Motion Picture News (Sep - Oct 1926)

1100 Motion Picture N e zv s "The Jelly Fish" ( Educational-Mermaid — Two Reels I (Reviewed by F'aul Thompson) HERE were possibilities that were largely missed and not so much through the carrying out of the main idea as the stupidity that characterized the exposition. Think for yourself what might have been done. A bashful youth, who is so diffident that he is afraid to propose for the hand of the girl he loves, is defended by his aunt as coming from a race of brave, heroic, daring men, one of them a famous pirate. As she tells the story the picture on the screen is of this bloodthirsty ancestor and his exploits. It is a quite ' delightful burlesque of Douglas Fairbanks in "The Black Pirate." That is alright; it is well taken, interesting and amusing, but your interest in the hero, Frank Pangborn, who, of course, plays the piratical ancestor as well as his descendant in modern eveni|ng clothes, is so slight that you really don't care whether he wins out in his various affairs or not. He does such perfectly moronic things in the drawing room where his aunt comes to his defense that you feel he belongs in an asylum for the feeble-minded rather than being permitted to be at large. And this with an understanding that the intellectuality of the modern drawing room on or off the stage is nothing to shout aloud about. It seems a shame for so excellent an idea to go to waste. Pangborn makes anything but an auspicious debut as an Educational comedy star, having just closed in a legitimate attraction at Los Angeles. The Cast: Frank Pangborn (starred), Estelle Bradley, Louise Carver, Robert Graves, Melbourne MacDowell. Directors, Stephen Roberts and John Adolfi. Supervisor, Jack White. Comment: A good idea that almost goes wrong, yet entertaining. Interesting to find so celebrated an actor as Melbourne MacDowell in small role. "Felix in Gim Gems" (Educational-Cartoon — One Reel ) "F F.LIX the Cat, who would make a great -^ little playmate for Don Marquis' famed feline "Mehitabel," invades the squared circle this week. Or, if not the actual prize ring, at least the training quarters of a pugilist, where he serves most successfully as a sparring partner, and an invaluable first-aid in helping the over-weight pug to reduce his waistline. Not that Felix' help is appreciated, for it is not, and the knight of the padded mit is always booting the cat out of the training quarters. In retaliation Felix devises effective means of reprisal, such as substituting a wasps' nest for the regular punching bag. And for a fitting finale he brings a mule, equipped with boxing gloves up to the side of the tent in which the heavyweight is shadow boxing. When the more or less patient ass is hit he becomes an impatient ass and delivers the knockout blow. Felix is joyously counting the fatal ten when the shutter closes for the last time. It is a timely and amusing cartoon and will enhance the reputation of Pat Sullivan and Educational.— PAUL THOMPSON. "Churchyards of Old America" (Red Seal— One Reel) A NOVEL idea for a one-reel subject is incorporated in this production, which is simply a screen record of some of the most humorous and queer epitaphs on gravestones found in old American churchyards. Wiiile the majority seem to be authentic a number of them appear to be culled from Gus Miller's wxll-known sure-fire jokes. While the humor contained in some of the epitaphs will cause mirth, it seems to this reviewer that exploitation of graveyards is in poor taste, to say the least.— HAROLD FLAVIN. Scenes from 'Buster Helps Dad," the twelfth and last release in the first series of Universal's Buster Brown comedies "Oh, Monkey Be Good" ( Bray-Sunkist — Two Reels ) {Reviewed by Edw. G. Johnston) ALTHOUGH all jumbled up with scarcely any evidence of continuity and with resort to most everything that's ever been used in comedy-making, the fan will probably find enough amusement in this one to suffice for the time given to rounding up the considerable aggregation of players, fish, animals, etc. It's all about a young swain, desperately in love, whose life is made miserable by the pranks of a mischievous monk. Bathing girls, an inebriate, a fishing stunt and whatnot are brought into play. Summary — It will do well enough in the average house. "Ko-Ko in The Fadeaway" (Red Seal— One Reel) M.\X FLEISCHER deserves a good deal of praise for his ability in devising new schemes and stunts for his pen and ink creation, Ko-Ko. 1 Ic manages to incorporate a goodly number of laughs in each of this series, no two of which bear the slightest similarity. In the current issue, he conceives the idea of mixing vanishing powder with the ink so that everything Ko-Ko touches evaporates. However, the idea proves a boomerang as Ko-Ko retaliates by sprinkling I-'leischer with the powder, causing Max considerable discomfiture, but in the end Max wins the powder battle. This should amuse any and evervbodv. — HAROLD FLAVIN. "The Fighting Fool" ( Bray-Fistical Culture — Two Reels) (Revieived by Edw. G. Johnston) ■\X7ITH the amount of space the news"' papers are giving to boxing these days, any "fight picture" is bound to go over in houses where they like that sort of stuff — and this one will get by about as well as any of them. But, in this case, it seems a pity that with the wealth of material on hand, a little more care wasn't given to keep out some of the impossible situations, such as millionaire's daughters frequenting tough gyms and training quarters — and furthermore, no boxing man would ever suffer the amount of insults paid this particular one, even though he had promised his mother a la Benny Leonard, never to fight again. However, the insults finally come so fast and furious that the mother relents and her son licks four or five dozen or so of his antagonists — regains his honor and wins the girf Summary — Any exhibitor whose patrons like fight pictures can get by with this. "A Minute to Go" (Cranfield & Clarke — Two Reels) THIS release is one of the Speed Cop series and combines melodrama and comedy in about equal proportions. The hero is a motorcycle cop, the heroine is a newspaper writer and the juvenile lead is a cub reporter. The plot deals with the theft of a string of pearls, the framing up of the cub reporter to fasten the crime on him, the kidnaping of the heroine and her airplane rescue by the reporter and the cop. The situations and the acting are conventional, and the titles do little to redeem them. The Speed Cop idea has possibilities, but little has been done with them here. — L. C. MOEN. "Shadowland" (Cranfield & Clarke— One Reel) SCENIC beauty is the theme of this subject, which is one of the Roxy Radio series. Roxy and his Gang are shown broadcasting from the Canadian wilds, interspersed with scenic views, many of them of rare loveliness, and shots of two girls listening in on a loud speaker. Poetic quotations, illustrations of them, water scenes, broadcasting scenes and the like are assembled without much thought of continuity or coherence, but the photographic beauty of the Canadian scenes fully justifies the making of the subject. With proper musical accompaniment, this should be an attractive reel. — L. C. MOEN. Johnny Arthur to Appear in Stage Play .Johnny Arthur, Edueational-Tuxodo comedy star, has made arranofoments when'by he will star in a loiritimatc stage l)roducti()n, "The Butter and Egg IMan." which opens soon in a downtown Los Angeles theatre. Paul Gerard Smith to Write "Whatnots" Titles Paul Gerard Smith has been signed by Walter Futtcr to write the titles for his forthcoming series of Curiosities release to be known as "Whatnots" Avhich M-ill be released through Educational. William Goodrich to Direct Lloyd Hamilton William Goodrich has been selected to direct Lloyd Hamilton's next comedy for Educational release. Goodrich directed Hamilton in "The Movies" last year. i