The Film Daily (1918)

Sunday, July 21, 1918. TdijA DAILY 27 Artistic Production and Comedy Bits Make This Entertaining Monroe Salisbury in "WINNER TAKES ALL" B!uebird=Universal DIRECTOR Elmer C. Clifton AUTHOR Q. W. Ogden SCENARIO BY Verne Hardin Porter CAMERAMAN Virgil E. Miller AS A WHOLE Western melLr artistically produced and relieved by several good comedy touches and a capable cast. Is entertaining. STORY Feud between cattHe barons and homesteader, contains some effective gun fights and a pleasing romantic thread. DIRECTION Provided artistic atmosphere and made individual bits stand out. PHOTOGRAPHY Generally very good; some beautiful outdoor stuff. LIGHTINGS Many effective bits CAMERA WORK Very good STAR Pleasing as jovial Scotch homesteader SUPPORT Very good; "Banjo Gibson" was great comedy character. EXTERIORS Some beautiful shots; fitted atmosphere. INTERIORS Good DETAIL Acceptable: a few jumps in story CHARACTER OF STORY Nothing to offend and contains considerable comedv. LENGTH OF PRODUCTION About 5,000 feet T'.iIS has been product d : • nn cli'cctive, classy atmosphere, with goorl l;ghti.ngs and some beautiful outdoor shots and should prove pleasing entertainment to the average audience. Monroe Salisbury has been given the role of a jovial Sco'tch homesteader, quick on the trigger and a regular Romeo on the side and the supporting cast acquit themselves admirably, several comedy bits being scattered throughout the offering in an effective manner. The story centers about a feud between the cattle faction, who had appropriated the great free range be fore the homesteaders started to settle, and Hero, whose claim adjoins their's. Sam De Grasse is a professional assassin who "snuffs off" undesirables on a contract basis and Alfred Allen, the big noise of the cattle faction, hires him to get rid of Hero. Willun goes to Hero's cabin to get in his dirty work and shoots a reporter who is standing in the door of the cabin, returning to Allen to collect, thinking he has killed Hero. While riding over his property Hero meets Helen Eddy, an eastern girl, and she shows him a curious piece of paper she has found, which he identifies as a "cemetexw chart", being a list of Willun Sam's proposed killings, among them being Hero's name. The cattle faction, thinking Hero has been done away with, hold a masquerade ball to celebrate the event, and Hero, determined to see Shero Helen again, dons his kilties and a mask and attends, where, on account of his ineffective disguise, he is soon discovered. He escapes and is pursued by the gang, who fire upon his cabin. There is a very effectively staged gun fight here, in which Hero, single handed, routes the gang. In the meantime, Willun, who has been cheated out of his money on account of not killing Hero, kidnaps the cattle baron's daughter for revenge and Hero is blamed for the deed. Hero finds the daughter and restores her and willun is snuffed off in another shooting scrap that follows after which Hero and Shero ride away in the distance. There is a nut musician character in this who plays an accordian and he will get many laughs. We had some interiors in this that were made very effective because they opened out onto natural scenery with the mountains visible in the distance and if all producers realized how preferable this is to the backings we sometimes get, they would try to get more of it in their pictures. Monroe Salisbury was very pleasing in this as the jovial Scot and" he gets over some good comedy bits, helned by some well worded titles. Helen Eddy was an appealing Shero while Sam De r.,.-<5se did his usual finished work as the wicked willun. "Retty Schade was the young sister who was kidnapped. Jack Nelson was the nut musician and Alfred Allen was the leader of the cattle faction.