Numbered Men(Warner Bros.) (1930)

“‘Numbered Men” Gives An Intimate Glimpse Into The Lives Of The Men In The “Big House”’ /% | TALKIES TRIPLE WORK JERITZA PROTEGE OF DIRECTORS BECAUSE Bernice Claire, who plays the leadOF NEW REQUIREMENTS Maurice Black, Ivan Linow, George Cooper and Frederic Howard. ing feminine role in “Numbered Men,” now at the The: 5 : atre, is a protege of Jeritza. She big riot and escape is one of the received her first singing instruction physical thrills of the picture, but in Oakland High School. When she —strangely enough, from the lay-|went to New York Jeritza wag fascinated by her voice and put her under the tutelege of Emil Polak, : Jeritza’s own voice instructor, important place The story is based on Dwight Taylor’s stage hit, “Jail Break.” A Mechanics of Sound and Color Have so Improved Film, Other Departments Furnishing New Ideas to Keep Pace By JAY BRIEN CHAPMAN ~—— Cut No. 21 Cut 20c Mat 5c man’s naive view of prison life—a charming and novel love story o0ccupies the most throughout the exciting reels, Sensational Prison State Gets Free Road = *. The state of California got about 666 ” Explains Stir Crazy a half mile of road improved at the Story Announced For pare eee Theatre “Stir crazy” is a term used for a expense of First National Pictures ““They say that since the talkies swept the country and the| peculiar form of mild insanity which|while “Numbered Men,” now at the Raymond Hackett, Conrad entertainment world, actors and actresses are so busy learning many men long confined in a peni-|.......... Theatre, was being filmed. Nagel and Bernice Claire their lines at night and speaking them during the day that|tentiary. It generally comes either/The last part of the picture takes In Vitaphone Film there is no longer any time for Hollywood parties,’’ remarks | from knowledge of hardships to loved place in a convict road camp. First ) (FEATURE—VITAPHONE OR SILEN T) (ADVANCE NEWS— VITAPHONE) “Numbered Men,” the new and gensational romance laid behind prison bars, has been booked as the next talking picture at the Raymond Hackett head the all-star cast of this First National and Vita‘ melodrama, which touches in element of modern crime ‘ -o the screen. Tully Marshall, Ralph Ince Maurice Black, William Holden, Blanche Frederici, Ivan Linow, George Cooper, and others portray startling and unusual characters behind the bars, and on the “outside.” The story depicts events in the life of a boy, portrayed by Hackett, who has but a short time left to serve, but who is drawn against his will into a jail break. The penalty for participation is death or long imprisonment. All phases of prison life are shown in “Numbered Men” as well as the sensational scenes of the “break,” said to be one of the most poignant dramatic depictions shown by a talkie. a __~pissonerand Miss Claire, noted be fore as a screen singer, proves her right to be called one of the most talented of youthful actresses. A ehing new sereen personality, votes her abilities exclusively ma in this role, avumbered Men” is an adaptation of Dwight Taylor’s “Jail Break.” Al Cohn and Henry McCarthy wrote adaptation and dialogue. Mervyn LeRoy directed. Bernice Claire Now Talkie Star Continues Lessons (CURRENT READER— VITAPHONE) Bernice Claire, who is featured with Conrad Nagel and Raymond Hackett in First National’s current Vitaphone attraction at the ........ Theatre, “Numbered Men,” is a noted opera and musical comedy prima donna, but she still takes singing lessons! “*“areover, her Eggers of original teacher, Oakland High s, still teaches her. Miss ikxggers is now superintendent of musical arts in the high schools of the California city, but she flies to Los Angeles by airplane every week end to instruct the new movie star. Miss Claire was the protege of Jeritza, and when the famous opera star introduced her to the world as “the youngest prima donna,” the star’s accompanist, Emil Polak, was her teacher. Miss Eggers, however, was her first instructor and it is to her that the new movie star attributes her original success in opera and musical comedy. ~ “Numbered Men” is not a musical picture but a tense drama of prison ___ *e, with a novel love story and shifting elements of pathos, thrills and comedy running throughout. It is “Miss Olaire’s fifth picture, but it marks her debut in a strietly dramatic, non-musical role. : Mervyn Le Roy directed the picture, in which such favorites as Tully Marshall, Ralph Ince, Ivan Linow, George Cooper, Maurice Black and thers appear. Mervyn Le Roy, noted young film director. “Tf that’s so, consider the case of the film director, who since the talkies have arrived doe ever did before. If players are kept busy, what about the man who must memorize all the lines, study all the costumes, check all the sets, psycho-analyze all the parts?” Le Roy was being interviewed in connection with a remarkable prison film he had just directed, “Numbered Men,” a First National offering coming to the Theatre ..... This picture, it is said, deserves a place with “Harold Teen,” “Broadway Babies” and “Show Girl in Hollywood” among the Le Roy hits, “It isn’t the mechanics that bring more work for the directors. It’s the fact that improved photography, sound, color and other film improvements have made the mechanical side so real that the story side, acting side, and directorial side must be much more realistic than ever before,” Le Roy explains. “We are no longer satisfied with story situations, characters, even bits of business that are less real than the mechanics of the sereen, now very nearly capable of providing perfect “illusion =e “To get this realism we must do more in a shorter space of time than is necessary in preparing a stage play. Despite the real flesh-and-blood characters on the stage, stage presentations are less real than motion pictures because of the closer view, more varied and intimate angles, and greater detail that in the talkie give the spectator the illusion of walking around among the film characters.” These matters mean more realistic thrills for the spectator and many times more work for the director and his staff, Le Roy points out. He cites as evidence, facts in connection with the filming of ‘Numbered Men:” Preparation period before a film scene was taken, six weeks. His average working day during this period, fifteen hours. Two weeks were consumed in prison visits, San Quentin and Folsom were objects of intensive study by Le Roy and his technical staff, under the guidance of Clem Peoples, noted peace officer. With Peoples, Le Roy made the journey with several crooks from Los Angeles to “the big house,” interviewing them on the way and watching them go through all the processes of becoming convicts. One was a second-degree murderer, sentenced to life; the other a pickpocket who had evaded capture for fifteen years. He interviewed nearly five hundred prisoners at several penitentiaries, in convict camps, road gangs and shops. Then he came back to the studio to begin the regular preparation for the picture, such as supervising the making of sets, costumes, and story SR Eee preparation, and the selection of players. By this great amount of eareful preparation, however, “Numbered Men” will present at the -.__...... Theatre a Vitaphone tour of some of the country’s most noted prisons, convict camps and “honor systems,” combined into one continuous background for a very punchy, realistic and human drama. Q Begins TOMORROW Live behind the bars for a few thrilling moment. See the convict camps, labor gangs, mess hall. Get the feeling that sends these men rushing in wicked frenzy to love or ruin. s at least twice as much as he ones outside, or from failure to hear from them. A vivid picture of prison life, woven around a riot, is given in “NumberedMen,” now at the "EE CTAL COS National hired 250 extras and introduced them to pick and_ shovel work and blasting on a section of road provided by the state of California. Continuous Performance Sirens blow! Men shriek! A thousand frenzied convicts break steel to face steel in one mad dash for freedom. And a girl’s hopes go up with the first blast! It’s as strong as the unwritten law that binds two young hearte —_ eT " Fight-mad! Love Starved! Risking All For A Woman’s Burn ing Kiss! Adapted from stage play . “Jailbreak” = by Dwight Taylor. Conrad Nagel, Bernice Claire and|{|_ Raymond Hackett are featured in “Numbered Men,” and among the prominent figures in the supporting cast are Ralph Ince, ‘Tully Marshall, Conrad NAGEL ‘Bernice CLAIRE —— — <9) a A FIRS anad®, be ey wi | | a’ Beth | IRST NATIONAL VT RAP Hon ; :REG. TRADE MARK Superbly directed by MERVYN LEROY SRN ARN «tw Sa Sean Beamon Raymond HACKETT Page Nine ae dee ES,