The Match King (Warner Bros.) (1932)

NEWSY FEATURES! Advance Feature Warren William Slipped Up The Back Stairs to Fame Despite Bad Start, He Became Famous in Hollywood Almost Before He Was Known. Star of “‘The Match King’? Has Succeeded in Keeping His Private Life Out of Publicity Columns HO is Warren William, really? Who is the man behind the mask in the leading role of the First National picture, ‘‘The Nateh King,”” that eames 16 the... coe a Thea CLO ON a re He is an actor, and an excellent one, who seems to have slipped up the backstairs to stardom, his shoes in his hand so as not to disturb the lurking news hounds, usually so quick to run down the antecedents of all aspirants to screen honors. He became famous in Hollywood almost before he became known. He prospered in spite of a woefully bad start. He bas been accepted by the KKH p meee her = MAY TNE or / 5 Cut No.387 Outi15e Mat dc He Slipped Up the Back Stairs With His Shoes in His Hand So As Not to Disturb the News Hawks. ‘feolony’’ without question. It has even accepted his obviously unreal name, when just one peek into the driver’s compartment of his car would have rewarded the curious by revealing his real one. Generally, in Holly wood, when a figure emerges so sensationally as bas that of the leading player in ‘‘The Mouthpiece,’’ ‘‘The Dark Horse,’’ ‘‘Skysecraper Souls’’ and ‘‘The Match King,’’ from comparative obscurity, all his past, all his relatives, all his background are immediately scrutinized. But everyone seems to have accepted William at his face value, which is high, and to have catalogued him for his ability alone, which is considerable. He is one actor who has been accepted but not investigated—until now. Has Social Background Warren William’s real name is Warren William Krech. His stage and screen name is merely a combination of his own Christian names, which accounts for the singular name which is the despair of proofreaders of dramatic pages. The name of Krech is a substantial one, dating from a grandfather who left Germany to come to St. Paul, Minnesota, and started a school of languages there. It is not a name to be deserted lightly—and Warren William has not deserted it legally. As was pointed out, even his automobiles are registered in the name of Krech. Even less generally known is the fact that William is a nephew of one of the nation’s richest men and that his own background, socially, is very good indeed. But this is in Page Fourteen peck een formation that will never be gathered from William himself nor is it to be found in any biographical data which he has ever supplied. Mrs. Warren William, who is, legally, Mrs. Warren W. Krech, has been accepted by Hollywood as naturally as her actor husband. Wives of new stars generally go through an agonizing period wnen Hollywood seems determined to reorganize the personal lives of new screen favorites. Mrs. William seems to have escaped all this. No one has had the temerity to suggest that Warren William ’s success will have any untoward effect on his matrimonial “status. And that-is~somethingex-— . ceptional in Hollywood. Mr. William’s own comment on matrimony, not yet widely quoted, is short and to the point. Marriage No Handicap ‘‘T have been happily married for some time,’’ he said, shortly after he arrived in Hollywood. ‘‘It has been no handicap to me.’’ His success in keeping his private life separated from his professional career is evident from the fact that not many of his admirers know whether or not he is married, but he has never avoided answering ‘“‘Yes’’ when the question has been asked. Other ordinary and extraordinary handicaps which he did have seem to have served only as stepping stones toward a continuing and increasing success. He was brought to Hollywood cold, that is, without any publicity ‘*build up,’’ and was rushed at once into a rather unsympathetic part in an unsuccessful picture. The fact he survived that and some others which gave him only half chances to show his ability, is remarkable in Hollywood careers. With ‘‘The Honor of the Family,’? Warren William began to interest audiences. By the time ‘‘The Mouthpiece’’ came along his popularity with the public began to manifest itself in no uncertain terms. He was featured in ‘‘The Dark Horse,’’ ‘(Skyscraper Souls,’’ ‘‘Three On a Match,’? and now in ‘‘The Match King,’’ in which he plays a title role predicated upon a title bestowed by newspaper reporters upon a late financial manipulator. Lili Damita plays opposite Mr. William in this picture. Glenda Farrell, Hardie Albright, Juliette Compton, Claire Dodd, Spencer Charters and Murray Kinnell are others in an unusually strong cast. The picture was adapted from the novel of Einar Thorvaldson by Houston Branch and Sidney Sutherland. It was directed by Howard Bretherton and William Keighley. Current Feature “The Match King” is Fiction Based Upon News Headlines The old wheeze about truth being stranger than fiction is demonstrated a thousand times daily, in Hollywood probably more than anywhere else. It remained for the First National picture ‘“The Match King,’’ a dramatization suggested by the life and career of the late Match King, to break all records, however, in verifying the truth of the ancient truism. The story was suggested by the newspaper headlines which recently shrieked the exposure of the greatest swindle of all time. The screen play will open at the .............. se ee Theatie wie 3.6.3... , with Warren William in the title role and Lili Damita as the feminine lead. No fictional character, not even the spectacular ‘‘Count of Monte Cristo’’ has ever equalled the astounding feats that are actually credited to the financial genius and the most spectacular scoundrel the world has _ ever known. This man who built a tre mendous fortune on matches, it may be proved eventually, stole a .billion dollars. He forged a government —S ee a Newspaper Headlines Inspired the Motion Picture Story. bond issue. He set up and knocked down various small governments for his own convenience. Until he slipped he was, probably, the most powerful. individual in the world. No author would dare concoct such a figure for a book or a picture without a real figure in the actual background. ‘‘The Match King’’ is not patently the story of this arch swindler, but the story of Paul Kroll, a man who ruled the destines of nations from a vast pyramid of debts built on the foundation of a match monopoly. The similarity to the Match King and his remarkable real life story is too close to be ignored. Without that the story of ‘‘The Match King’’ would have been disearded as the work of a mad author. So the truth that was stranger than fiction becomes fiction on the screen, with Warren William and _ Lili Damita playing imaginary roles not unlike those played by real people in my portant part in the — life, had likewise been indirectly in the most astonishing financial house of cards ever known. There were odd coincidences in thie selection of this hitherto unpaired pair of players for the leading roles in ‘‘The Match King.’’ William’s Personal Interest William put his first savings—and some of his later ones too—into the securities backed by the house of the Match King. His subsequent losses intensified his interest in the part and led him into a serious study of the man and his methods. ‘Probably no man will ever 9 again what that man did,’’ he says. ‘At least it will take a generation for an international swindler .of like proportions to appear. The man was a colossal figure. His exploits make those of all other manipulators look small and unimportant.’? Lili Damita, playing the role of the sterious actress, who Senta » volved in the career of the real mateh king. Damita was a favorite in three European courts when he was something of a power behind a half « dozen thrones. Like many others Damita is beginning to want to forget the man. Sometimes she would say she knew him, sometimes she would deny it. Amazingly True Story ‘““The Match King’’ paraphrases the most amazing true story of the country. It is a true story which no one would have believed a year ago and which the next generation may find it difficult to swallow. But right now it’s fiction, based on fact and the most sensational picture material in the history of the movies. The story was written by EHinar Thorvaldson in novel form and adapted for the screen by Houston Branch and Sidney Sutherland. There is an exceptional supporting cast in this picture, which includes such names as Glenda Farrell, Hardie Albright, Juliette Compton, Claire Dodd, Spencer Charters, Murray Kinnell, Harold Huber and John Wray. It was directed by Howard Bretherton and William Keighley. Cut No. 5 AT THE STRAND WARREN WILLIAM and LILI DAMITA, who are appearing at the Strand in the new First National drama, “The Match King.” It will be on view uniil Friday. Cut 380c Mati10c