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Show 1 Three Top Stars Excel In Dramatic Hit "Tennessee Johnson" , Van Heflin, Lionel Barrymore and Ruth Hussey, a trio of topflight top-flight stars, are brought together in M-G-M's great drama, "Tennessee "Tennes-see Johnson," seen Sunday at the Rivoli Theatre. The result is screen entertainment of the highest calibre. cali-bre. The story is based on the life of Andrew Johnson, who became President of the United States following fol-lowing the death of its wartime leader, Abraham Lincoln. It details de-tails Johnson's early struggles from the time he arrived in the Tennessee hills, an illiterate, runaway runa-way tailors' apprentice, his meeting meet-ing with and marriage to " Eliza McArdle, school teacher; her successful suc-cessful efforts to educate him, and his career which led him to Washington and to the President's chair. Brilliant Performance . . The role of Johnson is enacted by Van Heflin, who has burst upon up-on the Hollywood firmament, with all the brilliance of a super-nova. "Tennessee Johnson" will definitely definite-ly make him one of the screen's most admired stars. Miss Hussey, as the wife, and Barrymore ,as Thaddeus Stevens, Johnson's political enemy, have powerful roles. Others in the cast include Marjorie Main, Grant Withers, Regis Toomey, Noah Beery, Sr., Harry Worth and William Wil-liam Farnum. The production was directed by William Dieterle. |