Variety (October 1918)

48 BUY BONDS .._. ...- -•« ..■. Bl ^ ■■■:■■ ■■ (V 9 I m k I v. • ;•■ I i :■ : g THE RETURN CF MARY. Mary .*. V - Allison John Denby, Sr Claua c Burton Mrs. John Denby, Sr Clttiii McDowell "Juck" Denby ...Lairell Foss John Orahum Irauk i^rownlee Clark, the Denby 'b butler Joseph Belmont An experienced i.ramutle ccubtr.ucUouiBt, watching mo development of !lie turn ieature, "Tne ueturn oi Mur;, would probauiy readily detect, or suspect, tL denouement, but tne average picture patron h sure to be utterly tiuionstd at tuo twist the etory takes a^ cue nnisn. if the director bad nut so continually presented the abnormal lore of 4 brother lor at* aimer aume oi uie experienced ones uiignt even oe boouwinked. "Tbe Heturn oi Mary" la a corking photo* play drama. It was written by ame Huuiii- tou icuu it be Hale Hamilton the actort), auupteu t>r George D. linker, directed by wn- ircu i^ueua and pbotograpned by William i . Kiidew. Metro exenange men abould no <mi and sell tnis picture and guarantee luu par cent. aatlsiacUoa. 'ine acting, direct Iod and pbotograpby will wllustand any reaaonuble criticism, auu^theae, backed up by an aosorbmg, tear-coinpeiiing draum, with a~ surprise twist at tne nnisu, com- prise tbe IngreuieutS. 'mat U>» elongated arm ** oi coincidence occasionally munlteats liseit la oi buiuii consequence., ' Kou bardly notice it until it is all over, and not even then it you aren't a wise, deadnead given to analysing. Mary, tbe child or wealthy parents, la kid- napped at the age of three, fourteen years MM and the .mother still mournB her lose, iter husband Is president ot a transcontinental railroad. JUis crack cross country train is wrecaed and Graoum, the engineer, Is con- victed oi mansiaugjiter tor having disobeyed oruers. a nurly man calls at the president's home acconipauied ,by a young lady, ife telle tne presiueut be la returning his kidnapped child, l'he president laugna and Bays they average lour wipooiers a year. Visitor unrolls pack- age anu produces tne clothes the child wore wuen stolen. Explains his conscience trouble* hiui, anu, though he loves tne girl, he wants her to enjoy tier proper station in lite, asks to see her alone to say goou-bye. He goes to an adjoining room wnere tne girl la wailing, explains the situation, tells her never to re- veal nis name and that she must go to her parents. Sou will prooably try to anticipate \ the uevelopmsnt by nguriug out that the man who brougnt Mary back la the convicted en- gineer. Correct. li'ive years elapse. The son or the wealthy folks is passionately fond of his long lost sis- ter. He is connected with a prvminent law* nrm and Is Instrumental In securing a pardon for the engineer, not knowing the connection with nis sister. When notined of It ne tells the family John Qranam nas been pardoned. The girl is startled—hadn't known her lauier was in prison—telle the 'relationship and de- mands to go to him. ■ Uraham la to be released next morning and the girl alts up all nignt, saying ane win wait with aim. The railroad president lorblda her to Bee Uraham, not desiring to reopen old wounds. Her brother, however, who indulges her her every whim, promises to take her to Qranam. - un being released Qrauam cornea to the house and demands the girl, explaining he Is determined to get even lor hia false Im- prisonment— that he didn't steal their child, but hia Uremaa did, and that their daughter bad died. He. presents the dying confession Of the abductor.. Mary Is Ova a - M - - Cur vvaiitums he coucocted tiy.^* - '"' 5'.' uaui o child and cawi->- ~°"*7. «ttry so his girl would be ■^, - -. »«r.. - . The president refuses to give the girl up, saying It will kill hie wife, who enters at that moment, and there la a strong situation, with the girl torn between the love of tbe wealthy people who had been so loving to ber and the fact that her lather needs her. When it looks / aa If there could be no solution to the dilemma up pops her "brother" and eaya lie knew he couldn't have loved a slater like thai. She must be bis wife. Graham, still vengeful, re- fuses. Young man asks him If he is going to ' let bis vengeance stand aa a barrier to hie child's happiness, -and the president laugh- ingly says: "I win any way you take it." Splendidly acted and a most artistic, sumptu- ous production, with no effort to over-em- phasize the wealth of the well-to-do family. Why wouldn't this plot make a good legiti- mate play ? To be sure It bears a resemblance to "Rich Man, Poor Man," produced in New York Inet season, and which was financially unsuccessful; but this version might meet a ■ happier fate. In any event It's a fine photo-' play.' w ' Jolo. RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE. LaBBiter .William* Faruum Veutera William Scott Dyer ..t M. B. Robblns Tulr Murdock McQuarrle Jane Wlthorsteen Mary March Millie Erne....: Katberlne Adams . Fay Larkln :.Nancy Caswell Jerry Card J. Holmes Fox has put William Farnum out in "Riders of tbe Purple Sage," a- not too absorbing adaptation, of ..the. novel, by -.Zane-Grey. -Th*-- Etory is told loosely, with much riding hither and yon, and finally cornea to a halt with the expenditure of much energy on the part of tbe actors and not a great deal ot intorest on tbe part of the spectator. Millie Brae, the married slater of Laaslter, a Texas ranger, la abducted by members of the Morman sect to which she is a convert. Bo Laaslter devotes his life to discovering his sister and wreaking vengeance on those who have been Instrumental In Injuring her. For a long time every effort la thwarted. Stopping at Withersteen's raneh during hia search he saves a man named Venters.from the violence of a band of men who suspect him of having designs on the affections of the rich woman who owns the property, and ends by falling In love with her himself. Her name is Jane Wlthersteen. While Venters goes in search of a band of rustlers who have been- stealing Jane's cattle Laaslter remains to take charge of the ranch. He learna that his slater Is dead, but Jane, by the Influence she has gained over him, per- suades him to modify bis ideas of vengeance. When a little girl named Fay Larkln, whom he has taken under bis wing, also disappears, Laaslter decides to take things In his own hands again. He goes to a meeting of tbe Mormons and shoots several of the leaden who have been mixed up In the business, among them being Dyer, who abducted bis sister, they having first attempted to shoot him, and. puts a lively end to the meeting. Then he goes after the rustlers. '" * Meanwhile Venters has tracked the gang to their hiding place, where he Iwounds their masked leader. "He" proves to be a young girl. Venters takes her to a camp which he Improvises and cares for her with the result that they both fall In love." Lasslter recovers Fay and with her and Jane Dees the coun- / try, burning Jane's home to save It from the rustlers. Meeting Venters and his compan- ion, it proves that tbe girl Is tbe daughter of his dead sister. Venters and the girl ride away together, but Laaslter 'and bis com- panions are pursued by the Infuriated Mor- mons. They fly up a canyon leading to a valley to which there is no other Inlet, tbe Mormons hot In pusult 8o Lasslter over- turns a huge rocking boutder which guards the approach' and It crashes down, killing the entire band. He then turns with great apparent cheerfulness to begin existence in the wild valley from which It appears there Is no chance, from some geographical reason, of ever escaping. Mr. Farnum makes a stalwart Lasslter, doing well what he Is called upon to do. 'Mary Mercb as Jane, and Katberlne Adams as the masked, leader also stand out. Tbe picture does not rise above the level of tbe average western photoplay of this type and there Is no special distinction in direction or photograph. -' :a The Great Love"^ Los Ancfeles wmmmammm n miii — i ■ mm—— Qmmwm "Pleased Patrons For Three Straight Weeks" The East and West meet in their attitude toward D. W. Griffith's "The Great Love." From New York to Los Angeles, in the North and. South and Middle West, exhibitors have found that "The Great Love" breaks box-office records and pleases their pa-, trons. In Los Angeles "The Great Love" had -its premiere showing at dune's Audi- torium, which has shown all the Griffith pictures. / » Here is a wire received from W. H. Clune: ^ "D. W:CWffithVftC Grttf-fcoW waVi ver> successfulI pic ^ % "** ture!" It pleased the patrons of Clune's Auditorium for throe consecutive weeks." ■* Just as this picture made extraordinary money for Harold Edel in New York, for Harold B. Franklin in Buffalo, for J. Kunsky in Detroit and for all the big exhibitors, who have so far shown it, it will make extraordinary money for you. ■ - ! . >| - . :- ■ ■'.' - '. *- ■i % - • - ->< -•.:■ -