The Great Garrick (Warner Bros.) (1937)

(Advance) ‘Eddie’ Horton Has Secret Yen To Be Crooner Edward Everett Horton, who has just completed his role with Brian Aherne and Olivia de Havilland in ‘‘The Great Garrick,’’ which is now at the Strand, says he would rather be able to sing than to collect antiques. Singing, he says, is his suppressed desire, a form of amusement he has to indulge secretly. Says Eddie: ‘“T love to sing. My friends and neighbors may not like to hear me sing, but I love to sing anyway. My greatest ambition has been to sing opera. I have to do it alone, of course, because I’m not a very good singer. ‘¢Once in a while I am able to fix it so I can sing the kind of thing I like. Recently I had a quartet of operatic singers at ‘Belly Acres,? my home, for a party. They sang all the favorite operatic numbers and I sang with them — from behind the palms. I didn’t sing very loud because I didn’t want to spoil the music, but I sang and that was important. ‘¢T sang once on the stage at a Columbia varsity show and that has gone down in collegiate history as one of the greatest comedy turns there. That made me realize that all my singing would have to be done in private. ‘*T have a phonograph record collection and I have sung with Caruso, Tibbett, Gigli and all of the best. They didn’t know it, but it cleared up a lot of things for me. You might not think it to look at me but I am very sensitive when it comes to music.’”’ HAS ACTOR’S RELICS Brian Aherne, who portrays ‘‘The Great Garrick’’ in the Mervyn LeRoy production of that name for Warner Bros., has one of the largest theatrical collections outside of a museum. He owns several relics of David Garrick, including some very rare and valuable books and prints, and a goldheaded cane. EDDIE WELL PROTECTED Edward Everett Horton, playing the role of ‘‘Tubby’’ in the Mervyn LeRoy production of ‘‘The Great Garrick,’’ has seven dogs protecting his Encino estate. The group includes two police dogs, two sheep dogs, one collie, one wire-hair, and one Yorkshire terrier. They’re all good friends, too! Mat 206—20c PORTRAIT OF A LADY — As the little French girl Germaine, Olwa de Havilland, top-ranking star at the age of twenty and the nation’s No. 1 heart-breaker, is co-starred with Brian Aherne im the delightful comedy-romance, ‘‘The Great Garrick’? now at the Strand Theatre. (Advance Feature) Director James Whale Has Varied Career James Whale, the movie director, got started in the visual art as a cartoonist for the magazine Bystander, of London. He joined the army during the war, becoming a heutenant in the famous Seventh Worcester Infantry Regiment, and then was a prisoner of war. Having changed from drawing cartoons to drawing firing pins on hand grenades, Whale changed his profession again while he was a prisoner in Germany. He began ae¢ting in prison camp entertainments. By the time the war ended he had decided to forget about the art of drawing and to express himself on the stage: He joined the Birmingham Repertory Theatre on his return to England and made his professional stage debut in the role of Mr. Slaney in “Abraham Lincoln.” Later, in 1923, he went to London and became stage manager of the Savoy Theatre. From acting Whale turned to producing, doing “The Lady from Alfaqueque” and “Fortunato” in 1928, and “Journey’s End’ in 1929 as well as many others. Whale left London for New York to produce “Journey’s End” there. Then he went to Hollywood with the famous play to make one of the most successful movies ever filmed. Thereafter he co-directed “Hell’s Angels,” directed ‘‘Waterloo Bridge,’ “Frankenstein,” “The Invisible Man,” ‘The Bride of Frankenstein,’ “Show Boat” and “The Road Back.” “The Great Garrick,” his latest film directorial job, is a James Whale Production for Mervyn LeRoy, at Warner Bros. It opens at the Strand Theatre next Friday. Brian Aherne is starred. (Opening Day Story) New Comedy ‘Great Garrick’ Opens Today A gay comedy of the eighteenth century, “The Great Garrick,” starring Brian Aherne and Olivia de Havilland, comes to Strand today. While it is a costume play — the period being the 1750’s and the locale the theatres of London and Paris — it is not drama, nor is it a serious biographical sketch of David Garrick, who was at that time the world’s greatest actor. In the words of Mervyn LeRoy, who produced it, “ ‘The Great Garrick’ is just a whole lot of fun.” He made it for pure entertainment, and those who previewed it say “it has nothing else but!” David, it would seem, was a gay, rollicking fellow, as well as a great artist, and he speeds happily through a great number of adventures — especially a pleasing romance with lovely Miss de Havilland. James Whale directed the picture under LeRoy’s personal supervision. This is the fourth independent production by the latter. A notable supporting cast includes Edward Everett Horton, Melville Cooper, Tionel Atwill, Luis Alberni, Henry O’Neill, Lana Turner, Fritz Leiber, Linda Perry and Etienne Girardot. Ernst Vajda was the author of the original story and screen play. FINDS NEW COUSIN Lana Turner, beautiful 17-yearold Mervyn LeRoy discovery appearing in ‘‘The Great Garrick,’’ the Warner Bros. romance that opens next Friday at the Strand Theatre, didn’t know until she talked ‘‘relations’’ to him a few weeks ago, that she and Col. Roscoe Turner, famous aviator, are second cousins. HAS SMALLEST WAIST Marie Wilson, who plays a principal role in ‘‘The Great Garrick,’’ which opens at the Strand Theatre next week, is noted for the smallest waist and longest lashes in Hollywood. Her waist measures 19 inches and her eye-lashes are three-quarters of an inch long when uncurled. Beat that record if you ean, girls. ALL IN A DAY'S WORK — AND PLAY FOR LOVELY OLIVIA Olivia de Havilland, Currently Playing In ‘The Great Garrick’ at the Strand Theatre. AUTOGRAPHS are all in the HELP! Well, who wouldn’t go AS GERMAINE in ‘‘The CLAY-MODELING is one of PERFECT FORM is Olivia de day’s work for pretty Olwia. to rescue such a lovely lady? Great Garrick,*’ at the Strand. her many interesting hobbies. Havilland’s own specialty! Page Se