Kansas City Princess (Warner Bros.) (1934)

bs i (Review ) “Kansas City Princess”? is Riotous Comedy Romance Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell Head Great Cast of Stellar Comedians eater ema Theatre yesterday where the Warner ( : ALES of laughter swept through the audience at the Bros. comedy romance, ‘‘The Kansas City Princess,’’ was shown on the screen locally for the first time. In this production Warner Bros. have mixed up a love potion of wives and lovers, husbands and sweethearts that is the last word in spicy and hilarious comedy. Seldom has there come to the sereen a picture with such sparkling, wise ecracking dialogue and with such novel and riotously funny situations. The love intrigues and marital mix-ups in which two mid-west manicurists involve’ themselves would task a Philadelphia lawyer to untangle. The web is finally unwoven, however, after a series of unusual incidents that kept spectators roaring with laughter. based on the sereen play by Sy Bartlett and The picture, Manuel Seff, begins in Kansas City with the manicurists loving not wisely but too well, and being forced to flee the city from a gangster lover, whom they know will settle such matters as a misplaced kiss with an embrace of death. Smuggling themselves aboard a convention bound train as a ecouple of girl scouts, they reach New York after a series of riotous adventures, but neither fooling nor ae gangland friend = wding their WRo beats them to it-in-a-fast plane. Scared pink, the two girls pick up a couple of small town aldermen and chisel their way onto a Paris bound ship. Here again they get mixed up with a millionaire playboy and run afoul of the gangster, piling up love tangles until they reach Paris where the wives of the two aldermen and that of the millionaire pop up to complicate matters in the fastest and most unique and uproarious climax imaginable. JOAN BLONDELL Mat No. 1— 10c. The cast includes some of the finest comedians of the screen. Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell, as the two gold digging manicurists, never enacted better characterizations in their careers. Miss Blondell is sparkling as the over ebullient gangster moll whose affections are somewhat wandering, while Miss Farrell gives a clever performance as the cooler and more designing chiseler. Never has Hugh Herbert been more droll than as the rich playboy whose dumb but ardent love for a philandering wife lays him open not only to her alimony schemes but the machinations of the gold digging manicurists. Hobart Cavanaugh and T. Roy Barnes are consistently funny as the clownish small time aldermen who are to meet their wives in Paris, but try to be playboys on the way. Others in the cast include Robert Armstrong as the strong arm gangster, and lover of Miss Blondell, Osgood Perkins, a double crossing Paris detective, Gordon Westcott, a dude who steals women’s hearts and their diamonds at the same time, Vince Barnett, Ivan Lebedeff and Arthur Hoyt. Giddy Glenda Glenda Farrell, that little blonde gal with the big sense of humor, is appearing with Joan Blondell in “‘Kansas City Princess,” the Warner Bros. comedy at the Cette ane tha Theatre. Mat No. t2—10c. Whirlwind Of Love And Laughter Comes jC Reece Today Love tangles and marital mixups form the ingredients of the hilarious situations in Warner Bros. picture, “The Kansas City Princess,” which opens at the today. The story, by Sy Bartlett and Manuel Seff, concerns chiefly the love episodes and mad adventures of two mid-west manicurists, although a gangster, a millionaire playboy, his wife and her lover and two small town aldermen and their wives are all mixed up in the potpouri of laughter. In a swift series of kaleidoscopic incidents the picture takes the spectator from Kansas City to New York by train and airplane, aboard a French liner on which riotous scenes occur with the two manicurists chiseling their way across, and then to Paris where the smashing climax comes with the wildest love mix-up and a whirlwind of laughter. Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell have the roles of the two gold digging manicurists with Hugh Herbert as the somewhat dumb millionaire, Robert Armstrong as the gangster who is chasing his manicurist lady love, and Hobart Cavanaugh and T. Roy Barnes as the small town aldermen. Others in the cast include Osgood Perkins, a double-crossing Parisian detective, Gordon Westcott, who steals both hearts and diamonds, Vinee Barnett, Ivan Lebedeff and Arthur Hoyt. The picture, which is rated as one of the most screamingly funny of the season, was directed by William Keighley. Joan Blondell And Glenda Farrell In Manicuring Duel There have been many freak contests of late, dancing contests, kissing contests, tree sitting and what-not, but a couple of Warner Bros. cuties have started a new novelty. The two cuties, incidentally, are now co-starred, together with Robert Armstrong and Hugh Herbert in the Warner Bros. produetion of “Kansas City Princess,” which comes to the......... : MMC AUEO SOM rat: «son ltee eta Ji ehe two are Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell. In the picture the two play the part of a pair of gold digging manicurists on a series of hilarious adventures that take them from a mid-west town to gay Paree. “A manicurist,” sniffed Glenda. “TI can do as good a job, or better, than most of them myself and I frequently do my own nails.” “T learned the art long ago,” said Joan, “when I had to do it beeause I didn’t have the price of a manicure.” Then her eyes lighted up. “Tell you what,” she said. “T’ll bet you the lunch I can do a job of manicuring quicker and better than you can.” Glenda quickly accepted the challenge. Robert Armstrong and Gordon Westcott were selected as the victims and William Keighley as judge. Joan -started work on Westcott’s hands and Glenda on Armstrong’s. In twenty-seven minutes flat Joan had completed her job. One and a half minutes later Glenda had finished. Keighley adjudged both jobs of equal merit so the wager was won by Joan, and Glenda bought the lunch. Hugh Herbert Gets First Screen Kiss In 8 Long Years “Kansas City Princess,” the Warner Bros. production now showing at the. 2/2.> : Rea of Ue are Theatre, promises to be a milestone in the life of Hugh Herbert, featured comedian in the cast. For the first time in eight years, Hugh kisses a fair lady in front of the camera. Moreover, it’s only the second time he has kissed an actress for picture purposes. Hugh broke his long osculatory fast with Glenda Farrell in the final scenes for “Kansas City Princess,” while Director William Keighley fervently exhorted him to “make it a good one” as the two pairs of lips met. There was a hearty smack as the two came out of their clinch, Keighley called “eut,” and a general wave of laughter went around the set. “That’s better than Scotch!” Hugh exclaimed, while Glenda blushed becomingly and another salvo of laughter greeted the comedian’s compliment to his blonde vis-a-vis. The picture is a hilarious comedy romance of two gold digging manicurists on a jamboree. Joan Blondell has the stellar role while others in the cast include Robert Armstrong, Osgood Perkins, Hobart Cavanaugh and Gordon Westcott. E =o WIFE OF TH ; ZF: +, CAMERAMAN ar Wy S Z ‘GEORGE BARNESor “ gg RECENTLY RECEIVED i, Gs iS THROUGH THE MAILS A “y le a FORMAL AND EXTREMELY eages | COURTEOUS PROPOSAL OF : MARRIAGE FROM A WEALTHY CH/INAMAN OF SHANGHA/ A, ESS WHO SCOFFS AT MICE AND BURGLARS Is $0 DEADLY AFRAID OF THE DARK THAT SHE NEVER GOES TO SLEEP WITHOUT BURNING ALIGHT / TAKE IT OR LEAVE 1/7-MAKES AND EATS WITH ZEST ASALAD OF ROSE PETALS. HE ALSO LIKES THEM RAW, RIGHT OFF THE BUSH, / Mat No. 10—20c. against an adversary, much as a boxer uses his hands. It is done by dropping on the hands and kicking backwards like a mule. Osgood Perkins, as a French divorce attorney, turns out to French Method Of Fighting With Feet °°. rai “gi wil Shown In New Film ‘ors _the climax of Kansas SES Bones pe Tes ity Princess,” having spent a month practicing the art with a French expert. When Robert Armstrong, as Hugh Herbert’s bodyguard and chauffeur, rushes to his defense during the hand-to-hand encounter between Hugh and Perkins, the latter, finding himself no match for the heavier Armstrong, turns loose with his spatted boots, knocks the wind out of Armstrong with a wellaimed blow to the mid-section, Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell head the east of this rollicking comedy romance of two manicurists on a jamboree. That French sport, known as “la savate,” is given a _ vivid workout in Warner Bros. produetion of “Kansas City Princess,” WANICHECOMOAC ebOrsb Gc et wees. oe ene at NOVO lee te eae American theatre-goers who have never seen the art of “la savate” practiced, will get some idea of how it works when Osgood Perkins floors Robert Armstrong with it. “La savate” is a form of fighting which is peculiar to the French, and consists in using the feet, both in attack and defense A Little Finger Wave Considering all the finger waving, you’d think this would be a swell spot for a couple of manicurists . «. and it is! The gentlemen are Hugh Herbert and Osgood Perkins, the manicurists are Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell, and the picture is Warner Bros.’ latest comedy, “Kansas City Princess’’. Mat No. 15—20c. Page Eleven