Picture Snatcher (Warner Bros.) (1933)

CURRENT PUBLICITY (Review) 2nd day of run “Picture Snatcher” Fast Film Fun fotywood's Gunman James Ca eney Brilliantly Portrays His Best Role His Virility Never Greater as He Flouts Danger and Clouts Vamps in Role of Tab Photographer OVIEGOERS recognize that there is no faster entertainment these days than a James Cagney picture, and his lat est Warner Bros. hit, ‘‘ Picture Snatcher, last night to a packed audience at the 9? which opened Theatre, is no exception. In fact it is probably the fastest paced, film that he had ever made. In so far as action, story, punch, clever dialogue, brilliant acting by Cagney and the fine supporting cast, superb direction and unflagging pace, ‘‘Picture Snatcher, ’? is outstanding among the many virile, red blooded pictures which have made Warner Bros. the recognized producers of the most entertaining pictures of the current season. In prize ring parlance, Cagney and “Picture Snatcher” is a knockout and we don’t mean maybe. Warner Bros. who have the knack of digging up robust stories, have el work—-and assumes the job of getting-news pictures in cases where other staff photographers fail to get them by legitimate means. Particularly interesting are the scenes fast moving work of Cagney—and that is saying something in the way of action. Those who have been wondering what happened to Cagney’s socking prowess in “Hard to Handle,” will find him bigger and better in this respect in “Picture Snatcher.” Four women and an assortment of men are on the receiving end of the Cagney fists and other punishment delivering screen innovations of the red-headed actor. Alice White bears the brunt of the latter burden. She turns in an exceptionally fine performance as the tabloid’s sob sister reporter with amorous designs on our hero, although she is the girl friend of the City Editor. The surprise of the picture is the performance of Patricia Ellis, who plays the feminine lead, as the sweetheart of Cagney. This young actress, who made her debut in pictures within the last few months, displays such remarkable ability in such fast company as Cagney, that we can expect great things from her in the very near future. SAS JAMES CAGNEY, RALPH BELLAMY and ALICE WHITE in one of the many exciting “Cagney momenis” in “Picture Snatcher,” the new Strand film. It’s a thrilling story of new adventures of newspaper photographers, with Cagney playing the title role. given Cagney a peach, and how he romps through his role. He’s A Revelation The James Cagney of former pictures was, to say the least, superb. “Picture Snatcher” is a fast moving story which fits him like a glove and which had last night’s audience howling with glee at the pugnacious actor’s antics, and his crisp crackling lines. Cagney is a newspaper photographer in this picture. As a reformed gangster just out of Sing Sing, he gets a job in a yellow tabloid newspaper — a paper on which no self-respecting reporter Cut No.2 Out45e Mat 15ec in which he steals a picture from the wall of a fireman’s burned house, right under the nose of the fireman who is guarding it with a gun, and another where he snaps a woman in the electric chair, an incident that is based upon a sensational murder case of a few years ago. | Can Still Sock | There isn’t a dull moment throughout the entire picture. It is one of those ideal Cagney screen stories that has punch in every foot of film, direction that keeps the pace from lagging, and a choice cast of supporting players that was certainly up to snuff in keeping up with the Opening Day “‘Picture Snatcher’’ With James Cagney Opens at the Strand James Cagney, the bad boy of the screen, comes to the theatre today in his latest Warner Bros. production, “Picture Snatcher,” in a thoroughly hard boiled role, although a delightfully entertaining one. “Picture Snatcher” is based on a newspaper story by Danny Ahearn, which treats of a little known phase of the work on a yellow tabloid of the most sensational type. Jimmy, in the title role, is the gogetter picture man who gets photographs of people and news events by hook or crook, regardless of ethics or common decency. He is particularly fitted for the job, having served a term in Sing Sing for robbery just before he en ters upon his new vocation. He decides to go straight and become the most resourceful and daring picture snatcher on the paper. Patricia Ellis, a seventeen year old Broadway ingenue, plays opposite Cagney in a picture which marks her first leading role in pictures. Se was cast for the part after her notable work as the ingenue in “The King’s Vacation,” starring George Arliss. Others in the cast include such notable players as Ralph Bellamy, Alice White, Ralf Harolde, Robert Emmet O’Connor and George Pat Collins. This is Miss White’s second picture since leaving the screen two years ago to make personal appearances throughout the country. She has the vamp role and is roughhoused by Jimmy in his usual Devilmay-care style. The screen play is by Allen Rivkin and P. J. Wolfson while the direction is by Lloyd Bacon, who directed the sensational musical hit “42nd Street.” Other important roles which were excellently portrayed were played by Ralpth Bellamy, Ralf Harolde, Robert Emmett O’Connor, Robert Barrat, George Pat Collins, Arthur Vinton and Tom Wilson. : The palm for direction goes to Lloyd Bacon, who won great praise for the superb direction of “42nd Street.” The story, originally written by Danny Ahearn, was adapted for the screen by Allen Rivkin and P. J. Wolfson. “Picture Snatcher” is undoubtedly the finest and most entertaining film that Cagney has made in his entire picture career, and is obviously guaranteed to make you yearn for more of this young Irishman’s acting with a sock in it. Hired to Do Shooting in James Cagney Hit There are many unusual ways of earning a living in the movies, but one of the most unusual is the occupation of shooting at the stars. George Daly is Hollywood’s official marksman, and with his pistols, rifles, machine guns and other lethal weapons he has taken more pot shots at Hollywood’s reigning celebrities than there are beans in Boston. He was the one to give James Cagney his first baptism of machine gun fire in “Public Enemy’”—and it was the real thing then, the bullets hitting just a few inches from Jimmy’s nose. Having had this experience, Cagney had all the confidence in the world in Daly when he went to work on the red-headed actor in his latest Warner Bros. production, “Picture Snatcher,” now showing at those se Theatre. The scene depicts a duel between a lone gangster, Ralf Harolde, trapped in his room and shooting it out with the police in the street while Cagney kept him company for the sake of getting a picture for the newspapers. The two actors kept their places in the set while machine gun bullets tore through walls and windows, crashed mirrors and lights and tore up everything in the room. With a Thompson sub-machine gun, Daly worked from the sidelines, shooting up everything but the two actors. It is a ticklish occupation, but not as ticklish as being the actor who has to be shot at and missed— if possible. 8 exciting incidents in a picture filled with thrills, spiced with humor. The screen play by Allen Rivkin and P. J. Wolfson is based on Danny Ahearn’s stirring tale of a certain phase of newspaper life and unsavory methods employed by muck-raking tabloids in their chase for news pictures. The supporting cast includes Ralph Bellamy, Patricia Ellis, Alice White, Robert Emmet O’Connor and George Pat Collins. Lloyd Bacon directed. : “Morgue” Scared Her Patricia Ellis, the seventeen year old Broadway player, who has her first leading feminine role opposite James Cagney in the Warner Bros. production “Picture Snatcher,” a story of lurid journalism now showing at the ages Theatre, is entirely innocent of newspaper phraseology. When Director Lloyd Bacon referred to the newspaper’s morgue where clippings and pictures are filed, she exclaimed: “Gracious! Are there corpses in this picture?” Ist day of run Bill Cagney Fooled Autograph Hunters by Posing as Jimmy Hollywood autograph hunters are getting the run-around from James Cagney without their knowing it— and most of the time Cagney himself doesn’t know of it. Most of the Cagney signatures procured lately belong to Cagney, but not to Jimmy Cagney. It’s all because when Jimmie returned to Hollywood from New York to start his latest Warner Bros. picture, “Picture Snatcher,” nOW~ sShOWIND “At these sak Theatre, he brought his brother Bill with him. Bill and Jimmie are easily mistaken for each other. Bill is heavier, but those who do not know Jimmie intimately wouldn’t be able to de tect the difference. They both have the same red hair, combed in exactly the same manner, and when Bill smiles the resemblance is all the more complete. Bill has been having a swell time in Hollywood being mistaken for his older brother Jim. Wherever he goes, autograph books are thrust under his nose and he is too tender hearted to disillusion his brother’s fans. Bill rather enjoys taking the bows, and self-conscious Jimmie encourages him in it. The funny part about it is that the autograph hounds seemingly think Bill looks more like Jimmie than Jimmie does himself. Even when they are out together, it is Bill whe is always approached while Jimmie looks modestly on from the background. Jimmie’s latest picture is a highly exciting and amusing drama of the experiences of a picture stealer for a sensational yellow journal. The supporting cast includes Ralph Bellamy, Patricia Ellis, Alice White. 3rd day of run James Cagney Roles Leading America To Use Name as Slang America is becoming Cagney conscious and it wouldn’t be.surprising to find the next Webster dictionary actually defining ‘‘Cagney’’ as something else besides a name. The Kansas City divorcee courts listen to the complaints of a woman, anxious for her freedom. ‘‘He tried to pull a ‘Cagney’ on me,’’? she explains. And gets her decree—with alimony. Through the’ open transom of a business office one overhears a business argument. ‘Bast worker, is he. Regular ‘Cagney’ yuh say. Well—he_ ecan’t get away with it here—see! ’’ Cagney has got into the country’s vocabulary, as a result of the rough, _ belligerent, two fisted fighting roles he 5 has been portray : JAMES CAGNEY ing on the screen 3° *<*Pjeture for Warner Bros. Snatcher.”’ His latest WarCut No.1 ner Bros. produeCut 15c Mat de tion, ‘‘ Picture Snatcher,’’? now showined teethee tere eae eee Theatre, will serve to make American audiences even more Cagney conscious. He may be a new slang term that will work itself, eventually, into the dictionary. When that happens the definition may read something like this: ‘‘CAGNEY: an unrepressed fel low; some one who gets_quickly to_ fyndamantale+ RA AUGYS to use grapefruit as a method or disciplining women, hence, sometimes used as a synonym for grapefruit. A man with a sharp tongue and ready fists and wit.’’ In ‘‘Picture Snatcher,’? Cagney enjoys a most unusual opportunity to display that virile, pugnacious spirit of his which fears neither man, woman or beast, in his role as a daring, resourceful though unscrupulous news photographer for the dirtiest kind of a yellow tabloid. Supporting Cagney are Alice White, Patricia Ellis, Ralph Bellamy, Ralf Harolde and Robert E. O’Connor in the story by Danny Ahearn directed by Lloyd Bacon who was acclaimed for his great work in ‘(42nd Street.?? 4th day of run Ralph Bellamy Owes His Stage Start to Shakespearean Role Playing Shakespearean roles is something for an actor to work up to, but for Ralph Bellamy, who is seen in support of James Cagney in the Warner Bros. production, ‘¢ Picture Snatcher,’’ now at the................ Theatre, it was something to start his career with. It was during his high school days in Chicago that the urge to go on the stage became so great that he Tan away from home and joined a Shakespearean repertory company touring the middle West. For one whole season he played minor roles with this troupe and then jumped into the position of leading character heavy and stage manager for a road show company playing ‘‘The Shepherd Of The Hills.’? His climb to prominence did not come quickly and smoothly. He had a lot of downs with his ups, and it was not until 1930 that he was able to ‘‘crash’? Broadway, and _ ultimately land a movie contract. In ‘‘Picture Snatcher,’? Bellamy plays the role of the City Editor of the scurrilous tabloid on which Cagney is employed as the star picture snatcher. Page Three” a at. Fit aie Onl gee = vavarspekeep that tresn 7