Motion Picture News (Sep - Oct 1926)

September 1 1 , 1926 1005 "The Blue Boy** ( Educational-Technicolor — Two Reek ) (Reviewed by Pind Thompson^ THIS second in the Romance series of famous paintings, presented by Eugene ^oth, maintains the splendid standard which characterized the first, "The Vision," shown last May. It is photographed by the technicolor process and rarely have I seen more beautiful or effective pictures thrown on the screen. There is a constant succession of groupings ycu feel you would like to cut out and, were it possibble, frame the same. The colors are invariably soft, never glaring or offensive to either yoiar physical or aesthetic vision. Why pictures of this kind are net seized by every exhibitor in the country is a mystery. Were I the directing genius of a Broadway house I would eagerly book every one of these that they could turn out and then ask for more. And I would publicize it so that people would come to see it as much as they do for a feature picture. Once would be enough; the second time they and others would come on the mere announcement. It is a simple tale, moreover, and needs no great intellect to appreciate and applaud it. In other words, from my point of view, it would appeal to every class of movie patron. The applause greeting it at a purely professional pre-shcwing proves that. "The Blue Boy" is suggested, of course, by Gainsborough's famous painting, familiar to everyone. Long in the National Art Gallery in London, it is now owned in this country. Arthur Maude, who directed it, wrote a story of a child stolen by the gypsies from an aristocratic English family. Eight years later the boy is returned to his parents and the famous painter decides to use the youngster for h-'s model for "The Blue Boy" painting. George W. Stout produced the piece and Ray Bennahan photographed it. THE CAST John Roche. Jane Thomas. Frank Austin. Esther Ehoades, Philippe DeLacy and Montague Shaw. "Two Dollars Please" (Universal-Bluebird — One Reel) ■VTES, N«ely Edwards may marry Betty Ba1 ker (on the screen) if he has an office full of patients at two o'clock when her father calls. What could be more simple? The highway.s and byways are scoured bv friends picking up petTple to go to the ofifice with the promise of a two-dollar hill if they put in an appearance. The denomination scemingiv has lost its sinister significance, for the office is crowded by, among others, six girls in a beautv contest who proceed to put on bathing suits for the doctor's inspection, thinking he is the judge of the contest. Another caller is a cramp-sufTering clergyman. The latter's call is most opportune because he can and does marry the lovers before the reel ends, or anyway, iust after. _I have reason to believe. Director Kennedy is the man who moves the two featured pawns mentioned above hither and thither. Two Dollars" will be Dut in circulation .Sentember 20.— PAUL THOMP.SOX. "Uppercuts" ' Educational-Christie— Two Reels) (Reviewed by Paul Thompson) /"^OMING events cast their shadow before ^^ m the pictures as well as the other worlds we live in. Jack Dempsev's defending his crown from Gene Tunney's assault inconsistently now scheduled for the "City of Brotherly Love," has made prize-fight pic tures the thing. Educational has not been slow to realize this, hence "Uppercuts." Jack DufTy is the comedian to be starred in this drama of fisticuffs. There is as much action out of the ring as there is in it, so you can bank on being on the edge of your seat as often as you would be at Boyle's Thirty Acres, the Sesqui grounds or Madison Square Garden. To settle which man shall be president of an anti-prize fight club, Jack Duffy and his opponent decide to let victory between the former's butler and the latter's regulation fighter decide. Hence the prize fight. Here is action galore, with Jack, unethically, but effectively, reviving his representative wit'n hat-pin jabs when he is, to all intents and purposes, out. A police raid breaks up the fight and the picture also concerns itself vvith the pursuit of Duffv and Jimmie Harrison, his would-be son-in-law. Their ingenuity in escaping is great. The picture really is amusing and worth while. THE CAST Jack Duffy, Stella Adams, Violet Bird, Jimmie Harrison and William Irving. Director, Walter Graham. .Suiiniiary — Proving the race sometimes is to the swift, the ma.x'm to the contrary. Plausible and enterta'ning rough-house comedy. "Jim Hood's Ghost" (Universal-Mustang — Two Reels) (Reviewed by Paul Thompson) TOSIE SEDGWICK'S moving picture broth^ er was not kicked to death by his favorite horse, but was murdered by a rapacious, beetlebrowed neighbor. That is what she discovered when .she returned from the East (or California) and put on his clothes to be more at home. You see, she and the brother were twins and when she made her appearance the villains all thought it was a ghost of the murdered man. Naturally, the rest was easy, especially when Edward Heam, a sort of forernan of the ranch, helped sister out by hard riding and equally hard fighting. So you mav be comforted by being forewarned tliat Josie and Edward get married at the end and regain the property and live happily ever after. The marriage will not be exactly as durable as that because they will have to play new parts in a new Mustang series and, while the characters may be the same, the names will have to be changed, as will the title and the plot— the latter only slightly. I will pay Miss Sedgwick this compliment, however— she does not look or ride like a ghost and is justly claimed by the other featured player. He doesn't do much to win her though, there being really only one fight and that is not enough in two reels Director O'Brien has the honors of the niece which will be released December 4. 1926 "Big and Little" (Pathe-Sportlight— One Reel) /^RANTLAND RICE, the authority on ^ sports on the New York HeraldTribune and Collier's who also contributes to other magazines, displays his usual catholicity m_ this week's sportlight pictures. Fishing, sailing, golf and other activities are the subjects for his descriptive captions and the pictures. The average is decidedly high. Girl campers in war canoe races, landing tarpon and other smaller fish, small classes of yachts, and a miniature golf course that through its trickiness nulllifies its size; all lend themselves to effective pictorial treatment. As always. Grantland's comments add greatlv to the enjoyment of the photos.— PAUL THOMPSON "The Fighting Marine' Gene Tunney Enters Lists as Hero {Reviewed by Paul Thompson) TILDEN, Dempsey, "Lefty" Flynn, "Red" Grange and now Gene Tunney, with Suzanne Lenglen surely in the offing, the movies are surely seducing our athletic heroes. The man who hopes to win the heavyweight pugilistic crown and, because of his record in the war, hopes shared by the majority whether fight fans or not, has made his debut as a hero of the screen. Pathe will show his fighting and histrionic prowess in ten chapters in a melothriller called "The Fighting Marine." The first of these will be released September 12th. Judging by the three chapters shown at a prereview here is meat for strong men and fair women, admitting that the unfair, so-called, weaker sex also can assimilate the same diet. The favorite Pathe team, Spencer Bennet, director, and Frank Leon Smith, scenarist, has prepared the serial. Judging by tiie physical prowess displayed Dempsey bettors will hedge wisely_ their bets on the fight for the world's championship. Tunney is really good and makes a mighty effective newspaper-reporter, Sir Galahad knight-errant for the fair lady in distress, in this case Marjorie Gay, alias Lady Chatfield. It is going to be quite a shock to 100 per cent. American admirers of Tunney to find him masquerading as an English lord and wearing a monocle, which he does quite convincingly. The plot is concerned with Tunney's agreeing to act as a guard for the heroine for six months in a California mining camp, that she may inherit the property there left by her grandfather, the founder of the town. In the first three reels Tunney has licked twelve opponents and only the producers know how many are scheduled for annihilation before the end of the serial. The Cast: Gene Tunney (starred), Marjorie Gay, Walter Miller, Virginia Vance, Sherman Ross, Mike Donlin, Wally Octell, Jack Anthony and Anna May Walthall. Director, Spencer Bennet. Theme: Gene Tunney protecting English heroine in California mining camp. Production Highlights: Physical prowess of star. Ingenious introduction. Exploitation: Angles Obviously Tunney's athletic fame, Dempsey fight and hero's war service. Drawing Pozver: Great. Public already made for it. Tunney is good actor. Made and distributed by Pathe. Length, ten chapters. Released September 12, 1926. The Tropics for a Subject ( Educational-Bruce Scenics — Two Single Reels) yiTHEN Educational Films decided to deV V clare a Roman holiday and show the second of the Romance Technicolor pictures, "The Blue Boy," at the Wurlitzer Auditorium, they built up a program of short subjects reviewed elsewhere in this issue, to hold the attention o^f their critic-guests. Two of these were Robert C. Bruce scenic novelties. Each was in one or part of one reel. The first was "A Typical Tropical Sky," the second, "Sons of the Surf." Both are beautiful pictures from a photographic viewpoint and that of interest. The second of the two deals with surf-riding in Hawaii. Of course, it will be objected, this is not a new subject, but, on the other hand, the pictures are as effective as anything on the subject shown on the screen.— PAUL THOMPSON.