The Film Daily (1918)

Friday, July 12, 1918 tMA DAILY Beautiful Star and Artistic Atmosphere Make Old Story Entertaining Louise Glaum in "WEDLOCK" Paralta=Hodkinson DIRECTOR Wallace Worsley AUTHOR Denison Clift SUPERVISOR Robert Brunton SCENARIO BY « Denison Clift CAMERAMAN L. Guy Wilky AS A WHOLE Appealing star, artistic lightings and a capable cast make this entertaining. STORY Old idea has been given new twists and holds well throughout despite many convenient situations. DIRECTION Gave good atmosphere, developed characterizations and lifted ordinary situations by intelligent treatment. PHOTOGRAPHY Generally very good except for one rather harshly lighted exterior set. LIGHTINGS Pleasing; especially good on star CAMERA WORK Very good STAR Beautiful and appealing. Should win many new friends in sympathetic role. SUPPORT Well balanced and fitted for respective roles. EXTERIORS Good ; not many INTERIORS Artistic and fitted atmosphere DETAIL Good; inserts were particularly well done. CHARACTER OF STORY Considerable meller but nothing objectionable. LENGTH OF PRODUCTION 4,769 feet IF there is any doubt in your minds as to whether a star who has made her reputation in vamp parts can put over a sympathetic role and make you believe it. just give this picture a careful once-over. We get Miss Glaum in this as a young wife who gives her all for the man she loves, even sticking by him after he has divorced her and re-married, and say boys, Louise makes you believe it! She's so denied appealing in this that your folks are going to forget that she ever ruined a t'( v. hundred lives, more or less — on the screen — and I'm sure that a few more characterizations like this will I mild a tremendous following for this very appealing personality. The story doesn't contain much that's new — it's the characterizations and the way the production has been handled that puts this over as capital entertainment. Louise is an orphan telephone girl who is married to Jack Gilbert in secret and when Jack's high-fallutin' parents get wind of it they demand an annulment of the marriage, so that Jack can marry a girl in his own social sphere. Louise comes back to Jack's mother later to tell her that there is soon to be a child but the mother turns her away, explaining that they will provide liberally but that the annulment must stand. Louise's child dies and she is about to give up in despair when she meets Charlie Gunn, a young minister, and becomes a worker in his mission, helping to care for other orphan children. During this time she befriends an old prospector, who. later striking it rich, shares his wealth with her. In the meantime, Jack has become the victim of a mining fraud ami is sent to prison. He escapes and a haunted life when he is conveniently picked up ' v '."'-s;' after lw has been thrown out of a saloon. The officers are on his trail and Louise induces him to himself up. saying ttmt she will try to clear his guilt. This she does, by finding the "poipers" which that Jack v;is innocent and. learning that his second wife had divorced him while he was in prison. Jack and Louise are happily re-united. Herschel Mayall who was the willun who implicated Jack in the crooked deal, was very good in the role while Leatriee Joy appeared as Jack's second wife. Others who appeared were Helen Dunbar. Joseph J. Howling. Beverly Randolph. Harry Archer. Ida Lewis. Clifford Alexander and Aggie Herring. Emphasize Sympathetic Characterization of Miss Glaum. They'll Like It The Box Office Analysis for the Exhibitor I think you can make quite a little noise about this, because while many of the situations are very familiar, the story has been given several good twists and the presence of Miss Glaum and a well balanced supporting cast make this class as a better than average offering. As a whole, this has been very artistically produced, and • the star is certainly beautiful and appealing and has been well-lighted throughout. I would lay quite a lot of stress upon the fact that Miss Glaum is seen in a sympathetic role in this and would use her photos freely in my lobby. You probably have some stock photos which you use every time you have a Louise Glaum picture, but if these show Miss Glaum in "vamp" attire I wouldn't use them in advertising this picture. Try to get some straight poses of the star and play up the sympathetic role angle in your advertising. You might use catchlines like these: "Do you believe that a star who has made you hate her in previous productions can make you love her when she appears in a sympathetic role? See Louise Glaum in •Wedlock.' " "Could you continue to love your husband after he had divorced you and married another woman? See 'Wedlock.' " "How much would you do for the man you loved? See 'Wedlock.' " "If the man you once loved came back to you. a fugitive and a derelict, would you take him back again? See 'Wedlock.' " Tell them that Louise Glaum, who has ruined the lives of many men — on the screen — in her past productions, has at last been given a production in which she is able to show the sweet and appealing side of her nature, her real self.