The Commitments (film)
The Commitments | |
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Directed by | Alan Parker |
Screenplay by | |
Based on | The Commitments by Roddy Doyle |
Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | 20th Century Fox (North America, United Kingdom and Ireland) |
Release dates |
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Running time | 118 minutes[3] |
Countries |
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Language | English |
Budget | $12–15 million[1][5][6][7] or £5.41 million[8] |
Box office | $14.9 million |
The Commitments is a 1991
Producers Lynda Myles and Roger Randall-Cutler acquired the film rights to the novel in 1988, and commissioned Doyle, a first-time screenwriter, to write an adaptation. Doyle spent one year working on the script before Myles brought in veteran screenwriters Clement and La Frenais to help complete it. Upon reading the novel, Parker signed on as the film's director in 1989. An international co-production between Ireland, the United States and the United Kingdom, The Commitments was the first film produced by Beacon Pictures, which provided an estimated budget of $12–15 million. The film's young lead actors were mostly inexperienced, and were cast because of their musical backgrounds and resemblance to the characters in the novel. Principal photography took place in Dublin, from late August to October, 1990.
The Commitments underperformed at the North American box office, grossing $14.9 million during its theatrical run. Reviewers praised the music, performances and humour, while criticism was occasionally aimed at the pacing and Parker's direction. The film resulted in two soundtrack albums released by MCA Records; the first reached number eight on the Billboard 200 album chart and achieved triple-platinum status, while the second album achieved gold sales status. At the 1992 British Academy Film Awards, the film won four of six BAFTA Awards for Best Film, Best Direction, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing. It also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Film Editing. The film has since gained cult status.
Plot
In the
After purchasing a drum set and acquiring a piano from Steven's grandmother, Jimmy secures the remainder of the band's musical equipment from Duffy, a black market dealer. The band rehearses on the second floor above a snooker hall, and after much practice, they convince a local church community centre to give them a gig, under the pretence of it being an anti-heroin campaign. Jimmy then hires Mickah Wallace, a affable bouncer known for being a savage fighter, to act as the band's security. The band draws a good crowd, but after Deco inadvertently hits Derek with his microphone stand, the amplifiers explode, resulting in a power outage.
Tensions run high among the band members, as Joey seduces Natalie, then Bernie, then Imelda, all while Deco grows increasingly obnoxious and unruly, believing himself to be the star of the band. The band performs at another venue where, at the end of one song, Billy accidentally knocks over his hi-hat cymbals, leading to a heated argument between him and Deco. Billy leaves the band in fear of going to jail if he beats up Deco – much to Jimmy's frustration – and Mickah replaces him as the band's drummer. During the band's next performance at a roller disco, their first paying gig, Jimmy is confronted by Duffy, who demands payment for the equipment he provided the band. Mickah intervenes and violently attacks Duffy, who is escorted out. Jimmy then goes on stage and introduces the band, which elicits boisterous cheers from the audience.
After the band secures another gig, Joey promises Jimmy that he can get his friend,
Cast
- Robert Arkins as Jimmy Rabbitte – manager
- Michael Aherne as Steven Clifford – piano, keyboards
- Angeline Ball as Imelda Quirke – vocals
- Maria Doyle as Natalie Murphy – vocals
- Dave Finnegan as Mickah Wallace
- Bronagh Gallagher as Bernadette "Bernie" McGloughlin – vocals
- Félim Gormley as Dean Fay – alto saxophone
- Glen Hansard as Outspan Foster – guitars
- Dick Massey as Billy Mooney – drums
- Johnny Murphy as Joey "The Lips" Fagan – trumpet
- Kenneth McCluskey as Derek Scully – bass
- Andrew Strong as Deco Cuffe – lead vocals
- Colm Meaney as Mr. Rabbitte
- Anne Kent as Mrs. Rabbitte
- Andrea Corr as Sharon Rabbitte
- Gerard Cassoni as Darren Rabbitte
- Ruth & Lindsay Fairclough as the Rabbitte Twins
In addition, comedian Sean Hughes played Dave from Eejit Records while Maura O'Malley played Joey's mother. Besides Andrea, the other three members of The Corrs appear in the film, with Jim Corr in a credited role and Sharon and Caroline Corr in brief background roles.[9] The film's director, Alan Parker, plays an unnamed producer at Eejit Records at the end of the film. While the Jimmy character regularly voices both sides of his imaginary interview on the Terry Wogan show, Wogan does not appear, and Sir Terry was reportedly not a fan of the film.
Production
Development
Following the 1988 publication of Roddy Doyle's novel The Commitments (1987) in the United Kingdom,[10] producers Lynda Myles and Roger Randall-Cutler acquired the film rights, and asked Doyle to write an adaptation.[5][11] Doyle, an inexperienced screenwriter, spent one year drafting the script,[5] accompanied by Myles and Randall-Cutler.[12] Although a script was completed, Myles felt it needed improvement, and passed the book on to Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais,[12] hoping that they would suggest a more experienced writer.[5] Upon reading the novel, Clement and La Frenais agreed to help write the script themselves.[12]
In 1989, Myles took the project to
Casting
Casting directors John and Ros Hubbard travelled to Dublin, Ireland in April 1990 and spent two months visiting local clubs in their search for musicians to appear in the film.[11] In June of that year, Parker travelled to Dublin and placed an advertisement in the magazine Hot Press, requesting young artists to audition for roles in the film.[5][15] Parker wanted actors who could play a musical instrument and resembled the characters from the novel. He said, "I would stop kids busking (performing for change) on the streets and call them in to audition ... we had to choose kids who were quite talented, because they had to play musicians who were awful at first, but gradually improved."[5]
Auditions were first held at The Waterfront, a nightclub located near the River Liffey. Jim Corr and his sisters Andrea Corr, Sharon Corr and Caroline Corr were among those who auditioned.[11] Andrea was cast in the non-musical role of Sharon Rabbitte, Jimmy's younger sister, while Sharon and Caroline were cast as members of an Irish band known as "Country & Western"; Jim appears in a brief role as a member of the band "Avant-Garde-A-Clue".[16] Parker then held a casting call at the Mansion House on Dawson Street, Dublin, where 1,500 people auditioned for various roles.[5]: 2 [11] During the auditions, Parker met Andrew Strong, son of the film's vocal coach Rob Strong, who performed "Mustang Sally". After meeting with Parker to discuss the project, Strong secured the role of Deco Cuffe, the lead singer of The Commitments.[5][11] Robert Arkins was initially considered for the role of Deco before he was ultimately cast as Jimmy Rabbitte.[17] Although his character does not have a singing part in the film, Arkins performs the song "Treat Her Right" during the opening credits.[5]: 2 [11]
For the role of Joey "the Lips" Fagan, the eldest member of the band, Parker and La Frenais wanted veteran musician Van Morrison. Although his meeting with Parker did not go well, Morrison offered his songs for use in the film.[18] Rory Gallagher was also considered before veteran film and stage actor Johnny Murphy secured the role.[19] Although Murphy could not play an instrument,[20] Parker felt that he best captured the essence of both the character and the film.[18] Murphy was the only cast member who did not do his own playing in the film.[16] Bronagh Gallagher, another established actor, was cast as Bernie McGloughlin, one of the band's three backup singers known as "The Commitmentettes". The actress, born in Derry, Northern Ireland, had to learn a Dublin accent for the role.[21] Angeline Ball secured the role of Imelda Quirke after a private audition with the Hubbards.[22]
Maria Doyle Kennedy was a member of the Irish quartet band The Black Velvet Band before she was cast as Commitmentette singer Natalie Murphy.[23] Michael Aherne, who plays The Commitments' pianist Steven Clifford, was an employee of the Dublin Corporation and took a three-month leave of absence to make the film.[11] Glen Hansard, the lead singer of The Frames, was cast as Outspan Foster, the band's guitarist.[24]
Dave Finnegan was cast as Mickah Wallace, a belligerent and hot-tempered bouncer who becomes a drummer for the band. Parker's first meeting with Finnegan began civilly before their exchanges grew more and more heated. They soon became verbally abusive, threatening each other with disturbing acts of violence. Parker cast Finnegan immediately, explaining that he simply wanted to test the limits of Finnegan's aggression, as he wanted the truculence of the character to be convincing.[18] Colm Meaney first learned of the film adaptation while working with Parker on Come See the Paradise. After Parker held auditions for the younger cast members, Meaney secured the role of Jimmy's father Jimmy Rabbitte, Sr.[25] The audition scene in the film, in which various musicians audition at Jimmy Rabbitte's home, required more than 100 band members.[11] Peter Rowen, brother of Irish artist Guggi, appears as a young skateboarding boy who asks to audition for the band. At the time of the film's production, Rowen had appeared on the cover art of U2's albums Boy (1980) and War (1983), and was a national skating champion.[16]
Filming
Parker spent five weeks rehearsing with the cast members
The film's opening scene, depicting Jimmy Rabbitte (Arkins) trying to offload cassettes and shirts in a street market, was filmed on
Music
The Commitments does not have an original
Soundtracks
The Commitments (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | |
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movie musical | |
Length | 46:16 |
Label | |
Producer | Paul Bushnell, Kevin Killen, Alan Parker |
A motion picture soundtrack album with music produced by
After the commercial success of the first soundtrack album, a follow-up entitled The Commitments, Vol. 2: Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released on 17 March 1992. The album included four more songs from the film, as well as seven additional songs performed by the cast.[36] The soundtrack proved less successful than the previous release, peaking at number 118 on the Billboard 200 chart.[37] The second volume also reached number six on the Australian Album Chart, and was certified gold.[32]
Billy Altman, writing for Entertainment Weekly awarded the album a "B", praising the performers for "sounding more mature and together on their seven newly recorded cover versions here than on four left over from the film".[38] Erlewine, in his review for AllMusic awarded the album three stars out of five and described it as being "plain and forgettable".[39] According to The Daily Telegraph, the soundtrack has sold 12 million copies worldwide.[20]
In 2007, Geffen Records released a 2-CD Deluxe Edition of the soundtrack, which collects The Commitments (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) and The Commitments, Vol. 2: Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, as well as five tracks from cast member Andrew Strong's 1993 solo album Strong.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original artist | Length |
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1. | " Ray Noble Orchestra | 4:31 | ||
8. | "Treat Her Right" | Roy Head and the Traits | Roy Head and the Traits | 3:35 |
9. | "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" | Penn, Moman | Aretha Franklin | 3:15 |
10. | "Mr. Pitiful" | Redding, Steve Cropper | Otis Redding | 2:07 |
11. | "I Never Loved a Man" | Ronny Shannon | Aretha Franklin | 3:09 |
12. | "In the Midnight Hour" | Pickett, Cropper | Wilson Pickett | 2:21 |
13. | "Bye Bye Baby" | Mary Wells | Mary Wells | 3:21 |
14. | "Slip Away" | William Armstrong, Marcus Daniel, Wilbur Terrell | Clarence Carter | 4:27 |
The Commitments, Vol. 2: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | |
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movie musical | |
Length | 35:53 |
Label | MCA |
Producer | Paul Bushnell, Kevin Killen |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original artist | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | " Nowhere to Run" | Holland–Dozier–Holland | Martha and the Vandellas | 3:39 |
11. | "Bring It On Home to Me" | Sam Cooke | Sam Cooke | 3:41 |
Weekly charts
Chart (1991–92) | Peak position |
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Australian Albums (ARIA Charts)[40] | 2 |
Chart (1992) | Peak position |
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Australian Albums (ARIA Charts)[40] | 3 |
Year-end charts
Chart (1991) | Position |
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Australian Album (ARIA)[40] | 16 |
Chart (1992) | Position |
Australian Album (ARIA)[40] | 10 |
Chart (1993) | Position |
UK Albums (OCC)[41] | 86 |
Chart (1992) | Position |
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Australian Album (ARIA)[40] | 55 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA)[42] | 5× Platinum | 350,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada)[43] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[44] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
Sweden (GLF)[45] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[46] | 3× Platinum | 900,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[47] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[48] | Gold | 35,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[49] | Gold | 7,500^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[50] | Gold | 100,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Release
Strategy
20th Century Fox felt that The Commitments would attract young adult audiences, but test screenings indicated that the film would appeal more to older viewers, due to its musical content.[1] Parker, a former advertising executive, collaborated with the studio on the film's marketing, running an extensive campaign to attract the intended target audience.[1] Theatrical posters for the film were distributed to exhibitors in February 1991. Beginning in April 1991, Fox arranged several screenings in Toronto, New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago, with audience members being music industry executives, journalists, disc jockeys and club owners.[1] In August 1991, the studio hosted a press junket in Dublin, Ireland for several media outlets.[1][51] The Commitments premiered at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, California on 6 August 1991,[1] the Cinerama Dome Theatre in Hollywood on 7 August 1991,[1][52] the Cineplex Odeon Century Plaza Cinemas in Century City, Los Angeles on 13 August 1991,[53] and the Savoy Cinema in Dublin, Ireland on 19 September 1991.[54]
Fox gave The Commitments a
Box office
The Commitments grossed $271,333 on its first week of limited release in North America—an average of $33,916 per theater.
The film was the highest-grossing film in Ireland of all time with a gross of IR£2.23 million ($3.5 million).[61][62] It grossed £8,285,701 in the UK.[8]
Home media
In North America, The Commitments was released on
A
The Commitments was released on Blu-ray on 30 August 2016 by RLJ Entertainment, coinciding with the film's 25th anniversary.[65] The Blu-ray presents the film in 1080p high definition, and contains all the additional materials found on the Special Edition DVD, as well as new interviews with Parker and the cast, and a collective booklet featuring production notes written by Parker.[66]
Reception
Critical response
The Commitments received mostly positive reviews.[1] Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes sampled 48 reviews, and gave the film an approval rating of 90%, with an average score of 7.4/10. The critical consensus reads, "The Commitments is a vibrantly funny and blissfully heartfelt ode to the power of music".[67] It is also ranked sixth on the website's best reviewed films of 1991.[68] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 73 out of 100 based on reviews from 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[69] Roddy Doyle, author of the 1987 novel, praised the film, stating that Parker and the filmmakers did a "terrific job".[70]
Variety magazine called the film "well-executed and original", and praised the performances as well as the editing by Gerry Hambling.[71] Jonathan Rosenbaum of the Chicago Reader wrote, "If [Parker] can't resist the occasional fancy or cutesy flourishes ... that tend to compromise his work, he still allows his material to exist on its own level and makes it fun to watch."[72] Hal Hinson of The Washington Post described the film as "a deadly funny movie; nearly every scene is broken off with a punch line. But Parker's sense of comedy is organic; he never lets the jokes elbow the characters, or the music, out of the spotlight."[73] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times also praised Parker's direction, writing, " ... Parker has loosened up quite a bit here, not forcing the action as much as he did in the similar Fame and bringing a surprisingly loony touch to characters like Jimmy's Elvis-obsessed father."[74] Time magazine reviewer Richard Corliss wrote, "The film offers no message, no solutions, only a great time at the movies."[75]
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote that the film was "filled with life and energy, and the music is honest."[76] On the syndicated television program Siskel & Ebert At the Movies, Ebert gave the film a "Thumbs Up" rating, while his colleague Gene Siskel gave the film a "Thumbs Down".[77] Siskel, writing for the Chicago Tribune, felt that the film was "a joyful but empty mixture of Irish kids and black American soul music".[78] In his review for Entertainment Weekly, Owen Gleiberman criticized the overall premise as being "downright insulting", explaining, "In Parker's hands, soul music becomes little more than a self-serving metaphor – an easy symbol for 'commitment' and integrity."[79] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone criticized the storytelling, writing in his review, " ... the predictable way in which the band's nine men and three women argue about music, sex and fame robs the story of urgency."[80] Janet Maslin of The New York Times stated, "The Commitments becomes repetitive after a while, since so much of it is about the group's stage show, and since the effort to create an off-stage story never really works."[81] David Denby of New York Magazine felt that the film has "a raspy surface authenticity and a great deal of affection for its characters and milieu but not much dramatic interest."[82]
Accolades
The Commitments received various awards and nominations in categories ranging from recognition of the film itself to its writing, direction, editing and sound to the supporting performance of Andrew Strong. In September 1990, the film debuted at the 4th
List of awards and nominations | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Award | Category | Nominees | Result | ||
64th Academy Awards[87] | Best Film Editing | Gerry Hambling | Nominated | ||
49th Golden Globe Awards[85] | Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | ———— | Nominated | ||
45th British Academy Film Awards[88] | Best Film | ———— | Won | ||
Best Direction | Alan Parker | Won | |||
Best Adapted Screenplay | Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais, Roddy Doyle | Won | |||
Best Editing | Gerry Hambling | Won | |||
Best Supporting Actor | Andrew Strong | Nominated | |||
Best Sound | Clive Winter, Eddy Joseph, Andy Nelson, Tom Perry, Steve Pederson | Nominated | |||
34th Australian Film Institute Awards[89] | Best Foreign Film | Roger Randall-Cutler, Lynda Myles | Nominated | ||
1992 Brit Awards[90] | Best Soundtrack | ———— | Won | ||
1991 Evening Standard British Film Awards[91] | Peter Sellers Award for Comedy | Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais, Roddy Doyle | Won | ||
12th London Film Critics Circle Awards[92] | British Producer of the Year | Roger Randall-Cutler, Lynda Myles | Won | ||
British Director of the Year | Alan Parker | Won | |||
British or Irish Screenwriter of the Year | Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais, Roddy Doyle | Won | |||
1992 Writers Guild of America Awards[93]
|
Best Adapted Screenplay | Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais, Roddy Doyle | Nominated | ||
4th Tokyo International Film Festival[83][84] | Tokyo Grand Prix Award | ———— | Nominated | ||
Best Director Award | Alan Parker | Won |
Legacy and aftermath
The Commitments has gained
Many of the actors went on to pursue various acting and musical careers.
Siblings Andrea, Jim, Sharon and Caroline Corr, who had minor supporting roles, had only recently formed their family quartet, performing in their aunt's pub as The Corrs; the film's music coordinator, John Hughes, noticed them when they auditioned for the film and agreed to become their manager.[103] The band has since achieved international stardom, releasing six studio albums and selling more than 60 million records worldwide.[20] Andrea would again collaborate with Parker on his 1996 film adaptation of the musical Evita.[11][104] Glen Hansard continued performing with his band, The Frames, and achieved greater success and critical acclaim with the 2005 film Once.[20] Bronagh Gallagher has since enjoyed a lengthy acting career in film and television and Maria Doyle Kennedy has, to date, released eleven studio albums and has gone on to become an award-winning actress.[11] Michael Aherne is the only cast member to have not pursued an acting career after the film's release.[20]
On 6 October 2010, it was announced that Strong, Arkins, Ball, Gallagher, Aherne, Hansard, Félim Gormley and Dave Finnegan would join The Stars from The Commitments for a reunion tour to celebrate the film's 20th anniversary.
The Barrytown Trilogy
The Commitments is the first book in Doyle's series known as The Barrytown Trilogy, followed by The Snapper (1990) and The Van (1991). While all three novels focus on the Rabbitte family, Doyle expressed that he was not interested in writing or producing sequels to the 1991 film adaptation, stating, "I hope it's never made. I just think that, whereas The Commitments was very much a labour of love, Commitments 2 is definitely an act of cynicism."[70]
Doyle was given creative freedom by the BBC over the adaptation of The Snapper, for which he wrote the screenplay.[70] Lynda Myles returned to produce the film and hired Stephen Frears as its director.[106] Colm Meaney returned in a supporting role. The adaptation was originally planned as a television film before Frears suggested that it be transferred to film. Doyle disagreed with the change, stating, "I didn't like it on the big screen—I thought it was grainy."[106] The Snapper (1993) premiered at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival, where it received a standing ovation.[106] It was a critical success, receiving largely positive reviews.[107]
For the film adaptation of The Van, Doyle and Myles formed their own production company, Deadly Films, and the author was given creative control over the selection of its cast and director.[108] Frears returned as director, and Meaney was cast in the lead role. Although The Van (1996) premiered at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival to some favorable reviews, critical reaction was negative upon release; reviewers criticized the film for its thin material and lack of strong characterization.[109]
Cancelled sequel
In January 2000, it was announced that Harvey Weinstein had acquired the film rights to the novel for Miramax[1] and commissioned playwright Warren Leight to write a direct sequel to The Commitments, with Cathy Konrad attached as a producer. The premise involved several members of The Commitments pairing with new band members before going on tour in the United States.[110] The sequel was never produced.[111]
Stage production
Doyle's novel inspired a 2013 musical stage production, directed by British theatre director Jamie Lloyd.[112][113] Following the film's success, Doyle had previously turned down offers to adapt his novel into a stage production.[98][114] The Commitments began previews on 21 September 2013 in London's West End at the Palace Theatre. Its official opening night was on 8 October 2013.[115] The show had more than 1,000 performances before officially closing in London on 1 November 2015. It has been announced that a United Kingdom and Ireland tour will commence in 2017.[116]
See also
References
Citations
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- ^ "The Commitments (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 10 July 1991. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
- ^ a b Rockett 1996, p. 200
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Gritten, David (11 August 1991). "MOVIES : Irish Soul : How Alan Parker drew upon the working-class kids of Dublin to power his movie 'The Commitments,' about a fictional Irish band". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
- ^ a b Pettitt 1992, p. 35
- ^ a b Ryan, Tom (25 September 1991). "Surprise! A musical without the schmaltz". The Age. Melbourne. p. 25.
- ^ a b "Back to the Future: The Fall and Rise of the British Film Industry in the 1980s – An Information Briefing" (PDF). British Film Institute. 2005. p. 20.
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- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1993 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
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- Daily Variety. p. 38.
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