The Film Daily (1922)

0 ^ Short Reels "Felix Saves the Day"— Winkler— State rights Type of production 1 reel animated cartoon "Felix" the cat does some clever stunts and cuts some amusing capers in this animated reel, the first of a new series now being state righted. Pat Sullivan is the artist and trainer, and coaches Felix from the side lines, and he intends making one a month. When Felix gets full on catnip there is no limit to his foolishness. He is apt to do most anything. Even break into jail. The opening scenes show the cat at the. bat but the game is disturbed by a cop. Felix's companion escapes by running up the side of the Metropolitan Tower. The animation work in these shots are combined with the actual photographs of the buildings around Madison Square. The officer below calls up the station house and asks a fly-cop to be sent up. The little fellow is locked up in the Tombs and is unable to play in the ball game at the Polo Grounds, but Felix saves the day. His team is being badly licked when Felix comes up to the bat. Two strikes follow, but on the third he hits a fly that sends the ball into the clouds and causes rain. The umpire calls the game of?. The animation is clever and will provoke a good deal of laughter. Kineto Review No. 93 Type of production 1 reel scientific Prof. F. P. Smith demonstrates some novel devices in this scientific number of Kineto Review. First he shows you how to make a static electrical machine from two discarded phonographic records and" some tin foil. He shows you the details of construction and demonstrates the action. Quite a large electrical spark is obtained from this home made machine. In the second experiment Prof. Smith shows how to construct the working model of a very simple steam engine made from an old tin box and two nails. A very amusing experiment follows illustrating what Prof. Smith calls the simplest engine on earth. This machine is made of two candles balanced on a needle. The lower candle drops its wax more readily than the upper one and when it does so it becomes lighter and is overbalanced. In this way the action is repeated. The reel closes with a running-ball experiment. This number of the review has an educational value and should prove of great value as an aid to manual training instruction. "Loose Change"— Hal Roach— Pathe Type of production 2 reel comedy Lots of fun in a bank with money, robbers and the useless son of the president. When a robber enters the bank and says, "Hands Up," to the cashier, the latter obeys, but at the same time he presses a pedal with his foot releasing a trap door and dropping the crook through the floor into the police station below. Here he finds himself before the sergeant's desk. His trial is brief for the sergeant gives him a crack on the head, and also presses a pedal dropping the criminal into a cell below. The River Gang swear revenge upon the bank and lay a deep plot. In the meantime the son of the president finds a map indicating a buried treasure. He starts digging and tunnels under the bank and into the vault where he discovers gold. The climax is quite funny. Father and son not only discover that they have dug into their own vault, but also find the vault filled with members of the River Gang. Paul Parrott plays the comedy role of the president's son and Sunshine Sammy acts as lieutenant to the gang of thieves. The situations are amusing and will prompt a good deal of laughter when shown. Will please almost any audience because it is different and the gags are entertaining. "At the Damascus Gate" — Burton Holmes-Paramount Type of production. . I reel travel Views in and about the ancient city of Damascus form the major part of this typical Burton Holmes travel reel. The character and atmosphere of the Holy Land is recorded in numerous scenes showing types and customs of the country. The crumbling walls and other bits of architecture are shown in detail. Land marks made famous by biblical history are also recorded. Where Solomon's Temple once stood, now stands the Temple of Allah. Qn the mound where Christ — "Beheld the city and wept" — now stands a Russian Cathedral. The British government has built a water pipe line into the city, and some of the taps supplying the public are shown as well as the old goat skin water carrier. To complete and balance this interesting travel reel a few shots of styles of head gear are included. The woman with the band of silver coins will amuse because of its novelty. The photography is good and the subject matter will hold the attention. The reel is above the average of the series and should do wcU as a program filler. "An Idle Roomer" — Century— Universal Type of production 2 reel comedy Harry Sweet plays the leading role in "An Idle Roomer." The first part of this offering deals with a Turkish dream, including the regulation harem and the usual fat sultan. Harry wakes up to find himself in a sordid hall bedroom. A clever arrangement changes the victrola into a well-fitted kitchenette. The record disk becomes a gas stove and the cabinet stores the food. Harry cooks his coffee until the landlady arrives. She tracks the scent but fails to discover the kitchenette. Across the hall lives the girl, but the rival interferes and puts dynamite in Harry's coffee. Explosive bubbles come out of the pot and cause a good deal of excitement in the house. In the end the whole thing goes up in smoke. "An Idle Roomer" has some funny moments and is fairly amusing, but is certainly not up to the standard of Harry Sweet's former productions. "Hokus Pokus" — Christie-Educational Type of production. .2 reel comedy Bobby Vernon and Josephine Hill take the leading parts in this fairly amusing comedy based upon a country performance of a magician. Bobby takes the part of a clerk in the village hotel, and walks upon the stage in the evening to help the magician and fumble the tricks. For the final trick he passes the basket through the aisle and collects the patron's jewelry. This is stolen from the wings of the theater by the bad man. While the theater is in a state of panic Bobby steals back to the hotel and captures the robber, leading him, at the point of a pistol, into the village jail. Unlike most comedies "Hokus Pokus" contains a consecutive story that runs smoothly from start to finish, and at the same time contains some amusing situations. Quite a few extras are used in the theater shots, and a good deal of confusion is recorded in the scenes following the theft. The action is brisk and the offering should please the average audience. *