The Moving Picture Weekly (1916-1917)

THE MOVING PICTURE WEEKLY 29 "JlfR DARING;C/1RING WAYS'' Little Mert is the pride of the rancho. L— KO Two-Reel Komedy. Directed by Vin Moore, under supervision of J. G. Blystone, with Merta Sterling and Lucille Hutton featured in a mad burlesque of the woolly Western draymer. CAST. Little Mert Merta Sterling Her Lover, Al _ Al Forbes Lucille, Ranch Owner....Lucille Hutton Mr. Mule The Donkey ■ ' 1 UCILLE HUTTON and L Merta Sterling carry off the honors of this L-Ko, which was directed by Vin Moore and superI vised by J. G. Blystone. It is a screaming burlesque of the typical Western, of the old-school, with a jumble of the wellknown types of that perennial form of entertainment that would make a cat laugh. Things happen something like this when they get started: Lucille is the owner of the ranch, but Little Mert is its pride. She is loved passoinately by Handsome Al. She goes fishing and he is caught by her hook and they ride home together. Chili Ted and Con Came are two desperate ruffians who are scheming to get Lucille into their power. But her own men have sworn to protect her. When the two ruffians attack her, she is saved by Mert and Al. Mert brings a cake and put.' it on the table. Al steals some of it and she scolds. She goes away and leaves it, but the donkey puts its head in and eats the whole cake. Mert begins to shoot and Al runs. Chili Ted returns and demands either Lucille or the mortgage. Al has tried to make up with Mert. He is teasing her, when a bear appears, and he runs and climbs a tree. She thinks the bear is Al, and says "Oh, you are so persistent!" When she sees the bear she beats it for the ranch. Al has arrived before her, and Lucille sends him to the bank to get the money to pay off the mortgage. Chili and Con see him go and chase him. He reaches the bank in safety and rides the donkey to the pay window. On the way back the ruffians waylay him and hang him to a tree. Mert sees him just in time and shoots the rope in two. They both mount the donkey to ride to the ranch to warn Lucille. When they tell her, she faints. Al runs for water to the well and falls in. Mert goes to save him and falls in, too. They cling to the ropes and as one comes up the other goes down. Chili and Con appear and drop the money down the well. Then they grab Lucille. Mert comes up from the bottom of the well with the money and gives it to Chili. But they tie her up and carry off both the gold and the girl. The donkey bites the ropes and sets Mert free. She pulls Al out of the well and gets the boys. They chase the villains who cross the bridge and blow it up. The trusty boys make a bridge of their bodies over which Mert and Al rush to rescue Lucille. Then they go to a dance in town to celebrate. Al is jealous of Mert. In the midst of the affair Chili and Con arrive and hold up the crowd, escaping with the girl. They board a train. Mert and the boys give chase in a car. She jumps on the last car and the villains uncouple it. She then ropes Chili and the boys finish him. 13 HUNG ON A PEGG. yniRTEEN was the number given to Vesta Pegg, one of the Universal Company's cowpunchers, when he appeared to register for the selective draft on June 5. Pegg, who was appearing with Harry Carey in a Bison film called "The Wrong Man," hesitated a moment when he saw the number on his card, but smiled and proceeded with the registration and in a short time he was signed up for military duty. Others in the polling place looked askance at Pegg for his temerity in taking thirteen, several of thera frankly stating that nothing on earth could induce them to accept the everunwelcome number, but Pegg laughed at them with the remark, "Yes, and every one of you fellows would take thirteen dollars for twelve dollars if you only had the chance." CHURCH, manager of the Plaza Theatre in Detroit, has taken advantage of the scarcity of vegetables to have a potato matinee. But he went one further. Mrs. Church, not having immediate use for the several barrels of potatoes which came in at the Mary Pickford matinee, Mr. Church sold the potatoes at twentyfive cents a peck on his Bluebird night, which was the biggest night in the history of the theatre. He advertised the potato sale in connection with the picture.