Father's Son (Warner Bros., 1941) (1941)

Billy’s a chip off the old block... always * in trouble! It makes dad happy. ..and mother... slap-happy! JOHN LITELFRIEDA INESCORT 139 0 Op Gan BY-W\ (401 ©) re OF 0.0 0s Oe Directed by D. ROSS LEDERMAN A WARNER BROS.-First National Picture Screen Play by Fred Niblo, Jr. « From a Story by Booth Tarkington Vitograph, Inc. Mat 104 5 inches (70 lines)—15c BOOTH TARKINGTON’S Rnewweocr AND BEST— BAD BOY! He doesn’t look trouble... but he’s always in it! And why not? After all, FRIEDA INESCORT BILLY DAWSON CHRISTIAN RUB Directed by D. ROSS LEDERMAN A WARNER BROS..-First National Picture Screen Play by Fred Niblo, Jr. * From # Story by Booth Tarkingtom Vitagroph, Inc. S Mat 103 4 inches (56 lines)—15c Official Billing WARNER BROS. Pictures, Inc. Presents 5% “FATHER’S SON. oy with John Frieda LITEL — INESCORT 29% Billy Christian DAWSON — RUB 40% 15% Directed by D. ROSS LEDERMAN 15% Screen Play by Fred Niblo, Jr. 3% From a Story by Booth Tarkington 2% A Warner Bros.First National Picture 5% PUBLICITY (Lead Story) Tarkington Yarn Makes Delightful New Strand Film Booth Tarkington’s pen, which has delighted readers young and old for years with his impish, real, human boys, has to his credit another story to be filmed — Warner Bros.’ “Father’s Son,’ which will open on Friday at the Strand Theatre. To play the boy, Warners cast Billy Dawson, a handsome, vital, boyish boy who shows much talent. The father’s role is carried by the capable actor John Litel, and the mother is played by the charming British player Frieda Inescort. The film’s action centers around the family’s war of nerves, brought on by a stuffy father and a son who is forced by boyish “necessity” to shoot off his father’s pistol, get into fights, fly model planes in the house. Even Billy’s running away from home doesn’t make the father realize how wrong is his treatment of the lad. The boy and his mother leave together. But when Billy discovers that his mother is unhappy, after the separation, he plots to get his parents back together again by a phoney kidnapping. He brings on more hysterical excitement than he bargained for, but he gets his results. D. Ross Lederman directed the screen play, which Fred Niblo, Jr., adapted. Mat 101—15c JOHN LITEL and BILLY DAWSON “Father’s Son” Has All-American Pace As All-American as football and hot dogs and the Grand Canyon and Coney Island is Booth Tarkington’s newest and best bad boy, ‘“Father’s Son,” filmed by Warner Bros., which opens at the Strand Theatre next Friday. Title roles are filled by a fetching imp of a youth new to the screen, Billy Dawson, and the important character actor, John Litel, with the talented and capable British actress Frieda Inescort. D. Ross Lederman directed and Fred Niblo, Jr., adapted the story for the screen. The sympathetic story concerns Billy, a well-intentioned lad who just can’t help getting into trouble. His father is also well-intentioned, but his severe handling of the boy puts a barrier between the two. This develops, and eventually Billy runs away from home. When he returns, his father foolishly continues to antagonize the boy, so the lad and his mother leave together. But now Billy realizes how unhappy both parents are, separated, and he gets to work on his ingenious plan that finds all ending happily. Mat 201—30c FAMILY PORTRAIT from Warner Bros.’ ‘Father’s Son,” opening at the Strand Theatre next Friday. The Booth Tarkington story features the trio above—Frieda Inescort, Billy Dawson and John Litel. (Opening Day) “Father’s Son” Bright New Film Opens at Strand Today Booth Tarkington’s newest bad boy makes Warner Bros.’ “Father’s Son,’ which opens at the Strand Theatre today, a delightful piece of film fare. The story is a sympathetic family tale told with fine understanding, and the cast is capable, including screen veteran John Litel, charming and attractive British actress Frieda Inescort and as the boy an impish, talented boy, Billy Dawson. As the stuffed shirt, small town lawyer father, John Litel is responsible for a home full of tension and unhappiness. His wife, played by Miss Inescort, is understanding and realizes that underneath the brusqueness he loves her and their son. Billy is a healthy, normal, mischievous specimen, and _ his pranks irk the conventional father. Domestic discord reaches a climax and Billy runs away from home. When he returns, his father immediately starts treating the whole situation his own way, and Billy and his mother leave together. When Billy realizes how unhappy his mother is away from his father, the lad contrives to get them together in a fast-paced, exciting climax. The screen play was written by Fred Niblo, Jr., directed by D. Ross Lederman. Film Tarkington Tale The most recent of Booth Tarkington stories to be filmed is ‘“Father’s Son,” filmed by Warner Bros., which opens at the Strand Theatre next Friday. Billy Dawson plays the impish leading role and John Litel and Frieda Inescort are featured in the motion picture. c Lunk Nelson Makeup Artist, Perc Westmore. WilhamyEmory i ee et, Rien Eimnorycn tance scene Biller monyers ty!) see ee ee aa Mell awiati ier rte. sottny. ae eee estan tee Vesti Dale an ecto teas a tate teil eee URIOT OLE Wart 6858. neces Berries: Sweeney) ic. oe ates eo ED) ry Fee ae eh cess ne eA Ee Mrs Stewar ters. cpcte eee snes tioace oc. ate are eee ti 8 IN SY ear AE SON Gs ee ne Soe ee rey ste Running Time . Family Film at Strand A lesson in child psychology from Booth Tarkington’s fastpaced, entertaining pen, is Warner Bros.’ “Father’s Son,” opening at the Strand Theatre next Friday. Appearing in the film are John Litel, Frieda Inescort and 13-year old screen newcomer Billy Dawson. SYNOPSIS (Not For Publication) William Emory (John Litel) is a successful small town lawyer and a stuffed shirt. His wife Ruth (Frieda Inescort) knows that in his egotistical way he loves her and their son Billy (Billy Dawson). There is a war of nerves between the prankish boy and his father. William’s severity leads the boy into running away from home. The lad has a series of remarkable adventures, and when he returns his home life is no happier. Ruth decides she must leave William and take the boy. Billy is happy, until he realizes how much Ruth misses William. To precipitate a reconciliation, he then plots a phoney kidnapping, which frightens the stuffed-shirtism out of William and brings the parents together. THE CAST oe ORR RMER 6c <u t ae John Litel lero an aA Rennes 3... Frieda Inescort sae birt a) idk eo ere Billy Dawson eg aT er a Christian Rub Ie Oe tr eee Bernice Pilot Perr Pree COL eee Phillip Hurlic Rees cont anon eee eee Sammy McKim Se i ie ee Ca Sonny Bupp ee ye on ts ee Scotty Beckett i Sree nario eter eae. anu Myra Marsh De i Ce ee John Dilson Ux ARR cE George Lloyd PRODUCTION Directed by D. ROSS LEDERMAN Screen Play by Fred Niblo, Jr.; From a Story by Booth Tarkington; Director of Photography, Allen G. Siegler, A.S.C.; Art Director, Charles Novi; Dialogue Director, Harry Seymour; Film Editor, Frank Magee; Gowns by Milo Anderson; Sound by Dolph Thomas; . 57 Minutes (Review) “Father's Son” Gay Family Fare Now at Strand A human story of family life told with warm simplicity opened at the Strand Theatre last night. It’s Warner Bros.’ “Father’s Son,” adapted from a Booth Tarkington _ story and excellently played by a talented cast. With Tarkington’s keen understanding of child psychology, the story deals with a typical American boy, played by Billy Dawson. This vivacious youth shows much talent and was given a Hollywood contract after television work. His father is portrayed by John Litel, a leading character actor, and Billy’s mother is played by Frieda Inescort, intelligent and charming British player. The story tells of prankish, mischievous Billy, whose boyish ways wear on his solidcitizen father’s nerves. Events lead up to the lad’s running away from home, being kidnapped and then returning. Still, no change in father’s demeanor, so the boy and his mother leave together. An exciting, fast chain of events engineered by the lad brings a final reconciliation. Fred Niblo, Jr., wrote the screen play and D. Ross Lederman directed. Strand Film Rips Stuffed Shirts Actor John Litel is no stuffed shirt. If he were, he claimed, his task of portraying one in Warner Bros.’ production of Booth Tarkington’s story, “Father’s Son,’ which opens at the Strand on Friday, might have been easier. To prepare for his characterization, the actor studied his friends, enemies and _ associates as models. The men themselves wouldn’t recognize their reflected images, Litel thinks. No stuffed shirt sees himself as others see him. But the actor believes that a man’s wife is keenly aware of it. In “Father’s Son” Litel’s wife, played by Frieda Inescort, is well aware of the character’s shortcomings. And so in a way is the son, played by 13-yearold Billy Dawson. In the film, incidentally, Tarkington revealed and Litel will try to show that under the right conditions, there is hope for a stuffed shirt. Film Teacher Taught Only in pictures does the teacher have to be taught what he’s to teach, half an hour before he is to teach it. Recently, for example, the jiu-jitsu. teacher in Warner Bros.’ “Father’s Son” the film opening Friday at the Strand, was taught a sufficient number of Japanese wrestling tricks so he could in turn demonstrate them to 13-year-old Billy Dawson, who shares title roles in the film with John Litel. However, Billy already knew more than his teacher about jiu-jitsu. He had been practicing it for days. Television to Movies The first actor to be given a screen role on the strength of a television test is thirteenyear-old Billy Dawson, starring with John Litel and Frieda Inescort in Warner Bros. production of Booth Tarkington’s “Father’s Son,” which opens at the Strand Theatre next Friday.