The Case of the Lucky Legs (Warner Bros.) (1935)

Pe, Se | es / ls / a Sassy S fF &F QS KC & ys gs SS i LS N | / NS ws S \N © SSS § SF VS SSK FSV / Ss BV SN SV _S SN EGS SVS FN NS SSN YeS8XsQVS LSE LS LSS FLX NM SV"_ WGK GSN S$ VY VS" SY" SN S s NS f §& < N S WS SS SN fi § ws N 7 2 NS SN ee WSS SN Pat Ellis Hurls Scotch Bottles At Picture Cop Wrecks Movie Set But Misses Actor In “The Case Of The Lucky Legs’”’ By FRANCIS HEACOCK ‘‘Pat Ellis,’ the guide told us, ‘‘is doing a little plain and fancy bottle throwing out on stage seven. Would you like to watch her??’’ We assured him we’d like to watch Miss Ellis at any time, whether she was throwing bottles or not, so we followed. Warren William, the star of the picture, First National’s “The Case of the Lucky Legs,” which. comes. to the ..../...cc..n20. theatre Ons: 5..assisss , sat talking with Director Archie L. Mayo. Genevieve Tobin was seated in front of a mirror, repairing her make-up. Miss Ellis, however, was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, from the far end of the stage, came a crash, like that of a glass bottle coming into violent contact with the side of a house. ‘¢Miss Ellis,’’ our guide explained, ‘‘must be practicing. Her aim must be good, you see, as she has to throw the bottles at Joseph Crehan, who is playing the part of a police detective who is trying to arrest her as a murder suspect. Miss Ellis doesn’t want to be arrested, naturally, so she throws the bottles at Crehan.’’ Another glassy erash came simultaneously with Director Mayo’s eall for the cast to assemble for rehearsal. ‘* Warren William,’’ he said, ‘‘is playing the part of Perry Mason, a lawyer and amateur detective. Genevieve Tobin is his secretary. Miss Ellis is a girl who has won a contest for the most beautiful pair of legs and she is suspected of stabbing the fellow who promoted the contest and then ran away with the gate receipts. ‘William is trying to hide her in his office, but the cops get wise and break in. So Miss Ellis runs into Mason’s private bar and starts tossing bottles at Crehan. Here they go!’? Crehan chased Miss Ellis across the office, but just as he reached the door to the private bar a bottle of Seotch sailed over his head and crashed against the opposite wall. Crehan ducked back across the office and leaped over a nice, clean leather-upholstered chair just as another bottle of Scotch carried the lamp off the table beside the chair and sent a spray of cold tea —which, our guide told us, is what they use instead of Scotch in pictures—all over the luckless actor as it burst against the wall. Crehan crouched behind the chair and seized the table alongside it as another bottle—this time it was a gin bottle containing water— smashed through the window over his head. Crehan leaped from behind the chair, holding the small round table in front of him for protection and three bottles — smashed against it in rapid succession. A couple more bottles hit the table as he ducked across the room and another knocked off his hat as he jumped through the doorway, seizing Miss Ellis and ending the bottle throwing temporarily. Director Mayo then moved out of the line of fire as he ordered another scene taken. ‘Oh, but really,’’ Miss Ellis protested, ‘‘I promise to miss you, Archie.’? ‘“Very nice of you, I’m sure,’’ the director replied, ‘‘but I prefer Genevieve Tobin Walks Six Miles Each Day Genevieve Tobin, leading lady in the First National picture, ‘‘The Case of the Lucky Legs,’’ now showing at the .......05.:c..5. Theatre, walks six miles every day she is home at her Montecito estate. When she is working at the studio, she takes her workout on a stationary bicycle in her apartment every morning. Warren William plays opposite Miss Tobin in “The Case of the Lucky Legs,” which is based on Erle Stanley Gardner’s novel. Meet The Winner! Lyle Talbot and Patricia Ellis choose the winner of their own Lucky Legs Contest, held during an interlude in the shooting of ‘‘The Case of the Lucky Legs,’’ with showgirls in the production as contestants. They appear with Warren William and Genevieve Tobin in First National’s surprise hit of the year now playing at the ............... Theatre. Mat No. 205—20c¢ mopped and repaired, Mayo called for action again. The scene was repeated, this time running just as smoothly as the original take with the exception that Miss Ellis needed two bottles of Scotch to knock the lamp off the table. ““Now, you nice people,’’ said Mayo, ‘‘we’ll get a closeup of Mr..Crehan ducking bottles.’’ ‘¢You mean,’’ we asked our guide, ‘‘that they’re going to do it again??? ‘Oh, yes,’’ he replied. ‘‘A closeup of Crehan and a closeup of Miss Ellis throwing the bottles. She’s very good, isn’t she?’’ ‘<Yes, indeed,’’ we agreed, wondering if it would not be a humane act to warn the young men whose names are romantically linked with Miss Ellis’ of her proficiency at bottle tossing and suggesting that she might be equally accurate with rolling pins and other culinary articles. ‘<The Case of the Lucky Legs’’ is based on the most exciting the sidelines. However, you might of Erle Stanley Gardner’s best try to miss the camera crew.’’ selling novels. Others in the Crehan having changed into aneast inelude Lyle Talbot, Allen other suit identical with the one he wore in the first take and the wrecked set having been swept, Page Lighteen Jenkins, Peggy Shannon and Henry O’Neill. The screen play is by Brown Holmes and Ben Markson. Warren William One Of Hollywood’s Paradoxes Film Colony Hasn’t Yet Fathomed Star Of “The Case Of The Lucky Legs’”’ By LINDA LEATH If there’s anything Hollywood dearly loves, it’s a para dox or a ‘‘dual personality.’’ It can take ’em, but it can’t leave ’em alone. ‘‘Look at Mae West!’’ it’s fond of saying, ‘‘She’s a bold, bad woman on the screen. A siren. But in real life, she’s entirely different. Doesn’t even smoke or drink. A mystery woman, if there ever was one Or you take James Cagney. On the screen, you know what he is. Well, can you believe it, in real life, he takes piano lessons! A paradox is the fondest thing Hollywood is of . ..so it goes on ferreting out more of them, sometimes imagining them where no paradox exists. Take Warren William, for instance. There’s nothing mysterious about Warren. He hasn’t even got a ‘‘dual personality.’’ But there is something unusual about him, after all, that Hollywood hasn’t even noticed. In private life, Warren William is probably the closest to his screen self of any man in Hollywood! Perry Mason, the lawyer-detective, in ‘‘The Case of the Lucky Legs,’’ the First National picture now showing at the ..........00.... theatre. What do you conjure up in your mind? A picture of a fascinating character—suave, intellectual, clev er, plenty of what the French eall . ‘“savoir de faire,’’ a gentleman. Well, that’s Warren William to a es A He’s not a lawyer, of course, nor a detective. But the rest of the attributes hold good. Warren William in real life is a man well worth knowing—but Hollywood society, engrossed in its treasure hunt for paradoxes, hasn’t found it out yet. As a matter of plain fact, that also suits Warren William. For with all his polish in the niceties of social graces, he’s not a society man. He likes people. The Williams have their friends, close ones, whom they entertain beautifully. But Society, with a capital S, leaves Warren William cold. Born in Aitken, Minnesota, son of moderately wealthy parents, Warren William is truly, in a manner of speaking, ‘‘to the manner born.”“He. has-“hadi<a.-varied career ... traveled, fought in the World War, sailed the seas in a Stars Must Have Hobbies States Genevieve Tobin Can’t Be Good Actress Otherwise, Says Leading Lady Of ‘The Case Of The Lucky Legs” To be a good actress, one can’t be JUST an actress! Outside activities according to Genevieve Tobin, who has the leading feminine role in the First National picture, ‘‘The Case of the Lucky Legs,’’ which comes to the ........................... theatre-on: e256: , are far more important that the bare assimilation of stagecraft and technique. ‘‘Amusements, hobbies and accomplishments, all add a certain color to an actor or actress which sometimes mean more than all the technique in the world,’’ said Miss Tobin. ‘A role, when it is concentrated upon too much, outside of the studio, gradually loses all proportion and is not played true to life. ‘When other things occupy one’s mind besides the characterization which is being done at the moment, acting becomes more matter of fact, and falls into its proper place in the scheme of things. ’’ Some knowledge of the other fine arts should be the pre-requi site of every girl who wants an acting career, the actress believes. Not only because they provide outside interests but because they are of direct benefit in giving intelli gent performances. Mouthing, parrot-like, the lines of others, without the analysis which knowledge of the arts develops, is not the mark of a good actress, she insists. ‘Outside of the fine arts,’’ Miss Tobin said, ‘‘down to earth hobbies are of great importance in keeping your equilibrium. The in {?? tiny boat, and had an enviable background on both stage and sereen. Consequently his interests, his hobbies, are as wide and as many as any of the diversions enjoyed by Perry Mason. To name but a few, he is an authority on pyramids, boats, marine law, tennis, archery, fencing, he swims, rides, reads much, is a fluent conversationalist, and has won laurels as an inventor. Warren William, too, has much of the sardonic impenetrability of Perry Mason. He is an interesting talker but after you leave him you eome back to earth with a jolt from the discovery that, after all, Warren has said not one single thing to commit himself. Yes, Warren William is no Cagney, no Mae West — nor any of the other whom Hollywood points toward with such pride because they lead such different personal lives from the ones they portray on the screen. When you see Warren as Perry Mason, in ‘‘ The Case of the Lucky Legs,’’ you’ll get a good, strong glimpse of the ac tor as he really is — a daring person, who loves life and gets a great kick out of it — a person who’s always up to something, and knows more about a lot of things than he’s willing to tell just for the sake of ‘‘small talk.’’ Warren William isn’t one of your dual personalities; he’s no enigma, he’s not mysterious. Yet he’s a paradox. ‘<The Case of the Lucky Legs’’ is based on the most exciting Perry Mason story by Erle Stanley Gardner. Besides William in the cast are Genevieve Tobin, Patricia Ellis, Lyle Talbot, Allen Jenkins, Peggy Shannon and Henry O’Neill. Jerry Chodorov adapted the story while Archie L. Mayo directed from the screen play by Brown Holmes and Ben Markson. tense attention which is given an interesting hobby acts as a balance wheel to all the minor irritations and nervous strain of the day’s work.’’ Miss Tobin, herself, has a great variety of outside interests. She writes plays and motion pictures scenarios, which she hopes to have accepted for production. Her main hobby is dog breeding. GENEVIEVE TOBIN in ‘* The Case of the Lucky Legs,’’ CURBS 1, aap ei Theatre. Mat No. 101 10¢ She trains her own dogs, preparing them for the shows. She is also interested in gardening. ‘The Case of the Lucky Legs’? is based on the most exciting of Erle Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason stories. Warren William again appears in the role of Perry Mason, debonair lawyerdetective, while others in the cast besides Miss Tobin include Patricia Ellis, Lyle Talbot, Allen Jenkins, Peggy Shannon and Henry O’Neill.