The Moving picture world (January 1920-February 1920)

February 7, 1920 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 903 Shirley Mason, Newest Fox Star, Makes Hit in ''Her Elephant Man THE circus atmosphere in "Her Elephant Man" is the real article. There have been tales of the sawdust ring without number on the stage and on the screen, but the first Fox release starring Shirley Mason, makes good its boast of having the biggest show evere used in pictures. The story is not wildly melodramatic, but depends upon its heart interest and the engaging character of its heroine for its greatest appeal. The men and women of the circus are shown in their every day relations with one another, and the romance of the little "Queen of the Arena" and her Elephant Man is just as fresh and fragrant as one laid among more conventional scenes of life. There is a villain, of course, but he gets only a small share of the center of the ring. The kindly, human side of the hard working, straight living folk that make up the major portion of the ensemble of a big three-ring circus is the one emphasized in "Her Elephant Man." The Meeting in the Jungle. Pearl Doles Bell, author of the story, evidently found herself on familiar and well loved ground when she chose the tented field for the scenes of her work. She must have known and associated with the entire personnel of more than one "Greatest Show on Earth." The day the writer saw the picture, Bird Millman, the wire walker, sat next to Mrs. Bell, and her professionally critical eyes glowed with enthuiastic approval of the circus scenes. The incidents leading up to the time when the heroine becomes a star performer in the "big top" are sufficiently novel to deserve a word of commendation: After Philip Warner has allowed a designing young woman to marry him for his money and has discovered the truth, he changes his name to Dorset and wanders about the world in an aimless way until he joins a party of animal men that are going into the African jungle in search of elephants. Here he meets Joan. She is only a child at the time. Her father, a missionary, has just died of the fever, and the head man of the native village has a letter written by him, requesting the first white man to arrive to take Joan to the United States and put her in the care of the bishop who was a close friend of her parents. Joan Join* the Circus. The dead man's wishes are accepted as a sacred trust by the animal hunters. Joan is brought to America, kindly old Jerimy, head of the party, becoming a second father to the orphan. A misunderstanding prevents Joan from reaching the bishop, and Jeremy takes her on to the circus with him, Dorset sharing in the little girl's care. He is now one of the trainers with the circus, and Joan calls him her Elephant Man. Five years pass and little Joan has become a beautiful young girl and the star woman rider of the circus. She still worships her Elephant Man and Dorset is deeply in love with her, although he has a legal wife living. Blake, the ring master, knows of this and has By Edward Weitzel also heard that, believing her husband dead, Mrs. Philip has married again and is now in New York. The ringmaster is himself infatuated with Joan, but she has eyes for no one but Philip. Realizing that he has no right to Joan's love, the Elephant Man quits the circus without bidding her goodbye and the girl is heart-broken. The Wreck of the "Big Top." Jerimy finds Dorset, tries to get him back but fails. He next hunts up the bishop and learns all about Joan's parents. Blake also busies himself with Joan's affairs. He finds out where Philip's wife is living, and learns that she was already married when she became his wife. Philip discovers this later, and returns to the circus the day Very, Oh Very Kittenish Also very pretty. Also very good In her circus role In "Her Elephant Man." a terrific storm wrecks the main tent and the elephants are about to stampede. Joan has been helping to keep the big brutes quiet, and has only time to embrace her Elephant Man when a messenger rushes into the animal tent. Blake has been struck by the falling center pole and is fatally injured and wants to make his peace with the star rider. Still clad in her tights and spangled skirts, now sadly soaked and stained from the driving storm, Joan hurries to the dying man. Kneeling at his side she forgives him freely when he confesses how he tried to separate her and the elephant trainer. Joan then dashes back to Dorset. He is busy with his charges, but Joan seizes him by the hand and drags him out on the lot. The rain is still pouring down but she heads straight for the biggest band wagon. When old Jerimy comes upon them some time later the pair are sit ting up on the driver's seat, their arms ubout each other and blissfully unconscious that they are being soaked to the skin. A Clean and Wholesome Story. With a plot of such a nature it is easily seen that "Her Elephant Man" does not depend upon highly spiced melodrama or broadly accentuated comedy to put it over with the film public. It is a love story of the clean wholesome sort and has been produced with the care and thoroughness claimed for it by the William Fox organization. All of the scenes and incidents of circus life have that feeling of conviction V/hich comes from the "know how" of the chap who has been raised on the lot and has filled every position from candy butcher to boss canvasman. The size of the "tops" and the extent of the trappings and of the number of people employed to give realism to the circus episodes are in keeping with the standard of the best Fox productions. Scott Dunlap, who directed the picture, has stuck close to the theme and not yielded to the temptation to pad in any irrelevant comedy, with the aid of the funny men of the swadust ring. The scenes of Philip's marriage and of his parting from his wife, also those in the African jungle, are excellently handled. Shirley Mason's Fine Impersonation. To Shirley Mason has fallen the difficult task of impersonating a child of twelve and of following up this impersonation with a portrayal of the same little girl when she has grown into womanhood. Not by a look or an action does she suggest anything but the child she is supposed to be, and the transitions of the character are as skillfully accomplished. More than all this is the beautiful nature and personal charm she gives to Joan. The unexpected ease with which she takes to her riding act in the ring entitles her to further merit marks. Albert Roscoe as Philip Dorset and Harry Todd as Jerimy are capital selections. Village Street Built for Metro's "Shore Acres" ANEW ENGLAND village street built on the old Universal ranch is being used for scenes of James A. Heme's "Shore Acres," Alice Lake's new Metro-Screen Classic picture. The street was constructed by the Metro technical department under the direction of John Holden. Many scenes in the early part of "Shore Acres" center about the rural bank. This building, a country store, a post-office and many other village places of business have been built on the street. Miss Lake is supported by Edward Connelly, Joseph Kilgour, Robert Walker, Frank Brownlee, Burwell Hamrick, Margaret McWade and Franklyn Garland. Arthur J. Zellner wrote the continuity from the Herne drama. Rex Ingram is directing.