San Antonio (Warner Bros.) (1945)

‘San Antonio’ Director Likes Roaring Westerns Few motion picture directors, old timers in particular, can resist the opportunity to expand when confronted with the job of directing big outdoor scenes with players, horses, character actors and extras galore. Certainly no one on the set of Warners’ “San Antonio,” the new Errol Flynn-Alexis Smith starring picture now playing at the Strand, expected David Butler to turn into a shrinking violet when it came time for him to direct the big western street scenes for that Technicolor picture. Butler is an old timer in the business, an actor-director who responds to the stimulus of a big scene with many _ people somewhat like an old fire horse responds to a three alarm fire. Given a_ specially built western street of earlier days, a pioneer orchestra, several hundred people to walk those streets and to dance to that music, men with horses and _ sombreros, spurs and saddle bonds, he was, admittedly, working in an atmosphere he enjoyed. So were the players. When music was taken away from most motion picture sets with the arrival of the sound picture, much of the fun and gaiety for the workers was gone. When an orchestra of any kind, therefore, is working on a set and in the picture, the scene takes on much of the old time color and spirit. Director Butler took it on, as well, during the filming of “‘San Antonio.” He is a big man with a big’ voice and he ruled the set with those plus-generous gestures that kept the picture story moving on the run. He could be heard giving his instructions over the orchestra’s experimental lapses into music before the cameras rolled. He could be seen by every player on the set and in the scene, as he loomed up behind the Technicolor camera and gesticulated to the dancers, the horsemen, to Errol Flynn and_ other _ principals playing their roles through the scene. Mat 108 — 15c Errol Flynn As for Mr. Flynn, all this was like “old home week”’ to him. Western stories were his forte for several years and he likes to play them but “San Antonio” is the first one he has attempted for several years. During the interim he has been in the frozen north, in “Northern Pursuit,” has portrayed a Norwegian patriot in “Edge of Darkness,” a French outlaw in “Uneertain Glory,’ and _ has been a soldier in “Objective, Burma.” All of these were “action” stories into which Flynn fitted with peculiar ease but they were not the western type of adventure yarn which has endeared him to one of the largest audience followings any Hollywood player ever accumulated. “San Antonio” brings him back to his early settings and he, as well as his director, were prepared to make the most of it. Consequently the sets for “San Antonio” were the brightest, gayest, happiest sets on any studio lot. The smell of horses and gunpowder, the dust of western streets and the glare of the prairie sun all combined to make Errol Flynn and David Butler feel right at home. Mat 106 — 15c Paul Kelly Mexican ‘Mother’ Boasts ‘Family’ Of Several Hundred Tina Menard holds the distinction of being Hollywood’s most unique motion picture “mother.” A Mexican senorita of the sort songwriters dream about, she shepherds a “family” of several hundred authentic, untrained and vari-aged Mexican types who can currently be seen in Warner Bros.’ Technicolor production, “San Antonio,” now at the Strand. Her “children,” as she affectionately calls them, are mostly elderly Mexican women. They are not listed in any of the casting offices, they cannot read or write and few even know what a camera is. Senorita Tina recruits her “talent” from the. “Little Mexico” section of Los Angeles, where there are no telephones and where, consequently, she has to make the rounds house by house, explaining in Spanish such details as time to be at the studio, how to get there, what the job is, what to wear and, naturally, how much “dinero” it pays. Tina’s duties for “San Antonio” were the most complex she had ever experienced in her peculiar profession, for she was responsible for approximately two hundred and fifty LatinAmerican types in the film which stars Errol Flynn and Alexis Smith. The crowd scene extras include vari-aged men and women and a dozen or so Mexican muchachos. In addition to supplying the talent, Tina had to serve as interpreter and sort of liaison officer for Director David Butler, duplicating his instructions in Spanish over a public address system for edification of her “children.” “San Antonio” depicts the period 1877-78 which was highlighted by the historical ‘Great Breakup” in southwest Texas, when highly organized bands of outlaws opposed the ranchers in a savage range war. Part of the action takes place in Mexico. Still Lex 834 Alexis Smith shares top starring honors with Errol Flynn in Warner Bros.’ im Mat 110 — 15c pressive new Technicolor western, "San Antonio," which arrives at the Strand on Friday. ‘San Antonio’ Research Discloses ‘Smiths’ Were Popular Even ‘Way Back in 1877 The name Smith was apparently as popular in the days of the old west as it is today. At least that is the impression one gets after a careful appraisal of the authentic “old west” background in Warners’ Technicolor production, “San An9° tonio,”’ now at the Strand. Lettered on windows of the town square, which face the old Alamo, are no less than five Smiths. The signs displayed are for Smith the doctor, Smith the attorney, Smith the barber, Smith the tailor and Smith the harness maker. To top this off sixteen Smiths actually worked in one capacity or another with the troupe during the production of the film which co-stars Errol Flynn and Alexis Smith. Still 635-590 Mat 208 — 30c Lovely Alexis Smith plays opposite Errol Flynn in Warner Bros.’ exciting new Technicolor production, "San Antonio," coming to the Strand on Friday. The colorful Western also features Victor Francen, S. Z. ("Cuddles") Sakall and John Litel in the supporting cast. Texan Actress Marvels At Authentic Screen Set Playing a featured role in Warner Bros.’ Technicolor adventure film, “San Antonio,” currently at the Strand, is sort of “old home week” for Florence Bates, as the noted character actress was born and reared in the famous Texas city and lived there almost continuously until she moved to Hollywood in 1936. Admits Her Age Reminiscing about her girlhood days in San Antonio while working on location at Warner Bros.’ Calabasas ranch, Miss Bates, who readily admits to fifty-six years “enjoyed” in this world, revealed that her parents first settled in San Antonio in 1878 — year of the famous Baxer County cattle war, on which historical event her current picture is based. Old Menger Hotel Sitting on the steps of the Mills Hotel (known in her youth as the Menger Hotel) and located in the center of the San Antonio town plaza, Miss Bates pointed down the street to the ruins of the famous Alamo, authentically duplicated for the Errol Flynn-Alexis Smith starring film. “My home was just a stone’s throw from the Alamo,” she re -ealled, “and it was while watch ing the ‘Battle of the Flowers’ in 1898, when I was only ten years old, that I experienced the greatest thrill of nfy life.” Pressed for more details, Miss Bates explained that the “Battle of the Flowers” is an annual event in San Antonio com memorating the Battle of the _Alamo in 1836. It is somewhat similar to the Mardi Gras in New Orleans. “Colonel Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders were participating in the 1898 celebration,” Miss Bates continued, “and I was standing so close to him that I could reach out and touch him. “Suddenly, an orderly rode up to Colonel Roosevelt and handed him a dispatch. Immediately, orders were shouted and the Rough Riders wheeled their horses around and returned at once to their headquarters. “The Spanish-American war had just been declared.” Actor Wounded During Filming Of Western Paul Kelly won two wound stripes during the filming of Warner Bros.’ Technicolor film, “San Antonio,” a wild and woolly epic of early Texas which stars Errol Flynn and Alexis Smith and opens Friday at the Strand. Kelly suffered a badly-torn right hand when he fell into a pile of rocks while engaged in a running gun duel with Errol Flynn on location at Warners’ Calabasas ranch. Three weeks later Kelly’s left hand and leg were severely powder burned by the premature explosion of a_hairtriggered .45. Western Badmen Are Hing Again In Film Barroom How did _ old-time _ sheriffs determine reward values for desperate criminals? The walls of the bar-room used in Warner Bros.’ Technicolor production, “San Antonio,’ the Errol Flynn-Alexis Smith starring film now at the Strand, had to be decorated with authentic posters advertising rewards for several desperadoes. Varying values placed on the heads of the outlaws raised the quéry among interested cast and crew members when the film went into production. For instance, capture of the notorious Jesse James was valued only at $1000, even though he was “wanted” for murder and robbery. By comparison, the lesser-known Durango Kid, whose crimes were not even important enough to be listed, had a reward of $2000 posted for his capture. Another outlaw, one Blackie Johnson, who committed crimes of bank robbery, holdups and cattle rustling, rated equal reward recompense with Jesse James, while “Red” Bates wes evidently a very minor bad man, for he only rated $250 for his capture. Monte Blue Finds Knife-Throwing Hard On Nerves Place Monte Blue on your honor list of Hollywood’s hardier souls! During the filming of Warners’ Technicolor film, ‘San Antonio,” now at the Strand, while scores of the younger generation shivered around the studio set in terrified anticipation, the veteran character star, fifty-eight years old and a veteran of thirty-five years in the picture business, calmly permitted a professional knife artist to hurl two large butcher knives into the middle of his back! This was all according to script as Monte Blue plays an important featured role in the film in support of stars Errol Flynn and Alexis Smith. There was a board under Monte’s coat of course, but there was nothing to protect his head, neck or shoulders should anything go amiss! He survived the ordeal without a blink and patiently explained that he didn’t expect an extra adjustment check for the stunt because he was a contract player anyway. Water Everywhere, And Many Thirsty Moviemakers, Too It was quite hot at Warner Bros.’ Calabasas ranch during the filming of that studio’s Technicolor production, “San Antonio,” the Errol Flynn Alexis Smith starring film currently at the Strand. In fact, it was hot enough for six hundred extras and crew to consume approximately fifty-eight hundred pints of liquid refreshment daily. The supply department of the studio had to transport seventy five-gallon bottles of water to the ranch daily; caterers furnished one thousand pints of milk and an equal amount of coffee and tea every lunchtime and approximately fifty cases of soda water were dispensed daily. All this and six hundred pounds of ice daily too!