Over the Goal (Warner Bros.) (1937)

Publicity —“Over the Goal’”—Page 2 Johnnie ‘Scat’ Davis Clowns Way to Stardom HOSPITALITY IN HOLLYWOOD TOPS —JUNE TRAVIS June Travis, the movie star, who knows “society” in its snootier phases, and also the social life of sporting folk via her father’s baseball team, the Chicago White Sox, says Hollywood combines the best features of both. Says June: “Talk about Southern hospitality! Where in the South do you invite ten guests and receive fifty, or invite fifty and entertain three hundred? That’s what happens in Hollywood, and whatever else you eall it, it also must be hospitality! “However, the presence of ‘party-crashers’ in legion proves in itself that the movie colony is a genuinely friendly place. You may laugh at this spirit as the sort that lets the guests come in and crowd the host and hostess out on their own doorstep, but it is a heart-warming sort for newcomers. “When I first came to movietown I, like most lonely newcomers, got a taste of Hollywood hospitality and I shall never cease to be grateful. Early and uncer tain days in films are lkely to be pretty trying, particularly for a girl. And it’s then that the open-handed hospitality and friendliness of this place is felt. “There are specifié rivalries here between the successful — plenty of them. And hot, sometimes bitter competition for a particular job, or an honor such as the Academy Award. But in my experience at least I have yet to note any individual or clannish shutting out of the newcomer from his or her chance at success in pictures. “Girls from whom I afterward won coveted film parts by screen tests and luck—and who knew at the time far better than I did that I might very well rival them —took me to their hearts, introduced me to their friends, showed me the town—and gave me tips on camera technique. And when I did find myself in competition with them for certain coveted roles, such as the feminine lead opposite James Cagney in ‘Ceiling Zero,’ my first important part, they congratulated me _ wholeheartedly when I won. “For these reasons I’m likely to differ promptly and pointedly with folks who get a little superficial taste of motion picture colony social life and then sneer at it. It has its humorous sides but it’s active, brilliant, cosmopolitan, unselfish, democratic, and friendly. In a word, it has a heart!” No fly-by-night success was June’s. Daughter of the wealthy Harry Grabiner, sportsman and vice-president of the Chicago White Sox, she was in Palm Springs wintering when a film scout offered her a screen test. She took the test and signed a stock contract with Warner Bros., although it was another season before June would report for actual work. She wanted to finish at the University of Chicago. Her first picture was “Stranded,” in which she played a second lead with Kay Francis. Her latest, now at the Strand Theatre, is “Over the Goal,” a romantic comedy of college life in which three leading men, William Hopper, Willard Parker and Gordon Oliver, play opposite her and Johnnie ‘Seat’? Davis and others render some hit tunes by M. K. Jerome and Jack Scholl. Between the two films are some twenty others including notable successes such as “Ceiling Zero.” Mat 201—20¢ By the looks of this scene from “Over the Goal,” now showing at the Strand Theatre, Johnnie Davis is really enjoying his first featured role in pictures. BEAR KO’S STAR ON PICTURE SET You can believe it or not—and Warner Bros.’ handsome new leading man, William Hopper, had a little rather you’d not—hbut the fact is that he has been added to the list of people who have been knocked out in fisticuffs at the studio lately. There’s this notable difference. Hopper got his K.O. from a bear! Bruin worked with the actor in “Over the Goal,” a romantic college comedy in which he is paired with June Travis. The bear is “Queenie,” well-known trained animal which has been in many a picture and is exceptionally friendly. She particularly likes to box, with or without gloves. Socking you on the jaw is one of Queenie’s favorite ways of demonstrating her affection for you. So when Hopper was innocently talking to Director Noel Smith about his next scene with the bear, Queenie, who plays a college football team mascot in the picture, cut loose. She hits like lightning and very accurately. Hopper (son of DeWolf) never saw the blow coming, and he went down like a ton of brick. He didn’t know he had been hit until several moments later. It’s Queenie’s second K.O. on the picture. Wearing boxing gloves she “took” an ambitious prop man. She will be seen in “Over the Goal” when it comes to the Strand Theatre next Friday. The original screen play was written by William Jacobs and Anthony Coldeway and was directed by Noel Smith, while the cast also ineludes Johnnie “Scat” Davis, Mabel Todd, and Gordon Oliver. Official Billing Warner Bros 40% Pictures, Inc. present 5% OVER THE GOAL 100% with June Travis 75% William Hopper 75% Johnnie Davis 75% Mabel Todd 75% Gordon Oliver 75% Directed by Noel Smith 20% Screen Play by William Jacobs and Anthony Coldeway 15% Original Story by William Jacobs 10% Music and Lyrics by M. K. Jerome and Jack Scholl 5% A First National Picture 20% HIT TUNESTERS WRITE 2 ‘SCATS’ M. K. Jerome and Jack Scholl, who wrote the popular ditty “Little Buckeroo,” recently turned their hands to “seat” songs with college flavor for Warner Bros.’ “Over the Goal,” the collegiate comedy that opens next Friday at the Strand Theatre. Johnnie “Seat” Davis, formerly with Fred Waring’s Pennsylvanians and now on studio contract, sings two of their numbers in the new picture. One is called “As Easy as Rollin’ Off a Log,” and the other, “Seattin’ with Mr. Sear.” Johnnie also does a bit of trumpeting in “Over the Goal,” as he did in the recently-released “Varsity Show” with Waring and Dick Powell. In the new picture are William Hopper and June Travis as romantic leads, Gordon Oliver, Willard Parker and other favorites, including the Southern California football team. “OVER THE GOAL” OPENS AT STRAND The very title “Over the Goal’ identifies the nature of the Warner Bros. comedy-drama of college-football life that opens today at the Strand Theatre. Yowre right-—it’s a gridiron picture. They come every year— and apparently they’re liked every year, better and _ better, even though they’re all won in the last minute of play! Well, why shouldn’t they be? That’s the most thrilling part of the old ball game! June Travis, sportswoman herself and daughter of the vicepresident of the Chicago White Sox baseball gang, is the leading romantic gal in this picture. Opposite her is a big good-looking boy called William Hopper, son of the late comic-opera star, De Wolf Hopper, and altogether adequate on his own acting ability. There’s a lot of college life, and several collegiate songs by the hit-writing team of Jerome und Scholl. Then—figuring as the rival football teams—there are some real players, chosen from the varsity squad of the 1937 University of Southern California gridders. Others in the cast inelude Mabel Todd, Willard Parker, Raymond Hatton, Herbert Rawlinson, Gordon Oliver, Eddie Anderson and William Harrigan. The director was Noel Smith, the sereen play was by William Jacobs and Anthony Coldeway. FEATURED MEMBER OF FRED WARING’S BAND MAKES HIT Trumpeter and Vocalist with Pennsylvanians Now Stars in Pictures Johnnie ‘‘Seat’’ Davis, nowadays a Warner Bros. singing comedian, didn’t intentionally become the ‘‘only white edition of Cab Calloway.’’ He didn’t wish to imitate. He was just scared! Seems that having been a trumpeter only since he was three and with an orchestra since the age of 12 Johnnie, when only fourteen or fifteen, had to sing a solo with Jack O’Grady’s orchestra in Terre Haute, Indiana. He had been born in near-by Brazil, Ind. The name of the song was “Don’t Bring Me Posies,” and it was the first solo before an audience he’d ever attempted. He felt they’d have to bring him posies — maybe lilies — after what the audience would do to him — So, after swallowing his Adam’s apple several times and making one or two starts, he tried “elowning” the song He’d never heard a “scat” singer, but that’s what he became, from that day, and made a great hit at it. Signed by Warner Bros. immediately upon the completion of “Varsity Show,” in which as a member of Fred Waring’s famous Pennsylvanians, he was featured with Dick Powell, he launched on his current production, “Over the Goal,”? which comes to the Strand Theatre next Friday. In this picture he plays a college freshman and stooge for his idol, football hero William Hopper. Opposite Hopper in the film is June Travis. Oddly enough it wasn’t either Johnnie’s scat singing or his trumpeting which won the longterm contract. What did these things for Johnnie is the camera’s revelation that he’s a real movie comedy actor of a new and striking variety. He has a face, “figger” and droll manner which have caught on in eelluloid. His job in “Over the Goal” is comedy acting chiefly, including some fast and furious stuff in stealing a bear from a rival university, and some near-pathos in trying to persuade his pal, the hero, to resume football. But Johnnie also sings several numbers with fellow-fun maker — JOHNNIE DAVIS I Mat 111 Holding the trumpet’ which helped to make him famous as a member of Fred Waring’s Pennsylvanians. He is now appearing in a featured role in “Over the Goal,”’ a football picture at the Strand Theatre. ‘ by Connolly, comedienne Mabel Todd — and seventy-odd boys and girls in glee club and rooting section production numbers. The songs are by M. K. Jerome and Jack Scholl and inelude “Seattin? With Mr. . Bear,” and “Easy as Fallin’ Off a Log.” Bobwho directed the production unit of the picture, and Noel Smith, who directed the regular sequences, both predict bright things in the future for Johnnie. As someone said, and no one seems to remember who, “Johnnie is the funniest comedian who has entered pictures since Jack Oakie, whom he resembles in a youthful way.” FOOTBALL PICTURE OPENS AT STRAND This being the season when the boom of long punts, the whiz of forward passes, and the thrill of long runs electrify gridiron crowds, it is altogether appropriate for the football picture to make its appearance in our showhouses. And that’s just what will be presented to the fans next Friday at the Strand Theatre, when the Warner Bros. collegiate comedy “Over the Goal” will be the offering. No phony football sequences engage your attention in this movie, we are told by the advance notices. The gridiron incidents are altogether true to life. They ought to be. They are played by a couple of teams chosen from the leading members of the varsity squad of the celebrated Trojans—the University of Southern California team, who rate in national standings up along with Notre Dame, Minnesota and Northwestern. June Travis, dark-haired, green-eyed young star, has the leading feminine romantic part, opposite a newcomer to the screen, William Hopper. Bill is a son of the late DeWolf Hopper (though he doesn’t like that to be known because he wants to make his way on his own), and is described as an excellent young actor. The story deals with a bet made between a couple of players on rival teams back in 1887, when gridmen wore long hair and even whiskers. They wager that 30 years hence, each will produce a winning team. They go into the world, get rich, develop teams— and here in “Over the Goal” comes the climax to their bet. Noel Smith directed the film, and among the leading supporting players are Willard Parker, Johnnie “Seat” Davis, Mabel Todd, Gordon Oliver and Herbert Rawlinson. “Over the Goal” has been pronounced the best football picture of the year. It has several new hit songs by Moe Jerome and Jack Scholl. TELLS "EM HOW! Noel Smith, who recently directed the musical college romance “Over the Goal,” for Warner Bros. probably does more acting to show the actors how, than any other megaphoner. His teaching will be seen in “Over the Goal” at the Strand Theatre next Friday. June Travis and William Hopper are co-featured. sn Country of origin U. S. A. Copyright 1937 Vitagraph, Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright is waived to magazines and newspapers.