Variety (July 1919)

O V I ■ ■• .-.. -■■• ■ -- • . R1V0LL The crowd was probably all at the Broad- way Sunday. It certainly didn't mob the Rlvoll entrance, but In falling to do so it missed one of the best features offered the public this year, namely "The ^^bache, with Elslo Ferguson. This Artcraft produc- tion Is reviewed elsewhere la these columns. The rest of the show, of course, had to live up to the feature, but managed pretty well. The Prlzma color offering, photographs of the Yosemlte Park geyser, Old Faithful, in high action, proved a pleasing starter. ■ H was preceded only by the Overture, Emanuel Chanrler's "Espana." After the Prlzma, Martin Brefel, tenor, sang Gounauds aria from Faust, always a popular selection. After the pictorial. Van Dyke, the cellist, save the •'Spanish Serenade," by David Popper. Why John Wenger should edit It to a mystery, and why he should be given credit on the pro- gram for doing so, when he ought to be hung for touching It, la a deeper mystery still. The pictorial was a well chosen collection of news pictures, and "Just Neighbors, a Harold Lloyd comedy, handed everyone plenty of laughs. There was an organ solo aa a finale. THE AVALANCHE. PICTURES ■ ($353 RIALTO. ...Elsie Ferguson i ....Ltunsdea Hare Chlchlta 1 Helene V Mme. Delano J Price Ruyler ... Mrs. Ruyler Zef&e Tilbury John Harvey v ...Fred Esmelton Ferdle Derenfortb WlUlam Rosalie Sybil Price .'■ Grace Field Nick Delano 'Warner Oland Some of the bright young men with orig- inal Ideas have been snooping around the Art- craft brain shop to good purpose for they came to bat this week at the Rlveli with a production called "The Avalanche," written by Gertrude Atherton, and In which Elsie Ferguson Is starred. • Mrs. Atherton Is one of those who make you exclaim, "Oh, Lady, Lady, you're some author," when It comes to devising a story, and Miss Ferguson, as we all know, Is an accomplished actress and a very, very lovely person, Indeed. The trouble with the picture—and right here it Is only fair to remark that It has few troubles, but shows most of the signs of being a first class feature and then some—the main trouble with it, then, Is the revision supplied the story by ,Oulda Bergere who did the scenario. \ Miss Bergere makes her continuity very jerky, and, despite that be has greatly im- pressed the local wits who write for the newspapers, George FlUmaurlce, who directed, hasn't done as much as he might to emooth off the rough edges. The- story, however, was too good for them. It stands out despite all tinkering, and these two old hands at screen work were lucky In their choice of material. But story or no story, this picture would live In the imagination because it has Elsie Fer- guson as a part of it. She U rarely beautiful, this woman is, and suggests in this picture an extraordinarily interesting combination of Nazimova and Mary Plckford. Indeed, the resemblance to Nazimova Is startling. This strange amal- gam is possible, mainly because Miss Fer- guson plays a dual role. She Is both mother and daughter. Her acting Is excellent, her differentiation complete, and the technical ex- perts In the Paramount workshop have sec- onded her efforts perfectly. The story starts in South America. The photography and the scenery In this early part of the picture has a'warmth and charm that Is thoroughly delightful. Later It is neither so good, nor so well developed. Par- ticularly in the Interiors there is too much suggestion of lack of correct focus. At any rate, the story concerns Helene L'Estrange, daughter of a gambler, who later escapes from a convent only to marry a novelist, somewhat stiffly Impersonated by Lumsden Hare. When she comes to Nick Delano's gambling place, her mother, now Delano's wife, suspects who she la and tries to protect her. Unfortunately, the girl to difficult to handle, and In trying to save hwrself from Delano tumbles him over a high balcony. His fall Is perfectly pic- tured. Blame tor his death Is taken by the mother. There are big moments In the picture, but what will sell it chiefly Is Miss Ferguson's rare beauty, which was never more perfectly pictured. "Girls," with Marguerite Clark (reviewed In this issue), is the feature at the Rlalto this week. A Sunshine comedy, a Bruce scenic, called "Sundown," and the Rlalto Magazine completed the film bill. - The musical numbers were unusually tune- ful and Included the duet from '11 Trova- tore," sung by Rosa Legela, soprano, and Edgardo Alband, baritone. The duet was finely rendered and the applause prolonged. The audience undoubtedly would have liked to hear the singers In something else, but encores are against the rule at the, Rlalto and Rlvoll. The "Merry Jail Birds" was the title of the /comedy, and they certainly were a merry band of criminals. The applicants for Jail were so numerous that the warden had to hang out a notice "No cells vacant today." There was enough roughhouse comedy crowd- ed Into the two reels, to make a five reel fea- ture. Clever and up-to-date captions helped the fun along. Following "Sundown," Julia Henry sang "Homing" In a pleasing manner.' Miss Henry has a fine soprano of considerable range and her voice seemed to reach every corner of the big theatre. Rlalto Magazine consisted of pic- tures of topical subjects. An overture, "Beautiful Galatea," and an organ recital, "Vox Angelica," were the open- ing and closing numbers. GIRLS. Pamela Gordon Marguerite Clark Violet Mary Warren Kate West...........v.. Helene Chadwlck Edgar Holt.............. Harrison Ford Mr. Loot Lee Hill Sprague. ................. .Thomas D. Feme Lucille Virginia FolU Mr. Dennett......... .Tom RIckerU Mrs. Dennett ..Clarisse Selwyn Searles Arthur Carewe This Is an adaptation of Clyde Fitch's com- edy by the same title. The picturlzatlon has been made by Paramount, as a vehicle for Margeurlte Clark, Clara Beranger and Alice Eyeton wrote the scenario and Walter Ed- wards directed. It is the first picture Miss Clark has made on the coast for four years, Pamela Gordon, played by the star, Is a confirmed-man-hater. Her views are so con- firmed she seeks to convert other girls to her principles, and has formed a man-haters' club consisting of herself and two other girls, her room mates. While it Is obvious how It is all going to end, there are many amusing situations before the trio of man-haters capit- ulate. I MIbs Clark has been seen In productions which have suited her better, inasmuch as they have given her more work to do. "Glrla" Is the lightest kind of a trifling comedy and there Is very little call for acting. The star romps through scene after scene, many trivial and having little bearing on the main theme Tet the heroine carries the production. "In other words the spectators will go to see Miss Clark and not "Girls." j Some high class photography helps. Tech- nically It has been well put together. The In- teriors are rich looking and Impressive, while a number of picturesque country scenes add charm. But there are altogether too many close-ups. They are;so frequent they mar the continuity and the thread of the story is often lost, while a picture of the heroine or some persoa Is being thrown on the screen. Harrison Ford is the leading man, as Edgar Holt. Ford is amusing in a mild sort of way, but he could have secured more comedy if be had loosened up and put a little more "pep" into his work. He has a number of oppor- tunities which should bring hearty laughs, but beseemed to miss them. Mary Warren and Helene Chadwlck, the other two! "haters" are clever In their respective part3. The other players handle their roles intelligently. PUTTING ONE OVER. George Walsh is starred In this live reel Fox feature, made under the direction of Edward Dillon. It Is a thriller of the mod- ern type and apparently written with the pur- pose of giving the star opportunities of dis- playing his athletic ability. There are a number of thrilling Incidents, Including a realistic train wreck, two or tbree rough and tumble fights and the other Ingredients which go to make up a picture of this type. Mr. Walsh is of the Fairbanks class of screen actors, as far as "stunts" are concerned. 'Tutting One Over" is not lacking in com- edy and there are numerous clever titles which are good for laughs. Edith Stockton as Helen Townsend is leading woman. The heroine has quite a difficult part to play, but she handles it intelligently and she carries the sympathy of the audience with her. Mr. Walsh has a dual character, but It Is not difficult to play, as the parts do not clash. There Is nothing new about the theme, It Is along the usual lines of this kind of plot. Some unusually handsome Interiors help to add a little "class" to the production. THIN ICE. Alice Wlnton Corlnne Griffith Benjamin Graves L. Rogers Lytton George Wlnton Charles Kent Rose La Vere .....Eulalle Jensen Mrs. Miller Alice Terry Corlnne Griffith shows up photographically to first rate advantage In "Thin Ice," a re- cent Vltagraph release which has already, by some strange process, reached the second run houses. It was shown at the Stanley last week and revealed Corlnne in a rather ordinary story of intrigue. It was ordinary in the sense that it took Shannon Fife, the scenario writer, too long to get her In a posi- tion where she had to betray her love for a man or betray her brother. By the time he got her there you began to wonder whether It wouldn't have been much simpler to ex- plain about brother and let it go at that— but then, of course, there would have been no story. ' In the story, as It stands, Alice, to save her brother, gives an unscrupulous mining pro- moter a check. Later she marries a man, who Is a darn nice fellow and all that, but who has ideas about "once a thief, always a thief," that make the spectator wonder right off the bat how soon trouble Is going to start and how much trouble there Is going to be. Well, there's plenty, and Corlnne makes the most of It. She Is really very charming and It is extraordinary how this mild and pathetic little feature has failed to hook on, so to speak, to the big time. But It hasn't, probably because--the story Is so artificial. Tom Mills did the directing. The pho- tography was adequate. STRAND. Managing Director Joseph Plunkett has evolved something new. This week at the Strand he breaks Into the middle of a feature with a tableau that carries out the atmosphere of the picture and marks a lapse of time. It was ymy effective and carried out the Idea of the picture perfectly. The feature for the week was the latest Louise Glaum production, "Sahara," presented by J. Parker Read, Jr. The picture is being released by the W. W. ,' Hodklnson Corp. • . / The scenes, as suggested by the title, are all. laid In Africa and the program that has been selected to surround it Is in keeping with the atmosphere of the principal production of the program! Victor Herbert's "The Wizard of the -Nile" Is the overture selection and It is followed by the Strand Topical Review, In which Is included the Harry Relchenbaoh ar- ranged comedy of the Crown Prince of Ger- many, with views of the "quince" taken In Holland and shown with comedy titles. It was a decided laugh to the audience. / A water wagon scenic of the Outing-Chester series showed some very pretty,views. A scenio prolog to the feature, with a vocal number sung off stage, was effective. It showed Paris by night and then as the scenio effect faded the pisfure came in with an art title that was a reproduction of the scene Just shown. ■ ; Two vocal numbers by Redferne Holllns- head preceded the comedy, which was the Uni- versal release, "The Jaza Monkey," a mighty clever two-reeler that got - an unusual number , of .laughs. The Strand's business Sunday 1 afternoon was exceedingly big considering the delightful weather outdoors. ' Fred. SAHARA. Mignon ..' .Louise Glaum John Stanley .Matt Moore Baron Alexis ....Edwin Stevens The Boy..... Master Pat Moore Mustapha..... ..Nigel De Brulller I The feature production at the Strand for the current week Is the W. W. Hodklnson re- leased production presented by J. Parker Read, Jr., with Louise Glaum as - the star. In it* . present shape the picture seems a little lengthy, running about an hour and five min- utes. From a production standpoint, however, It la a feature that looks very big, and for lighting effects and corking camera work stands out as a real work of <art. The story of "Sahara" was written by 0. Gardner Sullivan and the direction of the picture was by Allan Dwan. The scenes are for the greater part laid in South Africa, with the exception of the opening, which takes place In Paris. Mignon, the heroine, Is played by Miss Glaum. She has been the favorite toast of the Parisian boulevards during her life on the stage there, -She has married a young Ameri- can, ordered to the Sahara country to take up bis work as an engineer. His wife accom- panies him, but after six months of the lonely, life on the desert she leaves blm for a Rus- sian nobleman, who takes her to Cairo, where he establishes her In a palace. Sometime afterward she runs across her hus- band and her child, who have become beggars, and she rescues them from their plight. The tact that she takes them to the Palace angers her protector, and he starts to choke her. As he is In the midst of this scene the beggar hus- band recognizes the man that wronged him and he kills him. The wits, husband and kid- dle go out Into the desert again and time brings about a recovery from the drug habit." that the man had acquired, a clarifying of his memory and a spirit of forgiveness on his part for the wife who had left him. It Isn't the story aa much as the handling of it that makes the feature worth while. The desert scenes with sand storms, the weird lights and the effective manner in which they have been captured by the camera make the picture unusual In a great many ways. There Is a suggestion of vastaess about the ontofdoors that makes one see the unusual, and the couple of palace Interior sets cost a lot of money. Mlas Glaum seems to have taken on a little weight since last oh the screen, but this does not detract from her beauty' and forceful manner of putting over a scene. There were, to be sure, rather too many close-ups of her emoting. The picture, however, can be handled In a big way and it will deliver for almost any audience. Fret. aware that she is going to add to the house- bold income, he feels that he has to get very, very busy. On the eve of losing his Job, he thinks of a scheme to make a lot oC money for the firm, and plunges In. All, of . course, ends happily. COLONEL BRIDAU. Flora Brazier Peps Bonafe Madame Brldau. ................. Jennie .Vitti Marietta J.... Nelly Flatus. Vedle Ida Bruai Col. Philippe Brldau....Ohev. Ralph Marlanus Max Gllet James De Rosa Jean Jacques Rouget .Farlo Ferrarese Duke of Montrlgneuae Philip Rlccl Joseph Brldau Nicholas Crespl ' This Entente Films' release, an Importing firm located In Philadelphia, evidently was not originally produced by the Quakertown concern. The cas't, In the press sheets dis- tributed at the press showing last week, Is conspicuously mentioned as "an international - cast" That's wrong. It is strictly national —Italian by the looks of It ■-' The Entente Imported it and re-tltlel the captions for-the edification of American and Canadian audiences,' which rights they con-.; trol. They made a bad Job of It The entire production, cast, story and direction is at fault •-'■•■•,. The grotesque, at times foolish, gesticula- tions of this particular cast—which might be the thing as far as native Italian audiences are concerned—look queer to the typically American audience. The locale Is not Italian. It is French—of the days of Napoleon Bonaparte;'being, neces- sarily, a costume play. Stories of this type need a master hand to sustain Interest Joseph Plntus, captioned as director, did not do blm- " Belt credit The photography of Julius Rossi ta pflHStthlfl- The yarn Is adapted from Honors de Bal- zac's novel, "La Raboullleuse," also adapted for a stage version which Otis Skinner em- ployed at the Globe Theatre, New York, early this spring, under,the title of "The Honor of the Family." Balzac's fame and name is suf- ficient proof bis.story was noteworthy. But the screen version Is weak. Fepa Bonafe, featured on the press sheets as the "international vamp" who could "out- Bara Theda," was very, very tame. THE AMERICAN WAY. j Richard Farrlngton .Arthur Ashley Betty Winthrop.... ......Dorothy Green Stuyvesant Van Allen Franklin Hanna Mrs. Van Allen.. ...Lisle Leigh Henry Stelnraets. Carl Sauermsn Bill MeginnjB j Ed Rotemaxt' Jerome Schwartz.............. Robert FisherA Half Breed....', .......Harry Semels Lord Farrlngton............Charles V/cllsloy Tony .....John Adrlzonl Glna ..Hazel Sexton John Smlthers ,.. .Stewart Fisher . ' A World five-reel feature, in which Dorothy- Green and Arthur Ashley are co-starred. Frank Reicher was the director. It is along the usual lines of the so-called society drama, The story Is an Improbable one, but that, is not so much the fault as that It has been de- veloped with scant show of Imagination and still less a display of care. The story is by Florence 0. Bolles and the scenario by Wallace 0. Clifton. Max Schneider : was the cameraman. "The American ■ Way" - Is supposed to be the thrilling and Irresistible way In which Richard Farrlngton (Arthur Ashley) courts and wins Betty winthrop (Dorothy Green), the ward of Stuyvesant Van Aliens. ■".-' :, The feature does not allow one to become acquainted with Its characters and is totally lacking in what is generally termed "atmos- phere. " No particular character appears in a truly sympathetic light and the mult la that one Is not greatly concerned with any- thing that befalls anyone. , ■ The English characters are far from true- to type and the American ones little better. The stars do aa well as can be expected wit*. Impossible parts. : The casting director—If thoro was such a person—mode a horrible mlx-up of things. "The American Why" baa little to recommend If .- - PUTTI ii^gIt OVER. Buddy Marsh Bryant Wa eh burn Mary .Shirley Mason Jane Pel ley Wlnnlfred Greenwood Mrs. Pelley Adele Farrlngton Mr. Hard \ Clarence Geldart George Montegu Edward Alexander "Putting It Over," a five reel Paramount program offering with Bryant Washburn In the leading role, Is one. of those cute com- edies that tickle the sense of fun Just enough to keep you happy. Clean and amusing, It is excellently acted, well directed and well 'photographed, George Weston wrote the atory, Marlon Fairfax adapted It to the screen, and Donald Crisp directed. The last named put In several unique touches. The story Is a simple enough yarn, clean and wholesome and decent, and the star brings Just that kind of a,personality to bear on it As tbe young druj? clerk, he squeezes light comedy all over the picture. Buddy Marsh is clerking at the soda fountain at $12 per week when he goes to the drug clerk's ball and meets Mary. Infatuated, he pursues her, telling all sorts of stories about the large salary he's receiving. Mary, however, Is on to blm, but says nothing. Instead of talking, she takes a Job herself and accepts him. Un- BE A LITTLE SPORT. This is the third of the Albert Ray-Elinor Fair comedies, produced by Fox Films. It to a live reel feature. Hale Merrlmaa wrote the story and the scenario prepared by Joseph A. Roach. The picture was made under the direction of Scott Dunlap. ' "Be a Little Sport" to an amuelng comedy without much backbone, but it gives the hero wnple opportunities to get into a number of funny predicaments and then extricate blm- Hfrlrr and th ! re . nre no eai ot healthy laughs. While comedy Is Mr. Ray's forte, it Is not because ho Js really funny or because he tries to be funny, it It his very seriousness that causes tbe laughter. And as the story unwinds and the complications Increase the solemnity of the hero' becomes more acute Miss Fair Is a fine foil for'Mr. Ray, the U vivacious, of pleasing screen appearance and acts woll. The pair have a good supporting company. Tho photography is clear and sharp, and the settings are all the story call for. There Is an up-to-date air about ths whole production which Is ploaslng. The story evolves around a $100,000 gift which Is promised a nephew by his uncle as a wedding present, if he Is married within a stipulated time. Of course nephew annexes the $100,000, but all ends In a hurricane to! Ish agalnBt tlmo and ho has to get the stonoK. in the next office to consent to a fake mar. rlage before he Is able to collect. "Be a Little Sport" la an amusing program feature for the dog days. **»««uu '. .--■-. -; v.-sfc J ■ .';■ ■ H |t . - - • . ■: I .. ■