Old English (Warner Bros.) (1930)

EORGE ARLISS ||| WITNESS GEORGE ARLISS CAREER *n at Harrow Weald, England September 16, 1869 STAGE —Elephant and Castle Theatre, London, as the Jailor in “Vidocqg, the French Jonathan Wild.” Round of parts there during ’87, ’88 and ’89. J—Terry’s London, Markham in “Across Her Path.’ Toured English provinces in many parts until 1898. Vaudeville Theatre, London, Brumaire in “On and Off.” Remained there two years. )-01i—At the Royalty Theatre with Mrs. Patrick Campbell. Played Keane in “Mr. and Mrs. Daventry.” Duke of St. Olpherts in “The Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith” and Cayley Drummle in ‘The Second Mrs. Tanqueray.” i—Went to America with Mrs. Patrick Campbell, appeared at Republic Theatre as Cayley in “The Second Mrs. Tanqueray.” 2—Engaged by Belasco to support Blanche Bates, appearing at Belasco Theatre as Zakkuri in “The Darling of the Gods.” 2.07-—Under the management of Harrison Grey Fiske supported Mrs. Fiske in “Becky Sharp,” ‘Leah Kleschna,” “Hedda Gabler,” “Eyes of the Heart” and “The New York Idea.” )7-08—With Mrs. Fiske in repertoire. )7—Lyric Theatre, New York, Ulrich Brendel in ‘Rosmersholm.” )8—Belasco Theatre, New York, The Devil in the play of that name. 99—Hackett Theatre, New York, title role in “Septimus.” 10—Chicago, in “When We Two Write History.” 1i—Montreal, title role in Louis N. Parker’s play “Disraeli.” Toured in same play and appeared at Wallack’s, New York, in it. 11-15—Toured in “Disraeli.” 15-16—Chicago, Blackstone Theatre, as Nicolo Paganini in “Paganini.” Toured in “Paganini’ and appeared at the Criterion Theatre, New York. 17—Knickerbocker Theatre, New York, as Professor Goodwillie in “The Professor’s Love Story.” i17-18—Appeared as Alexander Hamilton in “Hamilton” and toured. 118—Century Theatre, New York, as the Doctor in “Out There.” 119—Toured as Tom Kemp in “The Molluse” and as Mr. Don in “A Well Remembered Voice.” )20—Park Theatre, New York, as Poldekin in a play by the same name. }21—Booth Theatre, New York, as the Rajah of Rukh in “The Green Goddess.” 923—Returned to London after an absence of twenty-two years, appearing at St. James’s in “The Green Goddess” for twelve months. 994—Ritz Theatre, New York, as Sylvanus Heythorp in Galsworthy’s “Old English.” 925-27—Toured in “Old English.” .*~4__Broadhurst Theatre, New ‘ork, as Shylock in “The jerchant of Venice” and coured in same. THE SCREEN Silent versions of “Disraeli,” “The ‘reen Goddess,” and others. Warner Bros. and Vitaphone verions of “The Green Goddess,” “Disaeli” and “Old English.” LITERARY 899—“The Wild Rabbit.” 900—“There and Back.” 902—“The West End” George Dance. '910—““Widow’s Weeds.” '917—“Hamilton” with Mrs. Hamlin. with Sir “What Shall It Profit” with) | Brander Matthews. '919—Received the honorary degree of M.A. from Columbia University. 1927—His autobiography <“Up the Years from Bloomsbury.” _— ® eS Warner Bros. Present George Arliss in “OLD ENGLISH” 5 Feature RECORDING “OLD ENGLISH” THE FILM SPECTATOR to balloon himself to proportion. And afterwards, the importance of. the part over the stuffings had impressed him and he had moved them. Which would seem to prove that even playwrights can be wrong, for the play never suffered from it, and the picture will, I am confident, bear out Arliss’s better judgment. Al Green suddenly called for silence. Arliss and the others were going through their lines. The voices were low and exquisitely modulated except when some sudden outburst It was time for Arliss to return to his set. The battery of cameras and lights had been rearranged, the settings were in order, the two lesser actors were in their stations and the stage director, an extremely busy young woman, was waiting script in hand. Arliss left us George Arliss and sat down at the table in the set suddenly Galsworthy’s “Old English.” I remembered the story told of his first production of this play in America—that Galsworthy hadn’t wanted him to do it because he wasn’t stout, and the character had been a stout man in the London production, and how Arliss had at was called for from the star, and even that was never harsh. Every gesture and tone was in harmony ‘Now, Guardy. But I am so pressed. Couldn’t I have twenty-five in advance—for my children 39 —your grandchildren with the setting. Occasionally Green interrupted, suggesting a change here, a different bit of action there, another spot for the butler to stand perhaps, or a different way for the maid to set the table, all in relation to the camera. I was surprised how quietly they listened. Arliss and that company had play first stuffed himself with pillows Current Arliss Discards His Monocle in “Old English” ed that particular play for years to the plaudits of practically the entire civilized globe. Was it possible that Al Green, a Hollywood director, was able to suggest any real improvements? And then I knew why “Disraeli” had been a better picture than it had been a play. They not only listened, they accorded the motion picture director every possible attention, sometimes disagreeing, but never argumenta The Arliss monocle has become a tradition of stage and screen. Even though the celebrated actor discards it momentarily for a part in a play or a picture, it is still a part of the Arliss personality. In “Old English,” his latest Vitaphone sreen production for Warner Brothers, now at the-___..... Theatre, Mr. Arliss wear spectacles in place of the monocle but in most other tively or without sufficient cause. Afterwards I was invited into the projection room to hear the voices played back. Again it was Green who suggested changes. Lines spoken rapidly for stage effects overlapped when caught by the microphone. Sounds loud enough for audiences were too loud for the same critical mechanism. Again the scene was shot, again it was played back, again faults were found. Then another scene, then still another. Always the same meticulous care and striving for perfection, and the same yielding of acquiescence to the quiet insistence of the young director. I had come to observe a great actor of the stage; I remained to wonder at the highly perfected technic of a Hollywood director who was unobtrusively making screen history. George Arliss in “Old English” St tlle SS eee Theatre now. parts in plays and pictures he manages to make the eyeglass a part of the characterization. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the Arliss monocle is the facet that the owner actually sees through it. It has been worn so long that there are little ridges worn into the fiesh were it fits with comfort and security. Mr. Arliss seldom breaks a glass and it never falls out unless he means it to. The Arliss monocle dates back to his father, known facietiously about London as the Duke of Bloomsbury because of his flare for fine clothes and his ever-present monocle. It is probable that George Arliss adopted it first from a sense of showmanship but forty years of constant use has made a monocle a necessary piece of equipment which he keeps with him constantly. ADVERTISEMENT WARNER BROS. PRESENT by John Galsworthy What a grand role for George Arliss! A devil of a fellow who sinned with a smile and smiled at ! sin Wise, witty and wicked! Two Column Ad—Style D—Cut or Mat ry OLD ENGLISH UNMOVED BY DAUGHTER-IN-LAW Production No. 5—Cut or Mat Biographical Feature VERSATILE COLLEGE WOMAN WINS DISTINGUISHED POSITION Maude T. Howell, one of the few women stage managers in the country and technical advisor on “Old | English,” George Arliss’ latest star ring vehicle which is now showing at the... Theatre, started her career as head of the dramatic department of Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles shortly after she was graduated from Stanford University, where she had specialized in dramatics. There, one of her most talented pupils, so she de Current The Arliss Genius Cultivated ‘by His Years of Work The secret of the remarkable success enjoyed by George Arliss for thirty years on the American stage and screen is undoubtedly due to the long period of training he received as a struggling young actor, touring the Hnglish provinces. The Arliss genius developed slowly. The master artist, whose crowning achievement in the minds of many is his Vitaphone version of “Old English” for Warner Bros., the current attraction at the Theatre, spent many long and weary years learning the business” of character acting. After a moderate success in England and several successful seasons with a supporting cast in London, Arliss came to America with Mrs. Patrick Campbell to play four months. He remained, however, season after season until a wise producer recognized his great ability and starred him in his first play, Molnar’s “Devil.” As a consequence the English actor became the dean of American stage stars and later of the American screen. “Old English’ was the greatest stage success in which Arliss appeared. The Galsworthy drama has been faithfully and beautifully transferred to the screen with an impressive supporting cast under the able direction of Alfred E. Green. clared, was a young man who later took the operatic world by storm, Lawrence Tibbett. ‘She then decided to gain profes-_ sional experience and went to New York, where she acted in numerous plays, and at the same time studied the technical side of production. Later, in Detroit, Guthrie McClintic, noted stage director and husband of Katherine Cornell, gave her her first opportunity to direct stage productions. She next went over to Winthrop Ames, producer of several plays starring Mr. Arliss, and there began her career as stage manager for the star. Miss Howell assisted as technical director on all three of the pictures George Arliss has made for Warner Brothers, namely “The Green Goddess,” “Disraeli” and “Old English,” all adapted from the stage successes in which he starred. Current MR. AND MRS. ARLISS George Arliss, star ofWarner Bros. Vitaphone production “Old Kinelish,’. now at thes 2 Theatre, and Mrs. George Arliss are examples of the so-called oldfashioned marriage, that is a lifelong comradeship. Mrs. Arliss played the wife in “Disraeli.” ADVERTISEMENT tl WARNER BROS. present GEORGE ARLISS ‘Old Englisi One Col. Slug—Style E> Cut or Mat