The Petrified Forest (Warner Bros.) (1936)

“THE PETRIFIED FOREST” Amazed Desert Pioneer “*Death Valley’’ Scotty, most famous of desert explorers, shown above with Leslie Howard and Bette Davis, was astounded at the naturalness of the desert created on a Warner Bros. sound stage for ‘‘The Petrified Forest,’’ now at the ... Mat No. Se ee Theatre. Reporter Visits Set Of Sherwood’s Magic Mesa Sees Enchanting Sights And Scenes Unfold For “The Petrified Forest” By DAN MAINWARING Somehow, writers find amazingly interesting things hap pening in the ‘oddest places. Samuel Hopkins Adams found plenty to write about in a night bus. Maybe we don’t keep our eyes open. But we’ve ridden in lots of buses and the only thing out of the way was an unkempt fellow who insisted on sleeping on our shoulder and a woman who got sick on the curves. Vicki Baum found real drama in a big hotel. We’ve been in all kinds of hotels but there were never any suicides or murders — nothing more exciting than a drunk who kept riding up and down in the elevator. We must be blind. For years now we’ve been driving around the United States, stopping at service stations to wash our hands, stopping at road side cafes for sandwiches and coffee. Nothing ever happened. The gas station attendants always washed our windshield and filed the tank and checked the oil. The cafe waitresses always brought us slices of bread and tough beef swimming in a tasteless, brown liquid with pale, watery mashed potatoes on the side. Yet Robert Emmet Sherwood went to a barbecue stand and service station in the Arizona desert and found a number of exciting things going on. He found a killer, a beautiful desert girl who wanted golden vineyards and dancing in the streets, a writer who wanted to die, an old desert grandfather who was happy because a real desperado was on the loose again, a life-starved banker’s wife — he found any number of vivid and vital people. ; They rebuilt Sherwood’s desert rendezvous out at Warner Bros.’ studio and in it they put on film the record of what he saw happening there, so we stopped by one day and had a look at the set of “The Petrified Forest,” which comes to the. .................-. yD Se || eee ener There were Alan Squier, the writer; the gleeful Gramp; Chis Page Twenty-four holm, the banker, symbol of all unimaginative men; Mrs. Chisholn, who was finding out about life; Joseph, the obsequious chauffeur; and Pyles, the negro bandit who was proud of his race. As we went in, Mantee was saying in his dead-level voice: “Just keep in mind that I and the boys are candidates for hanging and the minute anybody makes a wrong move, I’m going to kill the whole lot of you.” Mayo introduced us to Sherwood’s characters. The gangster is a@ nice, quiet fellow named Humphrey Bogart, new to films, who played the same part on the stage. Leslie Howard is the writer. Charlie Grapewin is Gramp. He wrote the song, “I’m Afraid to Go Home in the Dark” so you can guess how old he is. Genevieve Tobin is the banker’s wife. Paul Harvey is the banker. Slim Thompson is Pyles. John Alexander is Joseph. Bette Davis is Gabby Maple, who craves some street dancing. She wasn’t in the scene we saw. Nor was Dick Foran, who is Boze, nor Porter Hall, who plays Jason Maple, proprietor of Mr. Sherwood’s barbecue stand. If we could see people like Sherwood’s desert inhabitants; if we could hear dialogue like they speak in “The Petrified Forest”; if we could witness such wild goings on, we would spend our life in Arizona. But we have a feeling that Arizona is a quiet, peaceful place. We are sure that all the excitement is in the mind of Sherwood, who like Herriman, creator of Krazy Kat, finds enchantment on the mesas when the wind is blowing and the stars are out. Bette Davis Is Hurt While Making Film Bette Davis, Warner Bros. star, now playing opposite Leslie Howard in ‘‘The Petrified Forest,’’ which comes to the .............ccc. ENGAtre=ON so » Was painfully injured when she slipped and fell outside a sougd stage. Because of the dust on the stage, where the Robert Sherwood play was being filmed, Miss Davis had her dressing room moved outside. As she walked through the rain to the dressing room, she slipped on a wet board and sprained her leg badly. She was unable to work for several days. Miss Tobin Takes Dogs Swimming yenevieve Tobin, who has an important role with Leslie Howard and Bette Davis in the Warner Bros. picture, ‘‘The Petrified Forest,’’ which comes to the ................ Theatre on likes to swim, but she never swims alone, Miss Tobin has ten pedigreed West Highland terriers that also like to swim. When. she goes to the ocean for a dip she always takes them with her. Bette Davis Gives Hair For Charity Bette Davis, whose fans besiege her with requests for locks of hair, figured out a way to kill two birds with one stone. Obviously unable to furnish hair for all her fans, Miss Davis, who shares stellar honors with Leslie Howard in the Warner Bros. picture “The Petrified Forest,” which comes Theatre , decided to give several curls to charity agen cies for auction, with the pro ceeds from the sales to be used in aiding unfortunates. The curls were clipped from the mass of golden hair Miss Davis saved when she was bobbed. Film Boom Boy Becomes Actor For four years, Francis Schide was a boom boy at Warner Bros., studio. Day after day he has stood behind the camera, holding the microphone over the heads of stars. But Director Arehie L. Mayo gave Schide his first chance to act in pictures, a part in the “Petrified Forest” now showing 2a en AV heey i BSE SY Theatre, costarring Leslie Howard and Bette Davis. Mayo needed a tall, lean fellow to play the part of the telephone lineman opposite Eddie Acuff. The casting office sent over a number of actors, but they didn’t suit Mayo. He said they didn’t look like he thought Arizona linemen ought to look. Finally he went over to Schide. “Go over to wardrobe and get a lineman’s outfit,’ Mayo said. “Ym going to try you out.” Schide got the costume. He went through the scene with Acuff, like a veteran. Leslie Howard’s Car Attracts Attention Leslie Howard’s car has attracted more attention than any automobile ever brought on the Warner Bros. lot, not excepting Al Jolson’s Ford roadster with the Brewster body. Howard is co-starred with Bette Davis in Robert Sherwood’s “The Petrified Forest,” showing at the ................ Theatre. The Howard automobile is an Avis, made in England. It is an underslung, black touring car and the back seat is always covered. Publicity e In Love Triangle Bette Davis, Leslie Howard and Dick Foran (right) in a desert love scene in Warner Bros.’ ‘‘The Petrified Forest,’’ the film version of the Broadway stage success in which Mr. Howard starred all last season. It is now playing at the Mat No. ae ae eee Theatre. 206—20¢ Crowds Embarrass Leslie Howard Leslie Howard, star of the Warner Bros. picture, ‘‘The Petrified Forest’’ which comes to the ............ eee Lhesive=ole .sane: has been embarrassed many times. But he tells of his most terrifying experience. when going from New York to Hollywood to work in his current picture. ; Howard stopped in Chicago and was strolling along one of the main streets. A crowd began to follow him. Being a modest fellow, he doesn’t like autograph hunters. He ducked into a men’s clothing store and went up to the counter. ““A tie please,’’ he asked a salesman, looking over his shoulder at the people waiting outside. He got his tie and slipped out by the alley door. Actor Hurt In Film Stage Traffic Automobile accidents are common enough on city streets and highways. Seldom does one hear of one on a motion picture souad stage, but Adrian Morris, who plays a gangster in Warner Bros.’ ‘““The Petrified Forest,’’ which COmes: 0: th .oa esc Theatre Olas ciate , was injured in a traffic accident while working on a sound stage. Morris was in a scene in which he leaps on the running board of a& moving car and hangs on. He made the jump all right but the door came open and he was hurled against a pile of rocks. An X-ray showed that a bone in his left hand was broken. Eddie Acuff Kept Busy In Films Eddie Acuff, a recent addition to the list of Warner Bros. contract players, is kept as busy as the proverbial paperhanger with one hand. While he was still working in a comedy role in ‘‘Miss Pacific Fleet’’ he was assigned to a part in ‘‘The Petrified Forest,’’ now showing at the ..............00... Theatre. He had to ‘‘double’’ between the two stages every day While he was still working in the latter production he began a featured comedy role in ‘‘ Backfire.’’ Special Cuspidor Humphrey Bogart, who pla the role of a killer in Warn Bros.’ ‘*The Petrified Forest,’’ which comes to the ..............0..00. Theatre sOneriivienivixceveseens , finds no cause for complaint in the modern theatre. At Elmira, where he once had taken William A. Brady’s “‘Tochinvar,’’ the receipts were $6. A drunk bought a ticket and proferred a $20 bill. There was no change in the till and so he was placed in a box seat while the cashier scurried for change. All through the first act the drunk kept expectorating on the stage. ““Kick him out,’’ Walter Abels, star of the show, imsisted. But Bogart had a better idea. When the second act curtain rose it revealed an extra scenic effect not called for by the designer of the setting, a glorious, white spittoon! Howard’s Pipe Tastes Like Cabbage For more than eight months, day in and day out, Leslie Howard smoked a pipe he didn’t like. There was a reason. The pipe is Howard’s talisman. His daughter, Leslie, gave it to him when ‘“The Petrified Forest’’ opened in New York. He smoked the pipe on the stage the opening night and every night thereafter during run. And when Howard came to Hollywood to make the play into a picture for Warner Bros., he brought along the pipe that cost fifty cents at most. And he smoked it every day during the filming of the picture. Howard is co-starred with Bette Davis in the film which comes to. the ....:...53....:. Theatre ONS tices ines ; Actor Keeps Strict Account Of Money Most actors are careless about money. Charley Grapewin, character actor, playing in ‘‘ The Petrified Forest’? showing at the ............ placa csPies Theatre, isn’t. Grapewin has an account book in which he has a record of every cent he has taken in and every cent he has spent for 42 years. Shortly after his marriage to Anna Chance, Grapewin began keeping the financial account.