Hearts Divided (Warner Bros.) (1936)

PD 8.41 cart y “HEARTS ieee DIVIDE 22 FEATURES AND READERS ABOUT DICK POWELL Dick Powell Tops List Of Stars For Fan Mail Masculine Lead In “Hearts Divided” Gets 11,500 Letters In Week Clara Bow, in her heyday, was reported to have received an average of 25,000 fan letters monthly. That, until the last few months, was considered the ree ord high for cinemaland. Now comes Dick Powell, the First National singing star, with an average of 10,000 letters weekly over a period of three months to claim a record even surpassing that of Clara Bow. The lowest Powell’s fan mail has falien during that period was the week between Christmas and New Year’s, when it dropped oif to a mere 7,000 letters. The high mark was 11,500, set the last week of February while he was working on Marion Davies’ latest Cosmopolitan production, ‘‘Hearts Divided,’’ now showing at the .......... Sens Theatre. Powell’s fan mail, of course, comes from two groups of people, his screen fans and those who listen to his radio program. His secretary, Carnye -Kemp, who handles Powell’s fan mail, says it is difficult, if not impossible, to segregate the mail, however, since most letters open thusly: -**T saw your last picture and listen to you on the radio every Friday night.’’ To comply with the 8000 requests for autographed pictures that he receives each week costs Powell an average of $480.00 monthly in postage. He believes the investment well worth while, however. The singing star is one of Hollywood’s firmest believers in the value of fan mail. He is convinced that his fan mail has done his screen career more good than any one other contributing factor. For that reason he watches it as perhaps no other established star does. Each week Powell’s secretary prepares a new map of the United States divided into differently colored sections. He surveys the fan mail carefully to determine how much mail comes from each section. At present the New England states are contributing about twenty-five percent of the total. The southern states contribute the second largest amount and the Pacific coast states are responsible for the smallest amount. The map occasionally changes, but not radically. A comparatively recent innovation in his mail, Powell says, has been the practice of fans sending autograph books to be signed and returned. This has greatly intensified Kemp’s problem of handling the mail since the books are of various sizes and must be individually wrapped for return mailing. Powell has been receiving between three and four hundred autograph books through the mail each week. The only letters Powell ignores deliberately are those requesting cash gifts. **T’d go broke in two weeks if Powell Studies French For Film Role Dick Powell spent several weeks studying French under a famous tutor, Georges Jormier, for his role in Marion Davies’ new Cosmopolitan production, ‘‘Hearts Divided,’’ a First National release now showing at the ............0.. Theatre. Not only must he speak French in the picture, but he also sings in the same language. Powell plays the part of Jerome Bonaparte, who comes to America to negotiate the sale of the territory of Louisiana and falls in love with a Baltimore belle, played by Miss Davies. Page Thirty-four Dick Powell Dick Powell sings as well as makes love, to Marion Davies in the ro mantic comedy ‘‘ Hearts Divided’’ the Cosmopolitan production com UUT ALORUNEE eves ae tea Theatre ON res as te Be as a First National release. Mat No. 104—10e —eESESEoIoIo——EEEEEEE I gave away all the money for which I’m asked,’’ he remarked. ‘*Hearts Divided’’ is a gay and glamorous romance by Rida Johnson Young. Besides Miss Davies and Powell, the cast includes Charlie Ruggles, Claude Rains, and Edward Everett Horton. Powell Limits Film Kisses To Three Seconds Dick Powell is a confirmed believer that fan mail provides an accurate barometer of audience reaction. As a consequence, the First National singing star who eurrently is playing the leading male role in Marion Davies’ new Cosmo ‘ politan production, ‘‘Hearts Di vided,’’ which comes to the ............ Pheatre on... , has definitely decided to limit all his screen kisses in the future to a maximum of three seconds. His fans, it seem, don’t want him ever to become an ‘‘ardent lover.’? Powell’s decision follows a painstaking survey of his voluminous fan mail over a period of three months, which disclosed that a great majority of his screen followers are impressionable young boys and girls ranging in age from ten to twenty years. Many of the letter writers, a large number of them individuals of more mature age, the survey disclosed, expressed the wish that Powell ‘‘stay youthful and _ romantic forever.’’ A number of writers, most of them boys and girls, criticized Powell rather severely because in one of his recent pictures he held a kiss for what seemed an unnecessarily long period. “Tt didn’t seem like you,’’ was the tenor of their complaint. There will be no such grounds for protest in the future, Powell promises, for a three second kiss is hardly more than the busy-husband-late-for-the-train-pecks-wifegoodbye variety. ““Hearts Divided’’ is a rollicking romance combined with thrilling drama. Miss Davies has the stellar role while others in the cast besides Powell include Charlie Ruggles, Claude Rains, Edward Everett Horton, Arthur Treacher, Henry Stephenson and Clara Blandick. Frank Borzage directed the production from the sereen play by Laird Doyle and Casey Robinson, based on the story by Rida Johnson Young. Music and lyrics are by Warren and Dubin. Powell Masters Another Language For New Picture Singing Star, After Learning Italian, Tussels With French For “Hearts Divided’’ Dick Powell bids fair to become an accomplished linguist if the popularity of period pictures and those with foreign characters continues. A few months ago, the singing star took an intensive course in Italian for his role in ‘‘Broadway Gondolier’’ and now he has completed an equally complete training in French for his part in ‘‘Hearts Divided,’’ the Cosmopolitan Produc tion starring Marion Davies which is coming to the ............... Theatre One 4s as a First National release. Powell had a doubly difficult job in preparing for ‘‘Hearts Divided’? because he had to both speak and sing in French. Knowing the film would be shown throughout the world and before millions of persons having an intimate and expert knowledge of the French language, Powell studied long and hard to master the words and accents. In the film, he plays the role of Jerome Bonaparte, brother and emissary of the Emperor Napoleon. He comes to America to negotiate the sale of the Territory of Louisiana to the Colonies and, attending a horse race incognito, meets and falls in love with Betsy Patterson, played by Miss Davies. Still concealing his identitiy, he becomes her French and music tutor. Caught in the complexities of international intrigue, characters in a drama that involved the fate of nations, their love continues despite the mountainous obstacles that face them. An outstanding cast supports Miss Davies in the romantic film in which both poignant drama and uproarious comedy play important parts. In addition to Dick Powell, it includes Henry Stephenson, as Miss Davies’ father; Charlie Ruggles, Edward Everett Horton and Arthur Treacher as the three comic and _ persistent suitors for the hand of Miss Davies; Clara Blandick, cast as her aunt; Claude Rains as ‘‘ Napoleon,’’ and Walter Kingsford and Etienne Girardot, as the aides of Jerome Bonaparte. Frank Borzage directed. Win In Love’s Battle Marion Davies and Dick Powell (right) tell Henry Stephenson (left) they will defy the commands of the little Emperor to follow the dictates of their own hearts in the Cosmopolitan romance ‘‘ Hearts Divided,’’ which opens at the ...........0000... EMCGUIE ON. 5.2. ses as a First National release. Mat No. 210—20c ‘Dont Take Actors Too Seriously, ’’ Says Powell Masculine Lead In “Hearts Divided”? Thinks They Don’t Know It All By CARLISLE JONES ‘“‘Don’t take actors too seriously’’ is what Dick Powell, First National star, is telling the thousands of fans who have written to him, asking for advice on a hundred subjects totally unrelated to motion pictures or radio. “IT can’t see why an actor should be considered an expert on each and every subject,’’ explains Dick. ‘‘There are many successful actors who aren’t financial wizards, good judges of real estate or great lovers. “Acting is one thing,” he says, “and finance, real estate and love are other things. No one would think of asking a banker to pull a tooth. Why should an actor’s ideas on banking be worth any publie attention?” : Dick who is now playing the romantic lead opposite Marion Davies in the Cosmopolitan production “Hearts Divided,” which comes: ‘tO. the <5..s42522te Theatre OU ee es , admits he answers the fan letters which ask for advice, but the advice is left out of those answers, unless the questions concern matters which, as a picture and radio personality, he believes he is fitted to answer. Won’t Advise on Love He has never attempted to solve any of the love riddles that have been propounded to him in his fan mail. “T have troubles enough of my own,” he grins. He refuses to suggest investments for troubled correspondents who have heard that Dick is careful about his own finances, because, he says, he went just as “broke” during the late depression as anybody did. Neither does he think he is qualified to give advice on real estate deals. He admits, cheerfully, that his new house cost him more than twice as much as he intended to spend and that it isn’t at all the kind of house he really wanted. The one question which is most often asked Dick in his fan mail and which he tries always to answer, is whether or not he thinks the writer should come to Holly wood and try to get into the movies. His advice in such cases is almost always, “No.” “Unless the person has experience or training or some positive assurance of at least a trial in pictures, it is a kindness to tell him not to come. Certainly no one should ever come to Hollywood without means enough to provide a return trip ticket. No Financial Wizard “T give this advice when I am asked but I doubt if many follow it. Every week or two I meet some one who says, ‘Well here I am, in spite of your letter.’ “But no one can ever say to me: ‘I married the man on your advice,’ or ‘the investment you recommended was worthless.’ I still think people take actors much too seriously. “Everybody knows we are the most gullible people on earth!” In “Hearts Divided,” Dick has the role of Jerome Bonaparte who woos and wins a beautiful Baltimore girl, a part played by Miss Davies. The picture combines a glorious romance with hilarious comedy and dynamic drama, written by Rida Johnson Young. Others in the cast include Charlie Ruggles, Edward Everett Horton, Claude Rains, Arthur Treacher, Henry Stephenson and Clara Blandick. Frank Borzage directed the production from the screen play by Laird Doyle and Casey Robinson. Music and lyrics are by Harry Warren and Al Dubin with numbers by the Hall Johnson Choir of spiritual singers.