The Mad Genius (Warner Bros.) (1931)

STRONG MELODRAMA, TENDER He Carries You Beyond Screen Limits— Into A New Realm Of Real Drama! JOHN RYMORE BAR master of a hundred emotions—a thousand times more thrilling than you have ever seen him in — £GAP 9.4 RIC WEeEV! AR wvat Skee evriws ORIENTAL | THE MAD GENIUS MAR Never has there been more astounding story! , \ will make you gasp — Its im pact will shock you! Thrilling! seventeen — inconceivable IAN MARSH how Only a girl could grow so beautiful — so charmHELD OVER ing — so ravishing in so short a time! sesame aNTT A Cees T rr my = a 5. DUT TER WORTH DONALD COOK A WARNER BROS. VITAPHONE HIT Cut No. 4 Cut 60c Mat r5c “THE MAD GENIUS” IS ACCLAIMED AS JOHN BARRYMORE’S MOST STIRRING VEHICLE BY AUDIENCES AT STRAND} Youthful Marian Marsh Again Triumphs In Leading Feminine Role; Other Famous Players In The Cast (Review Featuring the Story) The distinguished first-night audience at the Theatre, gave evidence of highest approval to John Barrymore in his marvelous characterization of Tsarakov, mad genius of the Imperial Russian Ballet—and to Marian Marsh, seventeenyear old screen discovery of the year—who is so exquisite as the dancer, Nana. Tsarakov, as portrayed by Mr. Barrymore is weirdly glamorous— sardonic—and always tragic—even in his moments of fleeting victory. He is a man embittered by a physical deformity which makes it impossible for him to express himself in the dance—a passion for which he has inherited from his mother. Tsarakov is first seen as master of a traveling marionette show. The manipulation of the puppets by means of the strings gives him vague gratification—for when the grotesque figures dance and the peasants applaud—he imagines himself, young, perfectly formed — in some great opera house of the world, exciting crowds to frenzies of delight. One dark night, onto the crude stage of his show rushes a screaming lad followed by his drunken father who means to lash him. The boy eludes his father and hides among the cluttered trappings. Suddenly Tsarakov has an inspiration. He will kidnap the boy—pour into him the fires he knows he himself possesses —make him the supreme dancer of all time—and when his work is complete the lad Fedor—will not be really Fedor — but the divine Tsarakov! This Tsarakov finally succeeds in doing. He lives to see the youth the bright star of the Imperial Russian Ballet of which he himself is now impresario. Tsarakov gloats over the idol of his own making—protects him from Crwhe “ all that may dull his genius—even drives from the chorus, Nana, the little dancer whom Fedor loves. When the lad resents this and follows the girl—Tsarakov’s hate becomes as deadly as his love had been. There follow many scenes of terrifie power — and tragic beauty— before the climax — when a drugcrazed ballet master thwarted by Tsarakov—becomeg his nemesis. Mr. Barrymore’s portrayal of the role is quite beyond the power of words. It must be seen. Marian Marsh and Donald Cook— as the lovers, Fedor and Nana— give performances of youthful charm and pathos. Charles Butterworth is solemnly humorous as the eccentric secretary of Tsarakov. Carmel Myers as a discarded mistress of the great impresario is effective. Luis Alberni gives a vivid interpretation of the drug-maddened dancer. Others in the cast are Andre Luget as Nana’s rich protector, Frankie Darro as Fedor in childhood and Mae Madison as a dancer. Michael Curtiz has been eminently successful in his direction. The settings are lavish and the flashes of the gorgeous ballet which are used as atmospheric background for the story are authentic and beautiful. All of which means that you should not fail to see “The Mad Genius.” John Barrymore Comes Tomorrow In His Most Weirdly Magical Role (Advance—Plant 1 Day Before) To remodel a human being is a difficult and dangerous business— yet so to do is the blazing and fanatical ambition of Tsarakov— the central character in the most amazing of all modern screen stories —‘The Mad Genius,” in which John Barrymore is starred by Warner Bros., and which comes to _ the Theatre. tomorrow. Playing with the vital forces of life and love, Tsarakov attempts to build a great genius out of the human clay of an outcast lad he has kidnapped — over-riding with his own demoniac mind the natural human instincts of his victim, he triumphs only to fail. Mr. Barrymore revels in the part. Having turned definitely to character roles, that of Tsarakov, so he says, offers him the opportunity of a life time. “The Mad Genius” is the strangely melodramatic life story of an impresario of the Russian Imperial Ballet—played against darkly colorful European backgrounds. Marian Marsh plays the leading role opposite Barrymore with Donald Cook, Charles Butterworth, Luis Alberni and Carmel Myers and many others. Michael Curtiz directed. Barrymore Chooses Same Players For ‘‘Mad Genius” So well did the supporting cast assembled for “Svengali” suit John Barrymore, the star of that picture, that many of them were signed for his next picture, Warner Bros. “The Mad Genius” which comes to thes Pheatres 3. next. Those who appear again in “The Mad Genius” are Marian Marsh and Luis Alberni. JOHN BARRYMORE CAREER THE STAGE 1903—October — First appearance Chicago. As Max in “Magda” 1903—December—First appearance in New York as Corley in “Glad of It’ 1904—April—Charley Hines in “The Dictator” 1904—_May—-Signor Valreali in “Yvette” 1905—May—First London ap pearance as Charley Hines in “The Dictator” 1905—Toured America as Jacky in “Sunday” 1905—December Stephen Rollo in “Alice-Sit-by-theFire’”’ with Ethel, Clown in “Pantaloon’”’ 1906—January ‘Miss tion” 1906—Toured Australia William Collier. 1907—May—Succeeded Arnold Daly as Tony Allen in “The Boys of Company B.”’ Toured in same play. 1908—March—New York, Savoy Theatre. Lord Meadows n “Toddles”’ 1908—May—Chicago. As Mac in “A Stubborn Cinder Civiliza with ella”’ 1909—January -— New York, Broadway Theatre. As Mac in “A _ Stubborn Cinderella” 1909—September — New. York, Gaiety Theatre. Nathaniel Duncan in “The -Fortune Hunter” Toured America in same. 1910-ll—Reading, Pa. As Robert Hudson in “Uncle Sam” 1911—October—Same in New York. ent te ten ert 1911—Toured States as Pete in “Princess Zim-Zim”’ 1912—-February — New York, Empire Theatre. “4 Slice of Life” 1912—Toured in “Half a Husband” 1912—-October — New York, Little Theatre. Anatol in “The Affairs of Anatol” 1913—March — Chicago. In “4 Thief for a Night’ 1913—August—New York. As George MacFarland in “Believe Me, Xantippe” 1914—-January — New York, Eltinge Theatre. As Julian Rolfe in “The Yellow Ticket” 1914—October — New York, Longacre Theatre. As Chick Hewes in “Kick In” 1916—April — New York, Candler Theatre. A 8 William Falder in Justice” 1917—April — New York, Republic Theatre. As Peter in “Peter Ibbetson” 1918—October—New York, Plymouth Theatre. As Fedor Vasilyevich Protosov in “Redemption” 1919—April — As Giannetto Mallespini in “The Jest” 1920—March—As the Duke of Gloucester in “Richard the Third” 1921—April New York, Empire Theatre. As Gwymplane in “Claire de Lune’”’ 1922-24—-Toured in “Hamlet”’ London in “Hamlet” a Siete sacs oo CREEN THE=3 “Raffles” “Here Comes the Bride” “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” “Sherlock Holmes” “The ‘Lots Eater’ “Deleved Ragas” “Tempest” “Eternal Love” “Beau Brummel”’ “The Sea Beast” “When ‘é Max Loves” “Don Juan” “Show of Shows” “General Crack” “The Man from Blankleys”’ “Moby Dick” “Svengali” “The Mad Genius’ Weeks Of Rehearsal Precede “The Mad Genius” Ballet (Advance Reader) Brief flashes of the work of the Russian Imperial Ballet are shown in “The Mad Genius,” the Warner Bros. picture in which John Barry more is _ starred, which opens FES a RE atthe =. se eee ee THEGtTCs— —a-,) a next. These scenes required three weeks of steady rehearsal and two weeks in filming, although they show on the sereen only a few minutes all told. Marian Marsh again plays the lead for Mr. Barrymore. “Mad Genius” Director Trouped With Puppet Show (Advance Reader) Michael Bros. director responsible for “The Mad Genius” which opens Theatre next, is an Hungarian and was once, Curtiz, Warner in his youth a member of a travelling puppet show troupe. Since the early sequences of “The Mad Genius” deal with such a troupe, Curtiz found his early experiences particularly in the filming of the picture. HOLLYW hy JOHN The Mad B’WAY at 52nd St. OooD RRYMORE. MARIAN MARSH CHARLES BUTTERWORTH A Warner Bros. and V Cut No, 20 C itaphone Dramatic Hit! ut goc Mat roc