important part (the story being that of a Hollywood movie actress who is very much in the news) eats peanuts while talking to folks, instead of appearing as a drunk. Allyn Joslyn, who played the part, consumed about half a bushel of the goobers in one day’s scenes and needed neither luncheon nor dinner. Ann Codee Returns Ann Codee, celebrated French actress and former vaudeville headliner, who was the first woman to make a regular talking picture scene, is now playing a part in Warner Bros.’ film ‘‘ Expensive Husbands,’’? which opens at the Strand Theatre next week. Miss Codee was in Los Angeles headlining at the Orpheum at the time. She made some talkie scenes for Warner’s original Vitaphone cameras. Then her troupe went to San Francisco. Swinging back to Los Angeles again down the Coast, she did some more Vitaphone scenes, and then completed the series when her vaudeville tour reached New York! Page Three