VHEN Picture-Maker FRANK CAPRA Pro Duces and Directs a New Picture, It Beconws an Event of First Magnitude in Theatre-S Through out the World
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v '.-'( ·' . \VHEN picture-maker FRANK CAPRA pro duces and directs a new picture, it beconws an event of first magnitude in theatre-s through out the world. To his current effort, YOU CAN'T TAKE lT WITH YOU. and the fascinating d~>tail of a truly great motion picture, Columbia Pictur<·s Corporation respectfully dedicates this snuvenir. * * * HEN I saw the George S. Kaufman-Moss Hart stage play, "You Can't Tal<e It With You," I was convinced that here is one of the finest comedy- dramas of our time,...... a great idea told through comedy. Any story or play with a universal appeal, with a theme that reaches into the hearts and minds of humanity, mal<es for great screen entertainment. These fundamental qualities are present in an unusual degree in "You Can't Tak:e It \!Vith You." That is why I believe the pi.cturization of this de li.ghtful story will have widespread appeal to every- one everywhere. The Play * * * When Playwright Moss Hart met Play represents more tha n capacity. The extra sum wright George S. Kaufman the inevitable was was made up by enthusiastic standees who bound to be a series of plays w hich ultimately roared over the play's laugh lines and con resulted in the happy penning of "You Can't tributed an extra $1,944 to Producer Sam H. Take It With You." From the fortunate day Harris's exchequer. On February 7, 1937. a when the Sam H. Harris office called in the second company opened in Chicago, played youthful Mr. Hart to meet the experienced 49 weeks to excellent business and then went Mr. Kaufman to fashion the satirical "Once on tour, winding up in Philadelphia with 67 In a Lifetime," first and best of Hollywood weeks of playing time to its credit. The Boston lampoons, the two scriveners have more than company accounted for 43 weeks on the Atlantic coast and the Southern company done their duty by the American theatre with regaled the Sunny South for 33 weeks. The such Broadway hits as "Merrily We Roll gross intal<e of all companies passed the stag Along," 'Td Rather Be Right" and, of course, gering total of more than $3.000,000. "You Can't Tal<e It With You." "You Can't Tal<e It vVith You" soon will Going statistical. we find that "You Can't reach its 70oth performance, which places it Take It With You" has played (as this item among Broadway's longest-lived plays. g~es to press) some 650 performances,....... or And to the further enrichment of Play more than So weeks at the Booth Theatre in wrights Kaufman und Hurt, the Pulitzer Prize New York. Since its opening date, December Committee awarded "You Can't Tal<e It With q, 1936, the Kaufman -Hart opus has grossed You" the 1936-1937 prize ......, a neat bit over $1,20o,ooo .-with a gross of $775.028 of judging that confirms the hearty approval for its first year on Broadway ....... a figure that of the nation's theatregoers. Page Three -~~·!1/~:f:~i ·· .. i The designs approved, work begins on the massive outdoor sets that turn the Colum bia studio into a crowded corn er of N. Y . A last minute" touch a t the ha irdresser's hands and Jean Arthur finds herself in readiness for h er worl< in th e film. Picture "Quiet on the set . Ready . Camera 1" Director Capra ·wa tch es Lionel B arry And another Frank Capra production gets under way. more add a typica l Barrymore touch to a scene in reh earsal. Sounds simple,_, but weeh of hard work. intense re search, conferences and still more conFerences are the back ground that go into the creation of a motion picture. When George S . Kaufman and Moss Hart penned "You Can 't Tal<e It With You." it had Broadway's critics indulging in some of the fin est street dancing and hat to ssing ever attempt·ed by the ordinarily-vitriolic reviewers. The movie producers read the reviews; the scouts saw the play; the reports co nfirmed th e critics,_, and the boys started bidding for the screen rights. Columbia, however, topped And here we have the same scene turned them all-buying "You Cun't Take It With You" for a into a heart-throbbing moment while th e ca nwru record s it for posterity. decidedly sizuble sum. Page Four Conferen ces pla y a n important part in turning "You Can't Take It With You" into a motion picture. Here we have Director Frank Capra seated with Art Director Stephen Goosson, studying set d esigns, while Assistant Director Arthur Bla cl{ a nd A ssistant Art Director Lionel Banh stand by for rurther assistance. I s * * The play was handed to Frank Capra and plans for its production got under way. Robert Ris!dn. who has been Capra's writing man For any number of hit film s. fool< the play and sat down to fashioning a two-dimensional movie script out of a three-dimensional stage p roduction. Days went into weeks. and finally Riskin emerged from his writing hideaway, pale, wan, and shal{ing. to toss a completed script to !VIr. Capra. The director studied the script, noted a change h ere and there, and then b egan the a rduous worl< of findin g p layers who could best handle the roles to be assigned to them. Lionel Barrymore was a n a tura l for Grandpa V anderhof; Jean Arthur stood head and shoulders above Hollywood's stars as the logical Alice.....- and genius dictat·ed the se lection Page Five 'Rehearsals play an important part . in every Capra produc tion. Leading up to one of the climactic scenes in "You Can't T ah It With You," w e see Ann Miller a nd Mischa Auer offering their conception of a terp sichorean moment while Capra and the others in the cast show their approva l. of James Stewart, Mischa Auer, Edward Arnold. Spring Byington, Donald Meek Halliwell Hobbes and the others in the cast. Cam e w eel<s of discussion with Stephen G oosson, Lionel l3anb on tl<e sets; seemingly fr enzied outbursts with sound engineers, C hief Camerama n Joseph Walker, the hairdresser, th e mah-up man a nd the many others who must b e listened to before the cameras start rolling. Through a ll this m adhouse strode Capra, suggesting this, doin g th a t, stra ightening out a problem h ere and cutting a Gord ian lm ot tl1 ere. Page Six H ere Capra and his crew are " taking" the scen e which w as rehearsed on th e adjoining page while below is th e scene, one of the most hilarious in the film , as it will look when you see " You Can't T ake lt With You." As the hurly-burly subsided, eviden ces of Capra's genius became more and more pronounced as " You Can't T al(e lt With You" began to assume form. H ere and there could be seen eager players, reading scripts, pacing bad( and forth as they gestured with theatrica l determination. Then cam e th e call for rehearsals; a patient, quiet Capra reading the script to his assembled cast; discussions about this scene and that; Barrymore injecting a Barrymoresque touch to a bit; a kaleidoscope of effort slowly ta ldng form. And then came the call for "Action, camera!" "You Can't Take It With You" was under w ayT Page Seven AcE WRITER RoBERT RISKIN turns his versatile pencil from the poetic fantasy of "Lost Horizon" to the gay antics of the irrepressible Vanderhof tribe in ''You Can't Take It With You." * * * Behind the D IALOGUE's DIRE CTION move d DovETAILING DETAIL is a long smoothly, thanks to watchrul Dia standing Capra assignment ror As loaue D irector C. C. Coleman. sistant Director Arthur S. Black Page Eighl CAMERAMAN JosEPH WALJ<ER, A.S.C., is another important p ersonality whose b ehind the scenes activ ity long has been a part oF Capra film s. WoRDS sound lil<e mu sic when Sound En gineer Ed B ernds ad justs volume as h e takes over the controls. SouND WITHOUT FuRY is the reason why film dom's able sound re corder, Garry Harris, is at worl< on the Capra Scenes production. MAKING STARS look like what thev aren't is Mal<e-up .Expert Bill Knight's job. Here h e is at worl< on Misch a Auer. SETS TAI< E SHAPE as Art Director S tephen Goosson a nd associate Lionel Banb visualize the background For the film's fa st pace. M ILES OF F ILM must pass inspection From Film Editor Gene H av lick another veteran of many Capra produc tions. Petne Nine The LroNEL BARRYMORE as Grandpa Vanderhof. JEAN ARTHUr~ and JAMES STEWART, who portrny Alice Sycamore find Anthony Kirby, Jr. SAMUEL S. HrNDS as fir e worl<s - expert Paul Sycn more. METICULOUS casting plays an important part in every Capra production. The whole roster of Hollywood talent is combed and prospect endlessly balanced against prospect before the final selection is made. No picture has been more difficult to cast than "You Can't Tal<e It With You," yet director Franl< Capra has solved that problem with a selection of players long noted for their ability to portray exacting roles effectively and entertainingly.