Naughty but Nice(Warner Bros.) (1939)

2D THE ‘OOMPH' GIRL ON THE COVER—Ann Sheridan who stars (and sings) in ‘Naughty But Nice" at the Strand Theatre. (Mat 216—30c) SLAPSIE MAXIE'S A SUCKER FOR ANYBODY'S GAG Helen Broderick’s line probably inspired Maxie Rosenbloom to complain. Maxie, working under the name of “Killer,” was her butler in “Naughty but Nice,” the Warner Bros. comedy currently showing at the Strand Theatre. Killer is always tired and considers himself over-worked. “Killer will take your bag if he is not too tired,” the script had Helen say in a scene showing Dick Powell arriving at her house for a visit. The scene required a good many rehearsals. Maxie carried the bag for a couple of hours, then he suddenly decided he was getting tired. He complained to the prop man, Mushy Callahan. “Whatcha got in this bag?” he asked indignantly. “Bricks?” “T’ll fix it,” Mushy said, taking the bag. Mushy carried the bag to the prop truck and opened it. But instead of removing the lead weights that were used to give it the heft of a bulky bag, he added several more. Then he returned it to Maxie. “That’s better,” said Slapsie Maxie, tentatively hefting the bag. “You fellows would wear a guy out if you had a chance.” Can’t Resist Zasu Zasu Pitts started out for a combination vacation and _ personal appearance tour of three weeks and remained away three months. Her appearance proved so popular she still could be touring but was called back to Holly Zasu Pitts wood to as Mat 115—15c sume her role as Dick Powell’s spinster aunt in Warner Bros.’ “Naughty but Nice” now at the Strand. EAS | JAM SESSION TONIGHT with comedian Helen Broderick ‘flogging the skins’ in ‘Naughty But Nice" now at the Strand. (Mat 218—30c) * CURRENEPUBRIGITY * Oomph’ Is T. be Word For Ann Sheridan They could have dubbed Ann Sheridan the new “It-girl.” They —the men who inform an appreciative expectant public about glamour girls — could easily have hailed the flamehaired Ann as the new Clara Bow. Wisely, though, they didn’t. Ann Sheridan doesn’t take up where someone else left off. She’s Ann Sheridan and only Ann Sheridan. And as such she contributes a vitality, a fire and a personality that is new to pictures. Ann Sheridan was elevated to stardom in “Naughty but Nice,” her latest Warner Bros. picture, which opens next Friday at the Strand Theatre, and a representative group of intelligent, discerning and far-sighted gentlemen decided it was time to make some special note of her charm and allure. In solemn conclave they gathered to observe and consider all the glamour girls of the screen, and pretties in society and other walks of life the country over. When their deliberations were finished they had elected Ann Sheridan “America’s Oomph Girl.” The word “Oomph” was the only one that best described the particular kind of allure they had in mind. It was a happy choice of words. Not even the widely quoted “It-Girl” caught the publie’s fancy quite as much as this simple, but highly descriptive one-word portrait—‘Oomph.” It’s pretty well established in Hollywood that a beauty contest ARE YOU H If you’re a hep cat you’ll know that Dick Powell is a plumbing expert. And you’ll be interested to know that in his new Warner Bros. comedy romance, “Naughty But Nice,” which is currently showing at the Strand Theatre, Dick brings some real gut bucket out of a music box, and the National Jitterbug Champions have a jam session. If you’re corny (old-fashioned), however, and not hep to jive, perhaps it should be explained that Dick gets some lowdown music, though at first he is a cornfed (or symphonic musician), out of a piano in “Naughty But Nice.” The jam session has nothing to do with food—its a gathering of real devotees of swing. The language of swing has rapidly become a definite American dialect. It is universal to every section, yet it is extremely difficult to learn, for every section makes it own contribution to the lingo and it is constantly changing. Powell discovered that when he started filming “Naughty But Nice” which is a story of Tin Pan Alley and modern swing music. For his own amusement Keeps Streamlined Ann Sheridan, who is featured in “Naughty but Nice,” has the audacity to list football, baseball, and a dash of tennis as her favorite waking-up exercises. Yet she never leaves her boudoir for them. She goes through all the motions of each game. winner has little chance of making good in pictures. A meager few have risen from the ranks of contest winners. Mary Astor did, so did Joan Blondell and Norma Shearer. And so did Ann Sheridan, to prove that you can’t keep an “Oomph” girl down. A few years ago Paramount decided to make a picture called “Search for Beauty.” Partly to obtain pretty new faces for the picture and partly so that filming of the picture wouldn’t be a secret, the studio launched a “Search for Beauty” contest throughout the land. In Texas, John Rosenfield of the Dallas News conducted the contest. He admits now that Ann won the contest while ineligible under the rules. She appeared at his office a day after the contest closed but he took one look at her and reopened it. Ann’s name isn’t Ann. It is Clara Lou and she was called “TLootie” during her school days. She was born February 15, 1915, in Dallas, stands five feet five inches tall and weighs 118 pounds. She danced and sang at the age of six and was considered a prodigy but would like to forget that now. In “Naughty but Nice,” she sings intriguingly and well in a low, mellow “oomph” voice. She discovered she had a blues voice while in college but never has sung, with the exception of brief snatches of song, in other pictures. There’ll be a lot of new converts to “Oomph” when she is heard and seen in this picture. EPs POPPE? and to aid in portraying his role, Powell compiled an exhaustive glossary of modern music terms. He found that a canary is a girl singer and that a hipchick is a girl with an exalted opinion of herself. A rug cutter or an alligator is a swing fan. They are familiar with jive—or the language of swing fans and cats (swing musicians). An unhipped person isn’t crippled, he just isn’t wise to jive. Tin ears dislike swing but it’s a killer diller (or a great thrill) to a jitterbug. Of course there are some who claim to be hepped but they are icky — they just think they are wise. Schmaltz is sweet, sentimental music. Anybody who prefers this type of music to swing is referred to as “long hair” or “long underwear.” When a person says “kill me” he isn’t courting death, but wants to be shown a good time. “Murder” means it’s terrific or splendid. That’s when a person “goes out of this world” or completely loses himself in swing. And of course you know that if you’re “in the groove”, you’re a bona fide member of jitterbug society, because that means your swinging is right—or should I say, mellow? (Women’s Page Feature) STRAND COMEDY SHOWS CONTRAST IN NEW FASHIONS Ann Sheridan, the girl who put “oomph” in the dictionary, and Gale Page, known as Hollywood’s Sincere Girl, are excellent foils for each other in Warner Bros. picture, “Naughty but Nice” which is currently showing at the Strand Theatre. Spectacular is the name for the clothes in which Ann undulates across the screen. Shimmering and form-fitting is a silver cloth formal with wide midriff section solidly set with tiny gold and silver sequins. Also definitely on the “oomph” side is a pale yellow taffeta gown with full skirt and boned strapless bodice embroidered in tiny silver beads. Unique is a full-flared gown of novelty mulberry crepe which has halter neck straps and wide belt made of diamond-shaped sections of matching suede detailed with gold and green nailheads. Vampish is a hostess coat of finely-pleated, cloudy grey chiffon worn over a moulded foundation of chartreuse satin. Gale Page proves that honesty is the best policy and that in the long run men like a girl who approves the “cover-up” mode. She greets the evening as a slim black sihouette. The neckline is high and the square yoke is embroidered in bits of black jet. Emphasis On ‘Up’ Ann Sheridan has discovered a way to counteract those five years that upped hair styles are said to add to the modern lady. It’s an “upped” make-up which Ann hit upon while working in “Naughty but Nice.” The red-headed one’s directions are to put plenty of lipstick on natural contours, then draw the line slightly upward at the corners with an orange stick. Rouge should be placed high on the cheekbones, and the outside corners of the eyes given an upward lilt with the aid of an eyebrow pencil. If the shape of your brows permit it, it’s a good idea to draw them up slightly at the outer edges to complete the “upped” effect. She’s A Rug-Cutter Helen Broderick took special lessons in shagging and other steps beloved by jitterbugs from Sheila Rae to prepare herself for. naeht club scenes in “Naughty but Nice.’’ She did some rug cutting with SG Ua pat Holmes and the two of them showed more stamina than some of the ’teen age dancers in the picture. cers in the picture. Veteran comedian Miss Broderick has one of her most hilarious roles in “Naughty But Nice.” Helen Broderick Mat 112—l15c BOY FALLS FOR GIRL and who can blame Dick Powell, when the girl is Ann (‘Oomph’) Sheridan. The picture is "Naughty But Nice". (Mat 203—30c)