Man to Man (Warner Bros.) (1930)

“MAN (Feature) SOME POPULAR THEMES IN SCREEN ENTERTAINMENT Popular entertainment growing out of the human imagination— stories of all kinds, whether in books, on the stage or on the screen—has been roughly divided into two classes: the literature of ~eape and the literature of recog on. The former takes us out of “selves and our daily life by presenting characters in situations that either could not happen at all or so rarely and under such special circumstances that, they lie beyond what has come within our experience. The literature of recognition presents life as we know it from actual experience in our own lives and the lives of our friends. We recognize ourselves and our friends in the characters of the story, in the situations in which they find themselves and the means by which they extricate themselves or fall Pee ee “MAN TO MAN” Thrilling screen version of the Ben Ames Williams story of father and son—read by the Saturday Eve: ning Post millions as \\ “Barber John’s Boy.” (Biographical) GRID HERO TAKES HAYMAKERS IN “MAN TO MAN” Bill Banker, All-American halfback from Tulane University who jumped into the movies in a football picture and won a contract with Warner Bros., plays his first role in a film other than a football story, with Grant Mitchell and Lucille Powers in “Man to Man,” Warner Bros,’ screen adaptation of Ben Ames Williams’ story “Barber John’s Boy,” now at the Theatre, Banker who came to Hollywood with ten other All-Americans to play in “Maybe It’s Love,” won a contract because of his splendid rugged physique and his soft southern drawl. After appearing in ‘‘College Lovers,” for First National, he was selected to play in “Man to Man,” where his ability to take ‘shment, developed on the grid , Stood him in good stead dur_.s the making of the picture for he had to take more than one blow on the chin from Phillips Holmes who plays the role of “Barber John’s” boy, a sensitive lad who feels keenly the disgrace of his father’s prison sentence. As the town bully, Banker makes a disparaging remark about Holmes’ father and Holmes gets into a fist fight with Banker, Holmes winning the fight with a right hand blow to the chin. The rehearsals were just as realistic as the actual filming and for several days afterward, Banker nursed a tender chin because Director Allan Dwan insisted upon real haymakers. victim to their own natures and their environment. “Man to Man,’ the newly completed Warner Bros. Vitaphone talking picture based upon Ben Ames Williams’ story, and now at the Theatre, belongs to the second class, that of recognition. The characters are everyday human beings as real as our next door neighbors. We believe in them and in the situation in which the author places them and in their reactions to the situations. Both the story of escape and the story of recognition are popular on the screen, one represented by the Cinderella theme and the other by the theme of self-sacrifice which is as old as parental love. ‘Man to Man” employs the theme of selfsacrifice exemplified in father love. Grant Mitchell, famous stage star, appears as the father, “Barber John,” and young Phillips Holmes, son of Taylor Holmes, as Barber John’s boy, Many other noted players are in the cast—George Marion, Russell Simpson, Otis Harlan—all noted for the realism of their characterizations. “Self sacrifices as a theme in stories is as old as life itself,” says Phillips Holmes, who, as the son, confesses to a theft of which he believes his father is guilty, and to which the father confesses to save his son from prison—as he thinks. “Moralists and religionists find in self-sacrifice a deepening of the understanding and sympathy, and a growth in grace,” continues Mr. Holmes. the human race by precept and example for so many centuries that an individual who goes his own way and lives his own life regardless of others is considered as ruthless and inhuman—almost a monster of cold-bloodedness. “Being so grounded into our daily lives, self-sacrifice is one of the basic themes in what the critics eall ‘the literature of recognition’ Writers could not overlook it. It has given rise to some of the most cremendous dramas in literature as in life. And it never fails to exercise a potent influence upon the amotions of mankind. The spectacle of parents sacrificing themselves for their children, of childjren. giving up their own lives to minister to ailing or incapacitated parents, of brothers and sisters and lovers sacrificing their own desires for each other, is a well of drama from which we have all drawn and in which we recognize the common strain of humanity. The drama of self-sacrifice will maintain its hold upon the emotions probably as long as we remain human and have emotions. Ben Ames Williams drew upon parental love for his theme in ‘Barber John’s Boy’ which comes to the screen under the title of ‘Man to Man,’ but makes it a story of father and not mother love thereby giving a novel angle to its appeal. WARNER BROS, Present see Ata fon “it has been armed io, Scene from "Man to. LUCILLE POWERS — PHILLIPS HOLMES 5—Cut or Mat Production No. TO MAN” —A Warner Bros. and Vitaphone Production CHARACTER CREATOR BRINGS TALENTS TO SCREEN Grant Mitchell, who has earned an enviable reputation as a creator of stage roles, has brought his genius for creating to the screen, under the auspices of Warner Bros. His first talking picture shows him as “Barber John” in “Man to Man”, Theatre. In building the character, the stage star brought into play all the knowledge and experience he has gained through his years of performing before the footlights. He tried to do the things and say the things a barber would say and he endeavored to mould a human be ing with a heart and soul who in the scheme of things was a barber by profession. He strove to submerge the great actor in the character and appear not as an mime, but just as Barber John. The character dominates, now at the On this point Mitchell says: “Next to the play, of course, the character is the thing. I never think of myself as playing a role but think of the person and as far as I can, I actually live the part. I think as the character would think, use his mannerism $ and speak his language. “Barber John is essentially a father, a loving father who feels keenly his son’s aloofness because the father had been convicted of a crime. It is merely an accident of fate that he earns his living as a barber. Therefore the character is Bill Banker, Grid Star, In **Man to Man’”’ Bill Banker, All-American halfback from Tulane University who jumped into the movies in a foot :| ball picture and won a term con One Col. Ad—Style J—Cut or Mat tract with Warner Bros., plays his first role in a film other than a football story in “Man to Man,” the Vitaphone production now at the Theatre. Banker came to Hollywood with ten other All-American pigskin stars to play in the college picture “Maybe It’s Love.” After affixing his signature to a contract, he then appeared in the First National college story “College Lovers.” woven around his parenthood and his undying devotion for his son.” In creating roles, Grant Mitchell has found a greater joy in the the atre than merely acting parts and| those who have seen his first screen efforts, feel that he has contributed the same inspiring work that marked his stage perform ances, Two Col. Ad—Style K—Cut or Mat (Current) GRANT MITCHELL HAS FAMOUS RELATIVES Grant Mitchell, popular character creator of the stage who makes his his first sereen appearance in Warner Bros. adaptation of tha Ben Ames Williams story, ‘““Man to Man” now at the _______. _.. Theatre is the proud possessor of a family tree with an enviable historical background. His great uncle was Rutherford B. Hayes, one time President of the United States and his father, General Grant Mitchell, one of the outstanding military men of the Civil War, was also one of the most noted lawyers of his day. In “Man to Man,” Grant Mitchell is seen as “Barber John,” a man popular with his townsmen despite the fact that he had served eighteen years in prison for a justifiable ; murder, His son, a sensitive lad, feels his father’s disgrace keenly and the father in turn, is deeply hurt by his son’s aloofness. The ali star cast includes Phillips Holmes, Lucille Powers, Geo. Marion, Joan Blondell, Dwight Frye, Russell Simpson, Otis Harland, and others. Allan Dwan dt rected.