Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1918)

October i o , i g i 8 2605 "WHATEVER THE COST'-PLAZA-HODKINSON Fair Program Picture Lacks Human Appeal; Good as Filler TI1I> i only a fair program picture, which you can use to fill some vacant spot in lack of a more suitable one. It is based on physical action. It lacks the element of human appeal. . The death of the heroine's father, a whisky smuggler, forms the basis of the story. It is caused accidentally, by the discharge of a pistol held by the villain. Released Oct. 7. — Length, 5 reels. — P. S. Harrison. THE CAST Jess Farley Anita King John Farley Bruce Smith Uncle Dud Charles Dudley Steve Douglas Stanley Pembroke "Black Jack" Fanning Gordon Sackville Paul Otard Patrick Calhoun Belle Corenne Grant Written by Captain Leslie T. Peacocke. Directed by Robert Ensminger. THE STORY Jess Farley is the daughter of a whiskey smuggler, John, whose field of activity is a secluded section of the coast known as Glen Cove. The only other person with whom Jess is familiar is Uncle Dud. her father's partner in his illegitimate trade. Jess has been brought up in boys' clothes and until she ransacks the attic and finds an old dress of her mother's she knows no other kind. Enchanted at this discovery she dons the dress and while she is clad Paul Otard, a man from the town sees her. He attempts to embrace her but she repulses him and drives him away at the point of a gun. Paul, a double crosser, had feigned love for Belle, the wife of " Black Jack " Fanning, owner of the saloon and dance hall. Belle, dissatisfied with her life, had agreed to find where the whiskey smugglers stored their supplies and then, bleeding them for money, elope with Paul. Later Jess finds her father dead. She swears vengeance whatever the cost may be and to this end takes a position as dance hall girl in the saloon. Paul's advances toward her make Belle furious. Jess meets Steve Douglas, a revenue officer on the trail of the smugglers, and it is a case of mutual love at first sight. Paul forces his attentions on Jess again. She wards him off with the revolver she found by her father's dead body. Steve coming to her rescue recognizes the rev'olver as his own. On learning this Jess believes him the murderer of her father and is about to kill him when Fate intervenes and points to Paul as the guilty man. \DYERTISING AIDS PAPER: — Two one-sheets; two three-sheets: two six-sheets, showing scenes from production and poses of Anita King. These obtainable at all General exchanges handling the Hodkinson product. LOBBY DISPLAY:— Photos are in sizes 11 x 14 and 22 x 28, and include reproductions of scenes and portraits of star. CUTS AND MATS:— Cuts include one and twocolumn cuts suitable for use in either text or advertising columns. AD TALK Charming Anita King will be presented in her latest Plaza picture entitled Whatever the Cost " at the_ theatre on of week. In this picture Miss King is seen in the role of a whiskey smuggler's daughter who has been brought up in boys' clothes and who has been treated as a boy by her father and her old uncle, the only other human being she knows at all intimately. Miss King makes much of this character and gives a sustaining performance straight through the picture. The latter part calls for some difficult emotional acting which Miss King undertakes with sincerity and signal success. The girl's father is found dead one day and it is then that Jess (Miss King) determines to avenge herself on the unknown muderer whatever the cost may be. In order to further her ends she takes a position as dance hall girl in the town saloon. Here she meets a revenue officer, and another, Paul Otard, a despicable character. Jess finally comes to a realization that one of these men is the guilty party, and to discover which is the culprit she plays her cards carefully. However, she needs the assistance of Fate, for when she feels sure that the revenue officer committed the crime, a kindlier hand intervenes and points to Paul as the guilty man. As a result, Jess and the officer are married, with no shadow hanging overhead. The story for " Whatever the Cost " was prepared by Captain Leslie T. Peacocke, a skilled writer and a strong cast which includes, Stanley Pembroke and Pat Calhoun, was assembled in Miss King's support. CATCH LINES She swore to avenge her father's death " Whatever the Cost." When the facts seemed to point to the man she loved as the guilty one, what did she do? Anita King in her latest and best Plaza production. A story of illegitimate traffic in whiskey and how a Revenue Officer wton the hand of the daughter of the chief offender. A thrilling drama enacted in the dance halls on the edge of the lonely coast. Anita King appears first as a tomboy-girl, and later as a full-grown woman with a terrible mission. SUGGESTIONS Use the title as a feature in the advertising. It can be played on in several ways. A suggested advertisement follows: "WHATEVER THE COST" She had sworn to kill her father's slayer. But She found him to be the man she loved. The solution of this story is to be found at THE THEATRE Where " Whatever the Cost " is playing starring ANITA KING " KISS OR KILL " (Continued from page 2604) ADVERTISING AIDS PAPER: — Two one-sheets, two three-sheets, one six-sheet, one twenty-four-sheet. LOBBY DISPLAY :— Stills of scene and star are furnished in standard sizes on this production, title card included with each set. ADVERTISING:— Cuts and electros in one and two-column sizes are furnished on this production. SLIDES, MUSIC CUE SHEET AND WINDOW CARD. SUGGESTIONS Remember that both the stars of this production, Herbert Rawlinson and Priscilla Dean, appeared individually in two of the most successful attractions ever released by Universal, namely and respectively, " Come Through " and " The Brazen Beauty." If you are a regular user of Universal service you know the merit of the former production while the latter one was acknowledged one of the most perfect dramatic features ever turned out. Both the stars have profited by these previous pictures. Rawlinson, for instance, has been prominent in productions of one company or another ever since " Come Through." If you plan an elaborate advertising campaign it would be well to bring these facts in so as to emphasize the importance of their joint appearance here. Again has the Universal come to the front with a title that has punch and that instantly arouses the curiosity of the passerby or the reader of the newspaper. It offers many opportunities for distinctive advertising. One very simple one would be to have a picture of a couple (preferably the stars) kissing underneath the first word of the title while under the third a scene of Rawlinson holding up one of the other two characters in the production. Cuts Available at General Exchanges