Exhibitor's Trade Review (Mar-May 1925)

April 4 1925 Page 53 BOX OFFICE REVIEWS All Reviews of Feature Product Are Edited by GEORGE T. PARDY, Reviews Editor "SACKCLOTH AND SCARLET" Paramount Photoplay. Adaptation of George Gibbs' Novel by Tom Geraghty, Jules Furthman and Julie Heme. Director, Henry King. Length, 6,723 Feet. CAST AND SYNOPSIS Joan Freeman Alice Terry Stephen Edwards Orville Caldwell Polly Freeman Dorothy Sebastian Samuel Curtis John Miljan Miss Curtis Clarissa Selwynne Beatrice Selignac Kathleen Kirkham Etienne Fochard Otto Matiesen Jack Jack Huff Polly Freeman, under an assumed name, seeks adventure in Paradise Valley when supposed to be visiting ner aunt. She makes advances to Stephen Edwards, a dry larmer interested in desert reclamation. At the end of a day with him, she rejects his suggestion that it is time to "hit the home trail" and insists upon seeing the moon rise. They do. Polly returns home that night and confesses to Joan, her sister. Joan takes Polly abroad where the child is born Polly deserts both Joan and the baby which Joan rears, scorning to make explanations. In Washington Joan meets Stephen, now a Congressman. They love, but Polly reappears most inopportunely, and Joan insists that they marry. Later Polly dies, and there is promise of happiness for Joan and Stephen. A DULL and uninteresting photoplay, "Sackcloth and Scarlet" sadly needs any prestige that may accrue from the popularity of the novel. Its climax is quite obvious from the first flash, the story is improbable and the characters impossible. It may just get over as a mediocre program picture on the strength of the title and Alice Terry's name. The continuity is jumpy, there are mamgaps in the story and things happen for no apparent reason. The scene showing Polly vainly striving to lure Stephen into a sort of nymph and faun dance at Mirror Lake is little short of ludicrous, and Stephen himself is portrayed as sufficiently a moron to dash out intc the desert in the dead of night to pluck a few weeds as the initial step toward building a home for his prospective bride. The picture is devoid of anything remotely approaching action, and the cast is not equal to the expression of varying emotions through facial change. Perhaps the best scene in the picture is that where Stephen calls on Joan amid luxurious surroundings, and little Jack accidentally pulls off the Congressman's ready-made cravat. Alice Terry makes an appealingly beautiful figure as the self-sacrificing sister, and she does all that is possible with the part assigned to her. The director has made much — too much — of her beauty, and the picture is jammed with any number of the closest sort of close-ups. Stephen Edwards as the harmonica playing Westerner fails to register either as lover or as "strong, silent man." However, he is a personable hero, and in a more human role will probably deliver a convincing characterization. Dorothy Sebastian portrays the peculiar character of Polly in a peculiar way. It is a difficult matter to photograph the mental condition which in the novel played havoc with Polly's soul, and Miss Sebastian succeeds merely in making Polly an utterly disagreeable little ingrate for whom there is no whit of sympathy. The best exploitation angle is a tie-up with the novel. And the fact that Alice Terry is the star will help materially. "ON THIN ICE" Warner Brothers Photoplay. Author, Alice Ross Colver. Director, Mai St. Clair. Length, 6,200 Feet. CAST AND SYNOPSIS Chuck White Tom Moore Rose Lore Edith Roberts Dapper Crawford William Russell Dr. Jackson Theodo'e Von Eltz Harrison Breen Wilfred North Forger Gertrude Robinson Gangster Jimmy Quinn Rose Lore falls under suspicion when a bank is robbed and the vice-president demands that she be punished. She is convicted De'ectives trS'I h~r in hope of finding the loot. Dapper Crawford, who planned the robbery, gets his henchman, Chuck White, to pose as Rose's long-lost brother. Chuck falls in love with Rose. While Chuck and Dapper are fighting, a gangster shoots Dapper. The latter tells the police the truth of the whole mat'er, proving that the bank president is the real crook. Rose weds Chuck White. A LIVELY crook melodrama in which Tom Moore is seen at his best, an excellent program attraction with strong audience appeal, "On Thin Ice" should prove a winning box-office asset for the neighborhood and smaller theatres. These mystery melodramas with an innocent heroine unjustly suspected and a crook hero, who redeems himself in the eyes of the law and everyone else concerned, generally please the average movie fan, and when, as in this case, the romantic angle is cleverly developed and maintained, there is every reason for believing that the feature will find favor with all admirers of underworld stories. One thing distinctly in the picture's favor is the fact that it starts right out along original lines. Two crooks throw a bag of plunder looted from a bank over a fence. Rose Lore finds it, turns it over honestly enough to the owners, and behold — it is filled with nothing but rubbish. The consequence is that Rose is railroaded to jail for a month. Here the girl eets all the symnathy an audience can possibly muster, you know she isn't to blame, and interest in the succeeding events never flags. One of a pair of nightprowlers poses as Rose's long-lost brother in order to discover what she has done with the loot, both being fully convinced that she has planted the stuff. The chap who takes the brother part falls in love with the girl, gets disgusted with his criminal career, determines to reform and does so. with satisfactory results all around. In the long run it turns out that the vicepresident of the bank is the guilty party, a good surprise angle which is well worked out. The action is smooth and travels at a brisk pace. Tom Moore is his usual smiling, good-natured self in the role of hero Chuck White, which he plays with considerable dash and spirit. Edith Roberts registers as a very charming heroine, giving an exceedingly natural and appealing portrayal of Rose Lore. William Russell is a thoroughly convincing gang leader and adequate support is accorded the principals by other members of the company. The photography throughout is of the best quality, including some well filmed interiors, striking deep sets and artistic exteriors, with effective lighting. You have a good tHe to exploit. Plav up Tom Moore and Edith Roberts, both of whom are strong favorites with the fans. Stress the underworld atmosphere, the decisive thrills and love interest. "RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE" A Fox Photoplay. Author, Zane Grey. Director, Lynn Reynolds. Length, 5573 Feet. CAST AND SYNOPSIS Jim Lassiter Tom Mix Millie Erne Beatrice Burnham Lew Walters Warner Hand Judge Dyer Warner Oland Jane Wethersteen Mabel Ballin Bern Venters Harold Goodwin Bess Erne Marian Nixon Fay Larkin Dawn O'Day Oldring Wilfred Lucas Millie Erne is disgruntled with her lot and tells her husband so. She encourages the attentions of Lew Walters, a local lawyer, who is finally hounded out of town. When he is chased out, he forces Millie to accompany him, taking her young daughter _ as well. Jim Lassiter swears vengeance and dedicates his life to track down Walters and his cohorts. He gets them all but Walters who has moved to another town and achieved a position of some trust as a county judge. Lassiter also comes to the town but fails to recognize Walters. Jim falls in love with Jane Wethersteen, who tells him that the judge and Walters are one and the same; and that Millie is dead. Jim gets Walters and there is a happy ending. ^ANE GREY is a writer with a vivid style ^ and "Riders of the Purple Sage" is a virile story with plenty of punch, and like the most of his tales vibrant with the breath of the great open spaces. There is action galore and a generous sprinkling of romance, two love stories being woven into the texture with pleasing effect. There is a manly and upstanding hero, a sinister villain and a charming heroine. They run pretty true to type according to the most approved formula of cinema entertainment. It should prove a popular box-office attraction. The scene in which Lassiter, after learning learning that Judge Dwyer is the same Lew Walters who kidnapped his sister and her child, strides into the court-room and picks him off with fine precision, is gripping and dramatic in the extreme. Mix, of course, does some of his remarkable stunts and usual fre nzied riding that has made his name famous from coast to coast. Then there is the usual fistic encounter that inevitably finds its way into every Western and not a few thrills. In a word, "Riders of the Purple Sage" has all the ingredients of popular Western melodrama and a better story than is usually found in this type of picture. Tom Mix plays the role of the redoubtable Lassiter with vigor and conviction, and he has an opportunity to employ quite a bit of his athletic skill and a fine chance to demonstrate his wonderful horsemanship. Mabel Ballin as the girl gives a wistful and appealing impersonation while Warner Oland makes Lew Walters a cold-blooded and sinister figure. Others who are deserving of mention are Wilfred Lucas and Dawn O'Day. Exploit this as a rip-roaring Western melodrama, play up Tom Mix to the limit and mention the fact that Zane Grey is the author. A book tie-up with your local bookman should be readily arranged with profit to the dealer and the exhibitor. The photography is excellent and there are some splendid long shots. Feature the names of Mix and Zane Grey; both have exceptionally large -followings among picture playgoers.