Motography (Jan-Jun 1918)

February 23, 1918. MOTOGRAPHY 389 Synopses of the Latest Film Releases FOR EXHIBITORS WHO WOULD KNOW THE STORY OF THE PICTURE Artcraft The Song of Songs — (Five Reels) — February 11 — Starring Elsie Ferguson. Reviewed in this Bluebird Morgan's Raiders — (Five Reels) — February 11 — Starring Violet Mersereau. The story is laid in Kentucky in Civil War days. The heroine lives with her father in a hut in the mountains. When war breaks out, she joins a band of mountaineers known as Morgan's Raiders. In this capacity she meets the hero, an officer in the Northern army. While riding with precious dispatches, she is wounded and carried to the home of her grandfather, an aristocratic old gentleman, estranged from his outlaw son. Here she drops her pet name of Wildcat and assumes the costume and manners of a Southern belle. She rescues her wounded father from a body of soldiers who have come to take him prisoner, led by the hero, who is outwitted by a girlish ruse and wounded in the hand. He is generous enough not to retaliate, however, and when the villain attacks her in the woods he forgets the past and saves her. The scene ends with a sunset glow in which the blue and the gray are reconciled. rox The Forbidden Path — (Six Reels) — February 3 — Starring Theda Bara. The star plays a role unusual for her, a wronged girl who seeks and finds revenge. Picture reviewed in this issue. Jack Spurlock, Prodigal — (Five Reels) — February 10 — Starring George Walsh. Taken from a story by George Horace Lorimer, published in the Saturday Evening Post. It deals with the adventures of a lively young man who is expelled from college and goes into the grocery business, in which his father has made a fortune. After a series of comic adventures, he makes good. Reviewed in this issue. Metro Under Suspicion — (Five Reels) — February 4 — Starring Francis X. Bushman and Beverly Bayne. Based on a detective story, "The Woolworth Diamonds." Gerry Simpson, a young millionaire, is a frequent visitor at the home of Mrs. Alice Woolworth. At a musicale there one afternoon he becomes interested in Virginia Blake, a newspaper reporter from the Sentinel. In the midst of the festivities there is great commotion over the theft of Mrs. Woolworth's jewel case. The hostess's pet monkey snatched a button from the coat of one of the burglars and Virginia Blake uses it as a clue in discovering the culprit. The young reporter has a contempt for the "idle rich" young men, and Gerry, fearing he may lose out, secures a position as a cub reporter on the Sentinel. Gerry and Virginia cover a number of assignments together. A reward is offered for the return of the jewels and the apprehension of the thieves. Against her will, Virginia suspects Gerry, on discovering that the button which she holds matches the ones on his coat. Rogers, Gerry's valet, is the head of the band of thieves, and while he and his accomplices are "making a haul" at the Charity Ball, Virginia discovers the Woolworth jewels hidden in the fireplace _ in Gerry's apartment, whither she has come during his absence in search of evidence. The thieves return, and on discovering what has happened, a tussle ensues, but Gerry arrives just in time to save the girl. Rogers confesses to the robberies and the police recover the jewels. Gerry buys the paper outright, takes the position of general manager, and announces to the city editor that the first issue under the new regime will carry two interesting items, his marriage to Miss Blake and the capture of the famous jewel thieves. Mutual Star Production _My Wife — (Five Reels'1 ^-E^'.Pire — February 1" — Starring Ann Murdon: SSrhe 'ISr'oine, just after the man she loves has, ;L.e to^f ranee, learns that she must be married betore h"er next birthday if she is to inherit her aunt's fortune. She persuades her guardian to go through a "marriage in name only," which is to be ended when her lover returns. But by that time she and her husband have fallen in love and the other man has found a French girl he loves better than his first sweetheart. Picture reviewed in this Paramount Keys of the Righteous — (Five Reels) — February 17 — Starring Enid Bennett. An Ince production. Reviewed in this issue. The Guilty Man — (Five Reels) — February 17— This is a screen version of an A. H. Woods stage success. Reviewed in this issue. Pathe Loaded Dice — (Five Reels) — February 10 — Starring Frank Keenan. Richard Gordon (Frank Keenan) holds everything on earth as a gamble. His theory of life is to win at all costs. His partner in various enterprises is Rose Ashton, whom he promises to marry. It is she who discovers that there is to be a corner on food and Gordon demands to be let in on it. To do so he must have a hundred thousand dollars. With Rose and a disreputable character actress he secures this money from Harry Palmer by working the old game of the young lady compromised. So financial success is his,_ but through an old flame of Gordon's, Palmer discovers the trick and confronts Gordon with the knowledge of it. Palmer never lives to tell the world of it and neither does the old flame. But Gordon was careless in his second murder. A gentleman crook saw him and it is he who, when Gordon is elected governor, rises to blacken his happiness. But determined Gordon plans to do away with him also. This time he is unsuccessful. In the fracas he is wounded himself and his case is pronounced hopeless. Though discarded, Rose comes to his side and before he dies realizes there is goodness in the world. Triangle Keith of the Border — (Five Reels) — February 17 — Starring Roy Stewart. A western story, reviewed in this issue. Vitagraph The Woman Between Friends — (Five Reels) — February 11— Starring Alice Joyce. Taken from the Robert W. Chambers novel, "Between Friends." Reviewed in this issue. u :' " '.,' .-"'.:':' ;.", T J Pi niversai rrogram The Flash of Fate — (Five Reels) — February 18 — Starring Herbert Rawlinson as Randolph Shorb, a young financier who sets about to ruin Hinman, the man who had caused the death of young Shorb's father. Realizing that Hinman was a crook himself, and too clever for him, Randolph Shorb decided to overpower him even if by so doing he had to become the crookedest man in the world. His only anchor to windward was little Mary Freeman, his country sweetheart. Mary and her brother Joe were the telegraph operators of two suburban offices. Joe had yearned for the city, and one day he threw up his job, went to the city, and not finding Randolph in his apartment, made himself at home. But Joe wasn't fast enough for the crowd in which he was introduced, and one of Randolph's gang had soon relieved him of a sum of money which belonged to the bank where Randolph had obtained a position for him. In desperation he sent to Mary for money, and Mary came to the city with it herself, and fell into the clutches of Philadelphia Johnson. Though the situation threatened exposure and ruin for Randolph, he gave up all thought of himself when he discovered that Mary was in the city and in Johnson's clutches, and a terrific combat ensued between Randolph and Johnson's gang, with the police fighting both sides. Eventually Randolph rescues both Mary and Joe, and escapes to his office, where to his surprise he finds an immense stack of money on the desk. Old Hinman had found the toils closing around him, and the vision of the man he had killed had so haunted him, that in expiation he had sent to Randolph the amount of money which the firm of Shorb & Son had originally lost. Ship Oy, Oy — (One Reel)— Nestor Comedy — Players are William Franey, Lillian Peacock and Milburn Moranti. The lovemaking of Hortenss, a fisher maiden, and her revenue officer sweet heart, John Long, is interrupted by Handsome Horace, the boldest and most graceful smuggler who ever pulled off a smuggle. Horace's hard heart is immediately softened toward the fair one, he tries the box office value of his ardent attack on the lady's heart. She'll have none of him, and John drives him off. Horace returns with his trusty smugglers and captures the lady, whom he leaves them guard while he finishes off John. Throwing red pepper in the smugglers' eyes, Hortense escapes in time to prevent Horace from torturing Long to death. Then both pitch on Horace and he has the time of his wicked life smuggling himself out to sea. Finally he is caught and the interrupted courtship continues. Beaches and Peaches — -(Two Reels) — L-KO Comedy — Players are Dave Morris, Gladys Varden and Fay Holderness. That old guy, Father Neptune, certainly knew a thing or two when he picked out the ocean to live. Ferdy Fishcake had it on Neptune, though, for though he had a fright of a wife, he was easing himself into forgetfulness by taking a few days' vacation with her at the beach. And the sights he saw ! They almost made him forget this wife. He burrowed under the sand to get near Lotta Pepp and when his wife woke up she thought he was gone for good. So she hired a detective and they started a search which complicated itself so many times in hotels and cast suspicion on so many marriage vows that we can't bear to tell about it. Mount Hood — (Split Reel) — Finley Nature Series — Views of the mountain and of the Federal Forest Rangers work in fire prevention. The Garden Spot of the World— (Split Reel) — Scenic — The Garden Spot of the World is a splendid description of Norway, on account of the beauty and splendor of its scenery. Screen Magazine No. 59 — (One Reel) — The making of an artilleryman is the first subject in this Screen Magazine, and it shows the modern method of trench warfare as applied to the raw recruits handling the heavy artillery which will soon be booming on the Western front in France. In domestic science the Screen Magazine's cook, Mrs. A. Louise Andrea, who is conducting an experimetal kitchen for the Gentlewoman's Magazine, shows how to make a cheese souffle. The are of dislocation is vividly portrayed by an acrobat who styles himself the "Human Bowknot." There is also a department of agriculture film showing the sheep industry as carried out in the great forest and grazing land reservations of the United States. Willie Hopkins adds a Miracle in Mud which this week is entitled "The Winning Hand." The Bull's Eye — Serial — Episode One, "Desperate Odds" — Eddy Polo is the star. Cora Clayton (Vivian Reed) has been captured by an outlaw band, lead by Sweeney Bodin. Cody, with a number of cattle rangers, attack Sweeney's cabin and Cody overpowers the leader. He sends Cora for help while he guards Sweeney. She returns home to find her father, Clayton, kidnapped, and McGuire waiting for her. Together they set out to find the boys to go to Clayton's rescue. In the meantime, the cattle rustlers, reinforced, arrive at the cabin, but Cody, escaping through a back window, makes a daring getaway, only to be followed by Sweeney and the rustlers. Cody realizes that the chase is ending and takes a desperate chance to throw them off. He leaps his horse over a cliff and the two come down by the side of a cabin. The rustlers see the feat and hurry to surround the cabin. Cody, however, revives and, once inside, barricades the door and endeavors to ward off the onslaught of the rustlers' bullets. Miss Cinderella — (One Reel) — Strand — February 19 — Comedy, featuring Billie Rhodes. When Mary's father tells her that Jack, the son of his boyhood chum who has amassed scads of wealth, is coming to visit them, Mary informs him that all scions of wealthy families are spendthrifts and cads, and promises to show him up. She rents a squalid room in the tenement district, enlists the aid of confederates to help her out in her scheme, and poses as a "poor working girl." In this guise she manages to meet Jack on the street and feigns starvation. Jack takes her to her room, buys her food, prevents the landlady from turning her out into the cold world, pays the installment collector on her sewing machine, and saves her from Black Handers (the real thing), who mistake Mary for the Italian woman from whom she rented the room. Father comes on the scene in time to witness the finale of Jack's heroic deeds and give them his blessing.