The Prince and the Pauper (Warner Bros.) (1937)

“THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER™ * * SYNOPSIS, SHORTS, PROGRAM FILLER PUBLICITY Yoo St6r4 In London on a night in 1547, cannons suddenly boom out for the birth of an heir to Henry VIII (Montagu Love). At the same moment in a squalid hovel in Offal Court an heir is born to John Canty (Barton MacLane), thief, murderer, beggar and all-around no-good. Ten years elapse. Canty resents his son Tom (Billy Mauch) trying to gain an education from Father Andrew (Fritz Leiber), a kindly priest, and beats him to make him beg. Caught in a rain storm one night, the boy sneaks into the pal ace grounds and goes to sleep under a beneh. Meanwhile, Prince Edward (Bobby Mauch) is called by the ferrety Earl of Hertford (Claude Rains), at his father’s bidding. The King is ill and knows he can’t live long and pledges his son to follow in his footsteps. Hertford, plotting against the Duke of Norfolk (Henry Stephenson), great popular favorite, has wheedled the King into naming him Lord Protector of the Prince after the monarch’s death, but official proclamation is delayed by chance. The Prince goes out in the palace groinds to get his dog and finds the Captain of the Guard (Alan Hale) unmercifully beating Tom. Edward threatens the Captain and takes Tom into his quarters to play. As a lark, the boys change costumes and when Tom washes his face and combs his hair they are amazed at his resemblance to the Prince. Edward smudges his face with soot, and runs out to find his dog. The Captain, smarting under the Prinee’s rebuke, sees Edward in the pauper’s tattered clothes, mis takes him for Tom, beats him and throws him out of the palace grounds. Awakening in the palace, Tom is amazed when addressed as Prinee Edward. When he protests, everyone, including the King, thinks he’s unbalanced as the result of overstudy — that is, everyone but the shrewd Ilertford and the Captain who discover Tom really is a beggar boy. The Captain goes out to find the real Prince and get rid of him permanently. Meanwhile, Edward, thrown out of the palace, meets Miles Hendon (Errol Flynn), a swashbuckling soldier of fortune, who befriends him. Edward insists to him that he is the right heir to the throne, and to humor him, while disbelieving, Hendon pretends that he does. After spending a night in a tavern, Edward slips away from Hendon, seeking to get back to the palace when he hears the King is dead, but encounters Canty who, mistaking him for Tom, his son, beats him unmercifully. Father Andrew intervenes and is killed when Canty hits him over the head. Hendon, on a search for Edward, puts up at a Tavern. While he is making love to the barmaid (Phillis Barry), Canty, intent on rob bing a wealthy traveler, pushes Edward through an upstairs window to do the deed. The intended vietim awakens and gives chase. Edwardgin panic, runs down the stairs, Hendon sees him and overtakes him, They are caught by the guard and the Captain, who has been seeking Edward, after Hendon has killed Canty in a fight. Hendon is imprisoned, but the Captain earries Edward off on the pretext he is a runaway. The barmaid euts Hendon’s bonds and after a mad ride he encounters the Captain and his two companions as they are about to kill Edward. He kills the three of them in combat and with Edward starts for the palace. Meanwhile, at the palace, Hertford has persuaded Tom to name him Lord Protector, and to sign many bills which are injurious to the country at large, but very helpful to Hertford himself. The Duke of Norfolk is thrown into prison to prevent his intervention, and the coronation ceremony, which will put a pauper in the British throne, is begun. As the erown is about to be placed on the protesting beggar boy’s head, Edward fights his way through the crowd and orders the ceremony stopped. The dilemma is solved by Tom reminding Edward of the hidden great seal, which Hertford has been unable to find, and it is agreed if Edward can tell where it is, his story, coupled with that of Tom’s, will establish his identity. Edward leads them to the hiding place, Norfolk seizes control, and Edward is crowned King, while the traitorous Hertford is exiled along with his henchmen. Tom is given a high place in the court, and Hendon, preferring fighting more than idleness at court, accepts a large money reward and goes on his way adventuring. Errol Flynn as the loving, fighting, thrilling Miles Hendon defends the Kina masque rading ax a pauper from Barton MacLane (left) who plays the brutal John Canty in this aripping scene from ‘‘The Prince and the Pauper,’’ First National film version of Mark Twain's immortal tale of a boyish prank which almost wrec ‘ed an empire. It’s now playing at the Theatre. Mat No. 203—20¢c Page Twenty-four Up A Villain Claude Rains, arch villain of the screen, has the finishing touches put on his make-up as a sixteenth century courtier by a member of the First National staff for his role in *‘ The Prince and the Pauper,’’ the picturization of Mark Twain’s immortal novel which comes to the ... Theatre, on . Mat No. 204—20c Wew Film Is Based On Famous Novel Modern writers who bring down the wrath of governments on their heads by a too pointed reference to actual history might learn a lesson from the example of Mark Twain, famous American humorist and man of letters. In his foreword to ‘‘The Prince and the Pauper,’’ which incidentally will be repeated at the start of the First National picture of that name now being shown at ‘the Theatre, Twain cleverly side-stepped possible criticism in this manner: ‘‘This is not a history, but a tale of once upon a time, so it may have happened, it may not have happened, but it could have happened.’’ Which, anyone will agree, is completely disarming, and a_person who would take issue with his text after that must indeed be captious. His story, as the tens of thousands who have read it know, deals with an incident at the close of the reign of Henry VIII of England and the accession of his heir, Prince Edward Tudor, to the throne. Twain pictured the eourt of the dying ruler as beset with intrigue among ambitious men eager to rule as Regent during the young Prince’s minority. Edward Tudor he saw as a lonely little boy who eagerly adopted Tom Canty, son of a pauper, as a playmate when chanee threw them together. It would have been a harmless prank had not the boys, for a lark, exchanged clothes; and then the Prinee, hunting for his dog, was mistaken by the Captain of the Guard for the beggar boy and thrown out of the palaee grounds. This mishap set into aetion an exciting chain of circumstances that almost resulted in the real beggar boy being erowned King of England, and might have aetu ally done so, had it not been for the strong right arm of Miles Handon, swashbuckling soldier of fortune, who restored the Prince to his rightful place. Twain introduced satire into this amusing story, but it also is absorbing as an adventure yarn. First National is fortunate in having the 12-year-old Mauch twins, Billy and Bobby, in the title roles. Billy, who already has won acelaim by his outstanding considerable performanee as the young Anthony in ‘‘ Anthony Adverse,’’ portrays the pauper, while his brother has the role of the Prince. It is Bobby’s first screen appearance, although he has starred with his brother on the stage and the radio. Errol Flynn, who has soared to stardom in less than a year by his work in ‘‘Captain Blood’’ and ‘‘The Charge of the Light Brigade,’’ has the part of Miles Hendon. DUEL RAPIER A FAMILY RELIC The rapier Errol Flynn uses in his swashbuekling role in ‘*The Prinee and the Pauper,’’ now at the : Theatre, is a family heirloom, sent from England and supposedly packed, at one time, by an Trish adventurer. The latter was a several-timesgreat uncle of the aetor, according to family reeords. The rapier had lost most of its temper through age, so it was re-tempered at the studio, since Flynn had to fight a movie duel with it. ‘‘The Prinee and the Pauper,’’ directed by William Keighley, ecostars Flynn and the 12-year-old Maueh twins, Billy and Bobby. TWINS SHARE ALL TALENTS 4 If you should want Billy Mauch for a radio program and put in a eall to the Mauch home, the youngster probably would appear promptly but you’d never know whether he was Billy or his twin brother Bobby. The 12-year-olds are identical twins and are equally talented as radio, stage or sereen performers, They are now playing the title roles in ‘*The Prinee and the Pau per,’’ at the Theatre. ROGLUM Although “The Prince and the Pauper” has been produced a score of times as a stage play and once as a silent movie, this is the first time that the two title roles have been filled by two actors. In all previous performances one person had to do both roles. Although “The Prince and the Pauper” was not filmed in color, the 16th Century costumes worn in it, are the most richly colored ones in the entire wardrobe department of First National’s studio. And they’re in the authentic colors which history books prescribe for court costumes, Errol Flynn, whose itch for adventure is constantly with him, recently snatched at the opportunity provided him for a short vacation to rush off to war-torn Spain, and get a first-hand picture of the revolution. Barton MacLane, film bad man extraordinary, is so soft-hearted in real life that he can never resist the forlorn appeal of the derelict cats and dogs. He sends them all out to his ranch, and the number of his pets doubles almost weekly. Errol Flynn recently wrote an original scenario — “The White Rajah,” which was purchased by the Warner Bros.-First National studios. He will play the title role when the picture is produced in the near future. Errol Flynn once worked for a day as a bottle smeller. His job was to sort out the bottles that had been used for kerosine from those which had contained less odorous fluids. For six weeks after that, he was unable to smell anything. Helen Valkis recently received a surprise check for $500. in payment of an odd bet made three years ago. Helen bet that she would be in movies before April 1, 1937, her aunt bet that she wouldn’t. Helen slipped under the line with her recent role in “The Prince and the Pauper.” Phyllis Barry who is a member of the Temperance League, plays a barmaid in the picture. Mr. Mauch, father of the twins, Billy and Bobby, can usually tell them apart, but he’s been fooled too often to feel sure about it. He won’t make any bets on which is which, now, having lost too many times already. NAG O.K. HERE ‘‘Jubilo,’? a raee horse of doubtful fame to the losers who bet on him at Santa Anita last year, worked ‘‘extra’’ in ‘‘ThePrinee and the Pauper,’’ now showing at the Theatre. He was used in street scenes and wore a medieval saddle with long stirrups instead of the slight, short-stirrupped saddle he carried on the race track. FILMLAND FOOD SWEET Erie Portman, recently recruited from the London stage for pictures, says his biggest difficulty in becoming used to Hollywood is the difference in food. ‘‘ Everything seems so sweet to the taste,’’ he says, ‘‘but I’m getting accustomed to it.’? Portman is now in ‘‘The Prince and the Pauper,’’ the Mark Twain romance which comes to the Theatre OM ......:0e '