Fifty Million Frenchmen (Warner Bros.) (1931)

~S, “\. Theatre = eula,”” They Slave. So Warner Bros. Put lt On The Screen Said It Couldn’t Be Better On The i Bit] MILLION FRENCHMEN Cut No. 3 Cut 20c Mat 5c TITLE SLUG CUT Hundreds of ways to use it! Can be utilized as one column “card”’ at ending of run; as an ‘““nderliner” in ‘Connection with last ads on preceding picture, also as “last times today” slug. Famous Clowns Met On College Campus Olsen and Johnson Featured in “Fifty Million Frenchmen’ Warner Bros. Comedy at Se Theatre, Formed Partnership Fifteen Years Ago at Evanston, Il. (Advance Story) A friendship that started on a university campus brought together two men who were destined to become one * of the most popular comedy teams of stage and screen. They are Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson, the maniacs of monkey business, featured in “Fifty Million Frenchmen,” Warner Bros. and Vitaphone Technicolor comedy special now at the Theatre. Olsen and Johnson. first met at Northwestern University in Evanston, TH whowe Chig_was workin’ bisa, te by waiting om tables __ wi Siiiging illustrated songs at the local nickleodeons. They formed a friendship which has lasted for more than fifteen years and bids fair to last for fifty. While still in college they got up an act and went to a Chicago cafe where they took tables as patrons. Without the manager’s permission, they stood up and went into their act. The outraged manager tried to stop them, but the amused crowd wouldn’t let him. They were a huge success and applied to the astonished manager for a job and got it. Later they went on the variety stage for the major vaudeville circuits and became one of the outstanding comedy combinations behind the footlights. Unlike most variety stage headliners, Olsen and Johnson refused offers to enter musical comedy. They remained loyal to vaudeville and toured Australia for two years. Upon their return, talking film producers approached them to appear in short subjects, but they produced their own stage show, “Monkey Business” instead. At the termination of the show, which enjoyed a successful national tour, Olsen and Johnson signed with Warner Bros. and made “Oh, Sailor Behave,” as their first Vitaphone starring vehicle. In “Fifty Million Frenchmen,” adapted for the screen from the Broadway stage hit of the same name, Olsen and Johnsom enact a pair of detectives in Paris. The cast also includes William Gaxton, Helen Broderick, John Halliday, Claudia Dell, Charles Judels, Nat Carr, Vera Gordon, Lester Crawford and others. Lloyd Bacon directed. “DRACULA” CREATOR IN FRENCH FARCE (Advance Story) Bela Lugosi, who rose to fame on the stage in the title role of “Draportrays a Hindu fakir in Warner Bros. Vitaphone Technicolor comedy film “Fifty Million Frenchmen” in which Olsen and Johnson head the all-star cast and which comes to the HOW CLSEN AND JOHNSON DIG UP THE UPROARIOUS JOKES MILLIONS APPLAUD Comedy Team Featured in Warner Bros. ‘Fifty Million Frenchmen,” Now at the Theatre, Work Hard to Get Material For Their Clowning (Feature) The business of being funny is serious work to Olsen and Johnson, the well known stage and screen maniacs of ‘‘monkey ?) business, Frenchmen,’’ They work harder to make other people laugh than most folks do in an effort to make their first million dollars or meet the next payment on the radio. Their constant quest for new gags, funny situations, and comedy lines, even surpasses the earnestness of a stock exchange floor operator trying to unload on a falling market with two minutes to go before the exchange closes. Their mobile countenances assume a rigid seriousness when working over a comedy situation which later will throw huge audiences into gales of laughter. On the stage or screen, everyone will agree that Olsen and Johnson are a singularly merry pair. But off screen they are all business, constantly inventing new laughs, thinking up funny ideas, and observing comic occurrences that happen to them and other people every day. Both carry a pad and pencil and jot down any funny things that come to them or that they observe. When they have time, they rehearse. And in rehearsal their faces resemble those of a board of directors trying to squeeze out a dividend when the books fail to show a profit. Their next step is to try out the gag on a willing person or group of persons. If the preview audience puts fhele SERTAD of. approval on it with tigen while quaking “Pitty Million. Frenchmen,” in which they play two detectives of doubtful detecting ability, Olsen and Johnson tried out many of their comedy lines and’ situations on members of the cast and crew before recording them. Others in the cast of “Fifty Million Frenchmen” are William Gaxton, John Halliday, Helen Broderick, Claudia Dell, Nat Carr, Vera Gordon and Lester Crawford. who have. featured comedy roles in ‘‘Fifty Million the Warner Bros. laugh special which is now at the and Vitaphone Technicolor Theatre. Loses Fortune Won In Gold Fields, Is Success As Actor (Biography as of Jan. 15, 1931) John Halliday, who has a prominent role in “Fifty Million Frenchmen,” the Warner Bros. and Vitaphone Technicolor comedy special now at the Theatre, won and lost a fortune in gold before seeking a career as an actor. Mr. Halliday was born in Brook lyn, N. Y. and was taken to Europe by his parents where he remained until he was eighteen. During that time, he studied mining engineering and upon returning to America, joined the caravans of gold seekers journeying westward. He gained a fortune in Goldfield, moved to Sacramento, lost all his money through bad investments, and was stranded. Not knowing where to turn for a living, he applied for a job with Nat Goodwin’s repertoire show which was then playing at the opera house. He remained with Goodwin for several years, later making a tour of the world-with T. Daniel Frawley. Returning to N. Y. he received an excellent part with John Drew in “The ST Was inese as 0 play that Halliday first saw his name in electric lights. He played the stellar role in “The Whip,” “Sour Grapes,” “The Spider,” “The Humbug,” “Jealousy” and many others. Warner Bros. signed Halliday to a long term contract and he made “Scarlet Pages,” for First National as his initial vehicle under this agreement. His second was “Captain Applejack.” “Fifty Million Frenchmen” is his third. Se FAST-RISING MOVIE STAR Cut No. 2x Cut 30c Mat roc Claudia Dell who, by her work in “Fifty Million Frenchmen” critics alike. Theatre is being hailed as a Great things are predicted for this beautiful blonde. at the “comer” by fans and NICKNAMES PROOF SAN ANTONIO GIRL OF POPULARITY (Current Story) ~ Although they« are known publicly ‘as Olsen and Johnson, the favorite comedians were given distinguished Christian names. Johnson who is called “Chic” was chee Hal Bie ibe Johnson. 4 Seg was a Teka ‘Sievard Oise. The popular nuts of nonsense are featured in “Fifty Million Frenchmen” Warner Bros. and Vitaphone frisky farce now at the Theatre. The cast also includes William Gaxton, John Halliday, Helen Broderick, Claudia Dell, Lester Crawford, Nat Carr, Vera Gordon, Charles Judels, Carmelita Geraghty and others. turvy! with William Gaxton Claudia Dell eae —Off goes the lid! goes the fun! An American girl has Paris topsy OLSEN & JOHNSON © On know Paris. wrong about. Begins It takes you where Americans go — if they really just what fifty million Frenchmen can’t be get the lowdown! ' A WARNER BROS. HIT ALL IN TECHNICOLOR Tells you Come and Cut No. 19 Cut 60c Mat r5c PLAYS INGENUE IN PARISIAN FILM (Biography as of Jan. 15, 1931) Claudia Dell, the blonde Southern beauty who has the romantie lead in “Fifty Million Frenchmen”, the Warner oe. pas as ee Thentee. was inaneed to try auton pictures by Felix Hughes, well known voice teacher and brother of the celebrated author, Rupert Hughes. A test resulted in a long term contract with Warner Bros. and the title role in “Sweet Kitty Bellairs”. This was followed by the lead opposite Al Jolson in “Big Boy” and the ingenue role in “Sit Tight’’. Claudia was born in San Antonio, Texas, and received her education in an English school in Mexico where her father was in business. Going to New York, she was immediately placed in the Follies by Flo Ziegfeld and later became’ understudy to Irene Delroy, who now is also a Warner star. She played the feminine lead in “Merry Mary” in London and upon her return to New York turned down offers of two plays to visit her family in California. Then talking pictures claimed her. Miss Dell has the soft voice characteristic of her South. She is an excellent swimmer and has won many medals in open competition. In “Fifty Million Frenchmen” she enacts a tourist who falls in love with a young American about Paris. The cast also includes Olsen and Johnson, William Gaxton, John Halliday, Helen Broderick, Lester Crawford, Vera Gordon, Nat Carr, Charles Judels and others. The picture is adapted from the Broadway hit of the same name. Lloyd Bacon directed. Laughter and Love in Fast-Moving Comedy (Advance Story) Fun, fast and furious action, love, kidding, dancing—and all in the gayest scenes of Paris—marks “Fifty Million Frenchmen,”, the Warner Bros. and Vitaphone production in Technicolor which comes to the .... Theatre next. Olsen and Johnson, nuttiest nuts of nutland, are in uproarious evidence —and William Gaxton, Claudia Dell, Helen Broderick, John Halliday, Vera Gordon, Nat Carr and Lester Howard are in the cast which includes hundreds of extra players. “Fifty Million Frenchmen” is the peppiest show of the year. Page Seven