“Lights! Camera! Obscurity!”: The Lost All-Fort Worth Movie

On November 26, 1927 Cowtown’s opulent Worth Theater opened, the second of the theater triplets on 7th Street’s Show Row.

movie PC and leadThe Worth, part of Adolph Zukor’s Paramount Publix theater chain, seated 2,284, featured a grand Wurlitzer organ, plush carpet, and an Egyptian motif.  The theater was part of the Worth Hotel, which had opened in September 1927. Clip is from the November 27 Star-Telegram.

movie announced trim 12-4-27 stTo publicize the new theater, the Worth and its cross-Taylor Street neighbor, the Star-Telegram, teamed up for a publicity stunt: A real Hollywood film crew, led by a real Hollywood director, would come to town and make an all-Fort Worth movie—shot in Cowtown, scripted by a Cowtowner and starring Cowtowners. The all-Fort Worth movie would be a two-reeler (20-24 minutes).

Berkova Productions filmed similar movies in twenty-one other cities. For each film local talent was used, and the firm of Finkelstein and Ruben produced the movies and, with local newspapers, provided publicity.

The director of the all-Fort Worth movie would be Lem F. Kennedy (born 1880), an actor and director known for Thou Shalt Not Steal (1917), The Power Within (1921), and Down Upon the Suwanee River (1925). Clip is from the December 4 Star-Telegram.

4-dix-daniels-menjou-bowTwo contests were held. In the first contest Fort Worth residents were invited to submit scripts. A contest editor at the Star-Telegram culled the script entries and mailed the finalists to Hollywood, where (top to bottom; photos from Wikipedia) film stars Clara Bow, Richard Dix, Bebe Daniels (of Dallas), and Adolph Menjou would select the winning script. Note that the winning script had to include a scene in the Star-Telegram building and a scene in the Worth Theater. (The Star-Telegram had shared the limelight in a similar stunt in 1916 when Harry Houdini came to town to perform at the Majestic Theater.) A wedding scene also was shot at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church with spectators serving as extras. Scenes also were shot at the train station and on Main Street. Clip is from the December 11 Star-Telegram.

movie miller winner 12-28-27The four judges picked the winning script: Beauty and Brains by Mrs. G. L. Miller of Travis Avenue. Among the runners-up was Stranded on Goat Island by Francis Pevehouse of Lake Worth. Clip is from the December 28 Star-Telegram.

movie casting coupon 1-3In the second contest local talent auditioned for a role in the movie. The Star-Telegram printed this coupon containing a casting card and a casting ticket. Response was good. The newspaper printed the names of more than one hundred applicants.

movie all-city movie players are okd 1-5-28 stOn January 5, 1928 the Star-Telegram reported that director Kennedy had made his initial selection for the cast. Note that it helped to look like Clara Bow or Rudolph Valentino.

movie photos of cast 1-11-28On January 10 and 11 the Star-Telegram announced the cast members of Beauty and Brains. Two Fort Worth motorcycle policemen would have minor roles. Among the major roles, Earl B. Howard (top center) would portray the maniac Bughouse Bronson. (Inset from 1929 shows Howard, a radio salesman, in a moment of sanity.)

movie lights camera 1-8On January 8 the Star-Telegram reported on the start of filming and described the movie’s dramatic first scene.

movie last scenes shot 1-13-28 stOn January 13 the Star-Telegram reported that filming was almost finished and that early scenes had already been printed.

movie dallas movie planned 11-30-27 dmnMeanwhile, Dallas announced that the Morning News and the Dallas Palace Theater would team up to make an all-Dallas movie. Dallas’s Palace Theater had opened in 1921 as an independent theater but was taken over by the Paramount Publix chain in 1927. So, the all-Dallas movie was probably a PR stunt by the new owner and coincided with Paramount Publix’s opening of the Worth Theater in Fort Worth. Clip is from the November 30, 1927 Dallas Morning News.

movie dallas flashes planned 1-6-28 dmnOn January 6, 1928 the Morning News crowed that the powerful lamps used by the crew making the all-Dallas movie would flash messages in the night sky to Fort Worth in Morse code. The Worth Theater would give prizes to decoders.

movie dallas cast 1-9-28 dmnOn January 9 the Morning News announced that filming of Woman Proof was complete. Note the character played by J. C. Jeffers. Although the Fort Worth and Dallas movie scripts were written by different people, both movies featured a character named “Bughouse Bronson.” Hollywood apparently tweaked both scripts by adding a maniac.

movie palace ad 1-20-28 dmnOn January 20 Dallas’s Palace Theater included Woman Proof in its display ad in the Morning News.

movie worth ad 1-28-28 stOn January 28 Cowtown’s Worth Theater included Beauty and Brains in its display ad in the Star-Telegram.

movie foy 1-29-28 stThe all-Fort Worth movie premiered for a week engagement at the Worth Theater on January 28. Oddly, the only Star-Telegram coverage of the premiere that I have found is this brief review by Bernice Foy.

Fast-forward twenty years. In 1948 Fort Worth and Dallas would take part in a similar PR stunt. But rather than make a movie to promote a building, they built a building to promote a movie, building replicas of the house featured in Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House.

The Worth Theater and Hotel and the Dallas Palace Theater closed and were demolished in the early 1970s. The Fort Worth Club expanded into the Worth space.

As for Beauty and Brains, after the all-Fort Worth movie premiered, the Hollywood film crew packed up lights and lenses and went back to Tinseltown. Fort Worth went back to life without the limelight. As far as I can determine, no copy of the all-Fort Worth movie survives. We will never know the fate of Bughouse Bronson.

Actually, Beauty and Brains was the second all-Fort Worth movie. The first was Sauce and Applesauce, promoted by the Fort Worth Press and the Palace Theater in 1927.

Show Row Footnote

palace 1919The first of the theater triplets on Show Row? It was built at the corner of East 7th Street and Commerce in 1908 as Byers Opera House for live performances. In 1919 the opera house was converted into a theater to show newfangled motion pictures and became the Palace Theater. It was demolished in 1977.

palace smithPhoto by W. D. Smith.

(Thanks and a tip o’ the tripod to historian Harry Max Hill for his help.)

Posts About Cinema in Cowtown

 

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8 Responses to “Lights! Camera! Obscurity!”: The Lost All-Fort Worth Movie

  1. Kelly Riley says:

    Hello Mike, Kelly Riley here, my grandmother is Tad Lucas the famous cowgirl who moved to Ft Worth in the 1920’s to enhance her rodeo career, my mother Mitzi loaned me a photograph from the 1925 Stock Show on the Northside…featuring new Studebaker Cars…can you tell me anything about the Womack-Crossman Company? The people in the photo seated on the front of Studebaker cars are cowboys & cowgirls participating inn the stockshow and Jarvis Van Zandt Stock Show president and Mr. Womack, his young son and Mr. Crossman…
    Best regards…Kelly

    • hometown says:

      Kelly, until 1924 T. P. Womack had been a partner in the Bailey-Womack dealership, which sold Buicks; Rodney A. Crossman had been a partner in the George-Crossman dealership, which sold Studebakers. In 1924 Womack and Crossman formed a new company to sell Studebakers from the Bailey-Womack dealership at 4th and Throckmorton streets. But the dealership apparently was short-lived: It does not appear in Star-Telegram ads or the city directory after 1926.

  2. Denise Marin says:

    Love the story! Not a native Texan,but I have been involved in Fort Worth history for a few years now and love learning about its past.

  3. Annette Patterson says:

    Is there a dvd available for sale of Beauty and the Brains.

  4. Kay Davis says:

    Thanks — interesting. Too bad there is no copy!

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