Alibi Ike (Warner Bros.) (1935)

moe ot Beat PSUFBEL ie... + Joe E. Brown in His Funniest Role Coming to Strand Joe E. Brown’s latest Warner Bros. picture, ‘‘ Alibi Ike,’’ which is scheduled as the feature attracfomeatstheca. Se ee Theatre i eee eee , is heralded as the most hilarious film in which the famous star has yet appeared. The story was written by the late Ring Lardner, who probably knew baseball players better than any other author. It’s a pennant winning comedy of baseball and blondes. ‘¢ Alibi Ike’’ is a big league ball player, a crack pitcher and a batter whose average, contrary to most twirlers, runs around the .400 mark. He never makes a play on the field or off it without alibiing. Even when he falls desperately in love with the sister of the captain’s wife, he alibis about it. She happens to hear him making excuses for giving her an engagement ring, and turns him down cold, which causes a series of events as thrilling as they are Iudicrous. A sequence showing Ike kidnaped by a group of gamblers, from whom he escapes in time to win the final game in his pajamas, is just one of the exciting and funny incidents in the film. There is more romance than usual in a Joe Brown comedy, his love affair winding up in a climax that is most unusual. Joe, of course, has the title role, Olivia de Havilland, a newcomer to the screen, has the feminine lead. She did such a fine piece of work in Max Reinhardt’s ‘‘ A Mid ———summer Night’s Dream,’’ that-she was immediately given a long term contract by Warner Bros. The role is an ideal one for Joe E. Brown. He was a big leaguer for several years, and still owns a ball club. William Frawley has the role of the baseball captain with Ruth Donnelly playing the part of his wife and the sister of Joe’s sweetheart. Roscoe Karns is one of the chief ribbers who gets Joe in Duteh with his girl. Others in the cast include Eddie Shubert, Paul Harvey, Joseph King, Joseph Crehan and Adrian Rosley, besides a score of expert baseball players. Location scenes were taken at Wrigley Field and at Fullerton, Calif. Raymond Enright directed the production. Home Run King « Ring Lardner is the author of Joe E. Brown’s latest venture into sports afield, ‘Alibi Ike.’ The film casts the popular comedian in the role of a baseball player with ‘bais’ on his belfry and feminine curves on his mind. It starts Friday at the Strand. Mat No. 101—10c Joe E. Brown, who will epen in the Warner Bros. comedy “Alibi Ike” at the ...... Seet ae eTTTEwe ~. Theatre on played in big league baseball before he became an actor. Now, in Ring Lardner’s home run comedy, he does everything except stop line drives with his mouth. Olivia de Havilland is the femme lead. Mat No. 202-—20e 25 Big Leaguers In Joe E. Brown’s ‘Alibi Ike’ Film Twenty-five former big league baseball stars are cast in the new Warner Bros. picture, ‘‘ Alibi Ike,’’ which comes to the .............. PN CAGTO= Oe <:..cc00.. caters » with Joe E. Brown in the title role. Many of these players, former idois in the National or American League, are still playing ball with the Pacific Coast and other minor league teams. Five former stars of the New York Yankees put on their finger mitts when the umpire called, SP Ia sball,?” They are Ed Wells, Archie Campbell, Mike Gazella, Bob Meusel and Cedric Durst. Former members of the Brooklyn Dodgers include, Dick Cox, Wally Hood, Ray French and Lou Koupal. From the natural enemy ot the Dodgers, the New York Giants, there are Irish Meusel and Herman Bell. Walter Golvin, Pat O’Shea and Don Hurst are one time members of the Chicago Cubs. From Chicago’s American League team, the White Sox there is Frank Shellenback, now playing-manager of the Hollywood Club. He is one of the few remaining ‘‘spitballers’’ in any league. The Washington Senators are represented by Wes Kingdon; the St. Louis Browns by Wally Hebert and Jim Levy; the Boston Red Sox by Guy Cantrell, Wally Rehg and Smead Jolley. Detroit, last year’s American League pennant winner, is represented by ‘‘ Babe’? Pinelli, Johnny Bassler and Gene Desautels. George Stovall, former manager and first baseman of the Cleveland Indians, plays the part of a coach. Joe E. Brown, In “Alibi Ike,” Has Use For Alibis Joe E. Brown, who portrays the title role in the new Warner Bros. home run comedy, ‘‘Alibi Ike,’’ which comes to the ..............0008. UN Vern ey 40) s Merete oer ete » actually hates alibis. He has made a life habit of never using alibis himself and has no respect for anyone who does use them. There is nothing so resented by football coaches or baseball managers aS an excuse by a player who has either made an error or failed to make an important play. Good athletes never use an alibi, Joe E. declares. If they slip up at a crucial moment they take their defeat without making an exeuse. In discussing alibis and athletes on the set one day during the making of ‘‘ Alibi Ike,’’ Joe E. Brown recalled the statement made by Jack Dempsey in Chicago after the second Tunney fight. ‘How did it happen, Jack?,’’ a reporter asked. It was then that Dempsey made the famous retort: ‘‘I forgot to duck.’? ‘(Many fighters,’’ said Joe Brown, ‘‘ would have had as many alibis as a ball park has peanut shells. ‘“Dempsey had never used alibis and he wasn’t going to start at the end of a great career.’’ “Alibi Ike’’ is Joe E, Brown’s latest fun maker, based on the story by Ring Lardner and adapted to the screen by William Wister Haines. Others in the cast include Olivia De Havilland, Ruth Donnelly, Roscoe Karns, William Frawley and Eddie Shubert. Raymond Enright directed. (Review) “Alibi Ike’ With Joe Brown, Smash Hit -at~ Strand Joe E. Brown is always good for a big laugh. He is the film favorite of all kids in whatever part of the world motion pictures are shown, and ‘‘taking the children to see Joe E. Brown,’’ has became us pleasant a diversion for grown-ups as taking them to the cireus. Now Joe E. has the kind of a role his fans have always sought for him, and the immortal humor of the late Ring Lardner combined with the comedian’s own talents, made the Warner Bros.’ home run eomedy ‘‘ Alibi Ike’’ which opened yesterday at the ...........00.000... Theatre, one of the season’s smash hits. Ring Lardner knew more about baseball than any author of his time, and his stories of their idiosyneracies and habits made him famous. ‘‘Alibi Ike’’ was the most popular of them, and all its side splitting fun has been incorporated into the film version. As the title would imply, Joe. E. is a great ball player who always has an alibi, no matter whether he is right or wrong. This habit not only brought him his nickname, but almost cost him his girl, and led him into a series of adventures as thrilling as they are Iudierous. That Joe is better than ever goes without saying, for he has a better and funnier role than usual, and one in which he is given a real opportunity. The story has more romance than is usual in a Joe E. Brown comedy, the feminine lead being taken by Olivia de Havilland. That young lady had her first film role as Hermia in ‘‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’’ for which she was picked by Max Reinhardt. Her work so impressed Warner Bros. that she was given a long term contract and jumped into a lead with Joe E. Brown. Her work justifies the selection. Others in the cast who do remarkable work are Ruth Donnelly, Roseoe Karns, William Frawley, Eddie Shubert, Paul Harvey, Joseph King, Joseph Crehan, Adrian Rosley and a score of ball players. Raymond Enright directed. Joe E. Brown in “Alibi Ike” Opens At Strand Today Joe KE. Brown is coming to town today. He-appeats at-the=s wie isan Theatre in ‘* Alibi Ike,’’?’ Warner Bros.’ home run comedy, based on the popular story by Ring Lardner. Joe, in the title role, is both a crack pitcher and the best batter of his club. He has an alibi for everything—not just for mistakes ~-but for plays any other player would have been proud of. Joe falls in love with the sister of the Captain’s wife, but when he alibis on his romance, the girl hears him and turns him down cold. Thrills follow in which Joe is kidnaped by a bunch of crooks, but le escapes, and the romance is patched up by the players in one of the most comical climaxes imaginable. Olivia de Havilland, the stunning eighteen year old girl who made such a hit in Max Reinhardt’s ‘‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’’ has the leading feminine role opposite Joe. Others in the cast include Ruth Donnelly, Roscoe Karns, William Frawley, Eddie Shubert, Paul Harvey, Joseph King, Joseph Crehan, Adrian Rosley and a score of expert baseball players of national reputation. Raymond Enright directed. Many Sporting Champs In “Alibi Ike”’ Many sporting men were represented in the company that went to Fullerton, Calif., for the filming of some of the scenes in the new Warner Bros. picture, “Alibi Ike” with Joe E. Brown in the title role, which comes to HO ae tage: Theatre On 22s: P Boxing was represented by “Mushy” Callahan, one time champion; football by Julie Beseos, captain of last year’s U. S. C. team and the famous Jim Thorpe from Carlisle; basketball by Kenny Fagin of Oregon; track by Bob Lee, U. S. C., sprinter; and baseball by such names as Bob and Irish Muesel, Johnny Bassler, Herman Befl, Wally Hebert, Guy Cantrell, George Stovall, “Babe” Pinelli, Sid Durst, Ray French and many other big leaguers. Stars of Strand Comedy Joe E. Brown and Olivia de Havilland, who have the leading roles in “Alibi Ike’, the Warner Bros. comedy based on the most pepular baseball story written by Ring Lardner. They will open at the ie eee ae Theatre om ....................8 Mat No, 203—20c Page Nine