Show World (December 1909)

30 THE SHOW WORLD December 11, 1909. FILM REVIEWS (Continued from page 10.) ber of combats take place, the ending is happy, and the film holds interest throughout. THE INDIAN, Drama, Selig: The plot is laid in the southwest, a half century ago. A small band of settlers are attacked by the Indians, and their defense is aided by a friend¬ ly red man who takes a prominent part in the story. All tne whites are destroyed excepting a woman and child. The woman later becomes the object of rivalry between a bully and the hero, the latter being shot by his rival. The Indian follows the foe of his friend and a running fight ensues on horseback and later afoot, in which the Indian kills the bully, but is- him¬ self mortally wounded, and staggers back to the bedside of his white friend, where he expires. There are some beautiful scenes in this picture, and the photography is excellent. MY LORD IN LIVERY, Comedy, Edison: This is a film containing some good fun. It is a reproduction of the play of the same name, which has been used with much success by amateurs in theatrical productions for several years. It is a mistaken identity story in which a butler is mistaken for a lord in disguise, and the fun is fast and furious. The photography in this silent drama is very good, the action illuminating and the story well pre¬ sented. It is bound to be a popular film. WHAT THE CARDS FORETOLD, Comedy, Edison: In this silent drama a negro “mam¬ my” is the chief figure. She learns to tell fortunes with cards, but the fortune she tells is not her own. She gets mixed up in all sorts of ludicrous incidents and finally lands in the po¬ lice station. The story is a comical one and it contains numerous laughs. A popular comedy filler, well pic¬ tured. RICHARD GIBSON INSTRUMENTALIST A'NOVELTY MUSICAL ACT that helps the Box Office. Open time after Dec. 15. I use Special Scenery. Address, care Show World THE LADY’S COMPANION, Drama Pathe: This is a superbly acted drama of the love of the son of a Marchioness for his mother’s companion. The young man marries the companion secretly, fearing his mother’s _ wrath. A former lover of the companion, re¬ veals the deception practiced on the Marchioness, and she goes to the cot¬ tage where the child of the couple is living. The Marchioness then turns her son out of house and home and decides to leave her money to the man who informed her of the trick played upon her. The villain, then begins to poison the Marchioness, but is foiled of his prey at last, although he does kill the woman, and tries to place the guilt on the shoulders of her son. The little daughter, however, had seen him put the poison in the old lady’s medicine, and she saves her father from prison or death. The story is well pictured and well told and it is a most interesting film. IMPOSSIBLE TO SLEEP, Farce, Pathe: The hero of this story is a man who finds it difficult to get sleep. He is awakened by his alarm clock, and after smothering it, goes back to bed. Then a workman disturbs him, and he is driven from place to place and finally hides in a haystack with his feet protruding. A policeman, find¬ ing him thus, takes him to jail, and there the poor, tired fellow is given a bare cot where he at last finds rest. The story is amusing and contains numerous laughs. A HEROINE OF THE BALKANS, Dramatic, Aquila: Another photographic masterpiece of a kind for which Aquila has gained Phone Randolph 1363 Private Postal Wire WALTER F. KEEFE VAUDEVILLE AGENT 720 Schiller Bldg. :: :: Chicago, Illinois an enviable reputation. The opening scene is laid outside an humble cot¬ tage in the Balkans and shows a fath¬ er and daughter bidding good bye to the son, who has been called to de¬ fend the fatherland. Other peasant- soldiers and their sweethearts take leave of one another. The soldiers are then seen about to depart for the frontier—the seat of war—taking oath of allegiance before a priest of the Greek church. The soldiers arrive at the boundary line—a splendid pictor¬ ial scene, with distant panoramic view of the snow capped Alps. The pickets are posted and the brother is placed to guard the approach to a bridge. The scene shifts back to the old home¬ stead. The father lies dying, and ex¬ presses a last wish to see his son. The sister starts off in search of him, finds him and offers to substitute for him while he returns home. The change of costume is quickly made. The brother hurries across the coun¬ try and arrives in time to bid his father a last good bye. Meanwhile, a scouting party of the enemy gives chase to a woman and her child. They arrive at the bridge where the sister stands guard. She is quick with her rifle and shoots down the scouting party, but in so doing, is wounded. She is carried into camp where, someone seeing her long hair accuses her of being a woman and the truth is told. The arrest of the brother, for deserting, next follows. He is tried before a military court, but when the full story is told, the brother is forgiven and the sister is awarded a medal of honor. COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, Drama, Ambrosio. Nearly every lover of books and plays is familiar with the story of the Count of Monte Cristo, written by Alexander Dumas, printed in perhaps a dozen different languages and acted upon the stages of many countries by some of the leading players of the world. This film play is a serious attempt to portray the most vital scenes of the story from the time when Edmund Dantes, the sailor, ar¬ rives home from sea, at Marseilles, France, and is welcomed by his, sweetheart Mercedes and her father; discovers the smuggling scheme in which men of high social position are concerned; fndeavors to betray them; is arrested on his wedding eve; is cast into prison on the Isle D’if; meets Faria, the old abbe, who, digging through from the adjoining cell, di¬ vulges to Dantes the secret of the hidden gold on the island of Monte Cristo, and, dying in Dantes arms, is prepared for burial, by being tied up in a sack. As the keepers depart, momentarily, Dantes takes the cloth sack from the dead body and, hiding Faria in his own cell, is, himself, tied in the sack and cast overboard. As may be recalled, Dantes escapes from the sack and is picked up by a pass¬ ing steamer; he seeks and finds the gold on the island; returns to France to find a son has been born to him in his absence of twenty years and that his wife, believing him dead, has married again. A duel follows in which the stepfather is killed and Dantes claims his wife again. All this is related in the film story with care¬ ful attention to historical accuracy and niceness of photographic detail. TOO CLEAN A SERVANT, Comedy, Eclair. If you have been troubled with un¬ satisfactory servants and should be walking along the street and should see a maid servant down on her knees scrubbing the sidewalk, after having rubbed the marble steps of a house into immaculate whiteness, wouldn’t you wish to engage the girl on the spot? That’s the way Mr. and Mrs. Smith felt about it, and they engaged the girl. She is introduced to the new kitchen, which is rather dirty, and at once begins work. She scrubs everything in sight. Finally she is called to the bedroom of her master and her mistress and is asked to clean a suit of the master’s clothes and a dress of the mistress. Also she is asked to carefully brush the master’s silk hat, and the hat of her mistress. The servant carries the bundle of clothes to the kitchen where, pour¬ ing out a big basin of water, she takes the scrubbing brush and begins upon her'mistress’ hat, after which she be¬ gins. with soap and scrubbing brush upon the tall silk hat of her master. She is discovered, but too late! The hats are ruined. The clothes, how¬ ever, are rescued. She is then in- strutted to make some salad for din¬ ner, in which the master and mistress find an immense beef bone. That is the scrubber’s finish! The moral is that a servant may specialize on scrubbing' and know nothing else of the servant curriculum. THE REVELLER’S DREAM, Comedy, Eclair: On his way home after a night of revelry a young man, who has im¬ bibed too freely, gets into an argu¬ ment with an old woman on a public highway. He is next shown in a priv¬ ate wine room, where, believing that he is still thirsty he orders the best that the house affords. After he has had several drinks, things begin to happen. A beautiful woman appears, but as he goes to embrace her he sud¬ denly discovers that he is embracing the old woman of his first experience. As he is trying to gain his senses after this unusual surprise, he is confronted by an old character whom he tries to eject from the room, but in so doing he becomes aware of the fact that he is quarrelling with the head- waiter. An Arab appears and, by magic, produces several dancing girls from beneath his cloak. The reveller tries to embrace each one in turn, but each time he finds he is embracing someone upon whom he had not counted. Next, the reveller dreams he is in prison; then the prison walls change to a bench in a public high¬ way. Here, the reveller is arrested by two policemen who carry him back into the wineroom, and as they are indulging in the wine the reveller has ordered, they disappear. Finally the cabman and the head waiter ap¬ pear. The reveller pavs his bill and is carried out by the cabman, wonder¬ Specialties, Staple Goods and Novelties Suitable for Prizes, Souvenirs, Premiums and favors for Skating Rinks, Games and 5c. Theatres. We have big variety J* J* Send For FREE Catalogue. N. SHURE CO. 220-222 Madison Street [WHOLESALE] CHICAGO, ILLINOIS ing, perhaps, how all his strange id 1 ventures have happened. Intoxicated scenes are only of value when they are funny and this Eclair product is undoubtedly one of the best comedies of its kind ever offered to the picture public. The photog¬ raphy is of a high grade throughout the entire film. MACBETH, Drama, Cines:— (F. I. & T. Co.) A special sub¬ ject of 1,000 feet, released at an ad¬ vanced price. The opening scene shows the appearance of the three witches to Macbeth and Banquo, the returning conquerors, who predict the kingship of Macbeth, and that the sons of Banquo shall be the kings of Scotland instead of Macbeth’s sons. Then follow a series of fine tableaux, showing how the prophesy of the witches is fulfilled. The trapping of the king of Scotland and his death at the hands of Macbeth, goaded by his wife to commit the deed, are fit^K portrayed. Macbeth is crowned king. The assassination of Banquo fol¬ lows, and his ghost appears to Mac¬ beth at the banquet. Macbeth con¬ sults the witches in their cave, and he is cautioned to beware of Macduff, the Thane of Fife, and that he should never be vanquished until the wood of Birnam should move. NOSY PALMER, Comedy, Itala:- (F. I. & T. Co.) An exceedingly comical picture, in which the little comedian gets into all kinds of trou¬ ble in being too inquisitive. SAD MAN’S CURE, Raleigh and Robert:— (F. I. & T. Co.) A thin, haggard consumptive reads an ad regarding a sanitarium that guarantees to add flesh to its patients. He becomes an inmate and in due time becomes so large that he cannot get through a door, overturns a cab in entering, and has to be hoisted into his h<^H through a window. THE EVIL PHILTER, Drama, Pathe: This tale is one of the time when love philters were believed in, and when witches and hobgoblins were supposed to inhabit the earth. The story concerns a teacher of music who loves his beautiful pupil, but who finds that she has been betrothed to some one else. He seeks a witch, and asks for a love philter, which will make the young woman adore him. The witch promises to give him the philter if he will deliver up his soul. The eager man promises, gets the philter, gives it to the girl, and is delighted ^0 find that she loves him at once. His joy is short-lived, however, as imps and devils soon appear to torment him, and he is finally swallowed dp in an abyss of fire and brimstone. The story is pictured beautifully In tints, and is interesting, especially# the young who dote on fairy tales. MASQUERADER’S CHARITY, Drama, Pathe: Interesting story with pathetic touches. The opening scene shows a group of rich, careless people on their way to a fancy dress ball. A poor lit¬ tle beggar girl shivers in the shadows, but the gay seekers all pass her by, and she weeps alone in her misery. Finally a banker, dressed as a clown, comes along and is attracted by her sobs. He inquires, and finds that the little girl has a brother at home who is dying, and his heart is touched. The upshot of the matter is that the banker goes to the poor garret where the children live, and takes them to his own home, where he adopts them. The photographing is good and the story one that will appeal to all lovers of humanity. BEAR HUNT IN RUSSIA, Drama, Pathe: Here we have an interesting chase through Russian forests, in which one