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SrAGe STRUCK
FICTIONIZATION
Fictionized from the First National comedy with music, featuring Dick Powell, Joan Blondell, Warren William,
Frank McHugh and the Yacht Club Boys.
Busby
Berkeley directed. Songs are by E. Y. Harburg and
Harold Arlen. Story by Robert Lord and screen play by Tom Buckingham and Pat C. Flick. “Stage Struck”
will open at the
Theatre on
CHAPTER ONE Scores of shapely legs swung, tapped and kicked to catchy piano rhythm. The pick of Broadway’s chorus girls smiled provocatively at their dance director, George Randall. Suddenly he stopped beating time, pushed back his crumpled felt hat, and wip
ing the sweat from his brow, yelled hoarsely : “Kids, you’re slow, SLOW! Pick it up, I tell you!”
His assistant, Sid, echoed his words. Some of the girls fell out of step, some muttered. George held up his hand for silence. So did Sid.
“Quiet!” yelled George and walked wearily to a piquant blonde near the end of the line.
“Little darling of the gods, can’t you keep in step—just once?”
“But we're tired, Mr. Randall” the girl protested in a baby voice. “We've been at this same step so long! Can’t we rest?”
George scowled, then relented. “We'll change the routine!” he said. To the piano player, “Dave, give me a pick up and go into the last sixteen bars with the break that leads into Riley’s number, ‘Lady of the Moon’.”
The pianist struck the keys, the girls shifted their places, but a new interruption came in the person of a languid platinum blonde.
“Morning!” she drawled.
“Where in the ”*George
barked, glancing at his watch, “Rehearsal was called for ten. Get into your clothes!”
The blonde nonchalantly joined the other girls.
“Dave, is Miss Riley up on her number?” said George, glumly.
“Not when she left last night” Dave answered glumly.
“Why isn’t she here?” groaned George. Sid also wanted to know.
“You play Riley, Sid! Sit up there on that moon and sing her number !”
Grumbling, Sid put on a peaked hat, took up a huge fan, and tried to look feminine in spite of the cigar in his mouth.
“Hold it!” cried George again, as Wayne, producer of the show, a timid-looking little man, came forward.
With him, followed by a retinue of servants burdened with bundles of flowers, costumes, hat boxes and other feminine articles, came blonde, bejeweled, temperamental
Synopsis of Preceding Chapter
George Randall, dashing young dance director of musical shows is putting his chorus girls through their routine and grumbling about the tardiness of Miss Riley the lead. Wayne, the producer, enters followed by temperamental Peggy Revere, who has just crashed the headlines by wounding her last, wealthiest husband with a pistol. She is backing the show and Wayne announces that she is to star in it. George objects and Peggy flaunts out in a rage after withdrawing her financial support. Wayne
fires George. But read on—
CHAPTER TWO
Ruth Williams was determined to become a Broadway chorus girl. Hadn’t she been the singing and dancing hit of high school musical comedies—and the winner in the East Weehaukeegan, N. J. beauty contest. For days she’d been trying to see George
Randall the noted dance director.
When by chance she did see him coming out of the theatre
his officious aide, Sid, was with him. A quartette of musical madmen, The Mexican Serenaders, dashed up and began doing their hilarious stuff on the sidewalk. Randall left them to Sid and listened a bit wearily to Ruth’s story.
Disgusted with humanity in general and women in_ particular, George rushes home to be reproached by his mother and his female manager—as well as by his grass-widow sister, Grace, who wants him to be both her bed-andmeal ticket and job-getter. “Now what'll we do?” the three females
’ screamed in one voice.
“Go mad!” yelled George, and betook himself to a cafe to drown his troubles. Destiny walked into the cafe in the person of Sam Harris, Broadway musical show producer who has often tried to hire him away from Wayne. He made Randall a tempting offer to direct a new musical.
“Not for a million dollars a week,” George protested stoutly, albeit a bit thickly. “Women, Sam —women are driving me crazy.
Page Thirty Four
“Have another drink!” Harris shrewdly.
So George awoke next morning with a terrific hangover, and learned from his agent he’d agreed to be Harris’s dance director!
Determined to rebel, he stormea over to the theatre to face Harris.
“You’ve signed a contract, and it’s binding, George!” he gloated. “Tl hold you to it—and what’s more, I'll make you the most famous dance director in the world! Stick by me, boy, and your fortune’s made!”
Sadly, George wandered backstage. To his surprise, faithful Sid was there, waiting for him, with a big bunch of chorus girls lined up for selection. Some of them were the girls from Wayne’s production. He felt he owed these reparation for causing them to lose their jobs.
Among the other candidates was Ruth Williams. Sid eyed her sourly and said to George: “I let this tomato in because she said she was a friend of yours.”
urged
On The Firing Line
George Randall stood silent before the barrage of vituperation fired by Peggy Revere. “I can’t act, can’t I?” she cried. “Yow'll fire him right now,
Wayne, or my money comes out of the show”
... (Hobart Cavanaugh
(left) Joan Blondell and Dick Powell in “Stage Struck” the First National comedy romance with music, which opens at thé. Theatre On... >:
Peggy Revere, the burlesque queen who had recently crashed the headlines for wounding her latest wealthy husband with a pistol!
While Peggy loudly began di
George smiled at Ruth. “Hello,” he said. “Just stand or sit over there, will you—while we pick the chorus?”
“But I want to try out for it!” Ruth protested.
“I have a separate plan for you!” George assured her.
One by one the girls for the new chorus were inspected. Those from the other show were passed at once. The new ones had to do a few dance steps; answer various questions about experience. Then—
“Mr. Harris wants you in his office, Mr. Randall!” cried a call boy.
Harris, glowing and rubbing his hands, waved George to a chair besides his desk. “I’ve a great sur
FREE!!!
First two chapters of the 6-day fictionization of the story of the film is illustrated on this page. If your editor likes it, let us know and we'll send you
the six chapters in mime
ographed form, includ
ing six stills to illustrate. And remember, they’re FREE. Write paign Plan Editor, 321 W. 44th St., N. Y. C.
to Cam
recting her servants, Wayne hurried forward to face the glowering dance director.
“I’ve fired Riley,” he explained in a low voice. “Peggy Revere takes her place. She'll pack ’em in
prise for you, George,” he said. “The new star I’ve picked for our show is on her way in, and I want you to meet her. She’s worth a million at the box office, and—” The door opened. Harris and
Crashing The Chorus
to the theatre....”
“With what?” George groans. “She can’t dance, can’t sing—”
“With her newspaper fame! Besides, she’s backing the show—I’m broke! She put fifty grand into it —sh-shh !”
Peggy joined them; George condescendingly.
“So you’re Randall?” she said with her phoney society accent and grand dame manner. “You’ve done some nice work, Mr. Randall. But nice isn’t enough for a show I’m in —I’ll help you stage our dances and they’ll be great!”
“You will what?” yelled George, purpling with anger. “Why, you—”
“Yes! I see all sorts of chance for improvement. For example—”
With a mighty effort George restrained himself.
“Miss Revere, let’s get this straight at once!” he said.
“I’m dance director. and I stage numbers my way. I—”
“What?” screamed Peggy. “Why you insolent — vou crummy — you five-a-week hoofing teacher, you’re fired!”
“But Randall’s the backbone of the show!” yelled Wayne. “Peggy darling, we can’t fire him!”
“Can’t fire him?” Pegev’s voice rose to a_ screech. “Then I’m through. Put on your show! But not with my money! Goodbye!” And she made a grand exit, followed by her retinue.
Wavne stood for a moment in a daze. Then he turned to the dumbfounded, open-mouthed pack of chorus girls.
greeted
“The show’s off — yovurre all through. And as for you, George Randall — you — you — you're FIRED !”
(To Be Continued)
Randall arose expectantly.
In flounced Peggy Revere—to halt suddenly, and glare in amazement at the astounded George!
(To Be Continued)
“Stand over there, please,” George smiled, “’till we pick out the chorus.” “But I want to try out for the chorus myself,’ Ruth protested. “I have a separate plan for you!” he said ... (Dick Powell (left) Jeanne Madden and Warren William in “Stage Struck”, the First National comedy romance with music, Which comes tO the..cccccccseceseeees DERE OE C8 cpasesposscnssesntest WR