The Moving picture world (November 1926-December 1926)

December 11, 1926 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 443 "The Canyon of Light" In Typical Role and as Doughboy Motorcycle Rider, Tom Mix Should Satisfy His Admirers AN unusual sight is offered Tom Mix fans in "The Canyon of Light" his newest feature for Fox, that of seeing him AVilliam Fox Presents Tom Mix And Tony, tte Wonder Horse. In "The Canyon of Light" A Benjamin StolofC Production OASTj Tom Mills Tom Mix Concha Deane Dorothy Dwan Ed Bardin Carl Miller Jerry Ralph SIppcrly RIcardo Deane Barry Norton Bllen Bardin Carmellta Geraghty Length — 5,399 Feet Tom's Buddy is killed in France and Tom is invited to visit his buddy's family, hut his brother-in-law who haf become a bandit poses as Tom. Eventually the gang is captured and Tom wins his buddy's sister. Entertaining, actionful Tom Mix western. astride a new kind of steed, a motorcycle on the battlefields of France, with Tom dressed in khaki with trench helmet and all. But this is only an interlude in the story for in the opening scenes and for most of the footage he is his regular western self in congenial surroundings with his pony Tony to keep him company. The romantic element in this Mix offering is strongly emphasized and there is plenty off action and punch melodrama including a scene where a bandit is about to be hung and Tom shoots the rope, freeing him, and is led out to take his place. There is also a plentiful leavening of fights and hard riding, bandits, rodeo stuff, etc., to appeal to the western fans. Tom's rule suits him to a T while Dorothy Dwan is an atractive heroine with Carl Miller doing good work as the villain. Ralph Sipperly furnishes comedy relief and Barry Norton has an effective death scene on the French battlefield, just like he does in "What Price Glory." Carmelita Geraghty in a different role, sympathetic this time, is entirely satisfactory. In striving for thrills in the climax, the director has rather overplayed the situation with the continual falling to pieces of buildings in a deserted village ending with a fight on top of a big building with additions to it like steps that cave in or tumble over one by one, however, this should prove a popular attraction with the Mix fans. | ACKING IN PLOT and almost devoid 1 J of real dramatic suspense, "The Canadian" seems destined to please the Meighan fans. The story is not strong, but it is fluently if not tersely told, and is set in the wheat fields of Manitoba, yielding interesting and picturesque background for a simple story of a girl who finds it difficult to make the shift from London society to the rough and ready life on the Canadian prairies. Her chief objection is to her brother's wife. Meighan jokingly suggests that he will marry a squaw to keep house for him and Nora offers to take the squaw's place so far as the housekeeping is concerned. "The Canadian" Meighan Will Please His Army of Admirers in Slender but Entertaining Story of Northwest Gradually love springs up, but it is not until he is sending her back to England, believing that this is what she desires, that her love breaks down her pride, and all ends happily. There is a wealth of local color, notably in the early scenes, and the locale is sufficiently interesting to hold the attention in spite of the slow tempo followed in the development of the plot. Mr. Meighan is his usual easy, unconscious self, rising to no great dramatic moments, but being always interesting. Mona Palma, as the girl, makes no very strong appeal, but plays acceptably. Wyndham Standing, as the brother, holds his own well, but Dale Fuller, as the wife, gains the real acting honors : the one strongly drawn character in the cast. Charles Winninger does good work as a semi-comic relief. "The Canadian" looks much better than it sounds. Adolph Zukor and Jesse L. l^asky Present Thomas Meighan In "The Canadian." Based on play by W. Somerset Maugham. Directed by William Beaudine. A Paramount Picture. CAST: Prank JVaylor Thomas Meighan 'l^orn Mona Palma Ed Marsh Wyndham Standing Gertie Dale Fuller Pop Ty.son Charles WInnlngcr Buck Golder Billle Butts Length — 7,773 feet. Nora Marsh, sister of English settler, finds life intolerable and becomes Frank's wife to extent of making a home for him. Distaste gradually turns to love when romance seems hopelessly wrecked. Entertaining drama of thf. Northwest. "The Gorilla Hunt" Burbridge's Adventures with Wild Animals and Strange Natives Make an Exciting Film BEN BURBRIDGE, American explorer and big game hunter, penetrated the heart of the African jungles in search of gorillas, to obtain adult specimens for the museums and to bring back some of the mfant animals alive. He accomplished botli purposes and met with exciting adventures in doing so, and a camera record of his trek of about 3,000 miles is being offered by F. B. 0. as a 4,362 foot feature. The highlight of the film is, of course, the bagging of the gorillas and considering the circumstances he has secured excellent pictures, especially one where an enormous male is shown approaching the camera. The film shows also a tribe of cannibals that his safari met on the tour and, what is especially interesting, are pictures of a visit to a tribe of pygmies whose weapons are poisoned arrows and whose friendship he bought by presents of salt and safety pins. The latter they stuck through their nostrils and i.sed as ornaments. This is said to be the first time this tribe has been filmed. Mr. Burbridge's adventures were not confined to strange native tribes and gorillas, for there are thrilling scenes showing the hunting and bagging of an elephant, which the natives promptly tore to bits, three lions and various other animals, a meeting with an enormous python, strange types of lizards and the fording of a stream infested with crocodiles and a herd of hippopatimi. Altogether, it is an interesting and exciting pictorial record that should prove a popular attraction. "The Cheerful Fraud" (Continued from page 440) handled so as to extract every possible smite. The opening scenes with Denny vainly striving to get the girl to walk under his umbrella, including one where he borrows a big one from a truck, are thoroughly amusing, as are the situations where he is striving to get rid of the woman who has invaded the house in an effort to blackmail his employer. There are several other laughable sequences.