Kansas City Princess (Warner Bros.) (1934)

Joan Blondel And Glenda Farrell In Funniest Film Hit Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell, the pair of charming bombshells who caused explosions of laughter in “Havana Widows,” and other pictures, again are teamed as a couple of chiseling, gold digging manicurists in the Warner Bros. picture, “The Kansas City Princess,’ which comes tO the. cceemeetese irs Theatre OT ara aE ALA reat hes Supporting this comedy pair are such famous comedians as Hugh Herbert, Robert Armstrong, Osgood Perkins, Hobart Cavanaugh and Gordon Westcott, which places “The Kansas City Princess” high in the ranks of riotous fun makers. The story is by Sy Bartlett and Manuel Seff, and has more mad mix-ups and merry love triangles crowded into the plot than are found in half a dozen books. The fun starts when Miss Blondell flirts with the wrong baby while her own sweetheart is out of the city, the man proving the smarter of: the two and getting away with the girl’s flashy engagement ring as well as a little loving. Knowing her gangster lover, Dynamite, and realizing her inability to explain the loss of her ring, she and her pal, Miss Farrell, beat it for New York on a convention train as two “outdoor seout girls.’ They fall in with two small town aldermen, somewhat worse, or better, for Aliness . ils = Tee Se By eS Sa SSS er aoa 00 soll them in a trip to gay Paree. But Dynamite is wise and has followed, bent on getting revenge and his big sparkler. On the boat the girls meet a millionaire playboy and in Paris they bust right into the aldermen’s wives and the philandering wife of the millionaire and her lover, and the fur flies in a regular storm of laughter. Robert Armstrong has the role of Dynamite, Hugh Herbert is the dumb, but droll millionaire, with Hobart Cavanaugh and T. Roy Barnes as the two small town aldermen. Gordon Westcott is the love thief who steals not only the hearts of the ladies but their jewels as well, while Osgood Perkins plays the role of a doublecrossing French detective. Pretty Princess Blondell, in City W arner’s Princess,” now Joan **Kansas LAVIN RON CUNG se e Theatre. Glenda Farrell, Hugh Herbert and Robert Armstrong contribute to the laughs. Mat No. 13—10c. Page Ten Joan Blondell’s Hubby Hugs Double | For His Own Wife Joan Blondell has a double working with her as a stand-in for “Kansas City .Princess,” her latest Warner Bros. production, now showing at the Theatre. Normade Adoree is the young lady and so striking is her resemblance to Joan, both as to face and figure, that a comedy of errors developed. The first day she was on the set, dressed in an outfit that was an exact duplicate of Joan’s, from hat to shoes, Miss Adoree was taken for Joan by nearly everyone in the company. Even George Barnes, Joan’s husband and cameraman on the picture, was fooled. Norma was standing with her back to him, somewhat in the shadow, and George, wanting to discuss some of the details of the next scene with Joan, came up behind Miss Adoree and put his arm around her. “Toney!” he began, and then Miss Adoree turned on him. To say that George’s face was red is putting it mildly, for standing watching him with baleful eyes was friend wife herself. “T ‘don’t think,’ remarked Joan, “that if pays to have a stand-in who looks quite so much like me. It gives the husband too good an excuse.” In “Kansas City Princess,” Joan has the role of a gold digging manicurist whose escapades startle two continents. Others in the cast include Glenda Farrell, Robert Armstrong, Hugh Herbert, Osgood Perkins, Hobart Cavanaugh and Gordon Westcott. William Keighley directed the picture from the sereen play by Sy Bartlett and Manuel Seff. Entire Film Stage Transformed Into Giant Ocean Ship An entire sound stage at Warner Bros. studios was transformed into an ocean liner for the production of “Kansas City Princess,” which comes to the Anis il eae SEP CARNE Oli yy. . ey. 2 edhe s Me A huge multiple interlocking set, consisting of the promenade deck and the deck above it, the lounge and saloons opening off the promenade deck, and a perfect maze of corridors and staterooms were’ reproduced with amazing realism, for the hilarious adventures of Joan Blondell and her pal, Glenda Farrell, with Robert Armstrong, Joan’s sweetheart, Hugh Herbert, a millionaire playboy, and Hobart Cavanaugh and T. Roy Barnes, two Ohio Aldermen on the loose—all of whom are bound for Europe for different reasons. Not the least interesting aspects. of the big liner, to motion picture fans who have yet to make their first transatlantic voyage was the elaborate beauty parlor with which such a steamship is equipped, and the lingerie and dress shops, where a passenger can make as wide a variety of purchases as though she were on shore. “Kansas City Princess” is a rollicking comedy romance concerning the mad escapades of two mid-west manicurists on a jamboree. It was written by Sy Bartlett and Mianuel Seff and directed by William Keighley. A Kansas City Princess and her entire court of royal jesters! bers of the all-comedy cast in Warner Bros.’ “Kansas City Princess,’ heat econss ss ee eee Which all means that these are the mem ? which comes to the_________ As we name ’em , you pick ’em. Joan Blondell, Glenda Farrell, Hugh Herbert, Robert Armstrong, Hobart Cavanaugh, Vince Barnett and T. Roy Barnes. Robert Armstrong Just Missed Being Lawyer By Month Robert Armstrong, one of the stars of the Warner Bros. produetion, “Kansas City Princess,” which comes to the Theatre on might have been a successful lawyer today, but for one thing. Just a month before he was due to receive his college diploma, at the University of Washington, Bob and the dramatic muse went into a huddle and the result was a vaudeville sketch. It received a tryout at a Portland, Ore., theatre, with Armstrong playing one of the parts. John Considine liked the sketch and its young author so well that he signed Bob to take the playlet to New York. And that was the end of Robert Armstrong’s budding career as an attorney. In “Kansas City Princess,” which is a hilarious comedy concerning the escapades of two mid-west manicurists on a mad trip to Paris, Armstrong plays the role of the gangster sweetheart of Joan Blondell. Other memhers of the cast inelude Glenda Farrell, Hugh Herbert, Osgood Perkins, Hobart Cavanaugh and Gordon Westcott. William Keighley directed the picture from the story and screen play by Sy Bartlett and Manuel Seff. Crosseyed Kittens Sent Across Nation To Glenda Farrell Two Siamese kittens traveled across the North American conti nent to join the household of Glenda Farrell while the blonde actress was playing Joan Blondell’s pal in the Warner Bros. production of “Kansas City Princess,’ now showing at the...... Dey eine fi ee es | Theatre. Opening a box left by an expressman, she found two kittens, still a bit groggy from their 3,500-mile journey, but otherwise ready to go places and do Mat No. 14—80c. Joan Blondel! Gets Thrill When Stork Whispers Secret More than three years ago, before she was either famous or married, an interviewer, collect ing New Year’s resolutions and wishes, asked Joan Blondell what it was she wanted the next year to bring her. “A baby,” she said. She has made practically the same reply to every similar question since. She has always wanted a baby, ever since her younger sister, Gloria, grew out of the eradle age. The Miss Blondell while working in announcement made by the Warner Bros. production of “Kansas City Princess,” now Bhowiney. ate-the ous... Theatre, that she and her husband, George Barnes, ace cameraman, expected an heir to the BarnesBlondell fortunes meant that Joan’s oft-repeated wish was to be fulfilled. And she added to her announcement that she was perfectly thrilled. In “Kansas City Princess” Joan plays the role of a wise eracking manicurist whose wild adventures and love conquests in a mad flight from a mid-west town to gay Paree form the basis of a hilarious comedy romance. Others in the cast include Glenda Farrell, Robert Armstrong, Hugh Herbert, Osgood Perkins, Hobart Cavanaugh and Gordon Westcott. things. Both of them proved to be eross-eyed and both were presents from Robert Riskin, screen playwright. Glenda took her pets to the studio, where they were enthusiastically admired by Joan Blondell, Robert Armstrong, Hugh Herbert, Hobart Cavanaugh. Ivan Lebedeff and other members of the cast. She named them “Risky” and “Whisky.” In “Kansas City Princess” Glenda and Miss Blondell are wise-cracking manicurists whose love episodes startle two continents. The picture is a hilarious comedy romance by Sy Bartlett and Manuel Seff, directed by William Keighley. Glenda Farrell Is Winner In Bottle Smashing Contest Glenda Farrell, who has a stel lar role in “Kansas City Pree , V cess,” the Warner Bros. picture which comes to the NGA tLe ON ee. oe ere. GLENDA FARRELL MatvNo2—= 10c. added bottle other accomplishments. her It is the result of her contest with T. Roy Barnes to see who could throw the most bottles through a porthole throwing to of a steamer in one of the hilarious seenes of this rollicking comedy. The situation is a merry fare well party on board a French liner, with T. Roy Barnes and Hobart Cavanaugh as hosts, and Joan Blondell and Glenda as the impromptu guests. Barnes, aS a small town alder man and ex-baseball pitcher, decides to show off his twirling arm, by picking out the porthole in his stateroom as the home plate and using a flock of soda water bottles as baseballs. Glenda becomes involved in the marksmanship with sensational results to the cabin’s interior. The number of takes that director William Keighley considered necessary to get the last ounce of comedy value out of the situation perfected Glenda’s skill to such a degree that the last three times she had difficulty in missing the porthole, as the seript required. But she succeeded in smashing the most bottles. Other important roles in “Kansas City Princess” are taken by Robert Armstrong, Gordon Westcott, Osgood Perkins, Ivan Lebedeff and Vince Barnett. Manuel Seff and Sy Bartlett are the authors of the screen play.