Motion Picture News (Apr-Jul 1915)

78 MOTION PICTURE NEWS Vol. 11. Xo. 22. depicting the remarkable adventures of a police dog. In this story an Italian organ-grinder is using his tame monkey to rob a bank. The police dog goes on the trail, and after an exciting chase rounds up the monkey at the same time that his master captures the thief. "Lonesome Luke." (Pathe. Split reel.) — Tad, the cartoonist, is the author of this comedy, but it is lacking in the originality which characterizes his drawings. Lonesome Luke is forced to take the place of a tame bear which is to perform with a lion in a country town. He decamps in his bearskin costume, and much excitement results. "The Vanishing Cinderella." (Pathe. One reel.) — The familiar story of the girl reporter who starts out to interview a difficult subject, and in the course of the assignment tumbles into a romance. Well acted and staged. "The Japanese Mask." (Pathe. Three reels.) — Made in the French studios of Pathe this picture is characterized by the elaborate settings and fine scenic effects always produced there. The story hinges on a Japanese mask, the tradition being that whoever gazes at it will die a violent death. Two army officers are rivals for the hand of a girl. One of them is a crook and succeeds in having his rival sent to a military prison on a distant island. The innocent man escapes with a comrade who is subsequently killed. By changing clothes the other man leads the officers to think that he has died. He _ also obtains some hidden treasure from directions left by his dead comrade. Thus wealthy and safe from arrest he returns to find that his rival has married the girl. Confronting the man he accuses him of his many crimes, and the shock is so great that the villain commits suicide after a long look at the fatal mask. The other man demolishes this terrible ornament, and thus the picture closes. UNITED FILM SERVICE "The Mystic Well." (Gaumont. One reel.) — Two imposters are discovered and forced to drink their own "mystic well" dry. Since the mixture of stuff in it is extremely filthy the comedv is rather unpleasant. "The Word." (Lariat. Two reels.) — The leader of a band of highwaymen in the West reads a Bible in the loot, and the memories of his youth which it arouses lead him to go to a revival meeting. He thus avoids arrest, but surrenders voluntarily. He reforms and becomes a farmer and peaceful citizen. Later he imitates Jimmy Valentine by using his experience as a bandit to obtain money when some must be had at once. "Man and the Law." (Ideal. Two reels.) One man on a jury sticks out for acquittal in the case of a man being tried for murder. To convince the others he tells his own story. It is the familiar one of a country girl ruined by a city man. The girl was the juror's sister, and only the hand of Death saved the teller from himself being a murderer. The_ story is so convincing that a favorable verdict is returned. "Aunt Matilda." (Luna. One reel.) — A Western picture in which seme cowboys dress as cowgirls in order to help two of their number to elope with Aunt Matilda's nieces. The comedy is of the semi-slapstick sort and rather mildly humorous. Dot Farley plays the title role. "Amateur Night." (Starlight. One reel.) — A typical Starlight picture. Two bums seek the living which they think the world owes them, by appearing as prize fighters on amateur night at a fistic club. The wildest sort of slapstick and rough-and-tumble work runs through the picture. 'The Near Capture of Jesse James." (Luna. One reel.) — A girl reads a Jesse James novel just as she is going to sleep. The rest of the film shows the adventures which she and her mother have in her dreams as two feminine bandits in the wild West. "The Picture on the Wall." (Premier. Two reels.) — A fairly good plot in this drama is hurt by wretched construction and carelessness in other ways. For example a close-up which is used in rapid succession with a distant viewshows the hero wearing a vest which mysteriously disappears in the distant view. Besides this, there are at times too many close-ups. A jealous suitor on being rejected intercepts the letters which the girl writes home after her elopement with a young engineer. Later he goes to the city and wrecks her happiness by compromising her in her husband's sight. Of course the estranged couple and the girl s father are all brought together at the end of the story. "Canned Curiosity." (Pyramid. Two reels.) — Edwin August and Ruth Blair are featured in this comedy. ' In order to prove the curiosity of their feminine friends two men send them carefully wrapped packages containing tin cans full of cigarette smoke. Although marked not to be opened, all are at once investigated. Seeing that they have been fooled the girls fill the can with various sorts oi smoke and send them back. Since the smoke in one of the cans is the same sort put into it the sender thinks he has discovered a woman who is not curious. An absurd, but fairly amusing story. "Stepping Westward." (Ideal. Two reels.)— Lovers separated at the outbreak of the Civil War are brought together forty-four years later and are married in spite of difficulties which are put in their way. The drama is well acted and has pleasing settings. "Love's Strategy." (Gaumont. Two reels.)— The son and daughter of business rivals fall in 16ve much to their parents' disgust. After a foiled elopement they succeed in marrying by making their fathers think that the match will result in the inheritance of a fortune. Fairly well acted, and with an interesting plot. "Heinie's Millions." (Starlight. One reel.) — One of the regulation Heinie and Louie slapstick pictures. Heinie and Louie strike it rich and proceed to spread their new found wealth about a large hotel. The film is of the most extreme rough and tumble type, and poorly done. "Almost Lucky." (Superba. Split reel.) — A hobo steals an overcoat, and later runs away from a policeman who is trying to hand him a wallet which he supposes he has dropped. He throws away the coat, but it falls into the arms of another knight of the road who is soon discovered and the coat returned to its owner. Trick photography and tiresome chases make up most of the footage. On the same reel is "Mixing the Cards," a comedy in which little sister changes the cards in the birthday gifts sent to her sister by her father and two suitors. As one of the latter has substituted a pipe for his rival's gift the result is rather surprising to everyone. 'Oh! You Mule." (Superba. Split reel.) — Medicine intended for a mule is accidentally given to a sick man, who at once goes out and eats grass and behaves in other ways as a mule should. A veterinary surgeon cures him. On the same reel is a very short comedy entitled "Copped." It shows the adventures of a hobo who steals a policeman's clothes while he is swimming and arrests him when he comes out. His fun is short lived as another officer soon appears. "The Spider." (Grandin. Two reels.) — A mysterious burglar is getting away with some surprising thefts, and an amateur detective attempts to solve the problem. He discovers that the thief is his own fiance, but she has merely been amusing herself, and testing the detective ability of her sweetheart. Ethel Grandin is seen in the principal role. UNIVERSAL PROGRAM "Shattered Memories." (Gold Seal. Three reels. Tues., May 25.) — A drama concerning the Civil War produced by Robert Leonard. In theme the offering differs decidedly from other pictures laid in the same time. A romance is rudely interrupted by the outbreak of the war. While in service, Jasper is rendered unconscious by a blow on the head given him by a spy. When the war ends he does not return. He wanders about the country and is taken in by the spy who struck the blow. His mind still unbalanced, the Southerner discovers his identity after some forty years, and returning with him to his home town on Memorial day, the sight of his aged sweetheart restores his memory. The originality of situations and incidents give this entire picture a most refreshing and pleasing aspect. It keeps one interested every minute of the time. The battle scenes, of which there are quite a few, are most realistic. The whole is well photographed. In the latter stages of the picture, showing many scenes in which the twoold people are much in the foreground; the makeup is the only poor point in the picture. Ella Hall is seen playing opposite Mr. Leonard, while Harry Carter appears as the Southern spy. "Animated Weekly, No. 168." (Wed., May 26.) — The opening of the racing season at Belmont Park, X. Y. ; an automobile race in Columbus, O. ; gun practice at Sandy Hook, X.'J. ; and the public school tooth brush drill in Xew York City are the most interesting features in this number. A large quota of war scenes have been selected for this week, while Hy Mayer holds his usual place in his usual way. "The House of a Thousand Relations." (Victor. Two reels. Mon., May 31.) — The married couple are disgusted with boarding and try housekeeping, but their many relatives soon give this brilliant idea a huge black eye, and back they go to the boarding house. We remember having seen this story many, many times in pictures, yet never with such suitable direction, humorously developed situations, and last but not least containing subtitles that are good for many laughs in themselves. Harry Myers produced the picture, playing opposite Rosemary Theby in the cast. Both do good work and are aided by a large cast playing the relatives in a most humorous style. "The Alibi." (Imp. Mon., May 31.)— A man whose purse is empty plans to cast his wife's friend in a compromising position with her and so obtain money by blackmail. All goes well and the wife disarranges her hair and clothes to accuse the man when her husband enters. But the other man discounts all her words of a struggle by showing the husband and others the long ash on his cigar, proving that there was no struggle. This is a novel ending to an interesting story, but should have been made clearer by a title. William Ganvood is the man and Violet Mersereau the woman who attempts to compromise him. "Hearts and Clubs." (Joker. Mon., May 31.) — An actor volunteers to get his friend into his house past his henpecking wife by dressing him as a woman applying for a position as a maid and bringing him in in his trunk. This is a fair comedy containing a lot of action not relative to the plot which does not appear until the reel is half over. Ernest Shields, Ed Boland and Buck Conners are three very funny drunks, and their antics in the first scenes of the picture are corneal, much more so than the rest of the offering. Ro}' McCray directed this from a scenario by Tom Forman who appears in a small part besides. "Under the Crescent." (Gold Seal. Two reels. First Chapter. Tues., June 1.) — Reviewed at length in a previous issue. "Too Many Crooks." (Xestor. Tues., June 1.) — An eloping couple are mistaken for a pair of crooks by the detective and his aides, and consequently are chased through the streets, over house tops and on board ship, until finally they have a chance to explain ; then the real ones are caught. The prolonged pursuit over the house roofs is funny in its entiret3', and the other scenes run these a close second. Lee Moran has the character comedy part of the detective and presents a comical appearance throughout the picture. Billie Rhodes and Jack Dillon are the elopers. "The Force of Example." (Rex. Tues., Tune 1.) — The young man reading of a dope fiend who murdered his sweetheart dreams that he does the same thing. Ben Wilson plays in this, supported by Dorothy Phillips and Joseph Girard. The story is rather foolish, but at the same time contains scenes of a tense nature. It is a novelty and may be appreciated by the admirers of gruesome offerings. "The Silent Command." (Laemmle. Four reels. Wed., June 2.) — Reviewed at length elsewhere in this issue. EPWORTH and TURN PHOTOPLAYS KNOWN THE WORLD OVER NEW YORK. Bs sure to mention "MOTION PICXTOE NEWS" when writing to advertisers.