Five Star Final (Warner Bros.) (1931)

OF THE TALKING PICTURE™ —Hollywood Herald BOY DIRECTOR TACKLES NEWSPAPER FILM AND GAINS HIMSELF NEW GLORY Thirty-Year-Old Mervyn Le Roy, Who Directed “Five Star Final,’”’ First National Drama Starring Edward G. Robinson, Is A Dynamo Of Human Energy (Human Interest Feature—Plant in No. 1 Newspaper 4 Days Before Run Begins) First National’s brilliant screen version of ‘‘Five Star Final,’’ melodrama of newspaper life, starring Edward G. Rob inson, which comes to the Aes Theatre ........ next, was directed by the quite amazing Mervyn Le Roy, who recently came into prominence by this ‘Little Caesar.’’ Young Le Roy visited New York recently and attended the Louis Weitzenkorn play, “Five Star Final,” half a dozen times. He also visited newspaper offices, talked to newspaper people and tried to absorb the atmosphere of reporting. GETS SMELL OF INK “rankly, I don’t know a great al about newspapers,” he says, propos of his educational trip to the East. only a few times in my life. “T’ve been in their offices Of course, I’ve known newspaper people but when I’ve known them they were on location, you might say. That is, they were out on stories and not in their offices. Much of the action in “Five Star Final’ — the movie version —takes place inside a newspaper office, so T had to MERVYN LEROY director of “Five Star FV zig the picture realistic.” The young direector—he is just thirty years of age—is among the topnotch directors now by reason of his work in “Little Caesar.” That story of racketeering was the last assignment that would have been handed LeRoy, if one only judged by his looks, which are even younger than his age. HOBOES IT FOR NEWS When he heard that “Little Caesar,” the book by W. R. Burnett, had been bought by his company, he wanted to direct it. He had done comedy films which had mature deftness of touch. He had been a cameraman, and he knew all about the mechanies of his trade. He had intelligence and wit. So before anything had been decided about the picturization of “Little Caesar,” Le Roy put on some very old clothes and went about getting crook atmosphere in the same first-hand way he got newspaper atmosphere on his visit to New York. He picked up gangster slang and gangster philosophy. He slept in flop-houses and he went to night clubs and asked leading questions of bootleggers and racketeers. He’d have made a good reporter if he hadn’t become a movie man twelve years ago. After a couple of weeks of research work among the disorderly he went to the studio big shots and showed them that he was more than casually interested in “Little Caesar,” and he had been right often enough in the past to convince the officials that he was the man for the job. (P.S.: He got it!) MEETS FUTURE WIFE He seems to do everything with a swish, this young man. He met his wife, Edna Murphy, in a film ecasting office, and within a week he had her convinced that they ought to be engaged. They’ve been happy ever since. Another example of his quick work was his discovery of Loretta Young. Loretta’s sister Polly Ann, was working on a picture and when she didn’t turn up one day, Le Roy telephoned her mother. “Polly Ann’s sick,” said Mrs. Young. “Her sister ee ee direction of the same star in An Eight Inch Cigar For A Five Foot Man George E. Stone, the celebrated Polish character actor who appears in support of Edward G. Robinson in “Five Star Final,” the First National melodrama of newspaper life, now at the______ Ssiser es eae cbrarewns Theatre—is five feet three and one-half inches in height—and for the comedy effect the director ordered that in each scene in which Stone appears he is to be smoking an eight inch cigar. All went well until Stone, who plays something of a hard guy, discovered that the black weed was making him sick. The director, not to be outdone, sent for a special brand of mild cigar. So many were smoked by Stone during the filming—and by Robinson, an inveterate smoker, who did not hesitate to borrow—that the cigar bill ran up to nearly one hundred dollars. What Stone needed was evidently not a good five cent ar, but « vood dollar cigar. ‘e Star ” is ackncwledz . melodramu J uis Weitzenkorn is ure Mervyn Le Roy di rected. Work Makes One Man Fat And Another Man Thin (Advance Reader) “Pive Star Final”, the First National melodrama of modern newspaper life, starring Edward G. Robinson, and coming to the ............ Theatre next, was two weeks in actual filming—two strenuous weeks as the picture will prove to you. During the fortnight the star gained four pounds while Mervyn Le Roy, the director, lost eight. During the filming of “Little Caesar” the same star gained and the same director lost. Star Final” includes Marian Marsh— Robinson’s support in “Five sereen discovery of the year—H. B. Warner, Anthony Bushell and many other favorites. Mr. Robinson does his finest work in “Five Star Final” which is based on Louis Weitzenkorn’s big Broadway hit. and I have been up all night with her.” “Her. sister?” said LeRoy. “Does she look anything like Polly Ann?” “Why yes,” said Mrs. Young. “Send her down,” said LeRoy. When Loretta arrived LeRoy was so impressed that he gave her a part in “Naughty But Nice.” LeRoy loses no time at anything: meeting people, making decision, playing tennis, driving his car. That might have been he who went past a second ago. It must have been if it was speedy, young, sunburned and not very tall. Featured in support of Edward G. Robinson in “Five Star Final’’—LeRoy’s greatest achievement — are Marian Marsh, H. B. Warner, Anthony Bushell, George B. Stone, Frances Starr, Ona Munson, Boris Karloff, Robert Elliott, Aline MacMahon, Purnell Pratt, David Torrence, Osear Apfel, Gladys Lloyd (wife of the star), Evelyn Hall and Harold Waldridge. a a a T eo» eieTee70*6'b 10-670" 0-6. 6,8 ye 6 8 6 0 ee eee On one °, Sensational! Forget every motion picture you’ve ever called a sensation. Forget every thrill you’ve ever ex perienced in or out of a theatre. Forget every heart-pounding experience you’ve ever had. Here’s the masterpiece of masterpieces that sweeps everything aside on a wave of quivering emotion. WOMEN'S SOULS CRUCI-, FIED AND SOLD —_ we WZ IN Nre rUoK 2 CENTS Anything for circulation! ANYTHING! He delves into the past if he can find sensation. He'd brand an innocent girl if it sold his papers. Were is the terror of yellow journalism — stripped — exposed! NATIONAL & VITAPHONE HIT. ee eee eee ee 4.0 0 8 8 ese outstanding sereen actor of the ::... H. B. WARNER ae MARIAN MARSH ae ANTHONY BUSHELL GEORGE E. 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