Picture Snatcher (Warner Bros.) (1933)

fee aa your Ist story Picture Snatcher’ Starring Cagney, Coming to Strand Cast as Tough, Resourceful Photographer on Scandal Mongering Tabloid Paper CCORDING to Hollywood preview eritics, the Warner Bros. production, ‘‘Picture Snatcher, at the 9? which opens Theatre, provides James Cagney with the most exciting story of his entire motion picture career, with comedy drama and romance in profusion. This comedy-drama is said to have every element that makes for pure entertainment of the kind that fits the fast moving, hard hitting Cagney personality. The socking young Irishman is placed in this story in the field of yellow journalism. As an ex-gangster who wants to go straight, he gets a job on a lurid tabloid on which no self-respecting reporter will work. This job consists of getting news pictures somehow when legitimate methods fail. If he can’t get them with a camera, then stealing is not frowned upon by his employers. This small and rare phase of yellow journalism was chosen as providing a more vivid background ,for James Cagney than would the-large field of legitimate journalism. Crities and fans who may. have been concerned lest Cagney had gone soft after seeing him in ‘‘ Hard to Handle,” may forget their fears, for according to reports, Cagney is even more aggressive toward the fair sex in-“Picture—Snatcher,” than he has ever been. This picture is also said to be a triumph for Patricia LEllis, the young actress who came to the sereen for the first time recently with George Arliss in “The King’s Vacation,” and who is now rapidly building her way up to stardom. Te . = 1 us “oro aatiOnib role as the tabloid’s sob sister, and is said to be on the receiving end of Cagney’s ungentleness when she tries to “make” him. The strength of the picture is indicated in the cast of prominent, competent players chosen for the supporting roles. Important parts are played by Ralph Bellamy, Ralf Harolde, Robert Emmett O’Connor, Robert Barrat, George Pat Collins, Arthur Vinton and Tom Wilson. The direction was in the hands of Lloyd Bacon, who recently scored a huge success for Warner lice Wiite is cast im] JAMES CAGNEY, as the daring, resourceful tabloid photographer in “Picture Snatcher.”’ Cut No.8 Cuti15ce Mat Se with the sensational hit “42nd Street.” The story is based on an original by Danny Ahearn, known to every New York newspaperman as a famous character about town, and who makes his bow in the field of writing. your 4th story James Cagney Tender Only to Leading Lady} in ‘Picture Snatcher’ James (Jimmy to his friends) Cagney is perhaps the _ screen’s champion lady smacker. He rarely winds up a picture without punching some fair damsel in the jaw, slapping her, bashing a grapefruit in her face or otherwise mauling and rough-housing her. He has had many leading ladies in his sereen career, most of whom have felt his contempt expressed by means of a fist, a foot or some projectile. These inelude Joan Blondell, Loretta Young, Evalyn Knapp, Mae Clark, “Jean Harlow, Marion Nixon, Virginia Bruce, Ann Dvorak and Mary Brian. But at last Jimmy has one leading lady whom he not only does not smack, but treats with tenderness and the utmost consideration. She is Patricia Ellis, who plays opposite Jimmy in the Warner Bros. production, “Pieture Snatcher,” which comes to the Theatre on Patricia does not lend herself to the type that is bashed. She is young with a wistful, almost fragile charm that none ean associate with being cracked on the jaw. She arouses the protective instinct in the rough and ready male, and Jimmy awards it to her in “Picture Snatcher.” Not that Jimmy has gone soft. He is plenty tough in this screen role in which he plays the part of a young jail bird who is trying to go straight through the somewhat innocuous (to him) occupation of stealing pictures for a _ sensation seeking tabloid. And while he’ is plenty polite te Patricia, he eracks |, Alice White, a flirtatious sob sister, smack in the eye with a ping pong ball. Dumps her unceremoniously on the floor from a couch and maltreats two other beautiful girls. So you see the same hard boiled Jimmy with just a new touch of tenderness for one of the fairer and frailer sex. Others in the cast inelude Ralph Bellamy, Ralf Harolde, Robert Emmet O’Connor and George Pat Collins. The screen play by Allen Rivkin and P. J. Wolfson is based on an exciting newspaper story by Danny Ahearn. Lloyd Bacon directed. your 2nd story James Cagney Comes Back Plenty Tough in ‘Picture Snatcher’ Jimmy Cagney has come back! Not that Jimmy ever was down and out as a picture star. Far from it: But it must be admitted that the hard boiled champion lady smacker and grape fruit hurler fell down hard in his last picture, “Hard to Handle.” Again, not as far as his picture work was concerned, for it was one of his best. But he woman baiter. failed He never socked a miserably as single one. Now comes Jimmy again in a new picture for Warner Bros. “Picture Snatcher,” which opens at the Theatre on And does Jimmy make good again as a lady smacker? He has invented an entirely new kind of a sock to put the lady who displeases him in her place. It is efficient and efficacious, and Alice White, who loves him not wisely but alas too well, goes down for the count—and out. Two other girls also are given lessons in Jimmy’s new method of making the ladies behave. Page Two your 3rd story Half Burnt House Proved Problem in ‘Picture Snatcher’ The construction of cities and fleets and forests for motion picture sets presents many difficult problems, but the creation of a half burned house for a scene in James Cagney’s latest starring vehicle, “Picture Snatcher,’ which comes to WORE Sn Moses ue Theatre on-...:........ enrer , proved one of the toughest jobs ever tackled by the Warner ‘Bros. property department. The framework, ceiling beams, laths, doors, window frames and all woodwork had to be charred with a blow torch before the carpenters were put to work to hammer the brittle and crumbling material into place. Then came the plastering and wall paper, which were later knocked away in numerous places to reveal the charred laths beneath. The blow torch man was again put to work, burning the paper and erumbling the plaster with heat. Window panes had to be blackened, cracked and broken before being placed in the house. Furniture was then arranged on the set in studied disorder, rugs laid and knick knacks put in their proper places, after which the blow torch man once more applied his heat. Others in the cast include Ralph Bellamy, Patricia Ellis, Alice White and Ralf Harolde. your 5th story Alice White a Star When James Cagney Was Just Starting In the two years that Alice White was away from the screen, many new faces appeared to take top rating in stardom. Two years is a long time in movie circles, and on her recent return to Hollywood she found stars who weren’t even dreamed of when she was at the top of the ladder of fame. One of these is James Cagney, opposite | whom she now | plays in the Warner Bros. | Picture, ‘“Pic: ture Snatcher,’ which is cur rently playing: ate the <.corc. ae Theatre. | Cagney’s entry into filmdom came just about the time t heats Alt ¢-.6White temporarely bowed out. Now he is rated as star of the first magnitude with an immense following. The first picture she made on her recent return was “Employees’ Entrance,” in which she played opposite a still newer star, Warren William. The cast of ALICE WHITE Cut No. 12 Out 15e Mat de “Picture Snatcher” Ole ‘Picture FARA AISI IIS II RIS SO De JAMES CAGNEY is coming ture Snatcher.’ He plays your 6th story to town in another Cagney classic, “‘Pica daredevil newspaper photographer. Cut No.7 Cut 30c Mat 10c | your 7th story | Studio Sound Miixer|George Arliss Films Stuck to His Post Despite Close Call The name of Everett A. Brown at the Warner Bros. Studio now ranks with the boy who stood on the burning deck, ship captains, and others who stuck to their posts in times of stress and strife. Everett A. Brown is a _ sound mixer—but the verb almost became “was,” for machine gun fire on a sound stage set at the Warner Bros. Studios almost put him out of the running. They were taking a scene in James Cagney’s latest film, “Picture Snatcher,” which comes to the Theatre on in which a thug at bay in his room, has a battle with the police in the street. Everything from pistols to machine guns were used, but in taking the interior shots, George Daly, Hollywood’s expert marksman, did all the destructive shooting from the sidelines with a Thompson sub. machine gun. Ralf Harolde, who played the part of the embattled thug, and Cagney, who was also in the scene, were apparently safe from the very real bullets which came from Daly’s sub-gun. Behind the walls of the set heavy timber backing was placed to stop the bullets going through and the entire stage was roped off. Yet the man who was considered in the safest spot on the stage, was the one who almost got it. Away off to a side, enclosed in the sound booth with its plate glass front, sat Everett Brown, handling his dials and regulating the sound on the scene. The machine gun barked incessantly through two takes. Director Lloyd Bacon turned to the sound booth to see if the “shot” was O.K. for sound, to find that the plate glass window in front of Everett Brown had been smashed. A copperjacketed bullet had ricocheted from a steel stage brace, but luckily the deflection had stopped most of the bullet’s force and it merely smashed the glass instead of going through it. But the scene was recorded for Everett Brown had stuck to his dials—though with shaky hands— seeing the scene through to its conclusion. The screen play by Allen Rivkin and P. J. Wolfson is based on an exciting story on one phase of newspaper life written by Danny Ahearn. Among those in the supporting cast are Patricia Ellis, Ralph Bellamy, Alice White and Ralf Harolde. also includes Patricia Ellis, Ralph Bellamy, Robert 4H. O’Connor, George Pat Collins, Tom Wilson, Ralf Harolde and Robert Barrat. Are Stepping Stones To Screen Stardom Playing in a George Arliss picture is accounted the surest way to stardom at the studios. At any rate this has worked Warner Bros. out in a number of instanees, ineluding James Cagney, Bette Davis, and Joan Blondell. And now Patricia Ellis, just about seventeen, who had played in but two pic tures before being cast in the ingenue role with Ar ligssan=. “Phe King’s Vaca PATRICIA“. 272 2 = Stes right out of j vee cS that part into James Cagnes's lead. hor first leadSnatcher’’, due at the ing p icture bie i oes Be Guti50 Matse — Opposite James Cagney. in “Picture Snatcher,” which comes to the Theatre on Not that Patricia is not an experienced actress, even at her age, although she has been on the screen less than a year. The daughter of Alexander Leftwich, one of New York’s most famous theatrical producers, she has been trained for the stage almost since birth. Under the tutelage of her father she advanced rapidly in stagecraft and appeared in such Broadway productions as “The Royal Family,” “Onee In a Lifetime” and “Hlizabeth, the Queen.” Then she was signed by Warner Bros. with whom she is now making rapid strides to stardom. Other characters in the cast of “Picture Snatcher” include Ralph Bellamy, Alice White, Ralf Harolde and Robert Emmett O’Connor. The sereen play by Allen Rivkin and P. J. Wolfson is based on a thrilling tale of newspaper work on a sensational tabloid written by Danny Ahearn. The picture was directed by Lloyd Bacon who scored so highly with “42nd Street.” This hectic story of a certain unsavory phase of newspaperdom was written by Daniel Ahearn and adapted for the screen by Allen Rivkin and P. J. Wolfson. The direction was handled by Lloyd Bacon, noted for his work with the recent Warner Bros. picture, “42nd Street,”