Expensive Husbands (Warner Bros.) (1937)

She Got The Best Husband Money Could Buy (Current) SHORT WAVES USED TQ GALL OLIVER BACK 10 flS JOB Gordon Oliver of the movies has at last overcome what to most contract actors like himself is a great problem. He can go hunting and fishing beyond ’phone call or telegraphic summons, even between ¢equences of a picture he’s doing, without uneasiness. The studio (Warner Bros,’ in his case) has only to phone a friend of Gordon’s. The friend has a ‘‘ham’’ radio station, which at regular intervals when young Oliver is away, broadcasts messages Gordon Oliver Mat 104—15c which the actor picks up on a short-wave length attachment of his auto radio. Recently Gordon was told he had three days between scenes of his newest picture, ‘‘ Expensive Husbands,’’ which is now showing at the Strand Theatre, and in which he shares leading honors opposite Beverly Roberts and Patrice Knowles. He headed out to the Mojave Desert where a friend he grub-staked is mining a gold claim. Then a change in the film’s schedule was made, necessitating Oli =——ver’s presence a day ahead. Out went the short-wave S8.0O.8., and back to work sped the actor. People who envy actors their heftly weekly pay checks and their Gordon Oliver, who lost his heritage of half a million during the depression and became a movie actor, got back part of his lost fortune recently. The final liquidation of a company in which Oliver and his father (former Los Angeles broker) had over $50,000 invested, yielded the actor eleven dollars! Fortunately, Gordon is a successful leading man now, with a good income from pictures. His windfall went for a treat to cast and crew of the picture. PPP PIII DID DPD IDI frequent intervals of ‘‘vacation’’ between pictures or days of shooting, probably don’t know the one fly in the ointment which Oliver’s scheme does much to eliminate. Unless it is clearly understood with their producers, and the latter signify willingness to let the actor on contract to them get out of communication with the studio, a contractee has little freedom between his chores. He must keep close to his telephone, ready to respond to ealls to make added scenes on his justcompleted picture, or tests for a new one, for which he hadn’t even known he was being considered— all on very short notice. Had Good Training Allyn Joslyn, Broadway stage actor, was the friend and boon companion of New York newspaper men and press agents and his first two pictures in Hollywood — both for Warner Bros.—enabled him to portray one of each. In Mervyn LeRoy’s ‘‘They Won’t Forget’’ he played the newspaper man, and he is now drawing what he claims is a real and equally complimentary picture of a press agent in ‘‘Expensive Husbands,’’ which is the current attraction at the Strand Theatre. Page Four (Review ) ‘Expensive Husbands’ At Strand Gives Lowdown On Movie Capital THE STORY: In Hollywood there is a sudden and unexplained decline in the popularity of that once-favorite star, Laurine Lynne (Beverly Roberts). Still young, still beautiful, and naturally a better, more experienced actress than ever, she has suffered from an unlucky succession of weak pictures. Even Joe Craig (Allyn Joslyn) her clever press agent, is stumped. Meanwhile wealthy polo-playing Ricky Preston (Gordon Oliver) tries to persuade her to marry him, forget the screen, go for a yachting honeymoon to Europe. That puts an idea into Laurine’s head. But she decides to go alone. Even her press agent is kept in the dark about her plans. These develop, however, when, in Vienna, she gets an agent to seek a titled husband for her; one who would be willing, for $10,000 or so, to lend her the prestige of his name. Meanwhile she has met, quarrelled with and finally fallen in love with a handsome waiter in a Vienna cafe. He loses his job — and reports as a matrimonial prospect. For he is Prince Rupert Heinrich Ludwig etc. Von Rentzau (Patric Knowles). So they meet again, quarrel again — but are married. Then the prince walks out on the movie queen, which was as they bargained, but not as Laurine secretly hoped. After many hilarious situations, the Prince turns up in Hollywood — and there’s a gay unexpected surprise ending. Length: 5553 ft. Everybody wants to know what goes on behind the scenes in that fabulous town of Hollywood. ‘‘Expensive Husbands,’’ which opened yesterday at the Strand Theatre gives an inside picture of the movie capital. Mat 103—15c Beverly Roberts as well as of Beverly Roberts plays an actress whose star is in the descendant, so she goes after publicity in a big way — even to the extent of being willing to buy a titled husband to get newspaper space. As it turns out, she gets not only the publicity but love and happiness as well. A smooth-running, gay little piece, full of laughs romance, is this ‘‘ Expensive Husbands.’’ The capable and good-looking Patric Knowles, from the London stage, is the leading man, and is pretty sure to. win the girls in the audiences, as he did before in ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade.”’ Beverly Roberts plays a Hollywood leading woman who’s beginning to slip. The real reason for this is that she has had a succession of ‘weak stories — which happens to many a player in the movies. A wealthy socialite (well played by Gordon Oliver) wants her to quit films and marry him, but she’s not ready to retire yet and has a brand new plan. BEVERLY ROBERTS —She gets the best hus band money and she has buy or say ‘“ Hupensive the current attraction at the Strand Theatre. Mat 203—30c can buy — to buy, buy, bye-bye in Husbands,’’ Running Time: 62 mins. She goes to Europe and hires an agent, declaring she’s willing to pay $10,000, for a husband with a title. Then she proceeds to fall in love with a suave and handsome waiter. Because of his extra attendance upon her he is fired. Because he is broke he enters his name in the agency’s matrimonial lists. Patric Knowles plays this part. And it turns out that he is not really a waiter by profession, but he is a Balkan Prince, temporarily on the outs with his family. He and Beverly marry, she gets her publicity, then they quarrel and she returns to Hollywood and becomes a big shot NDT RAY Mat 105—15c Patric Knowles once again. He follows to Hollywood, demands a husband’s rights, and she can’t refuse. Another quarrel — and he vanishes. But Beverly can’t stand the separation, and leaves the film capital. When Patric arrives at his Euro pean castle he finds her there waiting for him. Both principals are excellent in ‘‘Expen sive Husbands,”’ Bobby Connolly. So, too, are which was well directed by Gordon Oliver as the socialite and Allyn Joslyn as a press agent. movie for the whole family. It’s a winsome and highly amusing (Current ) NEWSMEN APPLAUD ALLYN JOSLYN IN ROLE OF REPORTER The ‘‘extra-applauded-movie-actor-at-end-of-scene’’ story is getting a bit hoary with age and frayed with use now but what follows is a brand-new variation. Not an extra applauded Allyn Joslyn for portraying a newspaper reporter realistically and honestly in Mervyn LeRoy’s ‘‘They Won’t Forget,’’ recently previewed. But several days after the preview of the picture a little group of real newspaper men where Joslyn appeared did applaud him. And that Allyn Joslyn Mat 102—15c was at a dinner honoring anothor Thespian, at which Joslyn’s appearance was entirely accidental. ‘“There’s the actor who played that newspaper man in the LeRoy picture, boys!’’ cried one of the real-life press men. ‘‘ For the first time in movie history a newspaper man was portrayed intelligently and with real insight and sympathy. Let’s give this fellow a hand.’’ And they did. Few of them had known his name until then. Just recently, Joslyn did an equally fine job in creating a movie star’s press agent in another Warner Bros. picture, ‘‘ Expensive Husbands.’’ Beverly Roberts is the star, Patrice Knowles and Gordon Allyn Joslyn turned aluminum salesman when he got out of school. He had a secret yen to go on the stage, and a chorus girl he knew urged him to approach the task through singing and dancing — as a chorus boy. She assured him that chorus boys were he-men. One of her dancing partners in a New York show offered to prove the argument to Joslyn with his fists. Joslyn accepted, saying he’d take the job if the other licked him. The hoofer won — perhaps because of superior footwork. And Joslyn entered the chorus! Oliver play opposite, and Joslyn has the next important role. Bobby Connolly directed it. The press agents at the Warner studio were as grateful to Joslyn, a former Broadway stage actor, for doing right by them on the screen, as were the newspaper men. The press agent he created eats peanuts instead of swilling hard liquor all the time. He’s a smooth operator, not a loud and obnoxious numbskull given to bad puns. The p.a’s like to think they’re like him! Stars Sign Oranges Autographed oranges grown and signed by movie stars — that’s the latest in things sold at benefit bazaars. Beverly Roberts and Patric Knowles, romantic leads in Warner Bros.’ ‘‘Expensive Husbands,’’ which opens next week at the Strand Theatre, got up the gag. Pat raised most of the fruit, Edward Everett Horton contributed some of his, — and the three went around getting them autographed by the bushel. They’ll be sold for a Thanksgiving Day benefit for the Los Angeles poor.