Motion Picture News (Oct 1915)

October 16, 1915. MOTION PICTURE NEWS 89 “SHANGHAIED” (Essanay — Two Reels) REVIEWED BY PETER MILNE CHARLIE CHAPLIN'S finicky censor is gloriously shanghaied —he is gone and forgotten, never to return (let us hope). For Chaplin has gone in for good, clean comedy, that is good, clean, rough-and-tumble comedy. We won’t enter into a discourse on the propriety of this sort of comedy. Some dislike it, but some several hundred thousands more like it. But it can be served with or without vulgarity. In “Shanghaied” it is offered minus this objectionable property. “Shanghaied” is refreshingly uproarious, because of this merit of omission and because Chaplin has introduced more novelties than is his usual wont. These, together with his world renowned expressions, his feet (still effervescing an atmosphere of humor), his cane, his hat, his strut and his mustache — all delightfully familiar — combine to make the picture laughably ludicrous to the extreme This time his picture is a burlesque on “mellerdrama.” Charlie is shanghaied and on the ship is cast as the chef’s assistant. When the vessel begins to roll the fun waxes sidesplitting. The acrobatic feats that Charlie and his co-workers perform are marvelous settings in pictures of this class, in these days. The directors who are producing such features have learned that technical excellence is easily obtainable, and must be achieved ; so they insist upon it. Elaine Ivans is a dainty spot of sunshine, and is cleverly used to THE SWEETHEARTS ARE DISTURBED relieve several tense situations in her own clever way. Mary Lawton carries the heavy burden of Mrs. Glayde gracefully and with pronounced ability, and Richard Hatteras is well cast as the artist. Table of contents will hereafter be found every week opposite inside back cover. CHARLIE IS SHANGHAIED and — but why continue? In the end Charlie rescues his sweetheart from the hold of the ship, doomed to be destroyed by dynamite, and restores her to the wild arms of her father, and then politely kicks the poor parent overboard. It is all very funny and without vulgarity. Exhibitors who want clean, knock-down-and-drag-out comedy need not hesitate over this. In the print shown for review, several scenes were peculiarly scratched, notably those taken on the deck of the boat. This appears as if it were merely a fault of the print, although an imperfect negative may be the cause. “THE NEW ADVENTURES OF J. RUFUS WALLINGFORD” (Pathe — Two Reels — Second Episode) REVIEWED BY HARVEY F. THEW J RUFUS and Blackie make their second appearance under the • title of “Three Rings and a Goat.” As may be inferred, it is a tale of a circus, and the “goat” is Silas Bogger, one of the men who has swindled Violet’s father out of his fortune and is entered in the list of those who are to make involuntary restitution. Burr Macintosh as Wallingford, Max Figman as Blackie, and Lolita Robertson as Violet, are all well cast and great successes on the screen. Much of the credit for this is due the Whartons for the quality of the humor in which they have received and reproduced the Wallingford stories. Those of us who were raised west of Flat Rock Creek, Ind., will appreciate the interiors of the country hotel more than the “JOHN GLAYDE’S HONOUR” (Pathe-Gold Rooster-— Five Reels) REVIEWED BY HARVEY F. THEW IN most skillful and workmanlike manner has a good screen story been built up out of the Sutro play, and it is well worthy a place in the Gold Rooster family. It is the first contribution of the Frohman Amusement Corporation to this collection of photodramas, and follows closely the lines of the original play as presented by James K. Hackett, two years ago. It is unusual to see so much seriousness and sincerity thrown into a part as C. Aubrey Smith has brought to the character of John Glayde, iron-handed and stony-hearted master of men, who, in devoting his every moment to establishing a lofty position for his wife and himself, loses the wife to a young artist, and ends his years in loneliness, during which he realizes the emptiness of mere wealth. There is no happy ending, and no character which appeals especially to the sympathies, such ,as the pedagogues of the conventional school tell us are necessary, but a most absorbing and satisfactory picture is presented, notwithstanding. It is needless to descant upon the merits of photography and THE CALL TO THE FRAY rest of you. They are faithful representations of what Kin Hubbard would call a “good dollar-a-day hotel,” even to the Ethiopian stationed in the dining room to keep the flies off the table. Everybody will appreciate the way in which Wallingford sells a circus he never saw before, for $65,000, and buys it back for $10,000, just in time to save himself from becoming a lawbreaker.