Public Wedding (Warner Bros.) (1937)

PAGE 7—‘PUBLIC WEDDING”’—PUBLICITY Candid Shots Build Stars Film Newcomers Gain Recognition Posing for Camera The door of the publicity office opened and a pretty little brunette stuck her head through. “Ym Jane Wyman,” she said. “The casting office sent me over.” “Come in,” said two publicity men in chorus. “Sit down,’ they added, still in chorus. For the next thirty minutes Miss Wyman answered queries fired at her from a mimeographed biographical questionnaire. Finally the inquisition, which Miss Wyman was diplomatically informed, is a part of the studio initiation every newcomer must survive, was ended. “We'll have to make a lot of publicity pictures of you in the next week or so, Miss Wyman. Could you give us three or four days?” Miss Wyman said she could. “You might bring along some beach pajamas and a_ bathing suit,” the publicity man hurriedly added. “We’ll get some nice shots in those things, too, you see. Nice, candid camera stuff.” Miss Wyman smiled sweetly. “Yes, I know. Leg art you call it, don’t you?” “Yeah, that’s it,” agreed the publicist, summoning all his powers of diplomatic persuasion. “It’s like the questionnaire. They all do it at some time or another, you know. Garbo, Lombard, Loy, Crawford; all of them.” “T know,” said Miss Wyman. “T read movie magazines.” During the succeeding days Miss Wyman posed for portraits. She posed for informal camera studies. She posed for sports pictures, and she posed for leg art. She still poses for leg art in between picture assignments. She has a nice figure and she photographs well, and pictures of her in a bathing suit are always in demand. Miss Wyman’s name is known today to thousands of individuals who had never heard of her a year or so ago. This is not due entirely to the fact that she has always demonstrated a _ willingness to pose for pictures showing her very attractive legs; but certain it is that her photograph in a bathing suit has attracted thousands of eyes to her name in the adjoining caption. And, as Miss Wyman’s name becomes better known, so do her roles in motion pictures increase in importance. Just now she is playing her first lead in Warner Bros.’ “Public Wedding.” “Public Wedding,” which has Dick Purcell and William Hopper in the leading male roles, will Open atothes ieee. o. Theatre on SE oa Nick Grinde directed it. Wants to Play Abe William Hopper’s great-greatgrandfather was Abraham Lincoln’s lawyer. Hopper, son of Hedda and the late DeWolf Hopper, now under contract to Warner Bros. and playing in the farce-comedy, “Public Wedding,” Abethie: 459. e808. Theatre, hopes some day to portray the Great Emancipator on the sereen. “Kiss "Em All’ Bill William Hopper, son of Hedda and the late DeWolf Hopper, who is currently playing a featured role in Warner Bros.’ “Publie Wedding,” asserts that his ambition is to become a competent leading man so that he may kiss all the personable leading women in films. He began on Jane Wyman, his leading woman, in “Public Wedding,” as may be seen when the picture opens next julgsnclionanca sh bth Camendinsweieell Theatre. SHE WANTED A BIG WEDDING so he married her in ae_ whale’s mouth. Jane Wy man is the batty bride and _ William Hopper the gaga groom who invited the whole world to come to their wedding — at fifty cents a head! Mat No. 201—20c “Moloch The Whale” Starring In Picture With the exception of Moby Dick, the whale has been rather neglected as an important screen character, but Houston Branch came to the rescue in his story, “Public Wedding,” a which Warner Bros. filmed, and comedy which will open next ........ at the Theatre. In this farcial story of carni val folk, Moloch the Whale has one of the leading roles, as the main attraction at a street fair, with Berton Churchill, Jane Wyman, Marie Wilson, Dick Purcell, Raymond Hatton and other wellknown comedy players in the complications that center about the Giant of the Deep. The Street Fair setting, designed by Esdras Hartley covered the space of a city block and reproduced in detail the real thing. Fat girls, sword swallowers and strength testers vie with Nautch dancers and fire eaters for attention. The screams of barkers are drowned out by the noise of ealliopes and bands. “Public Wedding” is said to be one of the most expensively mounted light comedies of the season. It was directed by Nick Grinde. Penguins His Hobby William Hopper, son of Hedda and the late DeWolf Hopper, who is starting his screen career in Warner Bros.’ “Public Wedding,” which will open on...... at the Theatre, collects penquins as a hobby—china birds, not the feathered variety. Mannequins Have Good Training For Movies Veda Ann Borg believes professional models have poise above all else and that this is the explanation of their success as actresses. She is the Titian blonde from Boston who was given the role of “Bernice”? in “Public Wedding,” the Warner Bros. farcecomedy which comes to the seiiaee eaten Pheatreron (ea... hao ve “Poise is certainly an asset to an actress,” she said, “and it -is the prime requirement of a successful model. “In picture work, she has neither self-consciousness nor awkwardness to overcome. Thus she gets away to a good start. She is able to concentrate on the director’s instructions.” Veda Ann is not the first commercial model to make good in films. Norma Shearer, Anita Louise and many other screen notables started in this work. Others in the cast of “Public Wedding,” which was directed by Nick Grinde, include Jane Wyman, Marie Wilson, William Hopper, Dick Purcell and Berton Churchill. The story revolves around a young couple who are married —for the publicity —in the mouth of a stuffed whale. Comic Plays “Camille” Marie Wilson, who is rapidly becoming one of the screen’s outstanding comediennes and who currently has a featured role in Warner Bros.’ “Public Wedding,” at the Theatre, is studying to be a dramatic actress. She recently played “Camille” at an art theatre and hopes some ‘day to do serious parts on the screen, Song Writer Croons His Own Song In Film Fred Astaire tried his hand at song writing after winning fame on the screen—and now comes Moe K. Jerome, song writer, to enter the acting ranks at Warner Bros. studios. Mr. Jerome, who started the nation singing “Bright Eyes” and the more recent “Thru the Courtesy of Love”—was rehearsing a number of embryo Dwight Fiskes for the comic song hit of “Public Wedding,” namely, “Public Wedding Bridal Chorus.” Before each aspirant did his stuff, Mr. Jerome sat down at the piano to give the songster an idea of how he wanted the song to go. Director Nick Grinde suddenly called to camera and sound men. “Get set for a take. We have a singer.” “Who?” asked Moe Jerome. “You,” Grinde replied. So as cameras rolled, baldheaded, likeable Moe Jerome smiled sheepishly and sang his way through his first motion picture assignment. You can see and hear him now, as “Public Wedding,” is the current feature at the Theatre. Stay-at-Home Marie Marie Wilson, the blonde comedienne who has a prominent role in Warner Bros.’ farcecomedy, “Public Wedding,’ now Bib; DIOS xox, 2 ates os Theatre, has never been outside California. Her longest journey was to Alameda, Calif., on a location trip with “China Clipper.” THE CLINCH THAT MADE THE FRONT PAGE — Jane Wyman and William Hopper’ are _ the bride and groom who get more publicity for their wed ding than a royal couple, because every paper in town wants a picture of the pair who were married in the mouth of a whale. Mat No. 208—20c .Marion Davies in Film Heroes Must Be Tall New Generation of Male Film Star All Top Six Feet Success of the Clark Gables, the Dick Powells and the George Brents and, more recently, the Errol Flynns, the Robert Taylors, and Jimmy Stewarts, has brought Hollywood to the realization that Mr. and Mrs. Theatre Goer want bigger leading men in their pictures. And Hollywood, always sensitive to the demands of modern picture audiences, is responding by gathering the largest crop of six-foot, 190-pound potential male stars ever assembled within the walls of the film studios at one time. The day of the leading man who had to climb upon a box in close-ups in order to achieve that. protective four or five-inch height advantage over his leading lady appears definitely ended for here is a composite picture of tomorrow’s masculine star in inches and pounds: Height: six feet, two inches. Weight: 185 pounds. This picture was obtained by averaging the height and weight of the ten newest male recruits for stardom at Warner Bros, studios. Of the ten, William Hopper and John Shea, are the largest men. Both of them stand six feet, three and one-half inches in their stocking feet and tip the scales at 190 pounds. Hopper has the leading man part in “Public Wedding,” the farce-comedy which will open next at the Theatre. Jane Wyman is his leading lady. Nick Grinde directed the picture. The smallest of the ten newcomers is Lyle Moraine, who stands a bare five feet, eleven and one-half inches tall and ean boast of a mere 175 pounds. In between Moraine and Hopper and Shea are Wayne Morris, who gets his first big break in the title role of “Kid Galahad,” David Carlyle, Fred Lawrence, Lee Dixon, Dick Purcell, Craig Reynolds, and William Haade, the New York steel worker who got the lead in the stage play, “Tron Men.” These six-foot, 190-pound newcomers are making rapid progress in Hollywood. Carlyle played the second male lead with Gable and “Cain and Mabel.” Max Arnow, casting director at Warner Bros., says the search for prospective leading men has not yet ended and that young fellows who stand well over six feet are the ones that are catching his eye. Turtle’s Named Frank Marie Wilson, the Warner Bros. comedienne, has perhaps the strangest pet of any adult motion picture player. It is a small turtle and the actress, who is currently featured in “Public Wedding,” at othe. 2, o) =: Theatre, calls him “Frankie,” after Frank McHugh. Miss Wilson claims the turtle understands when she calls it by name. A Pious Old Rogue Every couple of years some city demands a_ stage revival of “Alias the Deacon,” and Berton Churchill, who originated the part and played it for more than a decade, has to give up screen work and go back behind the footlights. Churchill now has one of the leading roles in “Public Wedding,” at the Theatre.