Golden Dawn (Warner Bros.) (1930)

“GOLDEN DAWN"’—Warner Bros. and Vitaphone 100% Natural Color, Singing, Talking Musical Romance (Feature) WEIRD VOODOO RITES SHOWN IN “GOLDEN DAWN” NOT CONFINED TO JUNGLES OF DARKEST AFRICA Voodoo is a name given collectively to the superstitions prevalent among West-Indian and southern United States creoles, mulattoes and _ negroes, and dealing with charms, conjury, snake worship and witcheraft, and, according to some, in their most degraded forms, cannibalism and human sacrifice. Voodooism is also spoken of as obtism. ' OBI CURSE The obi is a curse or spell to wither or paralyze a person. It may consist of earth gathered from a grave, human blood, a piece of wood fashioned in the form of a coffin, the tooth of a snake or an alligator, piece of an egg shell or any of a thousand grisly tokens. One cursed by the evil eye of an obi woman, must go to the woods, gather the bark, of a certain tree, make a decoction of which the bark is a part, cast it into a pool and plunge in after it. Instances are on record of persons who have died within limits prescribed by the voodoo—and of officials of the law who allowed workers of these spells to VOODOO “Blood!” screamed The whistles And the fifes Of warriors; “Blood!” screamed The skull-faced Lean witch-doctors; “Whirl ye The deadly Voodoo rattle!” ——VACHEL LINDSAY “THE CONGO” WOOLF AND COMPSON DRAW FIVE BONES FOR SEVEN WEEKS Walter Woolf began his theatrical career in Ogden, Utah, where he rehearsed seven weeks with a troupe that included Betty Compson. At the end of rehearsals the show disbanded and each was given five dollars for his seven weeks’ work. The present lead of “Golden Dawn,” Warner Brothers VitaphoneTechnicolor version of the stage operetta of that name, showing now at the Theatre, was not to be downed however. He found a congenial companion in the troupe and they made up a vaudeville act which finally landed them in Chicago—and left them there—broke. That brand of luck continued for some years but the Salt Lake City boy was not to be denied his stage career. Out of that strange and unlucky beginning have come at least two great successes, that of Betty Compson the talking picture star and "Walter Woolf singing star of stage and screen. go unpunished for fear of ineurring their ill favor. Voodooism is by no means extinct. The weird rituals of savage Africa are alleged to be heard by the initiated in most of the large cities in the United States. this but are not often able to verify their suspicions. Students of mystic religions and of the problems of the colored race know it, but they are interested in studyingg the phenomena, not in stopping it. William McGann, assistant director] : Warner | & for “Golden Dawn,” the Brothers Vitaphone, all natural color Police suspect |: Re version of the stage operetta by the| 3 same name knows something about]; Voodoo practices since he made the picture. He not only helped to stage a mock voodoo ceremony in the picture but was taken, blindfolded and befuddled, to witness the real thing. Mr. McGann was actually in charge of several huudred colored people used as atmospheric extras in “Golden Dawn,” which is a story laid in Africa and centered about a mysterious white girl, given as a~ sacrifice to the native idol Mulunghu. These extras took part in the ceremonies required in these sequences and after several rehearsals, McGann detected a suppressed and mysterious excitement among a certain group of colored people. VOODOO A LA TALKIE The scenes were being taken at night. The famous “Golden Dawn” score makes effective use of plaintive reed instruments, weird barbaric chants and rhythmic tom-toms. One had only to close his eyes against the modern lighting and recording devices to believe himself in the midst of an African jungle with fanatical blacks preparing a mystic savage eeremony. The impressionable colored people were particularly roused by the sensuous music, the flickering lights, the barbaric dances. Eventually one of the leaders of the small group which seemed to respond so particularly to the atmosphere of the scene, approached MceGann and asked if he would be interested in real voodoo on account of his work with the picture. Agreeing that he would like to see the ceremony and giving his oath not to reveal what he saw, McGann was blindfolded a few nights later, and without seeing his conductors was taken by automobile for a long ride. Curiosity overcome any alarm he felt and he was finally admitted to a dimly-lit basement where after many whispered conferences, his blindfold was _ removed. REAL U.S. VOODOO | For McGann’s benefit—or perhaps|. in spite of his presence there—the ritualistic and hypnotic voodoo ceremony was performed before him. He has kept his oath to the colored man who took him on this unusual journey and he does not tell of the things he saw. He does say, however, that the mysterious ceremonies pictured |. in “Golden Dawn”—and photo graphed largely before his visit to]: the hidden basement, were remark-|| ably similar to the real thing. Voodooism is an heritage from the} | dark continent but the colored races} have never been able to get altogether} There| § is an eternal fascination in the work-| ' ings of this strange basic religion of]: away from its peculiar spell. savagery and it permeates the whole musical score and dramatic story of]. “Golden Dawn,” the current attraction at the Theatre. Ray Enright directed. NOAH BEERY — OTTO MATIESON WALTER WOOLF Ss eet Scene from “Golden Dauwn"-Al Warner Bros. Production WHIPMAN THREATENS LIFE OF ALLEN, YOUNG BRITISH soldier, who has prevented him from carrying out his desire to possess Dawn, beautiful bride of jungle God. Production No. 11—Cut or Mat (Review) Barbaric Colors and Sounds Vivify Thrilling Sequences of Spectacular “Golden Dawn” THEATRE: Warner Bros. present “Golden Dawn,” all natural color musical romance. Based on the musical play by Oscar Hammerstein, II and Otto Harbach. Music by Emmerich Kal man and Hubert Stothart. 1914-18. Place, African jungle. Screen play by Walter Anthony. Directed by Ray Enright. Time, THE CAST Maid-in Waiting. Piper Sister “Hedwig. ioe ING po ee ee See ee Walter Woolf Dawn ON eee Shep Keyes2. 3) 3 Sea PERE ae Pete oN Vivienne Segal Noah Beery UGE A ay Ea Me Alice Gentle uboadete osha rie A esta mus & Lupino Lane SRE ete: ae Aa Ne Marion Byron eh eh Rilo NT la Se Ra mae Lee Moran A BEC ers CSM BUESS Nigel de Brulier ae ekg 8G RT Otto Matieson Goh courant secre ee Vy Dick Henderson Gaon taasle A BAN ucperewk ce: Nina Quartaro saan PARE ee eagle eT fer eS gare ee ee Sojin Siisinla. ate. o cries Julanne Johnston By Ue, See Ae is ahr Cah inary Nick de Ruiz eked Cast Jeo Sain abo Edward Martindel Clarke and Akst do four new songs in addition to numbers in original. “Golden Dawn” which opened last night at the most magical of Vitaphone-Technicolor musical romances. Sound reproduction in this case means not only the reeording of the melodious accompaniment of the operetta, and ADVERTISEMENT —— =—— WARNER BROS. \ present Golder ~ Dawn In a scenic investiture of vivid beauty in glorious Technicolor hues is laid a thrilling story of perils in the African jungle—with voices of world famous singers achieving new heights of golden-toned melody. 1-Col. Ad—Style VF—Cut or Mat ‘| tivating in voice and presence. |Gentle gives a performance of fine || dramatic power and her singing of ‘| Mooda’s song is excellent. +! of a fine order is supplied by Moran, ‘| Henderson and Lupino Lane, the last ‘|named doing several songs with fine ‘| gusto. ‘}in the |mented by his singing of the famous ‘| “Whip Song.” '| Call,” the gorgeous songs, but all weird Theatre is the| Jungle noises— thudding tom-toms, native chants—voodoo incantations— rush of great waters—crackling flames—whish of the whipman’s lash —report of rifles, and voices heard in many moods, Technicolor presents jungle life wildly in its dark and manifold tones. “Golden Dawn” as a stage production ran for a year on Broadway and enjoyed great success as a road attraction—and the advantages of the talking sereen and natural color are inealeulable. Walter Woolf gives a fine rendition of the young British soldier who discovers Dawn, the lovely prisoner, en ‘jslaved by a native woman—a slave‘| driver known as the whipman—and 1} the natives who have given her to 1} the god Mulungha as his bride. Vivienne Segal, as Dawn is capAlice Comedy Noah Beery is again a villain nth degree—villainy aug In spite of the wealth of songs in the original version of “Golden Dawn,” Grant Clarke and Harry Akst, of the Warner Bros. staff, have writ 4 ten four numbers for the screen ver-| _ They are “My Heart’s Love sion. “Africa Smiles No More,” “Mooda’s Song,” and “In a Jungle Bungalow.” (Review) “GOLDEN DAWN” ALL COLOR SONG FILM OF JUNGLE LOVE ...----.--------. THEATRE: Warner Bros. present “Golden Dawn,” all natural color, singing, talking jungle romance. Based on the musical play by Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein, II, Music by Emmerich Kalman and Hubert Stothart. Screen play by Walter Anthony. Directed by Ray En. right. Cast includes Walter Woolf and Vivienne Segal Noah’ Beery, Alice Ge Lupino Lane, Marion By Lee Moran, Nigel de Brut Otto Matieson, Vick Henderson, Nina Quartaro, Sojin, Julanne Johnston, Nick de Ruiz and Edward Martindel. Four new songs by Harry Akst and Grant Clarke of the Warner Bros. song-writing staff. “Golden Dawn” is a pretentious and sweeping piece after the manner of “Rose Marie,” book and lyrics of which were also done by Harbach and Hammerstein. The stirring sequences of “Golden Dawn” are spangled with captivating songs—and there are four new numbers for good measure done by Clarke and Akst of the Warner staff The locale of “Golden Dawn” is the African jungle and Technicolor gives the riotous hues with startling effect. Sounds of thudding tomtoms, voodoo ineantations, native chants, and voices in the range of human emotions are heard with uncanny clarity. “Golden Dawn” has to do with Dawn, supposedly a native, imprisoned in the deeps of the wilderness as bride of the pagan god Mulungha and Tom Allen, a young British soldier who discovers and tries to free her. Shep Keyes, who comes to join the native troops, covets Dawn and overhears the scene between herself and her lover. Keyes, known as the whipman, inists on sending Allenback to England. There has been a drought and Keyes arouses the natives against Dawn by claiming that it is caused by her love for the Englishman. She is about to be sacrificed to the savage gods, when... but that is the story. Mr. Woolf and Miss Segal are well cast in the leading roles. Alice Gentle presents another moving and understandable characterization. The several hundred negro extras—descendants of African tribesmen—readily revert to type and go into the savage dances, the voodoo rites and the weird chants with uncanny reality. (Review) “IELODRAMA OF JUNGLE GLOWS IN NATURAL COLOR “Golden Dawn” _____ _ Theatre The riotous colors and sounds of the African jungle, have been caught with particular clarity in the Warner Brothers version of “Golden Dawn,” well known operetta, showing now at the Theatre. Not often is such a colorful and dramatic story clothed with such bewitching music. All of the haunting chants and ceremonial music as well as the famous solos of the stage production have been saved for the ~ phone version and four new have been added. The cast includes Walter Wor Vivienne Segal, both well known to music lovers, while Alice Gentle, world famous soprano sings an, important supporting role. Noah Beery, Lupino Lane, Marion Byron, Dick Henderson, Nigel de Brulier, Julanne Johnston, Edward Martindel and others are in the east. Ray Enright directed. A Lg VIVIENNE SEGAL 1-Col. Slug—Style VG—Cut or Mat