Going Highbrow (Warner Bros.) (1935)

Veatured by an all-star comedy cast, including such notable laugh-creators as Guy Kibbee, ZaSu Pitts and Edward Everett Horton, Warner Bros. new screen laugh is replete with amusing complications and ribtickling dialogue. The sereen story. is by Edward Kaufman and Sy Bartlett, based on a play by Ralph Spence. Matt Upshaw (Guy Kibbee) and his society-hungry wife, Cora Upshaw (ZaSu Pitts) return from a trip to Europe. Matt Upshaw is a duecolic Kansas farmer who has made a fortune in the stock market. Having spent a large sum on a famous painting in Europe, the Upshaws gain some New York press publicity which Cora looks on as her first step up the ladder toward the Smart Set summit. Thanks to the bungling of their business manager, Augie Witherspoon (Edward Everett Horton), the once-wealthy and _ still socially-prominent Marsh family faces bankruptey. Harley Marsh (Ross Alexander) is anxious tv become a singer. In the meantime, kindly old Matt has met charming Millicent (June Martel) who is a waitress at a restaurant across the street from the smart hotel where the Upshaws stay. He has told her that he is a millionaire, but she believes he is “kidding” her. Augie, calling on ambitious Mrs. Upshaw, finds that she’ll pay fifty-thousand dollars for an introduction into sceiety. Me agrees that Mrs. Marsh will see Water Sane 6 ee Wr. :4) pshaw:. 2-2. 2 a in ee ce aie Ne a Pabley MRS. io Bere ee tt Millicent Director (2:2 es Screen Play by = Based on the story “Social Pirates” Additional Dialogue by... Photegtaphy: by. 2 Fb Te en ee At AOR ie Gowns by Music and Lyrics by... Musical Director_... Min TEES Edward Rverttr Horton eee arn Ross Alexander i ne eo ees Alter and jehh Scholl to it that society will receive them if théy give a debut for their daughter. He rushes back to Mrs. Marsh with the news and with the added idea that young Marsh should marry this daughter of the Upshaw millions. The Upshaws have no daughter. But Matt, remembering Millicent, the waitress, suggests they palm off the girl as their child. Cora agrees. At the big coming-out party, Harley finds Millicent. In the meanwhile, it has been disclosed that Millicent is married—to a small-time vaudeville actor of worthless character, Sam Long (Gordon Westcott). Millicent, falling in love with Harley, realizes she can’t marry him. Harley, fearing she thinks he wants to marry her for her money, plans to stifle his love— much to the disgust of the scheming Augie. So the latter, to stimulate interest through jealousy, hires a professional actor to appear and make love to Millicent and this actor is her own husband. Millieent disappears. The husband tries blackmail for a large sum when he learns of the love of Harley for his wife. But Augie, in his first move of intelligent action steals a letter from Long which betrays the fact that Long had a previous wife — so that Millicent really wasn’t married. Harley, Augie and Matt find Millicent back at her restaurant job. The news is told and the picture ends happily for all, with Millicent in the arms of Harley. es ete oe _Guy Kibbee __ ZaSu Pitts _. June Martel ie We ae Gordon Westcott ee eM ee co Judy Canova __.. Robert Florey Edward Kaufman and Sy Bartlett we __Ralph Spence ee si Ben Markson _. William Rees _.. Harold McLernon Sapo _Esdras Hartley ee i i as Ory -Kelly _ Leo F. Forbstein Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. and The Vitaphone Corp’n. 25% present “GOI NG. HIGHBROW” 100% with Guy Kibbee—ZaSu Pitts—-Edward Everett Horton Directed by Robert Florey A Warner Bros. Productions Corporation Picture MEMO Set an early date for the swell VITAPHONE TRAILER Guy Kibbee Guy Kibbee was born in El Paso, Texas, on March 6, 1886. He toured the country innumerable times with various stock companies and won attention as one of America’s most capable actors. GUY KIBBEE appearing in “Going Highbrow” AE ANG eee ee 8 Theatre. Mat No. 106 —10c His performance in the Broadway production, “The Torch Song,” was so outstanding that Hollywood summoned him for important screen roles. His most recent pictures include “Mary Jane’s Pa,” “While the Patient Slept,” “Babbitt,” “Big Hearted Herbert,” “Dames,” “The Merry Frinks,” ‘Merry Wives of Reno,” “Harold Teen,” “Wonder Bar,” “Easy to Love,” “Convention City,’ “The World Changes,’ “Havana Widows,” “Footlight Parade’ and “Gold Diggers of 1933.” Ross Alexander Ross Alexander was born in New York Ciy,, July 27, 1907. He attended the Brooklyn Model School and Erasmus Hall. He left school at sixteen to go on the stage, playing in stock in Boston, Mass., and later in Louisville, Ky. His first Broadway play was “Enter Madame.” Other prominent plays in which he has appeared include “The Ladder,” “Let Us Be Gay,” “That’s Gratitude,” “After Tomorrow” and “No Questions Asked.” He made his bow on the screen with “Gentlemen Are Born” and later played in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Plirtation Walk” and “Maybe It’s Love.” His current production is “Going Highbrow,” now showing at the: Sse Theatre. Z28Su Pitts ZaSu Pitts was born in Parsons, Kansas. She was christened ZaSu to please two aunts, one named liza, and the _ other Susan. ZaSu appeared in school theatricals and eventually went to Los Angeles. Her first sereen work was with Mary Pickford, who gave her a small part in “The Little Princess.” Several years of miscellaneous roles followed and when Erie Von Stroheim east her in a tragic role in “Greed” she was hailed as a great tragedienne. Her more recent pictures inelude “Dames,” “Private Scandal,’ “They Just Had to Get Married,” “Mr. Skitch,”’ “Three On a Honeymoon,” “The Meanest Girl in Town” and “Mrs Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch.” She is now playing in “Going Highbrow,” which comes to the MC aureS OMe hie: on) ot ee Favored Funster Se Guy Kibbee adds another hilari ous characterization to _ those which have made him one of filmdom’s most popular funmakers in “Going Highbrow,” coming to the _.. Theatre. Mat No. 102—10c (Review) ‘Going Highbrow’ Provides Many Laughs at Strand Opening of ZaSu Pitts-Guy Kibbee Vehicle Finds One of Year’s Finest Comedies shown for the first time locally at the.............. —O* of the most riotous comedies of the season was theatre yesterday. It is a Warner Bros. production, entitled ‘‘Going High brow,’ rich in humor, unusual situations and sparkling dialogue. This company has a knack of picking out unique and modern subjects, some of which, as this one, play on the foibles of the people in general. It is both true to life, up-to-the-minute, and outside of that grand entertainment. The picture is based on the hilarious play by Ralph Spence and concerns the wife of a Kansas farmer, suddenly become rich, who hires herself a publicity man, and adopts a waitress as a daughter, to launch herself into New York’s socially elect. The Kansas farmer is a simple and honest soul, but is ruled by his dominant wife and the agony he goes through would make anyone laugh. Guy Kibbee, as the farmer has never put over a finer characterization in his life, in this reviewer’s opinion. He makeg his character so real, one would think he had the actual experience. As a matter of fact, Kibbee has seen tougher times before he reached screen stardom, and probably did feel the situation personally. ZaSu Pitts, the ambitious wife, is always a scream, but in this picture she is given an unusual opportunity to display her artistry. Edward Everett Horton is excellent in his role of the blundering publicity manager, who stages the plan to go highbrow in order to finance an _ aristocratic, but impoverished family. The romantic leads are handled by Ross Alexander and June Martel, both of the Broadway stage, who recently went to Hollywood and are now “Going Highbrow,” in a manner of speaking. Both do the fine work that one would expect of experienced stage players. Gordon Westcott, of course, plays the villain of the production, and Judy Canova, of the famous Canova Family, has an important role. If anyone enjoys a good laugh, and who doesn’t, they should not miss this picture. They also will have the pleasure of listening to catchy musie by Louis Alter and John Scholl. iid. Everett Horton Edward Everett Horton was born in Brooklyn, N. Y., and educated at Columbia University. His stage career began when he was twenty when he joined the chorus of a comie opera company playing Gilbert and Sullivan operas on Staten Island. EDW. EVERETT HORTON coming in “Going Highbrow” t these Theatre. Mat No. 104 —10c He started his screen career seven years ago, appearing in “The Front Page,” “Lilac Time,” “Ruggles of Red Cap,” and “Sonny Boy.” Horton returned to the stage in 1928 and for two years was engaged in producing his own shows. Back to the screen again his most recent pictures include “In Caliente,” “Smarty,” “Easy to Love,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “Design for Living,’ “The Way to Love,” “Age for Love” and “A Bedtime Story.” Gordon Westcott Gordon Westcott was born in St. George, Utah, the son of a minister, a profession he himself prepared for at the University of Utah. Later he decided upon a journalistic career and attended Columbia University. He became interested in the theatre after writing a melodrama which was produced by: a stock organized his own company and played character parts which led to Broadway productions and eventually to the screen. His most recent pictures include “Go Into Your Danee,” “A Night at the Ritz,’ “The White Cockatoo,” “Murder in_ the Clouds,” “6 Day Bike Rider,” “The Case of the Howling Dog,” “Fog Over Frisco,’ “Registered Nurse,” “Side Streets,’ “I’ve Got Your Number,’ “Fashion Follies of 1934,” “The World Changes” and “Lilly Turner.” His latest production is “Going Highbrow,” now showing at PNGe. 2. Mae Theatre. ‘Going Highbrow’ Kibbee, Pitts Hit At Strand Today “Going Highbrow,” the Warner Bros. comedy, based on the riotous play by Ralph Spence, opens at the Theatre today. The picture is said to be filled with hilarious situations, snappy dialogue, new and unique screen laughs as well as a delightful romance. The story involves the rise of a poor mid-west farmer who suddenly gains riches, and his wife, who goes highbrow and tries to break into society. The wife engages a high powered publicity agent who agrees to put them across through the sponsorship of an impoverished aristocratic family for a big fee. Guy Kibbee and ZaSu Pitts play the stellar roles of the farmer and his ambitious wife, which are the leading comedy parts. Edward Everett Horton appears as the blundering promotion manager, while Ross Alexander and June Martel have the romantic roles. Special music and lyrics were written for the picture by Louis Alter and John Scholl. Robert Florey directed from the sereen play by Edward Kaufman and Sy Bartlett. Page Seven company. Eventually he