Numbered Men(Warner Bros.) (1930)

Bernice Claire Plays Her First NonMusical . Dramatic Role in ‘‘Numbered Men DRAMATIC SCENES, THEME FEATURES “NUMBERED ~ MEN” AT .. | (REVIEW—SILENT) Dramatic in its high moment of a prison riot, and woven around the theme that, no matter how much she promises at the beginning, ‘‘a woman never waits’’ for her man to do a long term of years while her youth slips bered Men,’’ opened yesterday at the The picture takes the spectator behind the grey walls of Stoneyhurst penitentiary, and shows what happens to humans of all classes who have run afoul of the law. All types are pictured, from the youthful offender, eating his heart out for his girl, played by Raymond Hackett and Bernice Claire, to the tough gangster, the Polack who is going “stirerazy,” the comic, and the “dese, dem, and dose” types. All are intermingled in the vast prison machine. The workings of the honor system, which gives privileges, and the road camps, to which prisoners with a good record are finally sent, giving them a chance at fresh air and a certain freedom, are all pictured as the story marches to its conclusion. One of the most dramatic scenes of the story is the outbreak of the riot, just as work has stopped in the machine shop for the day and the lifers are about to be marched back to their cells. Conrad Nagel, as a smooth counterfeiter who has become something of a power for good among the prisoners, gives a splendid performance. Raymond Hackett, who distin UNUSUAL -7), .. VHEATERE away from her, ‘‘NumTheatre. “The Trial of Mary Dugan,” has the jfivenile lead\ and gives a characterization dramatic in its power. Bernice Claire is the girl who promises to wait, and is tempted through thinking she sees a chance to plan an escape for her lover. The outstanding ‘character role of the picture is. that of Ralph Ince. Ince, as the tough gangster, King Callahan, plans the riot and escape through working on the Polack, called “Baby Face,” played by Ivan Linow, who has become particularly crazy through his desire to get out and see his wife who is slowly dying. Ince gives a performance that carries him to the top rank of character actors of the talking screen. Tully Marshall, George Cooper, William Holden, Maurice Black and Frederic Howard are all effective in their roles. The picture was directed as a First National production by Brief Biographies Of The Principals | Bernice Claire in ‘Raymond ON nherod Hackett Men” “Numbered Cut No. 16 Men” Oe? 5C at 5¢ Cut No. 17 Cut 15¢ Mat s¢ Biography of BERNICE CLAIRE “The youngest prima donna” is zs the title Bernice Claire enjoyed, Biography of after her hit in the operetta “The RAYMOND HACKETT | Desert Song,” and before she became Raymond Hackett, hero of “Num|@ motion picture actress. bered Men,” “The Trial of Mary Dugan” and “Madame X” on the screen, comes honestly by his remarkable histrionic gifts. He is the son of Florence Hackett, | heard her singing when she was well known in musical comedy and| just fourteen months old, and delater on the screen. His father was Maurice Hackett, a merchant. Raymond: was born in New York City, and made his first stage appearance at the age of four in the comic opera, “The Toymaker of Nuremberg.” Later he was with Maude ‘dren! Adams in “Peter Pan.” oes He went to school in New York However, her voice continually and Philadelphia, and played on the | Suggested singing. When she was Miss Claire was born in Oakland, California, he parents being Adolph and Claire Jahnigan. Her mother cided that she should become a great singer! Bernice on’ the other hand grew into young girlhood with. the firm conviction that she would become a writer of Christmas plays for n Newsy Form Conrad Nagel in “Numbered Men” Cut No. 15 Cut 15¢ Mat 5c Biography of CONRAD NAGEL © Conrad Nagel was born in Keokuk, Iowa, March 16th, 1897. He was educated at Highland Park College Des Moines, and because he earned the degree of Bachelor of Oratory and was a prominent member of the drama and glee clubs, he turned to the stage for a vocation. His first part was a juvenile role in the Peerless Stock Company’s (Des Moines) presentation of a new playwright’s effort, the very name of which has gone into oblivion, since it “flopped.” Nagel’s work, however, won him the chance to conplaying tinue with the company, many roles. In 1918 he entered pictures, and has enjoyed a steady vogue ever S aanieeneeee Mervyn Le BOY: since; a vogue that increased tremen dously however, with the coming of the talkie. “The Swan,” “The Ship From Shanghai,” “The Sacred Flame” and “White Collars” are among his most recent pictures made stage steadily at the same time. He|Six its cultivation began, at the was opposite Margaret Anglin in| hands of several voice and music “The Awakening of Helen Ritchie,” | teachers, most prominent among with Doris Keane in “Happy Mar-| Whom was Miss Alice Eggers, now riage” and with John Mason in “As| head of the musie department of a Man Thinks,” all in juvenile roles, | Oakland High Schools, and still her guished himself in “Madame X” and Convicts and Movie Extras Exchang ™ e In F; He essayed pictures as a boy actor,|teacher. She sang “Mlle. Modiste”| prior to his big hit, “Numbered ~— ald Tubin company in|at this time! | Men.” Tortvunare = eae ee So ‘ Z Atethe same time she tock daneSs ¥>, re a a as a RG «poo SER. RRS The a A Prison Riot! Adapted from the stage play ‘‘Jail ge break” by Dwight Taylor. Directed by MERVYN LEROY Cut No.5 Cut 20c Mat 5c A FIRST NATIONAL & VITAPHONE PICTURE “Vitaphone” is the registered trade mark of the Vitaphone Corp..designating its products. Page Four CASESEae Convicts and~ movie extras exchanged roles during the filming of scenes of “Numbered Men,” the First National screen drama of prison life now heading the bill at the Theatre. Conrad Nagel, Bernice Claire and Raymond Hackett are featured, with favorites such as Tully Marshall and Ralph Ince in the cast. These, with a erew of tough-looking movie extras, were taken on location to Newhall, California, where a state prison camp for convict road-workers is maintained. Here the movie extras, in convict uniform, got. out and toiled with pick and shovel on the road, while the real convicts had a chance to play in the movies. A novel love story of a very appealing nature, the thrills of a great prison riot and escape, and a very intimate glimpse into the lives of men in “the Big House” and out on the road gangs is given, for the first time in pictures, in “Numbered Men.” The entire locale of the story is the prison, the convict camp, the road work location and a farmhouse where some of the highest drama transpires. om Camouflage! An artificial lawn in “Numbered Men,” the First NationalVitaphone prison drama at the Theatre, was so realistic that it fooled the flock of hens used in the pictures. They tried to eat the dyed fibre “‘grass,’”’ which “grew” from a burlap carpet tacked on the stage floor. Once they held up the filming of a scene because they scratched in it too enthusiastically—looked for worms! An entire farm in which some of the most dramatic scenes were taken -was filmed under the roof of a big-sound-proof stage at the studio. The live-stock were quartered on the stage for a week, living comfortably in real pens and a barn, but denied the privilege, of covirse, of cropping the artificial g1 .ss. The pigs, ho.vever, had some very real mud to root about in! The “indoor” farm supplemented a real farm filmed on location, and was an e act duplicate. He was a mere stripling w ~ pees Wiorasni at 7 appeared with Lionel Barrymore if | Francisco, iand“sang anc 7 the first stage production of “The Lafayette Grammar School in OakCopperhead,” and in such plays as|land, and at Oakland High School. “Abraham lLineoln,” “The Cradle When she went to New York to Snatchers,” and many others. His study she attracted the attention of first picture was with Gloria Swan-|Madame Jeritza at a private conson in “The Loves of Sunya,” which| cert. The great opera star was also brought John Boles to the| captivated by the girl’s rapidly desereen. veloping coloratura soprano voice, Hackett is five feet, ten inches in]and promptly “took her under her height, weighs 148 pounds, and has wing.” Her voice and music study blue eyes and brown hair. He is| was continued by Jeritza’s accom fond of all outdoor sports. panist, Emil Polak. —_ She danced and sang in “Babes Biography o in Toyland,” “Mlle. Modiste” and aeey. f “The Chocolate Soldier.’ Then she TULLY MARSHALL understudied the star of the original Tully Marshall is one of the few|“The Desert Song” company, and “Native Sons” of California among | presently took her place. the noted film actors. He was born When Alexander Gray, who had in Nevada City, April 138, 1874,| sung opposite her in “The Desert which makes him a_ California | Song” and opposite Marilyn Miller pioneer as well. in the stage “Sally” was about to He was educated in private schools | go to Hollywood for the film “Sally,” and the Santa Clara University,| he invited Bernice to take a film specializing in dramatic literature.|test with him. He spent 45 years on the stage, all | to help Gray. acting in, writing, directing and Then she went out to Oakland to producing plays with stockcom-| visit her parents. A telegram was panies on the Pacific Coast. awaiting her — her film test with The motion picture industry “came | Gray had won her the title role in to him,” so he joined it in the early |“No, No, Nanette” with First Nadays when Griffith made “Intoler-| tional Vitaphone Pictures, if she ance.” Ever since that time he has| cared to take it! been prominent and constantly busy, She took the role; followed it by and of course the arrival of the|two other singing roles in musical “talkie” boosted his stock because | pictures, “Spring is Here” and of his long stage experience and | “Song of the Flame,” and made such knewledge of both stage and film|a hit not only by her voice but her acting. acting that her next. role was a Among Marshall’s most important | straight acting one without music! talkies is “Numbered Men,” in That was “Numbered Men,” in which Bernice Claire, Conrad Nagel| which she is featured with Conrad and Raymond Hackett are featured.| Nagel and Raymond Hackett. The Whole World Is Waiting To See The Story This Picture Tells. — She did so, merely Let Them Know You’re | Playing It! RALPH INCE ~ Ralph Inee, noted both as an aetor and a director during the screen’s “silent” days found a great demand for his acting when the screen turned “talkie.” This was because of his remarkably powerful stage presence, cultivated in his early youth when he appeared with Richard Mansfield. Ince was born in Boston, Mass., in 1887, and educated there. His first screen work, following Mansfield’s “The College Widow” was the “Tineoln” role in Vitagraph’s series on the life of Abraham Lincoln, Always interested in stagecraft, playwriting and play directing as well as acting, Ince turned to directing silent pictures and_ eventually stopped acting in them almost entirely. When the first talkies came, however, there was an immediate demand for his services and a renewed interest on his part. His role in his latest talking picture “Numbered Men,” constitutes one of the best-depicted villainous characters the vocal screen has witnessed. *““—D — —n Clever These Chinamen’’ A Chinese extra named Young Foo had a small part in “Numbered Men,” First MNational’s prison drama now showing at the i Theatre. When the company went on location to a state convict camp to film road building “shots” and other exteriors of the picture, Director Mervyn LeRoy wanted another Chinaman. .He gave orders to the casting director to tell Young Foo that he was through, and send along another for the location. Arriving at the location, he was astonished to see Young Foo climb out of the bus that carried the extras. Me have two namee, velly fine!” Young Foo explained. “First they send for Young Foo. That me. Today they send for Ah Yet. That’s me too!”