Gold Diggers of 1933 (Warner Bros.) (1933)

CURRENT FEATURES Chorus Girl’s Leg is Just Something to Paint Past Studio Painter, An Old Timer, Never Stops His Brush as Beauties in ‘Gold Diggers’? Flash By CHORUS girl’s leg is just something to paint around — to Joe Sheedar. Sheedar was a painter on the sets for Warner Bros.’ ‘‘Gold Diggers of 1933,’’ now showing at the Theatre. He is one of the oldest decorators, in point of service, on the Warner lot. Visitors on the stage where Busby Berkeley was rehearsing eighty comely young ladies for the intricate and spectacular dance numbers of this picture, never failed to marvel at Sheedar’s obvious indifference to the display of feminine pulchritude around him. Sheedar just tended to his painting. When director Berkeley gave the signal and the eighty girls went into their dance, Sheedar was sometimes completely hidden by flying ballet skirts, kicking legs and weaving bodies. He never missed a stroke. ‘¢Swish, swash,’’ went his big brush, spreading the luminous paint on the walls of the set which had to be finished by the time the girls learned the routine of their dance. | Just Paints And Paints | He doesn’t look up when blondes dance high above him on the arch of the futuristic figure eight bridge which he paints. He doesn’t look down on the brunettes or to this side at the red heads or the other side at the gold tops. He just paints paints. Now with Sam Milstein, for instance, it was different. Sam is a set painter, too, but he hasn’t been working at it as long as Sheedar has. Sam was a paper hanger originally and the sets for ‘‘Gold Diggers of 1933’? were the first of their kind he had ever been on. ; Milstein sometimes forgot his painting in his admiration of the beauty all about him. He has been known to go on waving his brush back and forth long after the paint was out of it and even after the wall he was painting had ended altogether. That’s because Sam is a newcomer. Most of the set painters are like Joe Sheedar. A chorus girl’s leg is just something that gets in the way of their work, and which occasionally gets splashed for that reason. When that happens the girls get provoked but the painters are used to that, too. They just move along to the other side of the set and get ready to splash some more paint. “‘We’re Used to It’ ‘“‘It’s just that we’re used to it,’’ explains Joe. ‘‘Sam here, he ain’t been at it long enough. He’ll get so he won’t pay no attention to legs either, after a time.’’ Sam looks a little doubtful about this. Several hundred thousand visitors arrive annually in Southern California and all but two or three of them are hopeful of visiting a motion picture studio to see how pictures: are and paints and made. Many of them would give their right eye to see the sights that Joc Sheedar never stops painting to look at. Ruby Keeler, in cute little practice shorts and a silk blouse, dances past him. ‘“Swish, swash,’’ goes Sheedar’s big, wide paint brush, laying it on thick. There’s Joan Blondell in a costume that would palpitate the pulse of a mechanical piano. ‘“Swish, swash,’’? goes Sheedar’s brush, its steady rhythm unbroken. Ginger Rogers hot-foots it past. with nothing much on except the ‘‘silver dollar’’ costume of one of the big dance numbers. Sam Millstein almost falls off his scaffold, he is that interested—as any one else might be. But Joe Sheedar continues to spread paint, evenly and rapidly He is through for the day in thirty minutes and anxious to get home to the wife and family. ““T’ve got a wife too,’’ says Sam, when he is asked to py, for a picture. ‘‘See that you don’t get me in too bad at home, will you???’ Berkeley blows his shrill whistle. Highty girls run to their positions, their bodies taut, their eyes bright, their legs prancing. From behind the scenes a voice announces the hour—four o’clock. Slowly and calmly Joe Sheedar anl the other painters climb down from their places on the big set. The dance begins. The painters disappear in a whirlwind of wide skirts and emerge, a moment later, as though they had been walking through a forest of trees instead of a maze of legs. Sam, stumbles over a chair at the edge of the set and spills his paint. Joe pokes him in the ribs good naturedly and says: ‘“Oh, forget it. It’s time to wash up and go home.’’ ““Gosh!’’ says Sam as he ambles out reluctantly. ‘‘Gosh!’’ ‘Gold Diggers of 1933’? a mammoth drama with music and a worthy successor to the sensational ‘‘42nd Street,’’ boasts the biggest cast of the year, including Warren William, Joan Blondell, Ginger Rogers, Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler and scores of others. The picture was directed by Mervyn LeRoy, with dance ensembles created by Busby Berkeley. The music and lyrics are by Harry Warren and Al Dubin, who wrote the catchy music for ‘«42nd Street.?? | Special Hold-over story | “Gold Diggers of 1933” Is Held Over by Big Crowds “Gold Diggers of 1933, Warner Bros.’ super musical hit, which has been breaking all attendance records at the Theatre ever since it opened, is being held over for at least a second week in order to afford the thousands who have been unable to get in during the past week, an opportunity to see what motion picture fans have declared to be the greatest picture in years. Local critics, and movie fans who had thought that “42nd Street,” was the acme of entertainment, have been loud in their praise of this latest sensation from the studios of Warner Bros. who have been consistently giving the public the finest pictures. “Gold Diggers of 1933” is a spectacular story of stage life, of pro ducers, of show girls who had to turn to gold digging during the depression. In addition to the many stars and five great song hits. It is replete with side-splitting comedy, with brilliant dramatic action and with the most elaborate and impressive dance ensembles ever screened. The great cast of stars consists of Warren William, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, Ginger Rogers, Aline MacMahon, Guy Kibbee, Ned Sparks and many others in addition to 200 of the most gorgeous looking chorus girls ever assembled on the one stage. UN AEE ager Pe SIRC cn an ea a) manager of the reports that many of his patrons have been so delighted with “Gold Diggers,” that they have seen the picture over and over again. NOTE TO EXHIBITOR:—If you have had a limited advance campaign but the picture holds over, you will be able to use the numerous advance stories as current publicity by simply changing copy to read ““Now Playing’ instead of “Coming.”’ TWO “ANGELS” IN GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933 | DICK POWELL, is the “angel” of the show, but to him Polly, played by RUBY KEELER, is the angel of his heart. Scene from Warner Bros. sensational musical picture, “Gold Diggers of 1933.” ~ Director LePovTells Why _ Cut No.19 Cut45c Matic “Gold Diggers’’ is a Hit Success of Big Musical Due to Perfect Blending of Good Story, Music and Dances HE idea of getting a director to talk about a picture after it’s finished isn’t the thing to do. He has all his talking to do during the filming schedule and after that it’s up to the public to talk. The director has to do the listening then. When an ace director like Mervyn LeRoy, Warner Bros.’ director of countless smash hits, who directed ‘‘Gold Diggers of 1933’’ now at the Theatre, passes comment on a completed pro duction, one may be sure there’s something worthwhile being said. ‘“Are musical films back to stay’’? he was asked. “Yes,” he answered, “just so long as good ones are made. The mere fact that music is present in a picture will never get it across. Music must be injected properly, logically, sensibly. When it’s proportioned nicely and dove-tails with the story, it’s certain to find favor. “Audiences have signified the fact that they like musicals, but they’ve pointed out, too, that the music mustn’t be thrust upon them. It has to be there for a reason—it must fit the situation. “All this,” he went on, “is proved by our ‘Gold Diggers of 1933. In this we have dance numbers, songs, crackerjack music—but it’s all there because it fits in with the drama, comedy, continuity.” Mervyn LeRoy is better qualified to explain the correct ingredients of screen entertainment than most men in Hollywood. Although he is one of the youngest directors, certainly the smallest director in stature, in the business, his record of hits at the box-office is one of the longest. Nor is he a “type director.” He has directed successes in all varieties of pictures. Witness his “Five Star Final,” “Little Caesar” and “I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang,” as examples of drama. “Hard To Handle,” “High Pressure’ and “Local Boy Makes Good” furnish examples of his comedy technique. His assignment to direct “Gold Diggers of 1933” wasn’t alone beeause of his proved ability at both drama and comedy. He’s directed many earlier screen musical hits including, “Show Girl in Hollywood,” “Broadway Babies” and “Little Johnny Jones.” Asked about the difficulties encountered by a director in making a picture of the gigantic scope which is “Gold Diggers of 1933,” which had the biggest personnel of any picture at the vast Warner Bros. Studio, he said: | Fine Story to Start | “There weren't many, really, if youll pardon my trite reference, ‘The play’s the thing.’ We had a fine story to start with. It’s by Avery Hopwood. It has all the factors that make for good screen entertainment and every bit of business, every comedy touch, every moment of drama, fits in with the plot. There’s nothing forced or mechanical. Every dance, every song, is needed just at the spot where it appears. “Naturally, in making a picture with a cast of stars such as we had in this, difficulties will arise. The trick is to get over those difficulties without losing sight of our objective —the fact that we’re trying to make the best screen entertainment ever produced. “Every player in this has been jand we know we h. just as anxious as I to make it a smash hit. Now tat it’s all over a out to attain, really found no trouble we couldn’t eliminate. We all seemed to feel every scene—to sense the audience watching every bit of action—and it helped us tremendously. “Look over that list of players— Warren William, Joan Blondell, Aline MacMahon, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Guy Kibbee, Ned Sparks, Ginger Rogers and all the rest. Every one’s a trouper out to make the picture a hit. The writer started the ball rolling by giving us a fine story. Then the adaptation writers at the studio, Gelsey, Seymour and Boehm—they polished it for screening. The songwriters, Harry Warren and Al Dubin—they did themselves proud. “Busby Berkeley, who rose to fame by his dance effects in “42nd Street’ has outdone himself in this. The cameraman, the art director— everyone—was out to make this a hit. It couldn’t miss! The enthusiasm of everyone working on it seemed to be absorbed and passed along by everyone else. “With all the co-operation and enthusiasm on all sides, it was up to me to work especially hard to make this worthwhile. All the time I was directing this picture I kept myself looking at it as though I were a spectator—a member of an audience. I haven’t any set rules in making a picture. I just look at it as I feel the public wants to see it and then get the players to interpret it that way. “Actors and actresses, you see, are in it. They’re a part of it and often times being too close to a problem makes it confusing I keep at a distance—under the camera—and the perspective I gain from that point of vantage allows me to see it as the audience will later see it. I don’t see it as a player. “Don’t forget,” he went on, “that audiences want these musicals providing the music and dance factors are supplied in logical sequence and proportion. That’s what we’ve done in “Gold Diggers of 1933.” Nothing is there simply because we had film on which to record scenes and sound. It’s all there in keeping with the story we had to tell.” Page Twenty-three we all realize we