Show Humphreys Humphrey's a Star But He Still Expects to Stooge By Paul Harrison HOLLYWOOD NEA Humphrey Humphrey Humphrey Hum Hum- Bogart is a star now the now the top name in High Sierra and in ina ina ina a role originally Intended for Mister Mister Mister Mis Mis- ter Paul Muni Mun This is gratifying but not especially Impressive to the perennial gangster He says better look now if you want to see me heading a cast Next pIcture picture picture pic pIc- ture Ill I'll probably be for Cagney or Robinson The studio isn't making On the other hand there are many who predIct and hope that the able Bogart will stay right up there as the new head man of Warners' Warners robbers cops-and-robbers pic pic- tures Jimmy Cagney is trying to pull out of them Edward Robinson Robin Robin- son is expected to be busy with most of the weighty drama which Muni would have played if he hadn't been fired for being so finicky finicky finicky fin fin- icky and George Raft already under under under un un- der suspension foj fora fo refusing a role will m not get many more chances to exasperate his businesslike bosses Whether or not he remains a astar astar astar star Bogart isn't yearning especially especial especial- ly for cinematic reform He has found that crime does not pay and he tie has no plans for muscling in on the rackets of the comedians or the matinee idols Not matter that he used to play comedy on the Broadway Broadway Broadway Broad Broad- way stage hell he'll always be grateful grateful grateful grate grate- ful to Stage Producer Arthur Hopkins Hop Hop- kins for popping him into the role of the ruthless Duke Mantee in Petrified Forest But for that said the actor Id probably still be hanging around New York The killer characterization introduced him to the screen when the play was filmed and herd hed be glad to have as asgood asgood good a part any day Like One Long ong Picture What he mostly wants you see is s a chance to do some acting Listen Listen Lis- Lis ten en I About all rive Ive ever objected to around here was boredom I r kind I of hated to take the money when I r didn't have to concentrate to play playa I a scene and when I r could spend every other day playing golf Until They Drive by Night came along I r had about five picures pic- pic pictures pictures tures ures in a row where I r could have read you off most of the dialog before I even saw a script I could tell ell by the names in the cast What kind cind of story it was Sometimes they'd heyd make an oldie or maybe rehash rehash re- re hash lash two or three old ones into a anew anew anew new one But to me it all seemed like ike one long picture with a few different faces coming in now and then hen I asked about High Sierra which really is a gangster film even if it does sound like a western west west- ern Its It's garnished with sagebrush because the leader and his hood- hood l I Is 4 s A e i ir r 7 Wy T T 1 vrr a I Jy tf r n ln 1 1 1 w I a Humphrey Bogart Has found that crime does pay lums decide to clean out an isolated isolated isolated iso iso- millionaire-infested millionaire resort hotel in the desert As the last living alumnus of the Dillinger mob Bogart is sprung from a penitentiary and forced to engineer this piece of banditry He likes the role because there are conflicting sides to the character sometimes hes he's a like business-like killer killer killer kill kill- er and again hes he's an farm ex-farm boy with pastoral instincts and a kindly attitude toward animals and Ida Lupino He finally gets killed of course course the Hays office being implacable implacable im im- in such matters His dog betrays him by going to his hiding place lace on a mountainside Bogart's Loot Half a Million Theres only one one nice person person in n the whole story and that's Henry Henry Henry Hen Hen- ry Travers Bogart says Even the he dog is a jinx My part is sym sym- pathetic only in showing how circumstances circumstances circumstances cir cir- cir cir- force the guy back into his old business and finally drive him to the mountain and his death Come to think of it this is an enlargement enlargement enlargement en en- on the Petrified Forest theme only with a mountain providing providing providing pro pro- viding the symbolism Well WeIl Im I'm making some progress progress progress ress anyway I get a half million million mil mil- lion dollars' dollars worth of loot in this picture and that's the biggest job jobI I ever pulled I guess its it's even a bigger haul than Cagney or Robinson Robin Robin- son ever made |