Exhibitors Herald (Jul-Sep 1921)

40 EXHIBITORS HERALD August 13, 1921 able time, in his efforts to win Rosa over and prove to her that a family feud is not a sufficient barrier where true love exists. She finally leaves him, goes to her cousin's in the Bronx, New York, without leaving any trace of her whereabouts. Tony is suspected of having done away with her, and when he is being subjected to cruel suspicion and treatment, Rosa comes back, bringing a peace offering to the heartbroken husband and newly-made father. The appearance of the grandchild also convinces Rosa's father that it is time to end the feud. WILL ROGERS IN AN UNWILLING HERO (GOLDWYN) O. Henry story serves Will Rogers well as a starring vehicle. Subtitles are gems of wit and were written by the comedian. Cast is an excellent one and Clarence Badger's direction is exceptionally clever. Adapted from an O. Henry story, "Whistling Dick's Christmas Stocking," this makes splendid material for the former "Follies" comedian. He has grasped the O. Henry point of view and he makes of the character, "Whistling Dick" a living, breathing figure just as the author pictured him. Like "Boys Will Be Boys," Rogers' last picture, he is again a tramp, but an entirely different sort of fellow from "Peep O'Day." A telling bit of photography opens the picture where Dick shivers with the cold of the North and watching a flock of geese flying South, hits out for New Orleans. Arriving in the South he comes upon a gang of hobos bent upon robbing a nearby mansion of the Christmas money to be distributed to the plantation help. How he warns the owner of the plantation while he is held under guard, and his subsequent elevation to the guest of honor at a dinner, are all logically and convincingly worked out. Following the banquet he is offered clean linen and a bath. His aversion to the latter is inborn and he tells the colored man servant "there is only one season for a bath, that's summer time." The quaint bits of humor of the subtitles are half the story. For instance he tells the owner of the manor it was lucky the tramps were old-fashioned burglars and opened his safe instead of invading his cellarful of wines. Ed Kimball made an ideal Judge Priest, Molly Malone was a pretty little Southern girl, Nadine; John Bowers, a stalwart and pleasing Hunter; and Darrell Foss a sufficiently villainous Richmond. Beautiful scenes of the South abound md many unusual shots along a southern railway were shown. THOMAS MEIGHAN IN THE CONQUEST OF CANAAN (PARAMOUNT) Booth Tarkington's novel of life in a small town is carefully directed and follows the story closely. Cast includes Doris Kenyon, Diana Allen, Riley Hatch and other screen favorites. Directed by Roy Neill. For the second time in a comparatively short time Booth Tarkington's story of a small town youth reaches the screen. The Paramount version numbers some WILL ROGERS As "Whistling Dick" in his latest Goldwyn feature, "An Unwilling Hero." "There's a. season for everything," says Dick, "and Summer's the time for bathing." well known stage and screen players in support of its star, Thomas Meighan, and for the most part they were each well cast. Paul Everton, gives a splendid portrayal as Happy Farley, as do Macy Harlan, Riley Hatch and Alice Fleming in their respective roles as "Nashville" Corey, Gene Louden, and Claudine. Doris Kenyon has the role of Ariel Tabor, and gives a finished performance. Diana Allen is the Mamie Pike of the story. Good photography, realistic sets and an interesting story combine to make this a pleasing screen play. A picture that should have unusual appeal, especially suitable for the small town. The story is that of a young man, Joe Louden, who is frowned upon by the natives of the village because he is at heart real. Judge Pike, the wealthy man of the community has no use for Joe, while Ariel Tabor likes him. He is the victim of misfortune and he leaves home. He studies law in Chicago and finally returns to Canaan, Ind., but the townspeople continue to hound him. His clients are the Beaver Beach crowd. A member of this element, Happy Farley, shoots "Nashville" Cory, whom he suspects of paying attention to his wife. Joe saves him from the mob and sentiment turns toward Joe when the crowd picks on his dog. Ariel returns from Paris, where she had gone with her father, and there is a happy reunion between the two. BOBBY VERNON IN SHORT AND SNAPPY (EDUCATIONAL) This Christie comedy drew gales of laughter at the Randolph theatre, Chicago, where it ran for a week. It belongs to the B. V. D. classification of fun, concerning two young men who rent one dress suit and both try to appear at the same party in the same suit. They fight over the trousers until they arc destroyed, then flit from room to room, to avoid coming in contact with the guests of the party, and finally escape in a pair of trousers taken from the butler. There is some repetition in the trousers pulling incident, but on the whole it is good, clean entertainment and very laughable. SPECIAL CAST IN DONT NEGLECT YOUR WIFE (GOLDWYN) Gertrude Atherton's First Screen story beautifully presented. Equipped with a cast second to none. A masterpiece of direction. Story not a particularly sure fire screen-play. When it comes to selecting casts, the greatest expert in existence could not have surpassed the personnel of "Don't Neglect Your Wife," a carefully, intelligently directed, worth-while production, despite the weakness of the story as a screen offering. Followers of Gertrude Atherton's books will nevertheless be gratified in seeing picturized a characteristic work of the popular author. The scenario is credited to Louis Sherwin. It is well done. The continuity is smooth, with the exception of two or three places, while the photography is very good. It is a costume play and as long as it is one it has made the best of a costume bargain and employed accurate detail in style of dress and custom. It is a bit morbid at times, during that part of the story where the principal players are shown suffering inevitable separation with equal degrading result, but if cast, production, smoothness, love interest and happy ending count for anything, "Don't Neglect Your Wife" fills the bill. Mabel Julienne Scott is a charming heroine, supposedly a northern girl who, as the bride of a prominent young physician, arrives in San Francisco, shortly after the Civil War period. Society is not inclined to welcome her with open arms, but sponsored by leaders, she is launched in the very hub of the social wheel. The groom is proud of his beauteous wife, but his interest is more keen in sports, his club, his masculine associates. He looks upon and treats the young wife as if she were an expensive ornament. He forgets to bestow the affection she craves. His life-long friend, a part enacted to perfection by Lewis Stone, is a literary man. He admires the young wife's inclination toward good reading and supplies her with it from his library. They have much in common, and a warm, affection springs up between them. Gossip waxes warm to the extent that the friend is invited by the husband to leave San Francisco. This is shortly after he has become editor of a daily paper, the ambition of his life. He goes, and it does not develop where, until toward the end of the story. Left behind to mourn the loss of her companion, the girl grows morbid, becomes addicted to drink. She finally leaves her husband, having an independent income, and endeavors to drown her sorrows, until she hears, through a mutual friend, that the absent one has "gone to the devil." She sets out to find him, which is accountable for the scenes depicting life in the underworld of old New York, rather when New York was young. Eventually she seeks and discovers the depth of his downfall, and though he hardly knows her in his delerium, she takes him to respectable quarters and nurses him hack to a reflection of his former self. Tin play requires histrionic ability of all concerned, and each player has done his lust. It is a picture with a lesson. It is rclincd to an extreme in some parts, and the opposite in others, but the director, the cast and the able camera work combined, delivers a picture of which the producer may be proud and the exhibitor show with confidence. It is six reels in length.