Honeymoon for Three (Warner Bros.) (1941)

ADVANCE PUBLICITY (Lead Story) Ann Sheridan and Brent Goona‘Honeymoon For 3’ Laughter, gaiety and romance make up the sprightly story of Warner Bros. new comedy, “Honeymoon For Three,” which opens Friday at the Strand Theatre. The picture is full of side-splitting situations and to make matters even funnier, the three slightly screwy people that are caught in a tipsy triangle are played by George Brent, Ann Sheridan and Osa Massen. College romances may be alright when you’re in college, but when a long lost sweetheart shows up six years after you’ve graduated and claims you as her one and only, it’s liable to lead to complications, expecially when you’ve just gotten engaged to your beautiful secretary. That’s the position in which George Brent, who plays the role of a popular author, finds himself in “Honeymoon For Three.” Beautiful Osa Massen plays the role of the amorous ex-college student who forgets that she is married to a very patient husband, played by Charles Ruggles. Ann Sheridan plays the role of Brent’s secretary and is provided with plenty of snappy dialogue, which when combined with her special type of delivery, is sure to bring heaps of favorable comment. Ann, who is a very practical girl, suggests that it will be much more inexpensive, if she becomes Brent’s wife as well as his secretary and, incidentally, she loves the guy. Things go along smoothly enough until Osa shows up and then the fun begins. They start on a romantic marathon that proves to be one of the season’s greatest laugh hits. More laughs are provided by William Orr who plays the role of an over serious-minded lawyer who is not too scrupulous in his methods for getting his cases (if any). His partner in crime is portrayed by blonde, vivacious Jane Wyman. Lee Patrick supplies an ample share of the humor as a woman who insists that Brent christen her baby. Ace director Lloyd Bacon handled the megaphone for the Earl Baldwin screen play. Julius J. and Philip G. Epstein, who are noted for their snappy dialogue, contributed their ample talents to the script. “Honeymoon For Three” is based on the play written by Allan Scott and George Haight. Honeymoons For 3 Not So Rare, Film Statistics Prove If any of the believe-it-or-not gentry is interested, 46% of the honeymooning couples who registered at the Hull Hotels last year were accompanied by a third party. Warner Bros. is responsible for this astounding statistic — in an indirect way, of course. When the studio projected its “Honeymoon For Three,” in which George Brent, Ann Sheridan and Osa Massen play a large portion of the title role, Dr. Herman Lissauer of the research department was delegated to check on the title. Motion picture companies are fussy about these thing's. The researcher’s inquiries led him to Newman Tucker of the Hull Hotels promotion department. That worthy scanned the registers and came up with, we repeat, that astounding 46% statistic. Included in the revelations was the fact that, again you are urged to believe it if you want to, mothers-in-law are the most frequent third parties. “Tt’s the. honeymooning couples from the East who bring mother-in-law with them,” Tuck er explained. “She comes along for the ride.” The oddest honeymoon for three lasted for an hour, Tucker tells. The third party in this case was a trained chimpanzee belonging to the groom, a vaudevillian. He insisted on bringing the chimp into the room. The bride stormed out, carrying her valise, an hour later. The bride’s girl-friend is a fairly frequent third honeymooner. She’s along when the decision to elope is made and she provides moral support. A spurned suitor came along all the way from New York once, Tucker relates. The groom was a salesman from the big city who came, in the course of his drumming, to the upstate town. The hometown suitor didn’t trust him so, even though he was jilted, he insisted on coming along to see that Nell wasn’t ditched before she’d met the Justice of the Peace. Two days after that threesome honeymoon party landed in Los Angeles, it was a foursome. “The jilted boy friend fell quick for the manicurist in our barber shop,” Tucker says. “He married her the next day.” THREE'S A CROWD—but on a honeymoon, three's a riot! Still HF 62; Mat 211—30c In this scene from "Honeymoon For Three'' George Brent and Osa Massen make love, while Charlie Ruggles makes a note of it. Real Sweethearts Co-Star in Film ‘Honeymoon For 3’ Rumor had it that George Brent and Ann Sheridan, who’ve been a romantic “item” for the Hollywood columnists for some time now, would insist upon closed sets when they played their love scenes for the new movie that co-stars them. Rumor, as is so often the case, was wrong. The “Honeymoon For Three” set at Warner Bros. studio was invitingly open, with everything but a welcome mat on the hearth, when Miss Sheridan and Brent came to grips in their first love scene. Which chanced also to be the first scene filmed for the picture. The action took place in a Pullman car drawing room. Miss Sheridan, in her role of efficient secretary to a famous young novelist, had roused Brent with word it was time to be up and thinking of the lecture that was to wow the ladies of the Cleveland Literary Club. Dressing Still HF 405; Mat 114—15c ANN SHERIDAN—GEORGE BRENT gown pulled over his monogramed pajamas, Brent was searching for toilet accessories. “Just as you predicted,” he said, “I forgot to buy toothpaste last night.” “T didn’t,” said Ann, and produced the toothpaste. “T don’t know what I’d do without you,” Brent declared. “T know one thing you can do with me,” Ann answered . “get married.” “I thought we discussed all that in Philadelphia,” said Brent. “Nothing,” came back Ann, “sounds inviting in Philadelphia.” “Then you’ve changed your mind? You don’t want to wait several weeks more?” “T’ve decided,” said Ann, “I want to marry you now, while I’m in love with you.” “Give me a kiss,” said Brent. And Ann obliged, with enthusiasm. “Cut,” said Director Lloyd Bacon. “That was okay.” “You’re wrong,” said Brent. “it was better than okay.” Brent Doubles in Romance In ‘Honeymoon For 3’ Twelve kisses and one slap are to comprise George Brent’s romantic box-score in his new Warner Bros. picture, “Honeymoon for Three.” Ann Sheridan gets five of the kisses, Osa Massen seven. First and last kisses go to Miss Sheridan, however, and to further even the score, she delivers the slap. Brent, of course, is the heavy winner. In this case, it pays to be the odd party in a triangle. Still HF 403; Mat 209—30c WHAT A HONEYMOON! Ann Sheridan and George Brent go on a honeymoon that's twice as hectic, twice as heavenly and twice as hilarious because it has twice as many brides. The film is "Honeymoon For Three," which goes into the Strand Theatre on Friday. Minne Ragatse 6s esses Poteet Ae, ANN SHERIDAN Kensote Bites ic) aoe yeah, este wh GEORGE BRENT PIMINOM WOR one sca ree Charlie Ruggles DOO I er eee, Osa Massen Elizabeth Clochessy ©..........07) 70.) Gt Aa Rade: Jane Wyman Prtnist WO OSTRNG oon ek abi sodden Aces William T. Orr Sire Petign ee Fc oe Lee Patrick 2 ES ae Aa ane) Se St i ea A Walter Catlett Floyd T. Ingram ....... si Hillis asa ....Herbert Anderson Chester T. Farrington, “Hi i2 0 °°". U25 0 tat ees Johnny Downs PRODUCTION Directed by LLOYD BACON Screen Play by Earl Baldwin; Additional Dialogue by Julius J. and Philip G. Epstein; From a Play by Alan Scott and George Haight; Director of Photography, Ernie Haller, A.S.C.; Art Director, Max Parker; Dialogue Director, Hugh Cummings; Film Editor, Rudi Fehr; Gowns by Orry-Kelly; Music by Heinz Roemheld; Sound by Oliver S. Garretson; Makeup Artist, Perc Westmore; Musical Director, Leo F. Forbstein; Orchestral Arrangements, Ray Heindorf. STORY (Not For Publication) Kenneth Bixby, (George Brent) novelist and idol of the women's clubs, agrees with his secretary, Ann Rogers (Ann Sheridan) that they should be married. They arrive in Cleveland, and Bixby finds himself saddled with an old college sweetheart Julie Wilson (Osa Massen) who has been waiting for his arrival, sure that she was the inspiration for the heroine of his most recent novel. He takes her out “just to cure her of this romantic nonsense,’ as he assures Ann. Meanwhile Ann has Julie's husband, Harvey (Charlie Ruggles) on her hands, as well as Julie's cousin and her boy friend, a very serious young couple who are determined to keep Julie from disgracing the family name. Matters come to a head when the six of them meet by accident at a roadside restaurant. The next morning, Kenneth finds that he is being sued for alienation of Julie's affections, and worst of all, Ann is walking out on him. But before she goes, she saves him from the Wilsons by producing the baby of one of Ken's adoring woman fans and palming it off as hers. She then prepares to walk out on him, but he brings her back into his arms in double quick time, with a ruse that provides one of the most hilarious film endings of all time. (Running time—67 minutes )