They Call it Sin (Warner Bros.) (1932)

CURRENT FEATURE STORIES Current Feature George Brent, Fighting Man, Wins Battle for Film Honors 1932 Lucky for Screen’s Newest Idol — Got His Big Break Playing Opposite Ruth Chatterton George Brent, who has recently been assigned to a series of important roles in Warner Bros.-First National pictures, the most re cent of which is ‘‘They Call It Sin,’’ now playing at the Se ee ae Theatre, has discovered that if you have what Hollywood wants, you will eventually get what you want, if you wait long enough. But sometimes the waiting is tedious. It was to George Brent, but he was patient and so at last he was rewarded. This young Irishman is one of the Hollywood lads who stuck it out until he got what he wanted. In doing so, he took the lean days with the good ones—many more of the former, he insists, than of the latter. It would seem that a career has been a fight for him from the beginning. George Brent’s gift for fighting, however, is’ heightened by the fact that he comes from a long line of Irish soldiery. His father was a newspaper man in County Galway, the first Brent in several generations to refuse the military life. But being a newspaper editor, especially in prewar Ireland, was a fighting profession too. Passed Up Journalism for Theatre When it came time for young George to arofession, he __ Gournhe theatre had its way with 7 _.vm the first, even in school. And just around the corner in Dublin, where he had attended the National University, was one of the world’s greatest training schools for a hopeful young actor — the celebrated Abbey Theatre. There he won a favorable hearing almost at once. Bits and walk-ons came his way. Whatever he was called on to do, he did carefully and well. What position he might have attained in this theatre can only be guessed, however. For, at that juncture, Fate threw one of its monkey-wrenches into the machinery of his career. The Irish Revolution broke out. Brent was soon in the thick of it and before long had been made dispatch carrier for Michael Collins, leader of the Gaelic forces. He served in that capacity until Collin’s death. Then, over night, Brent found himself a political refugee. He soon made his way to England and to Plymouth, where he promptly took ship for America. There followed eight years of hard work, a few good breaks, several seasons of stock routine, an occasional Broadway engagement, and more hard work, before the winter of 1932 brought him his present success. During Brent’s stock career, which he pursued in many parts of this country, he played more than three hundred roles. Half a dozen times in those years he succumbed to the managerial urge and organized his own stock troupes. These ventures took place in Florida, in Massachusetts, in northern New York. Also he had a long engagement with the famous stock company at Elitch’s Gardens in Denver. Then he appeared in John Golden’s production of an 8. K. Lauren play, ‘¢Those We Love.’? After that, there came a brief Broadway engagement with Alice Brady in A. H. Woods’ production ‘‘ Love, Honor and wae ae vated. Betray.’’ But the Times Square gods were not smiling as yet. He returned to the stock company routine. Impatient for Broader Fields Despite several successful engagements, the sum total of the years to date had not spelled anything eonspicuous or outstanding for Brent. Nothing to satisfy an ambitious young actor with his eyes on the future. He was impatient for new and broader fields. But where was he to find them? It was then that the motion picture suddenly found its voice. Watching its development over a period of months, Brent decided to try Hollywood—‘‘on spec.?? But Hollywood takes its own time about recognizing talent. Provided you have what it wants, Hollywood gets around to you sooner or later. Meanwhile, you wait. That was what George Brent did—and conspicuo a mae a aerate When finally waiting proved too wearisome and discouraging, he turned his back on Hollywood temporarily and came back to New York. But within the year having set his mind to it, he was back — waiting again—in the capital of the cinema. Then, finally, he learned that First National was looking for a leading man for Ruth Chatterton in ‘‘The Rich Are Always With Us.’’ His agent arranged a test. Remembering the many previous tests that came to little, no one was more astonished than Brent himself when he was promptly signed—not only for’ the single picture but to a long term contract. It was one of those rare occasions when being a new-comer, an unknown in Hollywood, was an asset and not the liability he had found it to be before. Recognition Had Come Following the Chatterton picture, he has appeared in rapid succession in “So Big’” with Barbara Stanwyck, in ‘‘Miss Pinkerton’? with Joan Blondell, in ‘*‘Week-End Marriage’’ with Loretta Young, in ‘‘The Pur chase Price,’’? again with Barbara / Stanwyck. Then he played in another Chatterton picture, ‘‘ The Crash,’’ and finally in his present production, ‘‘They Call It Sin,’’ and once more with Miss Young. In this production the other players are Una Merkel, David Manners, Helen Vinson, Louis Calhern, Joseph Cawthorne, Nella Walker, Elizabeth Patterson and Erville Alderson, under the direction of Thornton Freeland. All these pictures in the last six months. No wonder George Brent counts 1932 his lucky year—it has brought him to the front as the new screen idol of the movie fans. Use the Official Vitaphone Trailer in your own and affiliated houses for best results. An interesting caricature of GEORGE BRENT appearin it LORETTA YOUNG in First National’s “They Call 3 Sin? : Out No. 11 Out 80c Mati10c Current Feature Famous Movie Star at 19, ‘s Alrea ly Lived a Full Life TTR ct cee rename ey re AOE ge ee ELIT E At nineteen, Loretta Young has already had almost all the and sorrows—with one exception—that life has to offer. Yet cynicism, disillusionment, weariness with the world, play nv part in Loretta’s make-up. She is optimistic, fresh, enthusiastic, although fame, career, love and plenty of hard work came to her at an age when most girls were laying aside their dolls and thinking about putting up their hair. The reason for Loretta’s attitude is interesting. It is due to her willingness to try anything twice. The woods are full of people, she says, who will try anything once. But she goes them one better. When Loretta was just a tiny girl, success came to her first as a child actress. A picture in which she appeared with Mae Murray, gave her a start, and for several years she was in demand whenever a pretty, delicate child was needed. But when she reached the so-called ‘‘awkward age,’’ she retired. ‘‘For good,’’ she thought. Gave Movies Another Whirl Opportunity knocked once more, when Loretta was fourteen. <A graceful, lovely young girl then, she gave certain promise of the beauty that she is today. The movies had called her once before, and she had found them good. Naturally, the second call found her willing— ready to try them again. So she signed with the First ‘National Studio, where she has always remained. Her most recent picture is, ‘‘They Call It Sin,’’ which is now being Shown. ab the c............-:csecesscscevssers Theatre. Having already retired once, Loretta is certain that she will do it a second time—when she marries. For if she does marry again, it will signalize her permanent retirement from the screen. Marry again? Certainly! Just because one attempt went wrong when she was only seventeen she argues is no proof that another marriage might not be happy either. She’s not that kind. ‘True, she hasn’t felt a heart throb for the past eighteen months, but anyway, marry again she will—someday—for she wants children. Yes—two of them! One of the things that bothers this ‘popular young actress the most is the way in which older persons constantly say to her, ‘‘But my dear, you’ve had everything before you’re twenty! Success, fame, wealth, love, marriage, a divorce—everything. What are you going to do with the rest of your life? Don’t you already feel that whatever may happen to you in the future will be just repetition?’’ Ready for Repeats ‘*All right, let it repeat!’’ Loretta always replies, laughingly. But she doesn’t really feel that way. For every repetition is bound to be different, with lots of interesting new variations, and that’s one reason why she believes in trying things twice. There are lots of things, too, besides that one exception, motherhood, that Loretta hasn’t tried yet, even once. ‘Travelling, for instance. Success having found her at such an early age, she hasn’t had much time for anything but work. She wants to ‘‘discover’’ some talented young would-be actress, adopt her as a protege, and help her on the road to success as those generous stars, Colleen Moore, Mae Murray and Lon Chaney, once helped her. She wants to salt enough money away in the bank, or preferably, in several banks, so that if she lives to be a hundred she will never again have to worry about a budget. She would like, sometime in the distant future, the leisure in which to paint. She wants to go tarpon fishing. She wants to do more character roles like that of the Chinese girl in ‘‘The Hatchet Man.’’ She wants to go mountain-climbing all over the world. And she wants to go on improving her work until she is a great, great actress like Duse and Sarah Bernhardt and Katherine Cornell. And that’s why she puts her whole heart into ‘‘They Call It Sin,’’ and for that matter in all her pictures. Her latest production, taken from the novel by Alberta Stedman Eagan, is the story of a Western girl who conquers New York. Others in the cast include the sensational George Brent, Una Merkel, David Manners, Helen Vinson, Louis Calhern, Joe Cawthorne, Nella Walker, Elizabeth Patterson and Erville Alderson. It was directed by Thornton FreeJand. ; ; pee”)