I Am a Thief (Warner Bros.) (1934)

Gem of French Duchess Used in “TI Am a Thief” Ricardo Cortez Digs Up Pa Past History of ‘‘Prop”’ Diamonds Used in Picture history make no mention of diamonds called ““The Kareninas.” Past bloodstained records of all the famous jewels in human They exist only in the imagination of the screen playwrights whose story of the diamonds which were the objective of Europe’s most daring jewel thieves and the keenest police agents of the continent is now the Warner Bros. production, which jeomes:to. the .:..0. 6... Ricardo Cortez and Mary Astor in the stellar roles. Back of the actual jewels used in the picture to represent the Kareninas, however, is an intensely interesting story. It goes back to the eighteenth century, to France of the Bourbon kings, Louis the Well-Beloved, and the epoch of Pompadour and DuBarry. It was Ricardo Cortez, playing the master jewel thief in the picture, who unearthed the story and told it, one morning during the production of the picture, to Mary Astor and Irving Pichel. “These trinkets,’ said Cortez, pointing to the Kareninas, “are very fine examples of eighteenth century ‘paste.’ ‘Whitey’ Wilson, head of the property department, on one of his trips around New York and New England, ten or twelve years ago in the interests of the studio, picked them up in a New York antique shop. “The making of paste imitations of diamonds began, it seems, in the seventeenth century in Europe. A hundred years later, it had become fairly common for the noble families of France, when hard pressed for money, to borrow on their gems and have the jewelers of the time make paste replicas of the family jewels. “The paste of the eighteenth century is considered the finest of its kind by experts. There are a number of costly specimens reposing in museums around the world, and the value placed on them, as examples of this strange art, is surprising. “These particular paste gems belonged to one of the old families of “Tl Ama Thiet, TREAIOD |. 25.05 ane > with France. They dated back to the year 1750. The family which owned them had fled to Prussia with other emigres at the outbreak of the Revolution, and the jewels went along with them. Later, one or two of its members emigrated to America and settled in Louisiana. It was they who brought these “pastes,” which by then had only a sentimental value to their owners, to the New World, along with other more valuable possessions. “Nearly a century afterward,” Cortez went on, “ a dealer saw them in a quaint shop in the French quarter of New Orleans. Struck by the beauty of the workmanship in the setting, and knowing something about paste, he picked them up for next to nothing and brought them north with him. “So the necklace that once played its own make-believe role on the bosom of a perwigged duchess at the court of Louis XV is now a “prop” in a twentieth century motion picture!” This picture, “I Am a Thief,” is the story of the breath-taking adventures of a band of daring international jewel robbers and their battle with secret service operatives on the Continent during their attempt to steal the almost priceless Karenina diamonds, which results in several mysterious and baffling murders, There is an all star cast which includes besides Miss Astor and Cortez, Dudley Digges, Robert Barrat, Irving Pichel, Hobart Cavanaugh and Arthur Aylesworth. Robert Florey directed the, picture from the story and screen play by Ralph Block and Doris Malloy. Mary Astor Well Fitted for Secret Service Role Beautiful Star of ‘*I Am a Thief’? Has Most Keen and Analytical Mind to play a woman detective convincingly, that actress is Mary T any actress on the screen should, by disposition, be qualified Astor, which is one reason why she was selected to play the role of Odette Mauclair, gifted operative of the French Surete, in the Warner Bros. production, “T Am a Thief”, which comes to the Pe aR | 1 aR Theatre on .......:... Miss Astor’s abundance of feminine charm is augmented by a keenly analytical mind that would be worthy of a first-rate criminologist. She is a keen student of modern scientific psychology. She can discuss Freud, Jung, Steckel, Adler, Watson and Havelock Ellis with a fluency that would surprise those who believe that all Hollywood actresses are interested in nothing but bridge, swimming pools, clothes and premieres. Married to a prominent Hollywood physician, Miss Astor has a keen interest in medicine, and especially in surgery. “Tf I had been born a man,” Mary said one day during the making of “I Am a Thief,” “I am sure I should have been either a surgeon or a psychiatrist. I never miss a chance to go out with Frank (her husband, Dr. Franklyn Thorpe) of an evening when he has to operate at one of the hospitals. And if, by any chance, I’m not able to go with him, I get him to describe it to me in detail.” No story in which she has been one of the players has, for several years, given Miss Astor the opportunity to bring into action those qualities of mind that make her unusual among screen actresses, as does “I Am a Thief.” From the moment the famous Karenina diamonds are sold at auction in the opening sequences of the drama, it is a continuous battle of wits between Mary Astor and Irving Pichel, on the one side, and the cleverest ring of international jewel thieves, on the other. The picture is a thrilling and baffling mystery drama in which several murders are committed in an attempt to steal the famous Karenina diamonds. It is set in the colorful background of Paris and the Continent. There is an all star cast which includes besides Miss Astor, Ricardo Cortez, Dudley Digges, Robert Barrat, Irving Pichel and Hobart Cavanaugh. Robert Florey directed the picture from the screen play by Ralph Block and Doris Malloy. Perfume Should Reflect Personality, ty, Says Star “A woman’s perfume should be just as individual as her clothes,” says Mary Astor, who plays the role of a secret service operative in Warner Bros. melodramatic mystery thriller, “I Am a Thief,” which EGMIESATOMENE <.....2.b.-ccce Theatre on Sn ee “For that reason,” she continued, “one should never use a perfume because it is popular or because someone has recommended it.” Rabbit Is Too Hot to Run from Dog The sequences on a Continental express for the Warner Bros. production, “I Am a Thief,’ now showing at the Theatre, were taken during the hottest days of a Southern California summer. It was. so stuffy in the train that many of the actors wilted. “Heat is only a matter of comparison,” declared Ricardo Cortez. “I’ve been through so much hotter weather, this doesn’t bother me. I just think how hot it was on other occasions and I feel cool. “Once when I was playing in a tank town in Arizona, it was so hot I leaned out of my hotel window to try to get a breath of air. I saw a dog chasing a jackrabbit down the street and they were both walking.” Robert Barrat Breaks Nineteen Monocles Robert Barrat broke nineteen monocles during the making of the Warner Bros. melodramatic mystery thriller, “I Am a Thief,’ which COMES tO“the=-2 arene Theatre OND 2 ee ee tary In the role of a German Baron, head of a band of international jewel robbers, he constantly wears a Single glass on his right eye. The script called for a glass without even a ribbon attached to it, and never having worn one before Barrat dropped several the first day at work. He spent some time each morning practicing the art, but even then, in the stress of his work, he occasionally dropped a new glass. The property department kept a case of them handy. They were, however, merely window glass cut to the shape of a lens. Even Hollywood Can't Pronounce Pichel The pronunciation of Irving Pichel’s name, one of six letters and two syllables, doesn’t seem difficult. But Mr. Pichel himself is authority for the statement it is probably the most mispronounced name owned by any actor in Hollywood. The favorite wrong pronunciation seems to be “Pi-shell,” with the accent on the last syllable. But he has been called ‘Pea-shell,” “Pikel,” with a long i, and even “Pickel.” The accent in Pichel’s name is on the first syllable, the “i is short, and the “ch” is pronounced like ch in “Pitcher.” Pichel is now playing an important role with Mary Astor and Ricardo Cortez in “I Am a Thief,” the Warner Bros. picture now showmingat theses coi Theatre. Mystery Man But we all know it’s Ricardo Cortez, dressed for his role in Warner Bros.’, “I Am a Thief,” COMIN 1O'tRC2..0:.., anaes Theatre Mary Astor, Irving Pichel, and Dudley Digges are in the cast. Mat No. 24—10c yoLeys Last NAME IN is B eepiete Re WHAT CANT Guess a \7? ii fi CN OES, you NOW FEATURED IN "| AMA THIEF” ue RECENTLY MARRIED CHRISTINE LEE AND DESERTED THE RANKS OF HOLLYWOOD BACHELORS wae Romone ft REGAN a ie KEY MOUSE LEW JA YRES GEOFR ce BRENT cor Don wesTcoTT gir PO wee cnarie CG HAPLIN pick PO weee pHicule FR EEO LyLé “FT acsor poss AL E XANDER] ,, Weno ; KAU // i AT RMANDO Z. WOTtCe HAS THE BLOOD OF FIVE NATIONALITIES } IN HER aay 4 Mat No. 3—20c (These items can also be used for plants in local movie columns or for program squibs. Some exhibs blow ’em up and plan ’em in store windows.) Imitation Jade Is More Rare Than Real Stones Movie Company Hits Snag in Search for Paste for Prop Jewels in “‘I Am a Thief”’ N Hollywood, the land where modern make-believe is created, it is often more difficult to find a satisfactory imitation, than it is to discover the real thing. When Warner Bros. decided to use an imitation jade necklace as the gift which Ricardo Cortez bestows upon Mary Astor in the early scenes of “I Am a Thief’, which comes to the ...................... PE TCREEE OR ee of unforeseen difficulties. If the production executives had been bent upon using nothing less than a real jade necklace, the problem would have been simple. Almost any first-class jeweler has them as have every first-rate Oriental shop. Officials discovered, however, that Digges with Warners for Ninth Time Dudley Digges, celebrated stage and screen actor, was “discovered” for the screen by Warner Bros., when he was selected to play the Examiner in the production of “Outward Bound.” As Colonel Jackson in the stirring drama of international jewel thieves, “I Am a Thief,’ which comes sto the 5254522... Theatre Usa cee eRe s Digges is back on the Warner lot for the ninth time, playing an important part with Ricardo Cortez, Mary Astor, Robert Barrat, Irving Pichel and other artists who are interpreting this unique story of deluxe crime under the direction of Robert Florey. Mary Astor Dislikes Facing Revolver There is one thing Mary Astor doesn’t like about films. And that is looking down the business end of a revolver. Miss Astor, as a secret service operative in the Warner Bros. picture of international jewel robbers, “IT Am a Thief,’ now showing at tHe ee see ae Theatre, on seyeral occasions is confronted by a revolver held by one of the members of the band. “T know the guns are not loaded,” she said, “but I always think of the guns that go off which are not supposed to be loaded.” they let themselves in for all kinds there were obstacles in the way of employing genuine jade. One was that many firms declined to rent them at all. The other was that those who were willing to do so, placed an excessive rental value on them. — The property department, after consultation with the production heads, decided to sidestep that situation by purchasing a good necklace of imitation jade. Right there the difficulties began to multiply. They found out, first of all, that there are fewer good imitations of jade on the market—at least, on the Southern California market—than of any other semiprecious stone. Most of the counterfeits they found were so cheap that they would have given themselves away under the lights and the camera. Moreover, the assistant director and the property man, who were jointly engaged in the hunt, had to have a necklace of matched and carved jade, to fit the description of the necklace given in the drama. After five days of fruitless searching and visiting more than a hundred different shops, they finally discovered what they were after in a store in Pasadena. “I Am a Thief” is the story of the breath-taking adventures of a band of daring international jewel robbers and their battle with secret service operatives on the Continent during their attempt to steal an almost priceless set of diamonds known as the “Kareninas, which results in several mysterious and baffling murders. There is an all star cast which includes Mary Astor, Ricardo Cortez, Dudley Digges, Robert Barrat, Irving Pichel, Hobart Cavanaugh and Arthur Aylesworth. Robert Florey directed the picture from the story and screen play by Ralph Block and Doris Malloy. Page Elever