Motion Picture News (Nov-Dec 1925)

2364 Motion Picture News * '~ =— ^ ~~ ' — — ^gT^ Opinions on Current Short Subjects " Hot Doggie " ( Educational— Two Reels) f Reviewed by Chester J. Smith) WALTER HIERS has a very ordinary vehicle in this one, which tells a tale many times repeated on the screen. He must marry before the arrival of his uncle on the same day to receive a million dollar inheritance. He has the girl, but his difficulty is in reaching the church. As is customary in these pictures, he first forgets the marriage certificate and has to return for it and then he forgets the ring and dittos for that. There being nothing around but taxis and other autos that may be used as conveyances in such an emergency, Walter stops to gaze in a sporting goods shop and decides to make the trip home and back to the church on skates. He is aided and abetted by a cleverly trained dog, whose antics are the best thing in the picture. The Cast The Fat Boy Walter Hiers The Girl Duane Thompson Her Father Lincoln Plumer His Uncle William Irving Her Mother Rosa Gore The Dog Buddy Story by H. M. Lawrence ; directed by Earle Rodney; photography by William Wheeler and Fred Jacquemin ; cartoons by Xorman Z. McLeod. The Story. The girl's parents are opposed to Walter as a suitor because of his poverty. He receives a wire from his rich uncle that the latter is arriving that day and will give Walter a million dollars of his wealth provided he is married. Walter conveys the news to the girl and her parents via Buddy, the dog. There are hasty arrangements for the wedding and the church is crowded waiting the bridegroom, who has forgotten the marriage license. He dashes back on skates to get it and then forgets the wedding ring and is compelled to go back for that. The wealthy uncle arrives and sees his nephew for the first time and because of complications following his arrival refuses to give him the million until he is vamped by the young wife. Summary. A knockabout comedy with some fair situations, though both the situations and the gag stuff have been much overworked. The vehicle is hardly as good a one as the star is entitled to. It is good for a few laughs. "Should Sailors Marry?" (Pathe— Two Reels) (Reviewed by Edw. G. Johnston) This is the second two-reeler for Clyde Cook under the Hal Roach banner and if the succeeding ones prove as good as the two already produced, they are bound to register as sure fire entertainment. James Parrott is the director and has made the most out of a goodly assortment of gags and thrills. . Cook is given adequate support by Fay Holderness and Noah Young. In the last half many of the scenes are taken on the steel beams of a partly finished sky-scraper and it is here that the thrills take place. The Cast The Sailor Clyde Cook The Wife Fay Holderness The Wrestler-Husband Noah Young The Story. — This one starts off with a rather unusual situation — that of a wife paying alimony to a wrestler husband who collects in very thorough manner. Times become hard and the wife finds herself in difficulties with the payments. The ex-husband threatens and in desperation the wife inserts an advertisement in the matrimonial columns of a newspaper with the idea of seeking a mate to help her provide the necessary alimony. The ad is answered by a recently discharged sailor who had joined the navy to see the world and spent the four years of his enlistment in a submarine. They meet and marry. After the wedding it slowly but surely dawns on the sailor that the ex-husband is a member of the household. He is given a room to share with the wrestler and forced to go to work. It is thru this part that plenty of comedy develops, and the thrills make their appearance with the sailor's efforts to escape. Summary. — An amusing two-reel comedy, starring Clyde Cook and has some sure laugh getting gags that are followed by a series of thrills enacted on steel beams of a sky-scraper. It has been well produced and directed by Hal Roach and James Parrott who have provided the star with good support. " Cleaning Up " i Educational-Tuxedo — Two Reels) (Reviewed by Chester J. Smith) MUSSING UP would be a better title for this two-reeler that features Johnny Arthur. Maybe it will be a cleaning up in the picture houses but it is anything but that in the story. Johnny assumes the task of being housekeeper for a day, when after losing his job he tells his wife how soft it must be to have nothing to do through the day but keep the house in order. It is one of those comedies that just makes a complete mess of a house even to the calling out of the fire department, which as usual, floods it with water and thereby all but destroys most of the furniture as well as the occupants. It affords a lot of knockabout comedy, some of which is good and some not so good. Napoleon, a big Newfoundland dog, is a well trained animal and shares the honors of the picture with Arthur. The Cast The Husband Johnny Arthur The Wife Helen Foster Her Brother George Davis The Dog Napoleon Written and directed by William Goodrich ; photographed by Byron Houck. The Story. Johnny and his wife quarrel when he loses his job for oversleeping. He tells how easy it is to have nothing to do but care for the house and she volunteers to let him do it for the day, retiring to her mother's in a huff. Johnny makes a mess of it and eventually the fire department is called in, completing the destruction he has started. The wife returns to find her brother there and Johnny promptly blames the calamity on to him. Summary. This is a knockabout comedy with plenty of action and some humorous situations, but like most of its type it strives too hard and continuously for laughs. The cast is a good one, with Napoleon, the dog, sharing the honors with the comedian. "A Speedy Marriage " ( Universal -Century — Two Reels) THIS is a typical Wanda Wiley vehicle with a world of action, none of which, however, has not been seen many times before. They have taken the action out of about three oft-repeated comedy tales anV crowded it into these two reels. Miss Wiley is certainly a lively young lady and a glutton for punishment. She takes many a hard fall and an equal number of rough knocks. "A Good Program Mast Have Novelties" 729 7th Ave. New York City Edwin Miles Fadman, Pres. She is also capable of better material than she is given to exploit in this one. The Cast The Girl ...Wanda Wiley The Story — Wanda, prospective heiress to millions is aroused by an electrical storm. She is hit by a flash of the lightning and the electric spark, after going through her chases after all other occupants of the house, causing general bedlam. At the height of all her troubles her lawyer 'phones her that she must be married by 5 o'clock that afternoon in order to inherit the estate of her wealthy uncle. She makes a date to meet her fiancee in ample time for the performing of the ceremony but it detained by a detail of traffic cops whom she leads a merry chase, but finally eludes after many humorous and trying difficulties. She finally goes through with the contract just on the stroke of five. Summary. — This is a fast moving comedy with plenty of action, but both the story and the action have been used many times before. It gives Miss Wiley ample opportunity to display her talents, though they could probably be displayed to better advantage in a vehicle that was not quite so hackneyed. " Ko-Ko Packs 'Em In " (Red Seal— One Reel) THIS Max Fleischer cartoon is one of the funniest and cleverest yet seen by this reviewer. The business of the story is concerned with Fleischer's decision to move from his home and the help given him by Ko-Ko. Everything in and about the room is packed including the "windows" which are removed from the walls ; even the "landscape" is rolled up by the pup. As a fitting climax to all this industry Ko-Ko sets the vacuum cleaner to work through a hole bored through the inkwell and in no time at all it has sucked up everything in sight and out, including heavy pieces of furniture, bric-a-brac and even the moving men. This should cause many a laugh.— HAROLD FLAVIN, " Knicknacks of Knowledge " (Educational — One Reel) THIS is one of the Lyman H. Howe Hodge Podge series. It is as nicely worked out as those that have gone before and is both entertaining and educational. The actual photographic scenes showed varied activities and sights of different parts of the world and they are nicely intermingled with humorous cartoons. In this one of the Hodge Podges are shown among other things, the Woolworth building in Xew York, cotton pickers in Peru. Chinese Junks, Victoria Falls in the Zambesi River in Africa and different types of the Maoris, a queer race of people in New Zealand. It is an entertaining novelty that could be used to good advantage by anv house. — CHESTER J. SMITH. " Hot Feet " ( Educational-Cameo — One Reel) THIS is a lot of nonsense in which everyone in the picture strives to get a laugh with variations of the Charleston. Cliff Bowes is the wealthy cousin from the country and with the wealthy aunt visits the house at the height of the dance. The Rubes are shocked by the exhibition they witness, but a dash of liquor served in their punch soon has them striving to outdo the most expert exponents of the Charleston and eventually they carry off the prize. There is some fair comedv served up in this one. — CHESTER J. SMITH.