Frisco Kid (Warner Bros.) (1935)

RISCO PUB lL. £2. TY Cagney Coming To Strand Today In “Frisco Kid” ‘¢Frisco Kid,’’ Warner Bros.’ thrilling tale of the glamorous Barbary Coast of old San Francisco, Opens “ate thos. c.2 cscs theatre today with an all star cast headed by James Cagney, Margaret Lindsay, Ricardo Cortez and Lili Damita. The picture is set in the colorful background of the early fifties when the waterfront at the Golden Gate was a flaming panorama of gilded gambling halls and palaces of pleasure; when murder, arson, crimping and robbery was winked at by the authorities who derived huge revenues in bribes from the denizens of the underworld. The characters are based on historic personages of the time who flocked to the city of gold from every port in the world—adventurers all, ready to risk their fortunes or their lives on the throw of a die. Into this picturesque atmosphere comes a sailor, strong, purposeful, crude, ignorant, but a man of tremendous force and magnetic personality, who rises to be the master of the Coast, and who dares to fall in love with the most beautiful girl of San Francisco’s highest society. _ James Cagney and Margaret _ Lindsay, as the two characters, earry on this strange romance in _ the midst of a series of thrilling episodes when the city is rocked by terrific battles between the vigi"antes and the denizens of the sia Coast. 2 More than two score talented actors have important roles in the picture while thousands take part in the gigantic riot scenes in which he dens of the waterfront are set blaze. The leading characters, beides those mentioned, include onald Woods, Barton MaclLane, eorge E. Stone, Joseph King, obert McWade, Joseph Crehan, Robert Strange, Joseph Sawyer, Fred Kohler and Claudia Coleman. Gamblin’ Man ’Frisco’s Gold Coast gamblers in the ‘‘fifties’’ were smooth and cool rascals. So Warner Bros., seeking a polished killer for “‘Frisco Kid,’’ the James Cagney picture coming to the ........s.0... Pheatrée ON woceccccceeny naturally turned to their No. 1 villain, Rié cardo Cortez and gave him the most tragic role of his career. Mat No. 101—10c Cagney Fights 5 Days With Actor For Film Scene James Cagney and Fred Kohler battled five days on a Warner Bros. sound stage to make a fight scene for ‘‘ Frisco Kid,’’ which comes: $0 the: ...8eccnscs es Theatre Ole In the finished picture the scene occupies about half a reel of film and takes five minutes’ time to run on the screen. A total of 240 extras worked the entire five days as ‘‘atmosphere’? background in the fight Four tables were wrecked, half a dozen chairs shattered and nearly two score pieces of glassware broken during the struggle. Cagney sprained his ankle during the first day of the fight. The rest had to be postponed until his injury mended. Then Cagney proceeded to wrench a shoulder, skin both elbows and suffered several minor skin abrasions. Kohler got by with only a cut on his forearm, but he weighs nearly 100 pounds more than Cagney. ‘¢Friseco Kid’? is a dynamic drama of San Francisco’s Barbary Coast in the days when vice and crime were rampant and the vigilantes represented the only potent law. Others in the cast include Margaret Lindsay, Ricardo Cortez, Lili Damita, George E. Stone, Donald Woods, Barton MacLane and Joseph Crehan. Lloyd Bacon directed the picture from the story and screen play by Warren Duff and Seton I. Miler. Squeaky Shoes Lend Humor To Film Sequence Some of the funniest scenes in motion pictures have been the outgrowth of sheer accident. One occurs in the Warner Bros. production, ‘‘Frisco Kid,’’? which comes toSine= a Theatre on. ...........-8 In the scene George E. Stone’s shoes squeak horribly. While walking along a wooden sidewalk at the edge of a muddy street with James Cagney, star of the film, the lat ter is unable to tolerate the. squeaky shoes. He lifts Stone up bodily and deposits him in the puddle. After which the squeaks no longer exist. While filming the scene, Stone donned his costume and walked on the set. He discovered that his shoes, the high, slipper-like foot covering of the period, contained a loud, nerve-wracking squeak. The entire cast stared in amazement for sounds of that character are strictly taboo on a set when the voices: of players are being recorded. “*T’m sorry about these shoes, ’?’ Stone apologized to Director Lloyd Bacon, ‘‘but I’ll have them changed as soon as I ean. They’! be O.K. in this scene because I don’t have to move.’? ‘Nothing doing,’’ said Bacon. He then outlined the ‘‘running gag’’ that entered his mind with the arrival of Stone and _ his squeaky shoes. The picture is a thrilling story of the colorful, but lawless Barbary Coast of old San Francisco, when the underworld ran wide open in defiance of decency and the vigilantes took the law into their own hands. Besides Cagney and Stone the cast includes Margaret Lindsay, Ricardo Cortez, Lili Damita, Barton MacLane, Donald Woods, Robert McWade and Joe Sawyer. The story and screen play are by Warren Duff and Seton I. Miller. Cagney In Biggest Hit EROS IEE T DLT ELI PALI I IE LOPE ET EO OCR, James Cagney was the ‘‘ Public Enemy’’ in 1930; he was the underworld’s nemesis as the ‘‘G Man’’ of 1935; now he’s the despot of the world’s wickedest mile of the vicious fifties, in Warner Bros.’ ‘‘ Frisco Kid,’’ which opens at the .....cccccc.0. ee TMRCGL 601 = eS een re Mat No. 205—20c (Review) James Cagney Has Another Smash Hit In ‘Frisco Kid’ Picture Is One of the Most Dynamic And Colorful Dramas Of The Year One of the most dynamic and colorful dramas of the year, ‘*Frisco Kid,’’ was shown on the screen of the ...............00....... Theatre yesterday for the first time locally, with James Cagney heading the all star cast. Warner Bros. have produced a number of pictures with historical backgrounds and authentic as well as outstanding characters, such as ‘‘Silver Dollar,’’? ‘‘I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang,’’ ‘‘Twenty Thousand Years in Sing Sing’’ and others. But none surpasses ‘‘ Frisco Kid’’ in the intensity of its action, in exciting episodes, in its flaming color and picturesqueness. Set on the Barbary Coast of old San Francisco in the early fifties, it is a story of the tumultuous gold rush days when adventurers from the world over congregated on Frisco’s waterfront. In this seething hellhole were gathered criminals, cut-throats, murderers, gamblers, women of the demimonde and every type of human shark who lived by preying on his neighbor. There’a band of crimps would slip knock-out drops to an innocent sailor, knock him cold with a billy, rob him of the stake he had saved to prospect the gold fields, and attempt to shanghai him. But the shanghai artists caught a tartar in one indomitable sailor, who. after escaping from their net, shanghaied the very crimp who had slugged him and in a terrific handto-hand battle slays the man’s partner with the sharpened iron hook ‘of his own false arm. James Cagney has the most powerful role of his screen career as this sailor, a crude, ignorant, but dominating character with a driving force and a magnetism that not only wins his battles with the underworld, but eventually the love of a beautiful and talented woman of the upperworld. Cagney gives a sterling performance, making of this character a living, breathing human figure on the screen. Margaret Lindsay, as the girl, © gives a fine and artistic portrayal in this picture. Her impassioned plea for the life of the man she finally confesses she loves brought tears to the eyes of spectators just as it did mercy from the vigilantes in the story. Ricardo Cortez is outstanding in his characterization of a famous underworld gambler who rises to power by throwing in his lot with the sailor, but is eventually wiped out by the hangman’s noose of the vigilantes. A fine portrayal of the flashily gowned and beautiful but evil common law wife of the gambler is given by Lili Damita, the exotic screen beauty. Others who give excellent performances in important roles include Donald Woods, in the juvenile role; Barton MacLane, as a resort keeper; George E. Stone, as Solomon Levi, a second hand clothing dealer; Joseph King as the city’s political boss; Robert McWade, as the judge; Joseph Crehan as a bartender; Joseph Sawyer and Fred Kohler, as crimps. Lloyd Bacon has done an_excellent job of directing, skilfully building up one thrilling event into another to a climax that is as astounding as it is dramatic. The spirit of the day, with its strife and color have been caught ‘by the authors, Warren Duff and Seton I. Miller, and painted with a sure and glamorous touch. James Cagney Is Coming To Strand In “Frisco Kid” ‘¢Frisco Kid,’’? Warner Bros.’ dramatic picturization of the thrilling pioneer days of old San Francisco when the Barbary Coast seethed with activity and life within its borders was the wildest adventure, is scheduled as the feature attraction at the -....<.5.:-..00 TheaGOs ON iinvas adc Wes The all star cast is headed by James Cagney, who is supported by Margaret Lindsay, Ricardo Cortez and Lili Damita, more than forty persons in the principal roles and thousands in the gigantic mob scenes. The story, by Warren Duff and Seton I. Miller, who also wrote the screen play, centers about the terrific conflict between the denizens of the waterfront and the better class of citizens at a time when there was no effective law except that laid down by the dread hand of the vigilantes. Barbary Coast, at the time, swarmed with every sort of adventurer, including miners going or returning from the gold fields, ticket-of-leave and fugitive criminals from the penal colonies of Australia, gamblers, dive keepers and women of the underworld from every part of the country. Murder, arson, crimping, white slavery and every other known vice, flourished openly in the shadow of the law whose officers waxed rich from the spoils of their underworld henchmen. It was under these conditions that the famed vigilantes were organized to hang murderous miscreants and burn dives that got out of hand. These flaming events constitute the stirring action of the picture, and it is in this setting that there blossoms a most unusual romance, that of a leader of the city’s despoilers and a beautiful girl, tenderly reared in the luxury and refinement of the highest society. Cagney has the role of a rough and rugged sailor, who becomes king of the underworld and controls his henchmen with an iron hand. Margaret Lindsay is the girl who saves him from the noose of the vigilantes. Ricardo Cortez is the proprietor of Morra’s resort, a_ historical gambling palace. His common law wife, a famous beauty of the time, is portrayed by the exotie Lili Damita. Donald Woods is the militant editor of the Tribune, shot down in cold blood by Joseph King as Margaret Lindsay in ““FRISCO KIL +?) with James Cagney at the " Strand. Mat No. 110 10c the political boss, who is hanged for the murder by the vigilantes. George E. Stone is Solomon Green, proprietor of a second hand store, a character made immortal in song. Barton MacLane has the role of a resort keeper and leader of a gang of shanghai artists which include Joseph Sawyer and Fred Kohler, the latter slain with his own iron hook arm by Cagney, after a terrific hand to hand battle. The shanghai-ing of sailors, cold blooded killings, the quick trials and the resultant hangings by the vigilantes, terrific battles among the underworld characters and with the vigilantes, and finally the burning of the Coast section, all are part of the vivid action of this gripping and picturesque story. Other important characters include Robert MceWade, Joseph Crehan, Robert Strange, Edward MeWade, Claudia Coleman and John Wray. Lloyd Bacon directed the picture. Page Three