The Moving picture world (November 1926-December 1926)

December 4, 1926 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 355 Timely Reviews of Short Subject Productions **The Nickel Hopper" (Pathe— Three Reels) In the second of the new series in 2S| which she is being starred by Mack Sennett, Mabel JM' Normand has another comedy tha provides amusing entertainment. The title refers to the fact that Mabel is employed as instructress in a dance palace where she has to be a partner for all comers at a nickel a dance. Several good • laughs result from the playing up of the diflferent types of partners and their individual styles of hoofing, and it has the added appeal of being unhackneyed comedy material. The latter portion is built around Mabel's trouble with an irate and shiftless father and an adventure with the owner of a Rolls-Royce, Theodore V'Dn Eltz, pictured here, which leads her into an encounter with the cops and eventual romance. There are touches of pathos as well as smiles in this little comedy, and a peach of a comedy ending with hero and heroine floating down to safety when Mabel's hoop skirt acts as a parachute. — C. S. SewelL **Bruce Scenic" '*Luke Warm Daze" ''Hesitating Horses" **The Divorce Dodger'* (Pathe— Two Reels) Billy B e V a n, pictured here; T h e 1 m a Hill, T h e 1 m a Parr, Vernon Dent and other well-known members of the organization constitute the capable cast appearing in this Mack Sennett comedy. The story deals with a scheming divorce laviryer who is out looking for business and tries to trap Billy, who is inclined to be flirty. Fate aids him and there is an amusing and cleverly handled situation in which circumstantial evidence comes very near disrupting two couples when Billy is caught with Dent's sweetheart in his car minus her dress, which he has volunteered to dry for her when it was doused with water. The girl proves too clever and everything ends O. K. with the lawyer himself in bad with his prospective clients. It is not so much the idea, but the manner in which it has been worked out that injects a lot of laughs into this comedy. — C. S. Sewell. (Educational — One Reel) ON THIS SPLIT reel are two interesting and pictorially beautiful numbers. The first shows the different variations of the Hawaiian dance, the Hula-Hula, all different, and giving the spectator a new idea of this national dance as actually performed by the natives. The second section picturizes the lure of the tropical sundown, with the setting sun and rising moon rising above the water, making a series of gorgeous pictures. — C. S. Sewell. **Hoot Moa" (Educational — Two Reels) Of course, with this title, Bobby Vernon's newest comedy has a decidedly strong Scotch accent and atmosphere. In fact, the entire locale of the action is Scotland with everybody in kilts. Bobby is an auto salesman having a hard time. A wag. Bill Irving, pictured here, sends him to the stingiest man in the place and then dresses him up as member of a rival clan, but before the story is over Bobby has licked the rival clansmen and won the old man's daughter although papa tears up the order for a new car when Bobby is accepted into the family. The Scotch stufif is well done and affords picturesque settings and backgrounds and there are some good gags, especially Bobby's trouble in trying to unfasten an enormous sword that is strapped to his back. Plenty of laughs and above the average in entertainment value. — C. S. Sewell. '^Monkey Hula" (Bray — Two Reels) THIS is a Sunkist Comedy, with Buddy Messenger, Mr. X., the monkey, and the Sunkist Bathing Beauties. Buddy and his pal, the monkey, mix things up while getting their breakfast, and most of the action occurs after Buddy has banged his head with a hammer while asleep. We see the airplane rise, with Buddy, and as it passes over "a cannibal island," we see the plane drop, wheel after wheel, propeller, parts, etc., and finally Buddy falls from the sky at the feet of the cannibal "king." Then things begin to happen, and continue so to the end, when again we take up "Mr. X." — C. E. Hastings. (Bray — Two Reels) IN this McDougall Alley Comedy, a bird whom I do not recall having laughed at heretofore, one Perry Murdock, is likely to achieve fame for himself as a result of a novel method of running. Cleone Deaver and Louise Carver assist Murdock and the kids in putting over a fast little comedy, with many lively moments, but the outstanding thing is the Muddock run. In city streets or country paths, Murdock speeds, arms akimbo at the shoulders, and as he goes he raises his left or right arm slightly, lowering the other, as we see airplanes dip for a turn. Murdock plays "Luke Warm." We'll have to watch this chap. • — C. E. Hastings. *'Cool Off" (Educational — Two Reels) Anne Corn■'g^Mgm wall's second ingL. comedy for Edu 1? cational in which she is featured ^ with Jack Duffy .....iuita jM^Btik is another corker. Not only does this sprightly and charming little comedienne do excellent work and is a peppy story introducing what to the writer, who has seen hundreds of comedies, is a real new comedy angle, and it is payed up with telling effect. When father goes away, Anne takes in boarders in the swell home and on his return gets rid of them by connecting the steam radiators with the electric refrigerating system and freezing the boarders out. This idea is worked out along several lines, one boarder puts on a skating costume, and skates where water was spilled on the parlor floor. Father Jack Duffy plays safe and hides in an oven. Any audience should enjoy this one.— C. S. SewelJ. 'Thru Thick and Thin'* (Pathe-One Reel) A SMALL BOYS traditional friendship for a mutt furnishes the idea of this Aesop's Fable cartoon which shows the boy kidnapped by gypsies and the dog rescuing him in a scene that is good burlesque melodrama, with a fight on a cake of ice at the brink of a waterfall. Amusing and clever, as Cartoonist Terry's offerings usually are.— C. S. Sewell. (Pathe— Two Reels) As the title implies, a horse race is the crux of the situation in this Alice Day comedy. As usual the story is whimsical and dedecidedly amusing. Alice meets Ruth Taylor, a city girl, pictured here, and Ruth puts her wise to a lot of things. Despite her father's disapproval, Alice determines to enter their horse in a race and with Ruth's aid manages to get the horse to the track after the others have started and is in a fair way to win the race even though she delays to powder her nose. The situation that gives the film its title is amusingly done. This picture is well up to the standard of the series. Eddie Quillan appears in his familiar role of a country lad with Danny O'Shea as a city chap and Joseph Young again appearing as Alice's father.— C. S. Sewell. "A Briny Boob" (Educational — Two Reels) AS usual, Billy Dooley, appears in his familiar role of a boob sailor. He has been given some good gags in this comedy which deals with his experiences ashore endeavoring to deliver a bunch »f roses. A vamp gets them away from him, he tries to steal more in the park, is chased by a coo and wins praise from a woman who credits him with rescuing her dog from drowning. It develops that she is the one for whom the roses are intended and she grabs Billy and uses him for a love scene rehearsal, but Billy thinks she means it. Hubby arrives and causes amusing complications. When this is straightened out the poor boob takes a tiger rug into the park and gets in bad again trying to pull a "Three Weeks" stunt of his own. Amber Norman, pictured here, appears as the gay wife. "Hitting the Rails" (Pathe— One Reel) A NOTHER interesting and highly amusing Paul Terry cartoon in the Aesop's Fable series, marked by this artist's gift of imagination and humor in the handling of his familiar little animals. It is well up to the high standard of the series and should prove a popular attraction with the average patron. — C. S. Sewell.