The Film Daily (1919)

jM% DAILY Monday, January 27, 1919 In the Courts United Picture Theaters of 1 vi ill have to change the ,f its film play "Adcle'* in wittv Gordon is starring, if a ed in the Supreme Court j sole right to the name sucThe suit is brought by the •\musement Co., and the New •oducing Co.. which allege n Jan. 20, 1913. the Adoli Co. became the owner of all to the musical comedy, , and conveyed to the New reducing Co., the English 5 rights for the United States lada and a half interest in the loving picture and novelizahts of the play, which they 11. complaint alleges that the a company produced "Adele' tan five years ago and after g more than $250 0000 on the ion, a large part of which ■ advertising the name has :ome firmly fixed in the pub. as that of a successful comI t' e name has thus acquired ble goodvvi 1. The plaintiffs the United has appropriated e for a film play without any r license'' and are now selli exhibit-ion rights to the bite of the fact that the plainOctober 30 last, si nt notice nership of the title to the Tie plaintiffs arc st 11 pre the musical comedy out the world and say they injured if an injunction is nted restraining the use of ne for the defendant' film Trite Meller Is Poor Vehicle for Prima Donna's Screen Debut Angeles — Suit has been against Pekin Feature Film • ?.30,00O damages, by Harl y, for failing to fulfill con■ which Mr. Mclnroy was to motion picture dramas at a sd price. Try For Better Films. II, Mass. — The committee for motion pictures, appointed or Thompson from the Lowchers' Association, the MioWomen's Club and the Collb has affiliated with the nacommittee for better films v York City, with a view of g in its work for good moctures for school children family entertainment. ! is. Emma Cohen, pros of the Casino theater, on 11 street, wso was charged fitributing to the del nquency r Browski, aged 13, has been bd by Judge Gemmill. Mrs. vsa? accused of employing to sweep out the entrance of iter. Anna Case in "THE HIDDEN TRUTH" Select Special. DIRECTOR Julius Steger. SCENARIO BY S. M We'ler. CAMERAMAN William Crowley. AS A WHOLE Doesn't come up to "Special" Standard in any department. STORY Tnte meller with no indication of fre'h in~pir. tion. DIRECTION Permits quite a bit of "acting" and doesn't succeed in making the film seem real. PHOTOGRAPHY Frequently lacks clearness. LIGHTINGS For the most part too uniform. CAMERA WORK Ordinary. STAR Good to look at in most poses, but fails to register much as an actress. SUPPORT Satisfactory for a "movie" of this type. EXTERIORS Not many. INTERTORS Meet requirements. DETAIL NotVng to brag about. CHARACTER OF STORY Censor won't kick. LENGTH OF PRODUCTION 5,050 feet. This strikes me as be;ng a decidedly commonplace offering with many draggy sequences and nothing to ustify its being touted as a special. Tbe plot theme is antiquated and there is nothing novel in the treatment to raise it above a low level of mediocrity. If \nna Case is going to take picture work seriously sh<: had better hunt around for more likely material. As a screen star, she seems to have possibilties but they need development. She photographs well, has a pleasing smile and the poise of a woman accustomed to appearing before an audience: but her acting lacks variety and expression. Her most characteristic pose, and one that is used too frequently in this film, is that of a concert singer standing on a platform with her 'lands clasped. Tt should be stated to her credit. however, that she does not over-act, which is more than can be sad for some of those in the supporting cast. It is appropriate that Miss Case's screen debut should be in a story having a singer as the central character, it only the plot were less trite and artificial and the scenes less wearisome. The:e is a good deal that comes under the head of padding and attempts at pathos often are dangerously cose to being maudlin. Tbe whole affair is too conventional to be diverting and lacks the illusion of reality. Miss Case is a dance hall singer in a rough mining town where her "golden voice'' brings tears to the eyes of the hardened miners. They ring in the od situation of an attempted swind'e through which worthies property is to be unloaded on an investor. The willun goes west to report on the value of the mine and enters into =* fifty-fifty bargain with the crooks. To account for the dance hall singer going east and entering tbe household of the proposed victim of the fra'-d. there is a series of scenes showing the shooting of a brutal husband by his abused wife. Anna is in t'e room at the time and is accused of the murder but she is acquitted, owing to tue dying confession of the woman, who gives the g:rl a letter to her father's former partner. Naturally, this man is none other than the investor whose ruination is planned. From the viewpoint of act:on and interest, the scenes laid in the west are apt to register better than the remaining sequences transpiring in the east where Anna develops under the kindly guidance of her benefactor But of course the willun is still in evidence and tries to break up the happy home by disclosing the girl's dance hall past, and resurrecting her al'eged connection -with the murder. By this t'me the fatherly att tude of Anna's guardian has changed in'o that of a lover and after the crimes of the willun have been properly exposed, there is nothing to prevent a marriage. The audience is usually about a reel ahead of the story in guessing what is going to happen. If You Run it, Go After Folks That Know About Anna Case's Career as a Singer Box Office Analysis for the Exhibitor. Vs a safe drawing proposition this looks decidedly doubtful. It isn't a strong picture to begin with and" Anna Case probably is not known to the average picture fan. Unless you are hard up for material, I can't see any reason for taking a chance on a production of this stamp. Providing you decide to use it, there is little to do beyond playing up the star as a grand opera prima donna and a concert singer of note, who is making her first appearance in pictures. Miss Case, in the course of many concert tours may have visited your town, in which case I would bri-'g her to the attention of your music lovers who may be interested in seeing how tbe singer appears on the screen. You might go after this element in your community through a special line of advertising, calling attention to Miss Case's connection with the -Metropolitan Opera Co., and mentioning any concert appearance in your locality. In order to reach people likely to be fa miliar with tbe star's career, it wou'd be well to seek the co-operation of your music dealers at least to the extent of having pictures of Miss Case placed in store windows, along with the announcement of the date of her appearance at your theater. Heralds also might be distributed at music stores. In all your billing, make a big point of the -tar's celebrity as a singer and speak of the picture as a human interest drama based on the rise of a young west ern girl from mining town dance hall to the place of famous prima donna. Miss Case's pictures will look well in your lobby and I would feature them to the exclusion of everything else, because others in the cast don't warrant particular notice. or\roa&y M an enemy to life. — Shakes put a wallop! in your ADS!' Omoh pandall t7A nr?A 11 71 ^/. 44 NEW VORK TITLE/1 AD /KETCHE/ C O M I CS ep VANDCI3BUILT 4 5 S I