Exhibitors Herald (Dec 1921 - Mar 1922)

54 EXHIBITORS HERALD February 18, 1922 "Polly of the Follies," especially when one notes it was written by John Emerson and Anita Loos. However, it does not come up to Constance Talmadge's previous vehicles nor the work of these well known scenarioists. The plot is hackneyed with a lot of incidents introduced to give it life and — footage. Miss Talmadge is practically the only source of appeal and she lends a certain charm to the unnatural role assigned her. Billie Dove, a former Flo Ziegfeld chorus girl, runs away with the latter part of the picture and gives promise of becoming a screen favorite if given a chance. Horace Knight is excellent as a crusty old reformer; Thomas Carr, pleasing as Jimmy Meecham, and a score of other character players all well known, such as George Fawcett, Kenneth Harlan, Frank Lalor, Harry Fisher, Ina Rorke, Mildred Arden, Paul Doucet, James Cleason, Bernard Randall and John D. Murphy, furnished splendid support. The play is well photographed with many pretty exteriors of a Long Island home and surrounding grounds. Polly Meecham lives with her Uncle Silas in Bowling Green, Conn. Her uncle and his following of reformers close up the only picture theatre in town, and Polly stages a show for the kids in her uncle's drug store with the aid of two old men. The uncle breaks up the show and whins Polly. She goes to New York to seek a job with the Ziegfeld Follies chorus and is successful in getting a prominent part doing imitations of a popular dancer. Folks from Bowling Green come to town to see the show and she deserts the stage peremptorily to join her friends and fall into the arms of her sweetheart. At a lawn fete she stages there are many opportunities for repartee, full advantage of which are taken in the sub-titles. ALICE LAKE IN THE GOLDEN GIFT (METRO) Ordinary treatment given old and slight story with heart appeal stressed for effect. Story taken from "The Claim," a stage play controlled by Henry B. Harris estate. Adapted by June Mathis and directed by Maxwell Karger. Five parts. The Golden Gift is motherhood and this is the story of a mother who deserted her baby to become a famous operatic star. The long arm of coincidence plays a big part in the story's development and, although the play is nicely mounted, the plot is too thin and the climax too obvious to excite and hold the interest. It elicited only slight interest at the Buckingham theatre, Chicago, where it was a Sunday attraction. Miss Lake does not appear to the best advantage as a dancer in a cheap cafe on the Mexican border. It isn't a role that wins any sympathy for the star and she is piven indifferent support by John Bowers, as the hero, and Josef Swickard, as her benefactor. Both of these capable actors, however, have little to do. There arc several highly improbable scenes; one where her husband writes her a letter that he will no longer support her because she has lost her voice singing in musical comedy; he deserts her and she traces him to a Mexican town. On the day of her arrival sees his body being carried past her hotel window. Nita Gordon, a dancer in a cheap cafe in a Mexican city, is befriended by an Italian who becomes interested in the girl. She has been deserted by her husband, and she leaves her baby near a mission, and it is later adopted by a wealthy family. In New York, five years later, after attaining success, she meets Llewelyn, wealthy patron of the opera, and falls in love with him. He learns that Nita is the mother of the child he had adopted through a photograph she gives him containing some writing. Nita, admits the truth aid is made happy through the reunion with her child. Constance Talmadge in a scene from "Polly of the Follies" (First National) HOOT GIBSON IN HEADIN' WEST (UNIVERSAL) A vigorous western melodrama with several old thrills and some new ones. . Fights occur frequently, the struggle centering about the pursuit of the heroine by the villain and her defense by the hero. Hoot Gibson gives a characteristic performance, a novel introduction getting him off to a flying start in the role. Excellent photography is an outstanding merit of the production. Five reels. The novel introduction of the star in "Headin' West" gets the spectators' attention at the very start of this picture, where Hoot Gibson, as a stowaway on a mailplane, drops from the clouds in a parachute with his pet dog, to avoid arrest. From then on it is the usual cowboy stuff, with a bully trying to force his attentions on a ranch girl and the hero knocking him out in several stiff battles. The story was written by Harvey Gates and wherever the plot shows signs of growing weak the director has injected a fight to save it. Hoot Gibson, as Bill Perkins, drops from a mailplane onto a farm and because he cannot ride the worst horse on the ranch, is made to do K. P. with a French cook and his assistant "Potato" Polly. There is a girl on a neighboring ranch who takes an interest in Perkins, because he doesn't eat with his knife, and this brings both him and and girl trouble from the ranch bully. While she is shopping in town a burr is placed under the saddle of the girl's horse and it runs away with her. Perkins, however, saves her and whips the bully, compelling him to apologize. Bill is made owner of the ranch by the foreman, as a joke, but when it transpires he really is the owner, the joke is on the burly foreman. Besides Gibson the cast includes Jim Corey, Charles LeMoyne, George Williams, Frank Whitson, Leo White, Louise Lorraine and Gertrude Short. PEARL WHITE IN ANY WIFE (FOX) Not up to the average of this company's productions in story or direction. The conventional plot and timeworn dream idea are not saved by star's performance, or story's heart appeal. Herbert Brenon directed. Five reels. "Any Wife" will prove disappointing to followers of Pearl White. It is not up to the standard of her former five-reel features. It is weak in story appeal and has little to recommend it either in direction, acting or sets and the camera work is of a very poor quality. Miss White is cast as the wife of a successful contractor, who, because of his devotion to his work, neglects his wife. He is compelled to make a hurried trip to San Francisco and wishes his wife and child to accompany him. While debating the matter the wife falls asleep and dreams she has been divorced by her husband and has married a draughtsman. He mistreats her and finally casts her off for an actress. The actress, sympathizing with her, brings them face to face, but he turns against her. She attempts suicide by jumping from a high bridge into the river. Then she wakes up to find her hand in an aquarium. She hurriedly dresses and, together with her little boy, accompanies her husband on his business trip. The last few hundred feet showing the hurried departure of the family is quite funny. FRED STONE IN BILLY JIM (R-C PICTURES) A Western drama with no especial points of appeal beyond beautiful scenes beautifully photographed. Staging and acting gives nothing original or noteworthy. Directed by Frank Borzage. Five reels. Fred Stone, the musical comedy star, doesn't advance far as a picture star in this Andrew J. Callaghan production being distributed by Robertson-Cole. As an advertisement for a summer hotel, the picture has possibilities, but to the keen observer of film drama, the story appears illogical, disconnected and highly improbable. The scenes around a summer resort are very beautiful and make one long for the address of that particular spot. Stone appears as a careless, devil-maycare cowboy, Billy Jim, who falls in love with Martha Dunforth as she steps from a Pullman car at a little Western town. He determines not to let her out of his sight and follows her from place to place. He is accused of holding up the girl's father, who is sitting in a poker game, and when the sheriff and his men come to arrest Jim, someone inquires "Who is this man?" and then they find he is "one of the biggest cattlemen in the West." The scenes in and around the hotel are dragged out to make footage and his adopting of a little girl whom he picks up in the woods is a weak appeal for sentiment. Stone doesn't photograph well in most of the scenes, and his leading lady, Milhccnt Fisher, is unattractive, chilly and unsmiling throughout the feature. A very homely youngster appears in seevral scenes. George Hernandez gives a good character part as Dunforth and William Bletcher is adequate as Jimmy, a chauffeur. Some of the titles arc good; others too lengthy and lack humor.