Motion Picture News (Jan - Mar 1914)

46 THE MOTION PICTURE NEWS "atmosphere" is well preserved. Olga, an aristocratic Nihilist, secures a paper from the safe of Orlanoff, a government official. Ivan, her brother, volunteers to kill Orlanoff, but before he reaches the house, Olga, who loves Orlanoff, warns him. She is shot by her brother, who mistakes her for Orlanoff. '"The Way to Heaven." (Vitagraph. Mar. 12.) — A reel which portrays the seamy side of life all through. The acting of the little girl is particularly commendable. A little girl in the search for the way to heaven, where, she has been told, her mother is, wanders into a thieves' den. One of them treats her kindly, to the annoyance of another, resulting in a light, in which her friend is mortally wounded. "Gentleman or Thief." (Biograph. Mar. IS.) — An interesting drama, depicting the reformation of a Raffles through the actions of a newsboy. "Auntie." (Vitagraph. Mar. 16.) — A dramatic comedy in which Auntie marries Mr. Rich, a storekeeper, while her nephew is content with Meg, an orphan employee of Mr. Rich's. "Pathe's Weekly, No. 22." (Mar. 16.)— The gathering of the national battleships in Mexican waters, and the laborers' strike in Transvaal are the important features. "The Adventures of an Alarm Clock." (Edison. Mar. 16.)— This is the fourth of some very funny adventures of Octavius, the detective. Octavius attempts to clear the mystery of a stolen necklace, which the thief has hidden in an alarm clock. He solves the tangle after freeing himself from suspicion. "Looking for a Fortune." (Kalem. Mar. 13.) — A comedy with a moral. Jim Doolittle thinks to win an heiress, but takes some bad advice and smokes in front of the father who abominates the habit. The father turns a hose on him, and Jim drifts away. "Her Fallen Hero." (Kalem. Mar. 13.) — A comedy which will amuse. Two ex-actors in the search for something to eat plan a trick. One attacks an old man, and the other rescues him and is rewarded with a good feed, and the admiration of the daughter of the house. The partner gets in, and they are both thrown out of the window, where they fight over the general situation. "Elizabeth's Prayer." (Selig Mar. 13.) — This reel portrays a little child reuniting her parents. Her mother goes away for a time, and the father begins to go out at night. When she returns he does not give it up, and the wife is about to take poison when the father enters. The sight of the praying child makes him penitent, and they are reconciled. A worthy release. "Mrs. Maloney's Fortune." (Vitagraph. Mar. 13.) — Appearances arc deceitful, or so Mrs. Maloney thinks when she inherits a fortune and goes into society. In befriending an orphan she finds that he is the real heir, so she gladly goes back to the old home, as the "city life is not for her." "Gra^s County Goes Dry." (Essanay. Two part1.. Mar. 12.) — A good comedy in which a righteous man is cruelly misjudged. The deacon and "Doc" Perkins are rivals in love as well as for the presidency of the local igue, so when the deacon comes into a meeting with the smell of whiskey on him lie receives a hasty exit. Two tramps, however, testify that the deacon used the I ey as a hair-tonic and he is elected. Mis hair grows out, and he is received with favor by the widow. UNIVERSAL PROGRAM "In the Eye of the Law." (Rex April 2.) A detective story with a clever and orig'nal ending. Just how practical it is would be hard to I .. but at any rate it will make .in impre ion A murder is committi tliltv party caught through th iphing the actual happening on the eyeall. I "A Bad Egg." (Powers. Mar. «0.)— Although the plot of this is really a "rehash," it will be found interesting. Rl of a girl on an egg. hi v. gning his friend's name. The girl comes in answer, < ill. wife of the man's friend, and then is a niixup. "The Lady Doctor." (Crystal. April 6.) — An impossible comedy which may amuse. A doctor leaves a girl in charge of his office. She works various stunts with patients that call. MUTUAL PROGRAM "In the Days of His Youth." (SmalleyRex. Mar. 29.) — A clever story with a good moral. The acting is above average. A boy, having been whipped by his father, for breaking a window runs away. He is brought home again, and after a spat with his Dad they play football together. The father breaks a window, the boy forgiving him. "In the Wolves' Fangs." (Bison. Two reels. Mar. 21.) — A Western played by William Clifford and Sherman Bainbridge. It becomes very melodramatx in some scenes. An Indian, hatnig Jean, sets a trap for him which kills an Indian. A rival, Pierre, discovering the murder, blames it on Jean and thus force the Indians to take the warpath. Marie rides for help and is followed by Pierre. He is caught in the bear trap which he had set for Jean and tl.us dies. "When Universal Ike Set." (Universal Ike. April 21.) — Poor Ike does get a rough deal. Marrying a widow and faking illness gets him in "dutch." She, believing him paralyzed, makes him hatch out a few hundred eggs just to earn his board. "The Baby's Doll." (Smalley-Rex. April 5.) — The picture leads one from comedy to pathos in very quick time. It is prettily played and deserves commendation. Meeting a poor girl Gertie allows her to look at, but not touch, her new doll, which she has stolen from her father. The little girl watches over the image while Gertie goes into the house. When it starts to rain she stays there and continues her vigilance. The result of this is death to the child and sorrow to her mother. "Black Hands and Dirty Money." (Frontier. Mar. 26.) — A slapstick comedy, deal.ng with the police department. Much chasing and running around as usual. "The Power of Prayer." (Victor. Two reels. Mar. 20.) — Undoubtedly the poorest picture Capt. Leslie Peacocke has written. The production seems impossible in many places and does not ring true to life. Irene Wallace in the leading part has done better work. There is no reason for the title. "By Perseverance and Persuasion." (Joker. Mar. 25.) — Very slapsticky, yet containing some clever points. An admirer of a restaurant cashier wins her by getting laborers to eat at the hotel. His many attempts to become a waiter himself are humorous. "Sealed Orders." (Victor. Two reels. Mar. 30.) — T. Warren Kerrigan and Cleo Mad son play the leads in this very interesting and novel \\ i stern. "C rooknose" is feared by every one. Meeting a gambler who had been robbed he quickly gets his money returned. His sweetheart is discharged from her position and accepts another without knowing where she is being taken. "Crooknose," chased by the gamblers, takes refuge in a bu Id ng and while there discovers his fiancee in the embrace of a man. lie rescues her after a very realistic light, in which he is helped by a policeman, and I' Hi got to the hospital. "The Girl Bandit." (Frontier. Mar. 2S.) — This reel is remarkable for the action which is maintained. The scenery is superb, and the whole production is a worthy one. A Western community is terrorized by the number of holdups that occur without the ident'ty of the robber being disclosed. A new sheriff is appointed, Imt he has no better luck, until he, m a prank, holds up the stagecoach. held up in turn by the bandit, and he is captured by the returning stage coach. "Get Out and Get Under." (Crystal. Split reel. April 7.) — This reel is an an mated illustration of the song by the same name, with a few variations. A young couple are notified of the gift of a machine, and make all preparafor automobiling, but when it arrives, it is a sewing machine. Split with "An Undesiralitor." "An Undesirable Suitor." (Crystal. Split reel. April 7.) — A story of threats having theil ect. Percy anil Marie are not allowed to marry, so threaten to commit de. II' I father thinks it best to relent. "Snow Ball Pete." (Komic. Mar. 18.) — On the same reel as "He Who Laughs Last' By eating snowballs in the roadway a tram| collects much money from sympathetic passers. "A Decree of Justice." (American. Mar. 25.) — An excellent story that cannot but "get across" anywhere. A dissolute brother, by feigning blindness, learns the secrets of his brother's invention, a burglar safety device, and then proceeds to steal everything. His supposed blindness for a t.me protects him. "The Woman without a Soul." (Majestic. Mar. 17.) — "To err is human, to forgive divine" is the text which applies to this story. A woman meets a man on a train and after a long flirtation with him he falls. After a long time, the husband returns to his home and w.fe and all is forgiven him. "Our Mutual Girl." (Reliance. Chapter 9. Mar. 16.) — Margaret sees many of the sights of New York, mostly the churches, such as St. Thomas's and The Little Church Around the Corner. She also meets Dorothy Dix, who presents her with a copy of her latest novel. The play "High Jinks ' is seen and a scene from it produced for her benefit. Falling asleep, she dreams she is playing the leading part. "Dad's Terrible Match." (Apollo. Mar. 1T>.) — Fred Mace and Margaret Loveridge. Pa objects to Willie courting lis daughter. Two tramps in the employ of Willie get a reluctant consent from Pa by toasting his feet. "He Who Laughs Last." (Komic. Split reel. Mar. 18.) — In retaliation for stealing their girls, two college boys place a dummy in their friends' closet with disastrous results. Same reel as "Snow Ball Pete." "Atonement." (Majestic. Two reels. March 22.) — Xo originality in plot, although fairly interesting. Several gripping scenes. Julie and Felix are engaged to be married when the former is ruined by a stranger, Brookes. The two are married and the girl dies in childbirth. Years later her child, now grown to manhood, hears for the first time his history. He also meets his father. The latter, in calling at the house, falls down the well and is drowned. "The Catspaw." (Thanhouser. Two reels. Mar. 17.) — One of Clarence Herbert New'? Free Lance stories. James Cruze and Flo La Badie play the leading parts. The Kaiser's spy desires to obtain the plans of some fortifications. The Countess, a confederate of the spy, promises Dick, a friend of the keeper of the plans, that she will marry him if he obtains these papers. Trevor, the Free Lance, places duplicate papers in the safe, which Dick steals. Thin he exposes the Covintess and the spy and so gains another victory. "Cruel, Cruel Love." (Keystone. Mar. 26.) — A sentimental man tries to poison himself. The butler changes the poison and the man's attempts to die cause some humor. "The Turning Point." (American. Two nils. Mar. 23.) — A conventional story that possesses several novel situations. A young man. who is almost a habitual drunkard, and a girl who has kleptomaniac traits, each promise the other that they will give up their bad hah is. The man keeps his promise, but the girl apparently falls. After some time thf in in learns that the girl is really innocent. "Billy's Ruse." (Princess. Mar. IS.) Muriel Ostriche and Boyd Marshall. The feature is a dive through the ice into the chilled oni i tin company. The attempts of Muriel and Marshall to skate are humorous. "His Litt'e Pal." (Majestic. Mar. 15.) A "Wi stern" along regulation lines. A child helps a convict, who, in turn, assists her father in an attack by some outlaws. The father pardon for the man and accepts him as a partner. "Their Cousin from Eng'and." (Than bouser. Mar. 22.) — A typical Fnglish dude scc« v of tin Wil.l and Woolly West right in New York City. Some comedy. "A Modern Free Lance." (American. Mar. 16.) — A newspaper story which has mucb to (Continued on page 50)