Man of Iron (Warner Bros.) (1935)

PUBLICITY Barton MacLane Opposes Football “‘Set Up’’ Games Star of “Man of Iron’? Would Abolish Matches Between Unequal Teams Outside of his work for the screen, one of Barton MacLane’s chief interests is football. MacLane was once the crack halfback on the varsity team of Wesleyan University at Middletown, Conn., and got a chance to break into films because of his prowess as a player. MacLane, the most noted of film ‘‘bad men”’ is starring in ‘‘Men of Iron,’’ the First National picture now showing at thé. Sak theatre, has a particular peeve against the “practice” games of the big universities with smaller colleges at the opening of the season. “T have been trying to think of reasons for holding such games,” he said, “but I haven’t hit on a single one. “Coming as the first or second game on the schedule, it does no good to the boys on the small college team. In fact, it generally ruins them physically and often mentally. Their only salvatijon lies in the fact that most of the other teams on their schedule have also taken a terrific thumping from some big university. “But that’s only a minor consolation. The boys generally play their hearts out against the big teams, and in almost every case it gets them exactly nowhere. Even if the eleven starting players for the small school make up a pretty fair aggregation, their cause is almost hopeless, for the big team keeps rushing in fresh substitutes who are just about: as good as the men they replace. “Their own substitutes are so few and so inexpert that the first equal struggle against the fresh, keen, eager men of the big university. “Of course the little school gets a fat guarantee for going to the Barton MacLane Tough Even as a Hero Even as a hero, in his first starring picture for First Na tional, “Man of Iron,” which comes to: thes on one se aercres theatres One 22. ,» Barton MacLane is depicted as a rough, uncultured character. In real life the only way in which he resembles his screen characterizations is in his rugged physique and his aggressive, forceful manner of address. Far from being the unlettered roughneck whom he usually portrays in pictures, MacLane graduated from Wesleyan University, in Connecticut, where he majored in, and won honors in, English, and subsequently wrote a play named “Rendezvous” which was produced on Broadway by Arthur Hopkins in 1932. 'Mary Astor Student of Stage Craft One of the great beauties of the screen, Mary Astor, who has an important role in “Man of Tron,” now showing at the....... theatre, considers her physical appearance the least of her professional assets. The reason she is still in films, Mary Astor. in “Man of Iron” at the Strand Mat No. 101— 10c she will tell you, is that even in the days when her beauty alone was quite enough to establish her importance she was not content to offer that as her only qualification but applied herself intensely to the task of learning to be a competent actress. big town and taking its annual shellacking, but that is not a sufficient reason. “So far as the big university is concerned, I can’t see why it should schedule push-over games. I know that the theory is that, no matter how poor the competition, an actual game is better preparation, for the big events to come than scrimmaging with the serubs. If the little college team and the big university’s scrub team were even of approximately equal calibre, I might believe in that theory. That’s not often the case, however. “As far as the public is concerned, it is actually being cheated when it pays to see these set-up games. I know the fans realize it is a set-up game and ean’t get excited over the outcome, but they are anxious to see their heroes in actual competition, so turn out to watch the slaughter.” “Man of Iron” is a hilarious comedy drama with many thrilling sequences, based on a story by Dawn Powell. In the cast be Joseph Crehan, Craig Reynolds and Joseph King. It was directed by William McGann from the screen play by William Wister Haines. Actor Regrets Inability to See Wagner Operas Except for one thing, John Eldredge would be thoroughly satisfied to live and work the rest of his life in Hollywood, and that is the rarity of performances of the Wagnerian operas. A devoted music lover, the young First National actor, who is now playing in “Man of Iron,” now showing at the...... theatre, places the works of Richard Wagner at the top in his list. Next comes the symphonies of Brahms and Beethoven, but these he can hear fairly often, either during the winter season of the Tios Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra or its summer season at the Hollywood Bowl. To hear the Wagnerian music dramas he has to depend on his collection of phonograph records. Of Tannhauser he has a complete recording from the opening tap of the conductor’s baton to the last note. Of four others he has virtually complete recordings, the only missing portions being unimportant cuts which do not destroy the continuity of the performance. And of all the other operas he has separate records of important sections. They are “Rheingold,” “Walkure,” ‘“Siegfried” and “Gotterdammerung.” “Man of Iron” is a comedy drama containing both laughs and thrills. The cast includes Eldredge, Barton MacLane, Mary Astor, Dorothy Peterson, Joseph Crehan, Craig Reynolds and Joseph King. William McGann directed the picture from the sereen play by William Wister Haines, based on the story by Dawn Powell. Killer Turns Rescuer Barton MacLane beat John Qualen to death—in “Black Fury.” Now he uses the same punch to save Qualen’s life in “Men of Iron,” the First National drama in which MacLane swaps his gat for a high hat he doesn’t know how to wear. It opens at the_...._-_-_. Theatre on____— Mat No. 204—20 Mary Astor Now Wants to Make Earache nae ee ; ; ; . ——_—_»—— of the game and continue the unJohn Eldredge, Dorothy Peterson, or Laugh Seeing Mary Astor in her latest role in the First National picture, “Man of Iron,” which comes to the............ theatre Ole Ae ae ee , it is difficult to believe that her greatest desire is to be east in robust, even somewhat rough and rowdy, comedy roles. Despite the apparent austerity which her classic type of beauty makes almost inevitable in her appearance, Miss Astor thinks she could be quite amusing in good low comedy. That very austerity of mien which makes her effective in “Man of Iron,” in which she is cast as a calculating young woman inclined to gold digging, can be made to serve the ends of rowdy comedy very effectively, in her opinion. “After all, there’s nothing which is more effective in making an audience laugh than the discomfiture of a sedate character,” she pointed out. “Anyone slipping on a banana peel will be greeted with laughter, but the situation becomes twice as funny when it is a serious, dignified person whose equilibrium and dignity are simultaneously upset. “T’m actually pining for a role in which I’d be made up to look just too beautiful, and then, suddenly and unexpectedly, I’d have to take the most undignified sort of fall which a woman can suffer. “And I’d love to haunt motion picture houses and listen to the roars of laughter with which that piece of business would be greeted for I think that no one can do a greater service to the world than to make it laugh.” “Man of Iron” is a combination of thrills and laughter, based on a story by Dawn Powell. Besides Miss Astor the cast includes Barton MacLane, John Eldredge, Dorothy Peterson, Joseph Crehan, Craig Reynolds and Joseph King. William Wister Haines wrote the screen play which was directed by William McGann. Advises Screen Aspirants to Try ~ Acting in Stock © Barton MacLane, leading man in the First National film, “Man _ of Iron,” which comes to the theatre: Ons jee ; declares that the best preparation for an acting career is to have absolutely nothing to do with it until you are ready to do it seriously. “In short,” he explained, “it’s wisest to do all sorts of other things, if you must, but keep away from amateur theatricals.” His ideas on the subject apply with equal force, he said, to aspirants for a motion picture career and to such neophytes whose ambitions may encompass only stage-acting, if there be any such. But, he considers a fairly lengthy apprenticeship on the stage the best possible preliminary to a motion picture career. Whether the goal is stage or screen success, however, he thinks it is futile to start toward it until one is ready to devote himself to it entirely. “T have a friend who wants to go on the stage,” he said, “and he came to me for advice. This youngster had no money and wanted to go to a dramatic school. I suggested that he tie up with a summer stock company instead, and play a few parts, have a good time, and get into a good physical condition. It’s important, I think, for an actor to develop his mind and body naturally and to the fullest extent. “Go out and live life as fully as you can and watch the people about you. That’s the best training an actor can have, aside from acting as much and as often as possible.” “Man of Iron” is a _ hilarious comedy drama with many thrilling sequences, based on a story by Dawn Powell. In the cast besides MacLane are Mary Astor, John Eldredge, Dorothy Peterson, Joseph Crehan, Craig Reynolds and Joseph King. It was directed by William McGann from the screen play by William Wister Haines. First Film Kiss In 5 Years Given To Miss Peterson For the first time in the five years of her motion picture career, Dorothy Peterson plays in a love scene. It was a rather sedate love scene, to be sure, for it depicted a wife in a tender passage with her own husband, but it did necessitate her being embraced and kissed by an adult male and that was a distinct innovation for Miss Peterson in film work. The scene is in the First National picture “Man of Iron,” which comes to the............ theatre: ON. ..2.... 3 Miss Peterson, who is a young and attractive woman is one of the strangest in the annals of Hollywood. Coming here five years ago from the New York stage, where she was considered one of the best of the younger leading women, she was given an opportunity by Warner Bros. to display her versatility in a picture which took her from the age of 18 to white-haired old age. The picture was called “Mother’s Cry” and in it Miss Peterson was the mother of several children. Immediately she was classified as a mother type, although she had never done anything of the sort on the stage. From that day on she has been a mother in every picture she has worked in until she was given her present role. And in nearly every film she didn’t have a living husband but was a poor old widow. iia “Man of Iron” is a comedy drama containing both laughs and thrills. The cast also includes Barton Machlane, Mary Astor, John Eldredge, Joseph Crehan Craig Reynolds and Joseph King. William McGann directed the picture from the screen play by William Wister Haines based on the story by Dawn Powell. —~ tg Actor Misses Hisses So He’s After Kisses Barton MacLane missed the hisses, so now he’s after the kisses. That’s his own explanation of his metamorphosis from a sereen villain to a hero. MacLane has been Public Enemy No. 1 in many films, including “Black Fury” and “G Men.” Now he appears as the leading man in the First National production, “Man of Iron,” which comes to the theatre on “On the stage,” he ex: plained, “actors get inspiration from the reaction of the audience. If you’re a hero, you are applauded; if a villain, hissed. The hisses are as much of a stimulus as the hand claps, because you know you are doing a good job. “Tn film work you get no hisses. Neither do you get any applause, but there is one consolation, if you are the hero, you do get kissed. Me for the hero roles.” Mary MacLaren Now Making Comeback Although her comeback efforts have progressed to the point where she is being given small parts rather frequently, Mary MacLaren, star in the days of the silent pictures, reverted to the ranks of dress extras for one day at the Warner Bros. studio. She worked that day in a party scene in “Man of Iron,” now showing at the......... theatre. Page Nine