The Sisters (Warner Bros.) (1938)

Current PUBLICITY SSS SSSESSSe (Review) Errol Flynn And Bette Davis Score Hit In “The Sisters” STORY SYNOPSIS: (not for publication) The break-up of the Elliott famil y circle begins when Louise (Bette Davis) leaves Silver Bow, Montana, to marry a San Francisco Sports writer, Frank } Medlin (Errol Flynn) who later deserts her. Helen (Anita Louise) marries an elderly millionaire and goes off to lead a highly cosmopolitan life, and Grace (Jane Bryan) marries a dull but like. able young banker. When a crisis in her domestic life occurs, her two sisters return to Silver Bow to help her, and there smooth out their own tangled love affairs, as well, “The Sisters” which opened yesterday at the Strand Theatre is three-point entertainment news. It costars Bette Davis _and.Errol..Flynn—for~the first timéy~itvis*the picturization of Myron Brinig’s novel which has been one of the best sellers of recent years; and it is as vigorous a drama as this cinematic year has produced. Flynn and Miss Davis do the most striking acting jobs of their respective and brilliant careers— in roles that are completely new departures for them both. The starring combination is a truly happy one, and film audiences will undoubtedly be clamoring for more. The story of “The Sisters” covers the four years between the Presidential elections of Teddy Roosevelt and Taft, and the dynamie relationship between the derlust, and at last, believing ter off without him, he ships a boat--bound for the Ovient-” That night, the historie San quake begins, and Bette narrowly eseapes with }; life. Thrillingly photographed, the scenes show : the catastrophe sweeping over the city, carrying fire and destruction in its wake, and the mounting terror of the people caught in its toils, are some of the most spectacular ever screened. Later, when Jane’s banker husband becomes involved with a “shady lady,” she sends out the 8.0.8. signal to her two sisters and they come home to help her. In helping her, they settle their that she wil] be het. § a seaman abéard a Francisco earth, Ing 2% Mat 207—30c IT'S LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT for the brilliant co-starring team of Errol Flynn and Bette Davis when they meet at the election ball in "The Sisters," dramatic screen version of the best-selling novel by Myron Brinig, which has its first local showing at the Strand Theatre today. (Opening Day) Flynn And Bette Davis Mat 106—15c : Mat 105—13* ‘ unrivalled for sheer dram: Bette Davis : a. Besides the two stars, others Errol Flynn Teamed In “The Sisters” Warner Picturization Of Well-known Brinig Novel Opens At Strand Today Teamed together for the first time in their sensationally successful careers, Errol Flynn and Bette Davis come to the sereen of the Strand Theatre today in Warner Bros.’ lavishly produced film version of one of the biggest selling novels of recent years, “The Sisters,” by Myron Brinig. Besides the two great stars in the leading roles, the cast of “The Sisters” boasts a_ really breath-taking array of names. The two sisters of Miss Davis are portrayed by Anita Louise and Jane Bryan, their parents are played by Henry Travers and Beulah Bondi, and other important roles are filled by Ian Hunter, Donald Crisp, Dick Foran, Patrice Knowles, Lee Patrick and Laura Hope Crews. As readers of the novel will recall, the story is concerned with the fortunes of three beautiful sisters who start their lives in a small Montana town, and most of the interest is centered about the brave struggle for happiness of the eldest sister, played by Miss Davis. Only the youngest remains in the town where she was born, content with a humdrum existence as the wife of a dull but prosperous banker. The second girl, who is the family beauty, makes a career of marrying for money and position, and she does well at it, becoming a cosmopolitan person of the really ultra sort as she casually changes from one husband to another. The oldest girl, however, falls in love with a charming news Mat 110—l5e BETTE DAVIS — Plays Louise, who dares build her life on the love of a man no other women could hold, in "The Sisters," dynamic romantic drama opening at the Strand today. [6] paperman played by Errol Flynn, who is afflicted with itching feet and has little of the will-power necessary to get ahead in the world. Moving to San Francisco, she is eventually deserted by her wandering husband on the very eve of the great earthquake and fire of 1906. The great catastrophe of 1906 as experienced and witnessed by the deserted wife is exciting and impressively depicted in the film, but no one sequence in the picture is likely to excite as much interest in audiences as the fidelity and naturalness with which the spirit and trappings of a period that is but recent history has been recaptured in “The Sisters.” Starlet Astounded At ‘1900’ Customs Until the day that she was shown her wardrobe for “The Sisters,” the Warner Bros. picture opening today at the Strand Theatre, Jane Bryan had never seen a corset, much less worn one. Jane is just twenty years old, By corset is meant the old fashioned kind that really held the feminine figure prisoner and made it conform with the modes of the day through use of whalebone and steel ribs. “T’ve never Mat 112—15¢ really believed that women wore these,” she confided to her wardrobe woman when she tried on the contraption for the first time. “And certainly I never thought I'd get into one of them myself.” But into one she went, while the wardrobe women showed her how to fasten the steel eyelets and pull the laces tight — laces that reduced her waist almost to the vanishing point. “They’re coming back into style again, too,” said the wardrobe attendant. “We’re making new ones, on slightly more modern lines but just as shapely, for every feminine player on the lot. Orry-Kelly says all smart women will be wearing them by winter.” | “Which proves something or other,” sighed Jane, a little breathlessly beeause of the corset, “probably that smart women aren’t really smart.” Jane Bryan people and the age in which they lived has been caught in an amazing fashion. The three Elliott sisters, played by Bette Davis, Anita Louise and Jane Bryan, are the most beautiful girls at the election ball in Silver Bow, Montana, but from that night on, the sisters weave their cheequered careers in widely varied patterns. Bette elopes to San Francisco with a fascinating young newspaperman, played by Flynn. Miss Louise, the second sister, succumbs to the wooing of a middle-aged millionaire (Alan Hale) who promises her a glittering, cosmopolitan life in New York and London. Miss Bryan, the only one content to remain in Silver Bow, marries the town banker, played by Dick Foran. Life with Flynn brings both happiness and suffering to Bette. He is possessed of an incurable wan Jeffries Superivsed Fight Scenes One of America’s most famous boxing rings was recreated at the Warner Bros. Studio under the supervisory eye of a man who, in it, made ring history. The man was James J. Jeffries. The ring was a replica of that stained patch of canvas on which Jeffries, in three successive years, knocked out, in turn, Bob Fitzsimmons, James Corbett, and Jack Monroe. All of the fights took place in San Francisco. Jeffries fought Fitzsimmons July 25, 1902, winning by a knockout in the eighth round. A year later, on August 14, he knocked out Monroe in a brief and on August 26, 1904, Jeffries knocked out Monroe in a brief two rounds. Warners. hired Jeffries as a technical advisor for a fight scene that is a highlight of the new Bette Davis-Errol Flynn eostarring picture, “The Sisters,” a story of the early 1900’s, which has its first local showing today at the Strand Theatre. Mat 104—15¢ ERROL FLYNN — As Frank Medlin, a writer torn between wanderlust and the love of a woman, in the screen version of Myron Brinig's novel, "The Sisters," which opens at the Strand. Patrick. Frisco Quake First Disaster Radioed Many interesting but little known facts concerning the San Francisco earthquake and fire were uncovered by Dr. Herman Lissauer, head of the Warner Bros. Studio research department, while gathering authentic data for the quake scenes in “The Sis ; ters,’ the Warner Bros. picture costarring Bette Davis and Errol Flynn which comes to the Strand Theatre today. Some te of these facts Mat 108—15e_ follow: Donald Crisp The disaster was the first to be reported by wireless. After the telegraph service had failed, the navy wireless station at Mare Island, one of the first on the Pacific coast, kept the world apprised of the situation in the ruined city by the Golden Gate. The Sunday following the quake and fire saw the greatest number of weddings celebrated in San Francisco’s history. Betrothed couples by the hundreds decided that since they had survived the disaster they might as well get married then as ever. They would have been out of luck, however, had not the city clerk reeeived a book of marriage license forms from the ruins of the city hall the previous Friday. During the fire following the quake the flames were fought with wine instead of water in many sections of the Latin quarter. The water mains had all broken, of course, so the Latins cracked open their wine casks in a useless effort to stem the advance of the flames. Donald Crisp, who has a featured role in “The Sisters,” was one of the au thorities consulted by Dr. Lissauer, because Crisp was an eye: Witness of the historic trophe of the vear 1906, catas 2 Motion Pictures Are Your Best Entertainment e own affairs in a climax that is of the splendid cast who stand out are Anita Louise, as the thrill-seeking sister; Jane Bryan, as the home-body; Henry Travers and Beulah Bondi, who do superlative work as the parents of the girls; and Donald Crisp, Alan Hale, Ian Hunter, Dick Foran, Patric Knowles, Laura Hope Crews and Lee Anatole Litvak, working from the seript by Milton Krims, did a flawless job of direction, and special credit must also be given Orry-Kelly for the costumes, and to Art Director Carl Weyl and his staff of ‘technicians for catching so perfeetly the spirit of the period in which the story is laid A full-bodied drama, with romance, tragedy and comedy rubbing elbows, even as they do in real life, it is a memorable entertainment experience for the whole family. Wanted To Show Ma The first day Bette Davis worked in “The Sisters,” the Warner | Bros. picture running at the Strand Theatre, she forbade the hairdressers to touch the “Gibson girl” pompadour of 1904, which Bette wore for this production, so that she could wear her hair home that way and “show my mother exactly what she looked like during her days in school.” Anita Louise has been voted _ ‘‘the most beautiful blonde film actress’’ in another far-flung pre cinet—Finland—according to word: received at the Warner Bros. Stu: dio, where she recently played i ‘¢The Sisters,’’ the aftraction now showing at the Strand Theatre. It was Anita’s forty-fourth ‘‘most beautiful’? selection on record; this time by Finland’s National Society of Artists and Sculptors. Most Beautiful Blonde Mat 102-1 ANITA LOUISE — as Helen “i ) foregoes love for the g!! * tinsel of a cosmopolitan life, | eS Sisters,” the deeply a a which has its first local sho the Strand Theatre today at