The Male Animal (Warner Bros.) (1942)

Henry Fonda, when the time came for this scene, said that Elliott Nugent had been pointing for it all along. Which, if true, earns Mr. Nugent the label of “actingest director,’ plus—(considering Miss de Havilland's charms) "shrewdest director." Fonda, by the way, felt that he could do this scene without instruction. “Male Animal” Pilot Writes, Acts And Directs The usual movie director sits in on a rehearsal quietly. He’s the boss, of course, and whatever he says goes. He may modify an inflection, change a bit of business, rehearse the movement of the camera for the scene to come. That’s the usual movie director. But Elliott Nugent, the gentleman who piloted “The Male Animal,” which is now being shown at the Strand Theatre, is not the usual director. In rehearsals, Mr. Nugent is far from quiet. He loves to act and, as a matter of fact, he did star in the play, “The Male Animal” for the length of its very suc cessful run on Broadway last year. Olivia de Havilland, Henry Fonda, Joan Leslie and Jack Carson, the stars of the film, dubbed Mr. Nugent “Hollywood’s actingest director.” The above pictures, snapped at the Warner Bros. Studios, shows why. Incidentally, Mr. Nugent’s forte isn’t only being an “acting director.”” He was co-author of the stage version of “The Male Animal,” and his partner in dazzling dialogue was James Thurber. The play was adapted to the screen by Julius J. and Philip G. Epstein and Stephen Morehouse Avery. “The Male Animal’’ Has Lots Of Love And Laughs There are certainly no priorities on laughter as you’re sure to find out when you go to the Strand Theatre today where Warner Bros.’ howling hit, “The Male Animal,” starts its local run. It has everything that makes for one grand comedy—gags, comic situations, Mat 103—15c Joan Leslie breezy dialogue and plenty of romance. And what’s more, it has the finest cast of this season’s crop of laugh hits. In the leading roles are lovely Olivia de Havilland as the wife of a college professor, and Henry Fonda as her husband, a fellow who is soft-spoken but firm. The film combines wild comedy with plausibility in a story of a professor who simply can’t get excited about the coming ‘big game’ and his wife who has too fond a memory for a certain former football hero. As if there wasn’t enough to worry about, Fonda’s sister-inlaw, Patricia, played by charming Joan Leslie, is in love with fiery college newspaper editor (Herbert Anderson’s role) who writes an editorial praising Fonda for his intended reading of a speech which is frowned upon by the heads of the University. On top of this, Jack Carson, in the role of the aforementioned ex-football hero, comes in for the University’s big game, and incidentally to see his old pal, Fonda. (Of course Olivia was the furthest thing from his mind.) But she gets that romantic look about her and keeps talking about the good old days when she and Carson used to have so much fun, so Fonda knows that there’s more trouble ahead. But he finds a solution which is the roaring climax of the film. “The Male Animal,’ which had a very successful run on the Broadway stage, was written by James Thurber and Elliott Nugent and adapted for the sereen by Julius and Philip Epstein and Stephen Morehouse Avery. Mr. Nugent also handled the direction of the production. Laugh Hit at Strand “The Male Animal,” an uproarious comedy which had a very successful run on _ the Broadway stage last season, has been transferred to the screen by Warner Bros. and is now playing at the Strand Theatre. In the starring roles are Henry Fonda, Olivia de Havilland and Joan Leslie. Elliott Nugent, who acted in and was co-author of the stage play, directed the film. There was to be a victory dance after the big game. “Show me how it's done," said Jack Carson. Nugent took off his coat, unbuttoned his vest, and presto!—the victory dance. Order Only mat of illustration available. Elliott Nugent Is Hollywood's “Actingest Director’ Sports fans may recognize the set-up of dishes as representing two opposing football teams. In "The Male Animal," Jack Carson, who plays a football hero, is demonstrating the "Statue of Liberty" play. "Here's the way it should be done,"’ says Nugent. The absorbed faces of Jack Carson, Olivia de Havilland and Hattie McDaniel prove that the "coach" knows his football. “MA Mat 501B” from Campaign Plan Editor, 321 West 44th Street, New York City. Henry Fonda Is ‘A Natural’ In Any Screen Role Henry Fonda comes as near to really being the characters he plays on the screen as any actor who ever faced the cameras. Whether they’re “barefoot boys,” his own description for the Tom Joads and James brothers types, historical figures, : or a_ slightly : bewildered college professor such as_ he’s Male Animal,” at the Strand Theatre, his characters are all pioneer American stock. They could scarcely be anything else with Nebraska born Fonda playing them. In coonskin cap and deerskin hunting jacket, or white tie and tails, the lanky lad from Omaha is as typically American as the plains of his native state. Add to this the fact that his boyhood and background were average American. When he first came to New York, Fonda made the rounds of the agencies, looking in vain for jobs. He finally landed a part in a stock presentation of a play called “The Swan.” It didn’t seem much of a break but it happend to be fate giving him the “go” signal. June Walker, who had been engaged to play the leading role in the Mare Connolly play, “The Farmer Takes a Wife,” was in the audience the night “The Swan” opened. In Fonda she saw the ideal actor to play the rough and ready character cast opposite her. “The Farmer Takes a Wife” was a smash Broadway hit, and Fonda, at long last, really was the Midwest boy who’d made good in the big city. Just how good he’d made was brought home to him when wires inviting him to take screen tests began to arrive from Hollywood. In coming to Hollywood, Fonda decidedly has not “gone Hollywood.” He lives as quietly and as simply as he would had his fortunes kept him in Omaha, or any American city or small town you could name. Mat 102—15c Henry Fonda “Male Animal” Wardrobe Is Strictly Feminine “The Male Animal” which is now playing at the Strand, is a laugh from start to finish but Howard Shoup wasn’t laughing when he said “no pigtails, no bobbie socks, no clodhoppers” when star, Joan Leslie, asked him what she would wear in the picture. Howard was as good as his word, too. There isn’t a sign of the usual collegiate regalia in this picture. Shoup decided to keep his designs completely feminine with nothing borrowed from the men, a habit practiced by college girls these days. It’s his contention that half the theater-goers are boys on leave from the Army camps and that “they want to look at girls wearing alluring, feminine clothes.” Joan wasn’t at all piqued, nor was Jean Ames, And, of course, Olivia de Havilland, as the wife of a professor, hadn’t expected to wear the rahrah garb that is a college girl’s delight on some occasions. You'll see them all, even in classroom scenes, wearing the sheerest chiffon hosiery, dainty high-heeled pumps. Materials might be called “‘col legiate,” but Howard wouldn’t have had that any other way since the business of going to school is practical and requires practical garb. He uses a great deal of suede for one thing. There are some clever innovations, too, such as wearing a reefer backward and carrying peasant-styled accessories with a completely un-peasant frock. And the pockets on a corduroy coat are fanciful in shape. One of those dresses _ that “eould be worn anywhere” and worn by Joan Leslie to smart advantage is a brown wool dress with dirndl skirt — the skirt carrying small, handy pockets — and a clean white pique collar. She tops this with a corduroy coat of honey beige. Olivia’s corduroys are more sophisticated and when _ she wears a sweater it’s usually a cardigan blending or contrasting the color of her dress. Because Miss de Havilland is fond of the combination of gray and black this winter, Shoup designed a stunning suit for her in the two shades, gray covert cloth with black velvet collar and buttons. With it Olivia wears a velvet crown pillbox. Mat 204—30c CHARMING OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND plays the role of a professor’s wife in Warner Bros.’ sprightly comedy, ““The Male Animal,” which is now playing at the Strand Theatre. 13