Mandalay (Warner Bros.) (1934)

Feature Stories Ricardo Cortez Boasts Of Being Billed Over Garbo Famous Screen Villain Now Playing With Kay Francis In “Mandalay” masculine role opposite Kay Francis in ‘‘Mandalay,’’ T is the proud boast of Ricardo Cortez, who has a leading a First National picture now showing at the.......... Theatre, that he once was a “‘bigger shot than Garbo.’’ Disregarding his own long list of imposing successes, he points with pride to the fact that he is the only Hollywood actor who ever was billed over the enigmatic Swede. He has a copy of a 24-sheet, a full-sized billboard sign, he treasures among his souvenirs which bears the legend in large letters, “RICARDO CORTEZ and GRETA GARBO in THE TORRENT.” Cortez was born in Vienna and was brought to New York by his family before he was two years old. He grew up on the East Side, a circumstance for which he is deeply grateful, as he says it spurred his ambition to rise above his environment. He did various odd jobs to help the family while attending school, then got himself a place as messenger for a Wall Street brokerage firm. | Ric Goes to Theatre | His interest in things theatrical began when a pal dragged him to the gallery of a Second Avenue showhouse one night to see a melodramatic thriller. Thereafter, all his spare cash went for gallery seats. A messenger boy in New York soon learns the ropes, and Cortez discovered before long that there was money to be made working as a “super” in stage mob scenes with the added privilege of witnessing the performance without cost. Family hopes that some day he might become owner of a brokerage business of his own were shattered by the boy’s love of the theatre. He decided that he’d rather be an actor than anything else in the world, and with the idea of getting a bird’s eye view of stage technique, he wangled a job as a fly-gallery boy at a theatre. Perched high above the stage, his job was to keep the various back-drops straightened out, see that the curtains operated smoothly, etc. But a job as actor seemed as far away as ever to the ambitious boy, and when he heard that extras were needed for a Universal picture at Fort Lee, N. J.. he squandered a nickel on the ferry and boldly pushed his way to the head of the line. He had heard of overnight success in pictures, and he was nothing if not ambitious and hopeful. He got work as an extra in a picture starring Violet Mersereau — he forgets the name of it — and managed to impress himself on the director sufficiently to get fairly steady work in mob scenes. | Ric Seeks Stardom | From that, it was but a step to bit parts. Still the phantom of fame eluded him, so one day he stormed the offices of Adolph Zukor and Jesse Lasky at Astoria, and demanded that the public no longer be deprived of its chance to see him act a featured role. The courage of the youngster impressed the producers* and after a tryout they gave him a contract and sent him to Hollywood. He soon was playing leads, in such pictures as “Children of Jazz,’ “In the Name of Love,” “The Spaniard, “Not So Long” and “The Pony Express.” Then came his memorable picture with Garbo, and even greater success. After this success it was inevitable that he should ride to the came in. the top of heap when “talkies” His first talking picture was “The Lost Zeppelin,” and subsequent ones “Her Man,” “Tilicit,” “Behind Office Doors,” “Bad Company,” “No One Man,” “Symphony of Six Million,” “Is My Face Red?”’, “Thirteen Women,” “The Phantom of Crestwood,” “Flesh,” “Broadway Bad,” “Police Surgeon,” “Big Executive,” “House on FiftySixth Street” and his current production, “Mandalay,” in which he plays opposite Kay Francis and Lyle Talbot. His favorite sereen roles, he says, were those he played in “The Torrent” and “Symphony of Six Million.” When asked what his worst picture was he answered that there were so many he couldn’t remember all of them, proving that he has a lively sense of humor. When he feels that his popularity is beginning to wane, he’d like to become a movie director— a job for which he is well fitted by training and experience. inelude Efforts to pin him down on a list of his favorite screen stars are in vain, as he says he prefers to keep all of them as his friends. He’s less cautious about stage stars, however, and admits that Katherine Cornell, Helen Hayes, Lynn Fontaine and AIfred Lunt are his choices. Noel Coward wins his vote as favorite playwright, while Franz Lehar wins that spot in his affections as musical comedy composer. Puccini, he thinks, has written the greatest operas, and Tschaikowsky leads in the field of symphonic composers. Although fond of travel, he prefers America as a place to live over all other countries of the world. | Ric, the Athlete | Cortez keeps himself in excellent physical condition by regular gymnastic exercises, swimming and horseback riding. He is a polo addict, and he not only plays but likes to watch a good match. He also is a good lookeroner at football games, and never misses a chance to cheer on the champion Trojans of the University of Southern California. Favorite authors are all moderns and include Ernest Hemingway, James B. Cabell, Sherwood Anderson, Joseph Conrad, Gene Fowler and Jacob Wasserman. Cortez is six feet one inch tall, weighs 175 pounds, has brown eyes and black hair. In “Mandalay” he plays the role of a handsome villain who sells his woman into virtual slavery to save his own hide. The picture is a thrilling drama by Austin Parker and Charles Kenyon based on the story by Paul Hervey Fox. It is set in the colorful background of the Orient on the border line of civilization. Others in the cast include Warner Oland, Lyle Talbot, Ruth Donnelly, Reginald Owen, Hobart Cavanaugh, David Torrence and lLucien Littlefield. Michael Curtiz directed. A Woman In White As a notorious dancer . . . as a plaintive singer ... Kay Francis in the greatest characterization of her screen career, “Mandalay,” First National’s daring drama of the East, with Ricardo Cortez, Lyle Talbot and Warner Oland, coming Wednesday to the Strand. Mat No. 18—10c. Kay Francis Tells Girls How to Look Attractive Your Gowns Should Match Personality And Good Carriage Necessary ADAM — are you short, tall, thin or fat? M If your stature or figure falls within any one of these classifications, Kay Francis, who has the feminine lead in the First National picture ‘‘Mandalay,’’ which comes to the......... has a message for you. 5 ot LOOOIRO: ON ee eat eves : Universally admitted to be the best dressed actress on the screen, the words of wisdom volunteered by the star should carry considerable weight. A short woman should by all means, wear high heeled shoes. Her costumes should emphasize the best features of her figure. She should avoid short skirts as they emphasize her small stature. The waist line should be placed uniformly high. Hats and hairdress also can add to the appearanee of being taller than you really are. On the other hand, she says, tall women should avoid too high heels, although flat ones should be avoided as they tend to make your carriage ungraceful. A tall woman can “shorten” herself by wearing shorter skirts than her tiny sister. Materials with circular designs also tend to reduce height. And of course a tall woman should avoid high coiffures and stick to hats that closely hug the head. Thin ladies should wear clothes that are comfortably loose, and avoid like a plague those that hug the figure like wall paper. They also should avoid materials with horizontal stripes, and avoid exposing necks and arms if they are unusually thin. Fat ladies must avoid ruffles even if they don’t dodge starch. They also should dodge dress materials with a circular pat tern, according to Miss Francis, if they don’t want to resemble miniature mountains. Stripes are best, or plain black, with a touch of white at the neck and sleeves, are great reducers to the observer’s eye. High-necked gowns also are bad as they place emphasis on the size of your face. “Any woman, regardless of her size, can look attractive if she studies herself carefully and dresses accordingly,” Miss Francis insists. “Watch your earriage, especially. Gowns mediately take on added distincetion if you stand up straight and earry yourself proudly.” Despite her busy life, Miss Francis always finds time to design her own clothes and she considers it well spent for the effects she achieves. She wears a number of striking costumes in her latest First National picture, “Mandalay,” in which she shares honors with Ricardo Cortez, Warner Oland and Lyle Talbot. “Mandalay” is a colorful picture with an Oriental setting in which an aristocratic Russian woman is betrayed into a house of pleasure. The story is by Paul Hervey Fox and dramatized for the screen by Austin Parker and Charles Kenyon. Michael Curtiz directed. im Oland Drives 50 Miles Each Day to Sleep by Sea Warner Oland, a true son of the Vikings, can’t sleep well unless he has the roar of the ocean in his ears. He has his home at Malibu so as to be close to the sea. During work on the produetion of the First National picture, “Mandalay,” which comes TOP ANG) echoed of cust nte ol theatre on Mr ae , he tried staying in a Hollywood hotel at night as the drive to Malibu is more than fifty miles. He discovered, however, that he missed the pounding of the breakers so much his sleep was badly broken. So during the entire production he made the trip back and forth each night and morning. In “Mandalay,” he has the role of gun runner. He is co-featured with Kay Francis, Warner Oland and Lyle Talbot. Kay Francis Wears Costly Gowns In Film Kay Francis, one of the best dressed women on the screen, wears four thousand dollars worth of gowns for less than two minutes on the screen in the First National picture, “Mandalay,”? which comes to the Theatre on A series of “lap dissolves,” or quick changing scenes is used to indieate her rapid progress from a cafe hostess to the queen of the underworld of Rangoon, and in each scene, of course, she wears an elaborate gown of expensive make. Miss Francis has one of the most elaborate wardrobes she ever has worn in any picture in “Mandalay,” in which she shares top honors with Ricardo Cortez, Warner Oland and Lyle Talbot. Lyle Talbot Entertains Five British Officers During the production of “Mandalay,” the First National picture which comes to the .... Theatre on iN: teats ttn Nn ee , Lyle Talbot entertained five British naval officers who has just completed a five months’ cruise across the Pacific in a forty-five foot sail boat. They were anxious to see the sets for “Mandalay,” a picture with its background in Burma, because they had passed through that country on their trip. They were escorted to the studio by the British Consul General at Los Angeles, W. M. Gurney. Talbot shares honors with Kay Francis, Ricardo Cortez and Warner Oland in the cast. Two Of A Kind Kay Francis and Ricardo Cortez who appear in the First National drama of the Orient, “Mandalay,”’ coming to the Strand. Mat No. 19—5c. 5 ce CS SS SS SES SE A SS aS a SS Page Twenty-one