Motion Picture News (Jan - Feb 1926)

February 27, 1926 1013 The Cave Man (Warner Brothers — Seven Reels) (.Reviewed by William Cainpbellj WHILE the plot of this offering liovers beyofld the realms of plausibility one innst accept it as fiction and enjoy it as such. Consider a coal heaver being adopted by a young, beautiful and wealthy orphan, wlio seeking some new whim to pass away idle hours, has him barbered, bathed, tailored and put through the rules of etiquette and then launches the brawny fellali into the inner circle of society. It all starts when the anthracite thrower finds the other half of a bank note which tells him that whole note is his if he applies to tiie address given on a note j)inned to the bill. The address is the fair maiden's apartment. Matt Moore runs away with the honors in liis characterization of the hard boiled Smagg. Moore is immense in the early reels. There is much fun in the ball secjueiice when the lights are dimmed and Smagg starts in to kiss all the flappers present. Marie Prevost good as the jaded oi']ihan. THEME. Comedy drama. Coal heaver enters society, finds bride in girl who groomed him for new role. PRODUCTION HIGHLIGHTS. Smagg's efforts to land the half of the bank note. His training for entrance into "400." His return to old haunts "all dolled up." Society reception and dance. Kissing episode. Kidnapping of Myra. EXPLOITATION ANGLES. Put fellow on street as ballyhoo, dressed like caveman and carrying appropriate advertising. Boost Marie Prevost and Matt Moore. DRAWING POWER. Popularity of stars and fun in plot make it O.K. for average house. SUMMARY. A rather wild idea for a plot but containing much fun. Matt Moore doing some especially good work. Miss Prevost easy on eyes. Will provide entertainment for most fans. Fairly well mounted. Needs exploitation. THE CAST Myra Gaylord Marie Prevost Michael Smagg Matt Moore Brewster Bradford John Patrick Mrs. Van Veet Hedda Hopper Her daughter, Dorothy Phyllis Haver Author, Gelett Burgess. Director, Lewis Milestone. Photographed by David Abel. SYNOPSIS. Myra Gaylord, orphan with 82,000,000, seeking adventure, throws one half SlOO note out of window, offering other half if finder will come to her apartment. Michael Smagg, coal heaver, delivers it. Myra decides to groom him and introduce him into society. His caveman methods attract ladies. He balks at obeying Myra, who tells him society will ostracize him if his identity is disclosed. He doubts it, but finds it true. Eventually, after going back to old haunts, he returns, kidnaps Myra and rushes her away on coal wagon to be married. The Cave Man (Warner Brothers) PRESS NOTICE IWr ATT MOORE and Marie •*■'-*■ Prevost will appear on the Theatre screen, commencing , in "The Cave Man," a comedy drama from the pen of Gelett Burgess which relates the amusing adventures of a coal heaver, who is "adopted" by a carefree orphan girl of wealth and after being groomed and trained for the part, is introduced into the "400." When his real identity is disclosed he is forced to forego his high hat and walking suit and don once more the clothes of a coal heaver. But he returns and abducts the girl who sponsored him. John Patrick, Phyllis Haver and Hedda Hopper also have important roles in this amusing farce. CATCH LINES Drive away dull care by laughing at the brawny coal heaver who is taken up and exploited by a member of the •400"! Marie Prevost, featured in "The Cave From the coal pile to the social heap Man" a Warner Brothers production. in one jump! Dsincing Mothers (Paramount — Eight Reels) I Reviewed by Frank Elliott) WE have had a lot of these so-called jazz pictures, but nothing in many moons to compare with this adaptation of Edgar Sehvyn's Broadway stage hit which has been transplanted to the silver sheet by Herbert Brenon in an eminently satisfactory manner. Here is a picture packed with incident, a feature in whicli the dii'ector has kept one big scene stepping on the heels of its predecessor. As for the acting, it also is the best we've seen in a long time. Alice Joyce wins new laurels as the mother, Clara Bow scoring in the role of the jazz-mad flapper. Both these actresses are due for some widespread praise. Conway Tearle and Norman Trevor take good care of the leading male roles. There are any number of "big moments," the first of which comes when Kittens finds her father at a night club with "the other woman," the second arriving when the mother is found by the daughter in the arms of the man from whom she is trying to save her offspring. THEME. Ultra-modern society drama, New York night life, mother trying to save husband and daughter, herself falls in love with "the other man." PRODUCTION HIGHLIGHTS. Daughter finding father with another woman. Sequence in which Naughton is discovered by daughter with latter's mother in his arms. Climax, acting, direction, artistic settings. EXPLOITATION ANGLES. Arrange Dancing Mothers contest, offering prizes for best steppers. Boost names of stars. Put over style display of gowns and slippers suitable for Dancing Mothers. Might also stage a Charleston contest. DRAWING POWER. OK for best houses as well as all others. SUMMARY. One of the best acted features in many months. Contains fine moral. Plot packed with action, climax with a Dempsey-like wallop. Beautifully mounted and skillfully directed. Just what modern fans want. THE CAST Ethel Westcourt Alice Joyce Jerry Naughton Conway Tearle Kittens Westcourt Clara Bow Kenneth Cobb Donald Keith Mrs. Massarene Dorothy Cumming Irma Elsie Lawson Hugh Westcourt Norman Trevor Author Edgar Selwyn. Scenario by Forrest Halsey. Directed by Herbert Brenon. Photographed by J. Roy Hunt. SYNOPSIS. Ethel Westcourt's husband and daughter are rounders. When Kittens, the daughter, discovers her father with Irma, "the other woman," the girl decides to continue her flirtation with Jerry Naughton, man about town. Mrs. Westcourt hears of her husband's wanderings and her daughter's association with Naughton. She decides to do some stepping herself but in appealing to Naughton falls in love with him herself. The climax comes when husband, wife and daughter all meet in Naughton's apartment. Dancing Mothers (Paramount) PRESS NOTICE "TRANCING MOTHERS," -*-^ based on the Broadway stage success, will be shown at the Theatre, commencing : . Edgar Selwyn wrote the story, which is a sophisticated picture of New York life showing a charming matron fighting to save her jazz-mad flapper daughter and night clubhabitue husband, but eventually being herself swept into the vortex of fast life. She falls in love with the man from whom she is trying to save her daughter and there is a tremendous climax where husband, wife, daughter and the other man all meet in the latter's apartment. Alice Joyce, Conway Tearle, Clara Bow and Norman Trevor are members of the quartette that makes the leading characters live. CATCH LINES Watch the mother of today keep step Clara Bow, featured in "Dancing with her flapper daughter and nightMothers" a Paramount production. club habitue husband!