The Maltese Falcon (Warner Bros.) (1931)

~ nine fans, but; he holds no such appeal of perfection to me. We have delightful clashes of ideas and ideals and both profit from them. I don’t know that he is the greatest actor in the industry and I’m quite sure he doesn’t ghink I am the best actress, but as“ husband and wife we have found a middle ground of understanding and tolerance that makes, I really believe, for permanent happiness” Probably it takes courage to say such things, but Bebe Daniels has courage. “Ben and I have played together in two pictures,” she added, “one before we were married and one THAT WOMAN RI TO OVERLOOK DECLARES “MALTESE FALCON” STAR Bebe Daniels, Now At Ths. ss Wheaten Warner Bros. Mystery Romance, Talks Of The Husband And Lover In General And Her Own In Particular By CARLISLE JONES ; (Feature for Woman's Page) _ Hollywood, Calif —‘ A woman will forgive a man for anything except being uninteresting,’’ according to Bebe Daniels. Dullness is the thing that spoils pictures, breaks up marriages and wrecks homes.’’ There is certainly nothing dull about either Miss Daniels or fo n Important Part Of Your * Campaign. See Page DULLNESS THE ONE FAULT IN A MAN Two for Effective Frames: / Her BEAUTY Is Her BAIT! She Uses her new picture, ‘‘The Maltese all the precedent for feminine stars and plays a role which has proved something of a shock to her admirers. In a blonde wig that sets off her beauty in startling fashion athough it detracts—purposely I believe—from the sympathetic qualities of her face, Miss Daniels welcomed me to the set of “The Mal. tese Falcon.” “IT hope I can trust you not to give away the real character of the woman I am playing in this story,” she smiled. “If you will do that for me, I’ll try to be honest in my interview with you.” It was a bargain. This is no expose of the secrets of her new picture. But it tells all—well, almost all—of her ideas of men and marriage. “IT think the world is always a little indifferent to heroes who are too perfect, and to roles in pictures which show them that way,” she said in answer to my statement that the story I hoped to write was to be about “a heroine and her heroes. “And I think that same rule apphes “ni ,.) ate life, too. Men who ATG eitner too good or too bad are liable to be frightfully dull company. “You note that the great lovers of the world’s history didn’t go in for perfection in a big way. The men who have been notoriously successful with women were the Don Juans, the Casanovas, the Solomons and the Mare Anthonys, and none of them had what one might call a blotless escutcheon. “There’s Dante,” suggested Ricardo Cortez, Miss Daniels’ present leading man and an interested bystander. “And Brigham Young” — added Roy Del Ruth, the director, slyly I thought, with the faintest suggestion of a smile though he is known as the director who never smiles. “Well, Dante may have been perfection,” Miss Daniels agreed, “but he didn’t seem to make much of an Faleon,’’ in which she discards impression on Beatrice. I believe he saw her but once, and that she never saw him at all. Nor would the average American girl see him as a possible sweetheart or husband either. There was no color in his love, although I confess he put plenty of it into his poetry later.” Cortez and Del Ruth returned to the set and left us to ourselves. “T think a woman will forgive the man she loves for anything except being uninteresting. There is something very dull in being either very, very good, like the roles they used to make Conrad Nagel play, or very, very bad, like those they gave to Noah Beery. “Human nature doesn’t often go to such extremes, and when it does, life. with it must be unbearable. “Not,” Miss Daniels added quickly, “that I expect Ben to try out all my theories. I think he may very well be the perfect husband because he is such a delightfully imperfect hero. And if he ever suggests that I am running Pollyanna a race in perfection we shall come to words if_not blows!” mma Miss Daniels had brought up the subject of Ben Lyon, her husband, of her own accord, a happy coincidence, since this interview must naturally concern him, too. Admirers of both Miss Daniels and Mr. Lyon know of their interesting Hollywood romance, of their long engagement, while they were waiting to be sure of their marriage and their delayed honeymoon during the making of the picture called “My Past.” Nearly everyone knows too, that Miss Daniels is a star in her own right, one of the richest women in the film colony, a keen business executive, and that in these matters she probably outranks Ben. “JT think we are quite amazingly suited to one another,” Miss Daniels said in answer to my obvious question. “Ben may be the answer to a maiden’s prayer for a million femi HARD AS STILL A li If b)) SG This time a _ different Bebe—She'll take your breath away in a new role more dynamic, more baffling than any you've ever seen. Te Ven © NAILS but W OMAN! Too tempting a woman to resist!: Tooclevera criminal to be caught! She fought against love and lost! MALTESE INtce). BEBE DANIELS ae en a a © © CORTEZ They bring to the screen the most sensational mystery ever written by Dashiell Hammett. Cut No.2 Crt aoc Mat roc since. Oddly enough the latter one It to Lure was named ‘My Past,’ while in it I was actually playing with my future, Men to Oscar Apfel, Walter Long, Dwight Bros. Daniels, and comes to the the weird bird of prey, the falcon, as a symbol of the intrigue which marks the strange adventures of the murderous and alluring adventury portrayed by well-known star. sne bird is suppos 4 to be crammed with stolen jewel: Hong Kong, but that is another story. Roy 1 Ruth directed. “It isn’t fair to ask me if Ben is the best leading man who ever worked with me. Because whether he is or not I'd say ‘yes’ and it would be a cheap compliment. But he is the only leading man ‘I’ve ever been willing to marry. That ought to signify something. “Your subject isn’t exactly fair,” she concluded. “I don’t think hero worship has anything to do with happy marriage. I certainly wouldn’t be happy with a man who stood on a soap box in front of a premiere and got a thrill from seeing me enter the theatre because I am in this motion picture business. Love has to be on more common ground than that.” For an hour I watched Miss Daniels work. Work went smoothly, rapidly forward. There: are no bursts of temperament, no apparent uncertainties in the making of a picture when Miss Daniels stars. Between scenes she called her home and arranged for dinner for guests, checked with Husband Ben to be sure that he would be through work on his own picture in time to act as host, approved a change in script, discussed gowns with the studio designer and studied lines. I didn’t bother her again. I was dreadfully afraid that if I) did I myself might prove unintefesting. And dullness, according tp Miss Daniels, spoils everything, even the good humor of an unspoiled star. “The Maltese Faleon,” Warner Bros. latest starring vehicle for Miss Daniels is now at the . Theatre. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Dashiell Harnmett. Miss Daniels’ support includes Ricardo Cortez, Dudley Digges, Una Merkel, Robert Elliott, Thelma Todd, Otto Matiesen, Doom! She wastes love! She destroys life! But her own heart is caught by the same snare she sets for others! How? As the beautiful leader of a notorious crime ring—exotic— cruel — lovely, AMALTES _with RICARDO CORTEZ UNA MERKEL — DUDLEY DIGGES STRAN Cut No. 16 Cut goc Mat 10c Now Popular Playing Prices Frye, J. Farrell MacDonald and Agostino Borgato. Roy Del Ruth directed. Characters Must Be IS A DETECTIVE Mixtures Of Various. Traits To Win Favor (Current Story) Bebe Daniels, who plays the part of an adventuress of rather wicked blandishments and murderous intentions in “The Maltese Falcon,” the Warner Bros. mystery melodrama, now at the Theatre, was glad to accept the part which if not a sympathetic one, at least gives her a chance to hold her crowds spellbound. All the characters in the picture, though they appear to be most charming people, most of the time— are skalliwags of the worst brand, But they are human beings and since all human beings are composites of what-they-ought-to-be and whatthey-are-not, there is sure to be a response. , Ricardo Cortez, accomplishes the difficult task of making a not too righteous detective, a likeable hero. Others in the strong cast are Dudley Digges, Una Merkel, Robert Elliott, Thelma Todd, Otto Matiesen, Oscar Apfel, Walter Long, Dwight Frye, J. Farrell MacDonald and, Agostino Borgato. Roy Del Ruth’ directed. : Bebe Daniels Is Honorary Colonel In Flying Corps (Current Reader) Bebe Daniels, who plays the strangely alluring adventuress in “The Maltese Falcon,” the Warner Bros. picture now at the Theatre, holds the only honorary commission ever conferred on @& woman in that particular branch of the service—colonel in the United States Army Flying Corps. Both Miss Daniels and her husband, Ben Lyons, are licensed pilots. “The Maltese Falcon” is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Dashiell ‘Hammett. Roy Del Ruth directed. EVER WRONG? “The Maltese Falcon,” the Warner Bros. mystery romance starring Bebe Daniels, and coming to the _--...-------Theatre ees _... next, is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett, formerly a Pinkerton detective. Mr. Hammett probably realizes from experience that detectives may at times bark up the wrong tree—since he has made his star sleuth, Dundy, just a bit shaky in his deductions. Robert Elliott, who has become famous for his slow-voiced and quick-witted cop characterizations, plays the part — with zest — saying that he realizes that even a picture cop can’t be right all the time. Others in the cast are Ricardo Cortez, Dudley Digges, Una Merkel, Robert Elliott, Thelma Todd, Otto Matiesen, Oscar Apfel, Walter Long, Dwight Frye, J. Farrell MacDonald and AgosRoy Del Ruth Maltese Falcon Symbol Of Intrigue In Film (Advance Reader) “The Maltese Falcon,” the Warner mystery which stars Bebe Theatre next uses tino Borgato. and spirited from directed. Page Nine =