Smart Blonde (Warner Bros.) (1937)

,SMARRT: BLONDE PUB Po 4 ee ‘Hardboiled’ Glenda Was ‘Hook-Nose Farrell’ At Ten Leading Woman of “Smart Blonde” Tells Of Being Female Dick When A Kid Glenda Farrell sat in her canvas-backed chair and watched other players in the company making a scene from ‘‘Smart Blonde,’’ the Warner Bros. mystery-thriller in which she enacts the leading feminine role, and which will open at the i eg he enc Theatre on ........ Sosa se yew Veter ve She turned suddenly and asked a question: “Did you ever know I was ‘Hooked-Nose Farrell’ — secret investigator Number 613?” The question was startling. Glenda had always seemed the retiring, peace-loving type. “Your nose looks all right now,” she was assured. “What do you mean, ‘secret investigator Number 613?” “That was my official number with the Badge of Silver Detective Agency,’ answered the actress. “I was a member of that sterling organization for two weeks after my tenth birthday.” “Tell us about it,” said the interviewer. “Well,” replied Glenda, “I just happened to think about it when I looked over there and saw Barton MacLane playing the role of a detective. All boys want to be detectives when they read those elaborate magazine advertisements which offer a course in shadowing, handcuffing, and falseface-wearing in six easy lessons. Most little girls don’t; but I was one of the exceptions. I answered the ad. “T was living in Oklahoma at the time, and I was awfully suspicious about a new character in the town who walked past our home every night and peered in the windows as he walked. So I decided to answer the Badge of Silver Detective Agency’s advertisement and become a lady investigator. I sent them two dollars as the first payment on the course. The two dollars represented a birthday gift from a well-meaning aunt in Missouri. “About a week later the first course arrived. It consisted of a pair of handcuffs, a badge that was far from silver, several pages of information on how to shadow and a beautiful false nose which had become slightly hooked through some reason or other. “That’s why I decided to eall myself ‘Hooked Nose Farrell.’ It Happens In Films My number was supplied by the agency which proudly announced that 1 was number 613 on their list of private investigators. “I suspect now that everybody who took the course was number 613. “Anyway, I put on the false nose, put the handcuffs in a large market bag, read the instructions and started to ‘shadow’ the suspicious character. He wasn’t very hard to follow. He walked awfully slowly. “IT shadowed him for three days. Then one afternoon he suddenly wheeled around and aecosted me. “<fittle girl!’ he said, ‘haven’t you anything better to do than to follow me around the streets?’ As he talked he stared at my false nose which had fallen down a little over my upper lip. “‘T was shadowing you,’ I replied. My parents had always told me that the truth was best in a pinch, “Well, suppose you shadow me tomorrow at school, he replied. ‘ll expect you to be in my office promptly at nine o’clock!’ “He was the new principal of the town grammar school!” Glenda rose from her chair and departed for the makeup table. She called over her shoulder as she left: “ve still got that false nose. Come up and see it sometime!” “Smart Blonde” is a combination mystery-newspaper-police thriller, co-starring Glenda as a wisecracking but brainy girl reporter and Barton MacLane as a hardboiled detective-leutenant. Other notables in the cast are Winifred Shaw, Craig Reynolds, Addison Richards, David Carlyle, Jane Wyman and Charlotte Winters. It was directed by Frank MeDonald from a sereen play by Don Ryan and Kenneth Gamet, Behind the scenes in Hollywood we find Director Frank McDonald (foreground) making a scene from ‘‘Smart Blonde’’ the Warner Bros. picture COMMNG 0 —the™ aren. ei TRCUCRE OW Sree eee Warren Lynch is at the camera and in the back are Barton MacLane and Winifred Shaw. Mat No. 211—20ce Strand Stars Glenda Farrell and Barton Mac Lane solve mysteries of murder and of love in ‘‘Smart Blonde,’’ first of a Warner Bros. series about the adventures of ‘‘ Torchy Blane,’’ which is now playing at A IE ec pera ERP Theatre. Mat No. 109—10e Golf Match Via Telephone, New Hollywood Feat What he believes to be the first golf match to be played via long distance telephone was conducted one day recently by Addison Richards, character actor and golf enthusiast who has a leading part in the Warner Bros. mystery story, ‘“Smart Blonde,’’ now at the ses eoeane Theatre. Several months ago, Richards built a nine-hole miniature golf course in the back yard of his home. A friend in the brokerage business in St. Louis, hearing about the course, wrote the actor and asked him for the _ plans. Richards sent him a drawing of the course and the friend built an exact duplicate in his own yard. Agreeing that the loser would have to pay the telephone bill, the two men got together via long distance, kept a line open for thirty-five minutes, and played their nine-hole courses at the same time. Each had a friend on his end of the telephone to keep the other advised as to the progress of the separate games. Richards won the game with a total of 22 strokes for his nine hiles. His friend had to foot the long distance bill after turning in two more strokes than the actor. ‘‘Smart Blonde’’ is a combination mystery-newspaper-police thriller, directed by Frank MeDonald. Wini Shaw Triples In Musicals So much in demand is Winifred Shaw, brunette blues singer that while she was working in ‘‘Smart Blonde’’ at Warner Bros.’ studios she was drafted for an acting-singing part in ‘‘Melody For Two,’’ which stars James Melton; and then again for songs and scenes in ‘‘Ready, Willing and Able,’’ with Ruby Keeler and Ross Alexander. Sometimes working in all three on the same day, Wini had to have three different maids take eare of her different costumes. ‘‘Smart Blonde,’’ which teams Glenda Farrell and Barton MacLane, is a newspaper-police-mystery thriller. It is showing now at themes f ees Theatre. Torchy Blane Is Winsome New Character In Movies Girl Reporter, Played By Glenda Farrell In ‘Smart Blonde,” Will Live On In Films There’s a brand-new character in the movies! Not a new player. There are plenty of those. But a new story-character — Torehy Blane, girl newspaper reporter. She is just what the title of her first picture calls her — ‘Smart Blonde.’’ And doesn’t that title exactly fit the clever young actress who plays Torehy? the “Smart Blonde,” is on view NOW Sab bes. eerie cn Theatre. Almost invariably when an imaginary character goes through her adventures in a movie, it’s the end of her. You never hear of her again. But when Torehy Blane got through solving a mystery in “Smart Blonde,’ there was an unanimous decision by those who saw the first showing of the picture at Warner Bros. studios: “That girl Torchy’s altogether too interesting and fascinating to drop out of existence! Let’s have some more stories with her as the central figure. A newspaper girl can logically be placed in all sorts of situations. Let’s do it!” So already, while Torchy’s debut-picture is having its early showings, another story has been made ready for her, called “Fly Away Baby,” and Glenda Farrell will be Torehy again in this. And, if it works out successfully, as appears certain, there will be still other stories, a whole series of them. The series idea has proved a hit with other characters. A notable example is Perry Mason, the detective, who has appeared in “The Case of the Black Cat,” “The Case of the Velvet Claws,” and various other “cases” which that lawyer-detective has solved. The sparkling Glenda Farrell Glenda Farrell! Torehy, herself is as enthusiastic about the series idea as anyone else. “Usually, at the end of a pieture, I’m so bored playing the character that I try to forget her as soon as possible,” Glenda says. “But it was different, somehow, with Torchy.” “She’s a great gal! She’s full of pep, yet has her serious, thoughtful moments, too. She’s making her own way in the world in a decent, well-paid profession, and has lots of fun and adventure doing it. She rates with some of those girl journalists I’ve been reading about in Ishbel Ross’s recent book, ‘Ladies of the Press.’ “IT like Torechy immensely already, and T’m sure the publie will, too.” “Smart Blonde” is a combination mystery-newspaper-police thriller, co-starring Miss Farrell, as a wisecracking but brainy reporter and Barton MacLane as a hardboiled detective-lieutenant. Other notables in the cast are Winifred Shaw, Craig Reynolds, Addison Richards, David Carlyle, Jane Wyman and Charlotte Winters. It was directed by Frank McDonald from a screen play by Don Ryan and Kenneth Gamet, based on an original story by Frederick Nebel. Glad He Is A Mugg, Says Screen’s Best Bad Man Villains Last Longer And Have More Chances Of Getting Frequent Parts ““T’m glad I’m a muge. A face like mine is the best in surance for a lifetime acting job that anyone can have!”’ You’re right. The speaker was not Clark Gable. Nor was he Dick Powell or Errol Flynn. Just a guy who calls himself a ‘‘mugg’’ and is proud of it. A gentleman named Barton MacLane. MacLane admits that people have never called him a collar-ad beauty, a fashion plate, or a model of sartorial elegance. Because of this he has had very little trouble in finding himself jobs in the acting line. “An actor of the Adonis type usually lasts about four years on the sereen,” says MacLane. “I’ve been in the profession ten years now and feel as though I’m just getting started!” Currently playing the role of a police detective in Warner Bros.’ mystery picture “Smart Blonde,” which will come to the ao peaieaa ts Theatre On j..233t5-0%5 MacLane believes that an actor who sticks to “heavy” type roles has ninety-nine more chances out of a hundred for not ending up in the poorhouse when his acting days are over, than has the leading man with little else except his good looks to put him over. “T have watched them come and go on the screen for quite a few years,” says the actor, “and I still see heavy players who used to fascinate me with their sereen villainy when I was a kid in short pants. None of the leading men I saw then are working now. T’ll admit that some of them retired with a lot of money — but very few of them. “From what I have observed in the moving picture game, a good heavy can write his own ticket for as long as he wants.” Like a lot of cinematic roughand-ready men, MacLane is inclined to be unobstrusive and fan-shy off the screen. Between pictures he virtually hides away on his secluded ranch at Encino. Although he has used hundreds of firearms of almost every make and variety in his pictures, he is afraid to have anything in the nature of a shooting iron around his ranch. “T want to live a long time,” he says, “and I expect to be acting until they retire me. I can do it, too, because I’m a mugg!”’ “Smart Blonde” is a combination newspaper-mystery-police thriller, co-featuring Glenda Farrell as a wisecracking but brainy girl reporter and MacLane as a hardboiled detective-lieutenant. Other notables in the cast are Winifred Shaw, Craig Reynolds, Addison Richards, David Carlyle, Jane Wyman and Charlotte Winters. Frank McDonald directed. Page Nine