The Film Daily (1921)

■■■MMMHi Sunday, January 9, 1921 DAILY Production Thoroughly Satisfactory But Story Isn't New Hope Hampton in "THE BAIT" Maurice Tourneur Prod. — Paramount DIRECTOR Maurice Tourneur AUTHOR Sidney Toler SCENARIO BY John Gilbert CAMERAMAN Alfred Ortlieb AS A WHOLE Another society crook melodrama; well enough produced and sometimes interesting but isn't new STORY Adapted from the stage play "The Tiger Lady;" would be more likeable if so many similar hadn't preceded it DIRECTION Some very good bits; mystery as to murder isn't provided with unusual suspense PHOTOGRAPHY Good LIGHTINGS All right CAMERAWORK Good STAR Photographs well and can wear clothes ; best suited to very light roles SUPPORT All handle roles adequately EXTERIORS Not many INTERIORS : . Satisfactory DETAIL All right CHARACTER OF STORY Crook frames in nocent shop girl then kidnaps her and uses her to satisfy his own ends LENGTH OF PRODUCTION 5,289 feet And still they come. "The Bait" is another crook melodrama dealing with the ways and means of those who make their living by their wits, using said wits to the best advantage among the wealthy. The picture is an adaptation of Sidney Toler's stage play "TheTiger Lady." Besides the business of the crooks there's a murder which takes place at the very beginning and they go all the way back and lead up to the murder before you know who the dead man and his assailant are. This was evidently done to create suspense but it hasn't. Since the audience doesn't know who was killed or who killed him they forget all about the murder in what follows, so it might just as well have been told straight off in the first place. The title and the characters are provided with rather appropriate catch names which suit their respective parts in the story effectively. The star is "The Bait," the girl used to "frame" the innocent shop girl in the minnow, and so on. There is a love story running through it and the climax is reached effectively with the hero and heroine coming into their own and the villain getting his just deserts. It's really a good "fan" picture so for this type of audience the production will most likely give satisfaction. Joan Grainger is about to be "sent up" after being falsely accused of stealing, when she is kidnapped by Bennett Barton, the master mind of a band of crooks of which Simpson is also a member. Joan accepts Barton's assistance and he sends her to Europe where he later joins her. They live in luxury and Joan meets John Warren, a wealthy American. Joan receives her first jar of suspicion as to her benefactor's sincerity when he "introduces her as his daughter. He then makes clear his plan. Joan is to marry the wealthy Warren so Barton will have access to the money. The girl rebels but Barton threatens to send her back to jail or worse still, to expose her past to Warren, with whom she is really in love. The entire party returns to America and eventually Barton forces Joan to accept Warren's proposal of marriage. In the meantime some of Barton's pals have double-crossed him and told Joan of the theft frame-up and they secure a signed confession from the girl that did the "framing." In an effort to secure the confession Barton is killed by Simpson, who is also after the confession that he will have the "goods" on Barton. Warren is willing to have Joan despite all and they are happy. Tourneur's Name Should Be Your Main Talking Point This is the sort of picture best suited to typical "fan" audiences. There's mystery, murder, crooks, a love story and all around melodrama that appeals to this crowd. If you cater to this class you will satisfy them with "The Bait." You can announce it as a Maurice Tourneur productioh. His previous successes should attract them to this. If you think well of it you can use the author's name Box Office Analysis for the Exhibitor and say that this is an adaptation of his stage play "The Tiger Lady." For a catchline say: "If you were being sent to jail on a false charge and was suddenly kidnapped from the law would you accept the assistance of one who offered you a life of luxury even though you didn't know the source. But see how she was used as 'The Bait' in the scheme."