Kansas City Princess (Warner Bros.) (1934)

Herbert Contracts Case of Bananaphobia Hugh Herbert, Warner Bros. comedian, is the victim of a new disease. Hugh ealls it “bananaphobia,” “a fear of bananas.” Hugh had his first attack after playing a scene in “Kansas City Prineess,’ which comes to the Theatre on Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell in the stellar roles. In one scene he is called upon to eat ten bananas, in rapid succession, Hugh managed to get away the bananas, as well as with a slight attack of indigestion. Since then he hasn’t been able to look a banana in the face. The mere mention of the fruit nauseates him. And he doesn’t expect to recover from his “bananaphobia” for months, if ever, which is one of the penalties of being a screen comedian. Joan Blondell Does Campfire Girl Deed Joan Blondell, who plays the role of a Campfire Girl in one episode of her latest Warner Bros. picture, “Kansas City Prineess,” which comes to the Buc MAG ee hieatneriOn isc), proved herself true to the helpful precepts of the Campfire organization by doing a good deed that brought her a letter of gratitude yesterday. With Glenda Farrell, Miss Blondell and forty Hollywood extras dressed as Campfire Girls went to a Los Angeles railway station recently to make scenes Aon : ~—the picture. ' ean station also, waiting for a train to Santa Barbara, 100 miles away, was a young woman obviously sick, distressed and desolate. Miss Blondell bought luncheon for the forlorn traveler, took her to watch the making of scenes for the picture and gave her $10. Armstrong Partial To Blue Shirts Robert Armstrong, who plays the role of a gangster in the Warner Bros. comedy romance, “Kansas City Princess,’ now showing at the Theatre, with Joan Blondell in the stellar role, always manages’ to wear a blue shirt in every picture he plays in. It’s his favorite color in shirts and is also a superstition. Glenda Farrell Learns To Wear Monocle After ten minutes coaching from Ivan Lebedeff on the set of “Kansas City Princess,” the Warner Bros. picture now showIN abe. wie eke Theatre, Glenda Farrell discovered that wearing a monocle isn’t nearly as hard as it looks. Joan Blondell, ithe; star, tried.) it, but couldn’t keep from laughing at herself, so she gave it up. Goodbye Suckers! And we say “bon voyage” to Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell, the two-timing, gold-digging manicurist heroines of Warner Bros.’ com edy, “Kansas City Princess,” COMUNE ALOnt NO eae ee Se Theatre one. Mat No. 22—20c. Joan Blondell’s Lifetime Ambition Was Motherhood Star Announced Happy Event While Working In ‘“‘Kansas City Princess” OAN BLONDELL jarred Hollywood recently while working on the Warner Bros. production of ‘‘ Kansas City Princess,’’ which comes to the _ , by announcing that she was Theatre on expecting a visit from the famous nursery bird, the stork. Hollywood has long known that Joan, as the wife of George Barnes, is an extremely happy person, but Hollywood hasn’t known that a visit from the stork fulfills a life long ambition of the blonde star. When Joan Blondell was a little girl she possessed many tomboy characteristics. She was athletically inclined and a devotee of outdoor sports, many of them a bit too rough for the ordinary miss. Combined with all this, however, she had an innate love for dolls. Her love for dolls and “play houses” was almost an obsession. The maternal instinet which made itself apparent when Joan was so young, has never been submerged in her. In the years when she was trouping with her theatrical parents and _ fighting her battle to get ahead in the theatrical world, she never lost the thought of her childhood ambition, motherhood. “Stardom, wealth, screen suecess—these don’t mean anything to me now,” she declared. “Perhaps being a mother will occupy too much of your time. What of that?” she was asked. “Oceupy too much time for what?” came her response. “It may occupy all my time and, if it does, that’s all right with me. If T find that being a mother doesn’t allow time for picture work, well —there won’t be any picture work! “Ym not going to be the kind of a mother who leaves the care of her baby to a lot of nurses. V’m going to watch it grow up and see that it gets the proper care.” Even before news of the stork was revealed, Joan and George have been looked upon as a ecouple with a lifetime of happiness together before them. Now, with this added touch of happiness, it’s safe to assume that here is one pair that never will be touched by the curse of Hollywood divoree. In “Kansas City Princess,” Joan’s current production, she has the role of a mid-west, golddigging manicurist on a hilarious jamboree in gay Paris. Others in the cast include Glenda Farrell, Robert Armstrong, Osgood Perkins, Hobart Cavanaugh and Gordon Westcott. Travels 7,000 Miles To Play In Film T. Roy Barnes travelled 7000 miles to play his role of a small town alderman in the Warner Bros. picture, “Kansas City Princess,” which comes to the...... Rats Ae Theatre on Paria eet et eet a jee Barnes was in New York when the wire from the studio reached him. He learned enough about the role in a long-distance telephone conversation to know that it was right up his alley. He flew to Hollywood, finished the picture and then boarded a fast train east, to begin rehearsals for “The Orchid Squad.” Hugh Herbert Started At 50 Cents A Show Hugh Herbert, featured comedian in the Warner Bros. production, “Kansas City Princess,” which comes (to thes.) ii. sk MUGGLTOHONG. tani. oc Cees , is now paid many hundreds of dollars a week for his famed talents. Once, however, his salary was fifty cents a performance. It was Hugh’s maiden effort behind the footlights—and the piece was a_ ten-twenty-thirty melodrama entitled “Roaring Dick.” Hugh was one of a group of children who walked onto the stage to welcome home. the Squire. Maurice Barrymore, father of Lionel, Ethel and John, was the star of the attraction. Joan Blondell has the stellar role in “Kansas City Princess,” a hilarious comedy romance of two manicurists on a jamboree, Hugh Herbert Gets Chicken For Veal Herbert does William Keighley changed the menu of Because Hugh not eat veal, director the dinner served in the Paris sequence of “Kansas City Princess,” the Warner Bros. produetion which comes to the Theatre on and substituted fried chicken. Hugh elaims that his dislike for veal dates from his second role on the stage. He had been promoted to a speaking part and demanded a dressing-room. The irony of Hugh’s victory was apparent when he discovered that his room-mate was a lusty young ealf who was also a member of the company. “From that day,” said Herbert, “I have never been able -to enjoy a mouthful of veal in any form.” Joan Blondell Gets Mail Proposal Joan Blondell has had many surprises of various kinds in her young and busy life. But it would be difficult to match the one which followed the opening of her fan mail one day during the making of “Kansas City Princess,” the Warner Bros. picture now showing at the....... © er = ee Theatre. The letter contained a rather formal and stately proposal of marriage from a _ correspondent who described himself as a Dutchman by birth, a_ successful planter in the East Indies, 30 years of age and with what he considered a very bright-fatwree ahead of him. Actor Can Remember His Lines For Years Hobart Cavanaugh, who plays in the “Kansas a small town alderman Warner Bros. picture, City Princess,” now showing at LETC EMR ERS eee sea Theatre, has an unusual memory. Without any visible effort, he can remember in their entirety parts that he played six and eight years ago, and_ hasn’t thought of since. Helen Lowell, playing on an adjoining Warner sound stage, walked on to the set where Hobie was working the other day. A number of years ago, Miss Lowell and Cavanaugh played together in “Mile-A-Minute Kendall.” They fell to recalling their experiences in that production, and Hobie both amazed and amused Miss Lowell by reeling off one speech after another from the play. Name of Pilnikoff Licks Herbert Hugh Herbert doesn’t have any trouble pronouncing such tongue twisters as sarsaparilla or millifluous, but there is one word that got his goat in “Kansas City Princess,’ a Warner Bros. picture which comes to the name of a Russian doctor who steals Hugh’s wife in the picture. He pronounced it Piklinoff, Pinlikoff and a half a dozen other ways while Director William Keighley swore under his breath at the number of retakes. “T finally got that word licked,” om ~ S , wee ae “takes” to do it. Hen’s Egg Gets Stuck Tight In Actor’s Mouth Had To Be Smashed Before Hobart Cavanaugh Could Get Rid Of It Hobart Cavanaugh. He’s an authority on the subject, iz YOU want to know anything about hen’s eggs, ask after his experience in an egg juggling scene with T. Roy Barnes, which is one of the many humorous passages in Joan Blondell’s latest starring picture for Warner Bros., ‘‘Kansas City Prineess,”’ Theatre. now showing at the Hobart was blissfully unaware that hen’s eggs came in different sizes. Eggs were eggs to him, and the only difference between them, as far as he was concerned, was that sometimes they were fried, and at other times poached, . But during the filming of “Kansas City Princess” Hobart discovered that one egg may be larger than another by getting what might be ealled a No. 6 egg into his mouth, and then discovering that he couldn’t get it out. The egg juggling trick, which is one of T. Roy Barnes’ best little pieces of parlor entertainment, was the occasion for Hobart’s startling discovery. As two Ohio politicians bound for Europe on their first trip abroad, Barnes and Cavanaugh are playing hosts to Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell in their steamer stateroom. Barnes, as the “life of the party,” decides to show the girls some of his sleight-of-hand ability, after a few cocktails have livened up the party. And Cavanaugh, good-natured simple soul, consents to help him with his tricks. The egg trick consists of Barnes making the egg appear and disappear magically, and finally taking it out of Hobie’s mouth, after having dropped it down the back of his neck. The first time the trick went smoothly, and the egg popped out of Cavanaugh’s mouth with the greatest of ease. ; “Let’s do it once more,” said Director William Keighley. What happened after that is a matter for controversy. Barnes insists that he didn’t switch the eggs in tentionally, though admitting that he was carrying two in his pocket. Barnes adroitly slipped the egg into Hobart’s mouth and _ prepared to pop it out again. Only this time it didn’t pop. It stuck half way and refused to budge. Finally Roy Barnes, in trying to pry the egg out of Hobart’s mouth, smashed it. Then Hobart was able to get rid of it. Both Keighley and Barnes tried to persuade Cavanaugh to do the scene over again the same way with another egg, to be used as the climax of the juggling sequence. But Hobart declined. “How do I know he wouldn’t use an ostrich egg the next time,” he demanded. The picture is a hilarious comedy drama of two Kansas City gold digging manicurists on a trip to Gay Paree, written by Sy Bartlett and Manuel Seff. Page Thirteen