The Film Daily (1918)

Sunday, July 21, 1918. DAILY Routine Program Production. Won't Cause Any Serious Complaints June Caprice in "MISS INNOCENCE" Fox DIRECTOR Harry Millarde AUTHOR Frances Crowley SCENARIO BY Thomas Fallon CAMERAMAN Nat Leach AS A WHOLE Good production of sloppy story adequately acted will get by as "between= times" feature. STORY Girl who inherits mother's love of fast company and can't help being a salamander; good idea clumsily worked out. DIRECTION Good; got most of acting values PHOTOGRAPHY Verv good LIGHTINGS Generally satisfactory CAMERA WORK Some clever fade=ins for close=up purposes, particularly in opening scenes. STAR Obedient SUPPORT Marie Shotwell and Carlton Macey good EXTEIORS Well selected INTERIORS Atmospheric in convent scenes; others average. DETAIL Titling not inspired although sat= isfaetory; but much of picture's value lies in intelligent work of cutter. CHARACTER OF STORY Should have some appeal to women on moral grounds. LENGTH OF PRODUCTION About 4,500 feet THE principal innocence of this is innocence of drama. It isn't exactly a piece of virgin stupidity. however, for it has a certain hang-together character after the fashion of the house-thatJack-built; and that doubtless will let it by as a between -times feature in "pop" houses. In a way. it is a blessing that all of the plot was not thrown on the screen, for it is a darned complicated affair: and even if every explanatory subtitle did contain about 5 different ideas that would get over better with breathing spaces between, the agony that might have been prolonged over scenes of persecuted womanhood was considerably shortened thereby, and no one may kick ' The story runs into two generations for the purpose of explaining the "heroine's" inherited taste for wine, slackers and song; and judging by all we saw, the mother must have had a much worse time of it than her eye-rolling daughter. You see, it was necessary to rake up the family past in this heart-rending manner in order to prove that June wasn't responsible for being wicked. As in all vehicles designed for the exploitation of an ingenue's cliarms. this follows the heroine from the time she is left as an infant waif on the convent piazza until her matrimonial end. She is badly situated at the beginning in other respects, for her father is serving a prison term for an undescribed or indescribable offense, and her mother is hitting the high spots with the man who really committed the crime for which the father was jugged. She also has an allowance of $10 per month, a subtle little touch that goes to show that the cost of living wasn't as serious 15 years ago as it is now. That fifteen years suffices to bring "Giggles" to motion picture womanhood and into the clutches of the willun who "fascinated" the mother and left her to die. At this juncture there intervenes some clumsy continuity that contrives to bring June into the household of the handsome young man planted for her by the author as the son of the friend of her father ami through that connection the enemy of the willun who ruined her mother. The 15 years also suffices to close the father's prison term and bring him forth with threats to overthrow the willun. His evidence is mysterious, but it must be good, having had time like Scotch whiskey, in which to improve. In all events, the willun is scared to death of him. and in order to get something on him and on the father of June's fiancee, he gives a party for June and gets her pickled technically so that the scandal ensuingwill act like German gas and camouflage his dirty work. Anyway, a mysterious hand, holding a revolver, afterward identified as belonging to June's father, shoots the willun dead. June's fiancee is tried for the murder and convicted, and then acquitted when June's father confesses. Another trial then takes place for the father and he is acquitted to the tune of wedding bells. It's all clear as mud. June behaves just as the director bade her. and so do most of the others. Marie Shotwell is very good as the mother and Carlton Macey is creditable as the father. Others concerned are Robert Walker. Frank Beamish, Carlton Macey and Mrs. Carlton. Current 'Release 'tOEVLOClC'