The Petrified Forest (Warner Bros.) (1936)

“THE PETRIFIED FOREST” Actresses Not Born But Made, Says Bette Davis Technique Essential To Good Acting Says Star Of ‘Petrified Forest” There is no such thing as a natural born actress or actor. That’s what any well-trained, experienced actor will tell you, anyway. Mothers, of course, will tell you something different—for it seems a tradition that most of them think their children are ‘‘ natural born Thespians.’’ Just as a pianist falls short of greatness when he plays In The Shadow Of Doom by ear with stiff, uneasy fingers, so does an actor depend on projecting emotion by the very thing that pianist also needs, technique. Let’s take the case of Bette Davis, Warner Bros. player now starring with Leslie Howard in ‘The Petrified Forest’’. at the oe ee iiss ok BOabre. lt any. mother ever came elose to truth when remarking that her daughter was a ‘‘natural born actress,’’ it must have been Mrs. Ruth Davis, 3ette’s mother. A young woman who can give such immortal performances as hers in ‘‘Of Human Bondage,’’ ‘‘Bordertown,’’ and ““Dangerous,’’ and ‘‘ The Petrified Forest’’ must have talent bordering on genius. But could Bette Davis have given those performances without training, without technique? As far back as her high school days, Bette Davis was both studying dramaties and playing in the school theatricals. Upon graduation from Newton, Mass., high school and Cushing Academy, Bette went to New York, and enrolled in the John Murray Anderson dramatic school, where she won a scholarship and high honors. Stil more training in Provineetown stage plays followed before she was ready for Broadway. And several Broadway plays finished the preparation for the screen. And even then Bette’s apprenticeship was not ended, for she played bits and minor roles for many months before at last she scored. Undoubtedly, Bette Davis knows her technique. There are, however, a few ‘‘Do’s’’ and ‘‘Dont’s’’ that may be easily expressed, and Bette Davis, following her final fadeout in ‘*The Petrified Forest’? took time to illustrate just what they are. Do you know how to light a cigarette for a lady? So that your hand doesn’t cover her face, of course! And the lady, herself, will hold her cigarette in graceful fingers, well below the chin. That’s so facial expression won’t be lost. Action with a newspaper also is done in profile, so as not to hide your features? And _ that, seated facing the audience, you’ll look better Gif you’re a lady) with one foot slightly forward, slightly pointed outward, and gracefully arched, rather than crossing your feet or your knees? Go on to the hands. Now, most people’s hands seem a little large and a little awkward and very much in the way, at times. And they show it. But for an actor, that’s fatal. So he must learn what to do with them. Rule 1 is that they should never be flung about carelessly, for that detracts from the object or emotion on which interest must be concentrated. When there’s nothing else to do with them, it’s a good idea to clasp them lightly in front of you. Keep them away from your mouth—away from your faee and make them ‘‘mean something.’? Gestures as a rule should be free and easy, unless of course, you’re portraying a niggardly person who would be sparing even in gesture. A gesture that starts only from the elbow is usually poor. It should be made from the shoulder. Here, briefly, are a few of the other rules Bette Davis says dem Leslie Howard and Bette Davis, the lovers who stopped the heart of the Bette Davis Hits Low Mark In Gown Cost For her role in ‘*The Petrified Forest,’’ Warner Bros. picture now showing at the ................ Theatre, Bette Davis’ clothes added but little to production costs, reaching a grand total of a dollar-ninetyfive! Throughout the picture, she wears but one dress, and, a triumph of the well-known Davis chic, she still manages to look smart. The frock, a candy-striped cotton, is sleeveless and has a wide brown grosgrain ribbon -bow under the tailored collar. world in ‘‘Of Human Bondage,’’ set it pounding again in ‘‘ Petrified Forest,’’ the Warner Bros. drama coming to the .eccccccccccccecccccecccescccscosscosee. Theatre on ..... Mat No. 209—20ce onstrate the importance of technique: When working with a prop, such as a lamp, do not stoop, but keep an upright position. In an intense scene, a yell will be more effective if the body is held upright and not in a forward position. When doing a scene in a legitimate theatre, it should be played to the baleony, so that those people can get a good view of the action. To denote certain types that are above or below average, or normal, these rules are often reversed to get effective characterization. When seated, an upright position should be maintained, and a straight spine. Do not actually lean against the stage furniture, but hold the weight of the body on both feet and merely rest lightly against the object. There you have just the merest start, the faintest suggestion, of what is meant by technique! Master that, and you still may never make an actor, or an actress! “*Technique is simply the best means to an end,’’ says Miss Davis. ‘‘You can have all the technique in the world, and still not be a good actress. “After all, rules are dead things, calculated to make you do the things to be done in the best, most effective or telling way. It’s talent that really counts. To be an actress you have to have both, and technique is only the start! ?’ **The Petrified Forest’’ is Robert Emmet Sherwood’s thrilling drama of love and heroism, starring Leslie Howard and Miss Davis. Others in the cast include Meanest Roles Most Appealing To Bette Davis Bette Davis. who is co-starred with Leslie Howard in the Warner Bros. production, ‘‘The Petrified Forest,’’ now showing at the Aaa canneries Theatre, likes to play mean characters. ‘*Marie Antoinette appeals to me more than any other character in history,’’ she said. ‘‘I’d like to play her. Also I’d like to do Hedvig in Ibsen’s ‘Wild Dueck.’ She was only 14, but I think I could catch her wild, free spirit. Or Maisie in Kipling’s ‘Light That Failed.’ She’s the type of cruel, wilful wench I like to portray. ‘Of course, [ should be delighted to play with Leslie in ‘The Apple Tree.’ I learned the cockney dialect to play with him in ‘Of Human Bondage,’ and I’d like to learn the Cornish accent for this one.’”?’ ““The Petrified Forest?’ is a dynamic drama of love and heroic sacrifice by Robert Emmet Sherwood, with Leslie Howard and Bette Davis in the stellar roles. Others in the east inelude Humphrey Bogart, Genevieve Tobin, Charley Grapewin, Dick Foran and Porter Hall. The screen play is by Charles Kenyon and Delmer Daves. Genevieve Tobin, Humphrey Bogart, Charley Grapewin, Dick Foran, Porter Hall and Joseph Sawyer. Archie Mayo directed. Pubtictity «¢@ Bette Davis Wins Success Only Under Stormy Skies Actress In ‘Petrified Forest’? Can’t See Lucky Star For Rain Clouds It rained out of season the day they started work on the Warner Bros. production of ‘‘The Petrified Forest,’’ which COMIRG Tire Theatre On 2545 Bette Davis seemed happy. She went through her opening scenes with a quiet exultation and calmness instead of the usual first day nervousness. For rain has played a strange part in the destiny of the actress since her birth. Every drastic change, every fortunate oceurence in her life has happened during a rainstorm. When Bette was born in a Boston hospital, a raging storm beat against the window beside her erib. When she grew older, her mother half joking and half serious told the wide eyed tot she was a ‘‘rain gark2 ‘Don’t expect a calm and plaeid life, Bette,’’ she said. ‘‘It will be as stormy and eventful as the day when you were born. You’ll never see your lucky star because it will be hidden by rain clouds. But, mark my words, it will be there.’’ Now, to Bette, it is more than a superstition. Rain has dogged her so consistently that she has come to aecept this phenomenon as part of her fate. She graduated from high school with the hem of her new gown bedraggled from running through a shower to the auditorium. She shivered from a cold, depressing drizzle on the day she first went to New York to take up a stage career in earnest. The first night of every drama in which she played, which was a success, found a storm discouraging audiences. Hollywood called her, but only to great disappointments. She thought herself a failure on the screen and was packing her bag to Fatal To Film Lovers return to New York. It was raining. She _ believed this a good omen for her return to the stage, the field where she belonged. It proved differently. The same day she was called by Warner Bros. studios for a part in the George Arliss picture, ‘‘The Man Who Played God.’’ The role established her among leading sereen actresses. The turning point in her career was ‘‘Of Human Bondage.’’ During her first day’s work an incessant downpour turned the sound stage into a clammy ice-box. The role of ‘‘Mildred’’ in that picture brought her recognition by all critics as one of the finest performances seen on the screen. Strangest of all was her experience while being married! She eloped to Yuma with Harmon Nelson, a young orchestra leader and schooldays sweetheart. They motored home through the desert in the middle of a hot summer night. ‘Suddenly it started to rain gloriously for no reason at all,’’ the actress related. ‘‘We were in the middle of the desert in the middle of the summer, the last place in the world to expect a downpour.’’ ‘«The Petrified Forest’? is Robert Emmet Sherwood’s thrilling drama of love and heroism, starring Leslie Howard and Miss Davis. Once more teamed with Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, the screen’s most “* Dangerous’’ woman, holds him in ‘‘Bondage’’ again, and gives what critics declare to be the finest portrayal of her entire career in “* Petrified Forest’’ the Warner Bros. hit now showing at the ...................... Theatre. Mat No. 212—20ce Page Twenty-one