Motion Picture News (Oct 1914-Jan 1915)

f 50 MOTIONPICTURENEWS Vol. 10. No. 25. whereabouts are unknown to his parents, and to partly atone for her act the girl brings the young fellow home. The woman is played by Isabel Rea and her victim by Curtis Cooksey. "Brannigan's Band." (Lubin. Sat., Dec. 26.) — A slapstick comedy dealing with the rnisadventures of a volunteer band in a srnall village. Mrs. Casey finally subdues the musicians by her own adaptation of the water cure. On the same reel with "A Troublesome Cat." "A Troublesome Cat." (Lubin. Sat., Dec. 26.) — A cartoon picture by Vincent Whitman. On the same reel with "Brannigan's Band." "An Affair for the Police." (Vitagraph. Two reels. Sat., December 26). — When a detective is engaged to guard the wedding gifts the bride's sister thinks that it is an insult to the guests. Later everyone is surprised to find that the most valuable of all the gifts has been stolen. The detectives do some heavy work and discover that the bride's sister is the thief. It develops that she took the necklace to show how easily the detectives could be fooled. Leah Baird is seen as the bride. "The Champion Bear Slayer." (Selig. Sat., December 26). — Some trained bears, particularly a roly-poly little cub, make this an unusually amusing comedy. The father, a self-confessed hero of many bear hunts, is panic stricken at the sight of a tiny cub which his daughter has brought home. It looks to him like a life-sized grizzly, and pursues him all over the house until he calls out the police reserves for protection. "Broncho Billy and the Sheriff's Oface." (Essanay. Sat., December 26). — Broncho Billy is requested to resign his office as sheriff. He does so, but later is reinstated in order to capture the bad man of the town, of whom the new sheriff is afraid. After he has captured the desperado he again takes off his badge in spite of the protests of the town council. "His Unwitting Conquest." (Biograph. Sat., Dec. 26.) — The search for material and experience leads a novelist to an affair with an actress. The woman falls in love with him, and later when she discovers that he is married and that he was only studying her she destroys the manuscript of his great story. Vivian Prescott appears as the actress, with Hector V. Sarno as the novelist. "The Man Who Vanished." (Edison. Sat., Dec. 26.) — Another story adapted from the Felix Boyd series "Below the Dead Line." Boyd, the detective, predicts the robbery of the Trinity Trust vault, and acting on his advice Central Office men head off the thieves before they get any money. Boyd then tells how he discovered the plot, and the ingenious way in which he traced out the plans of the master criminal. UNIVERSAL PROGRAM "A Page from Life." (Rex. Two reels. Sun., Dec. 20.) — Made by Frank Lloyd and his company, in whict Herbert Rawlinson, Anna Little, William Worthington and himself play the leads. The story is about a man who is forced to turn crook. His daughter discovers it, and gives back her lover's ring, but death comes upon her father and she is clear to marry the man. Produced and played excellently. The interest is always held at the highest. "The Baron's Bear Escape." (L. K. O. Sun., Dec. 20.) — Henry Bergman is featured as Baron Hazenfeffer in this comic offering. He has amorous intentions toward a young girl, and is furthered in his suit by father, but daughter has a young American in mind. The Baron goes hunting and the other man dresses as a bear and scares the wits out of the professed hunter. The thread of the story is lost in the mud hole appearing in the last scene in which all the characters are splashing in when the picture closes. "The Jewel of Allah." (Eclair. Sun., Dec. 20.) — In India two men find a jewel in a newly fallen meteor. They take it to the ruler of the land who terms it a gift from Allah. The rays from it cause a blind man ^ to regain his sight, and in America, where the jewel has been taken to be set, it performs the same charitable service to the jeweler's daughter. The story is well constructed, but would be more powerful if it were probable. "The King and the Man." (Victor. Two reels. Mon., Dec. 21.) — Instead of turning his attention to fair damsels in distress, Terrence _ O'Rourke in this, the fourth of his adventures, aids a king. The king is Ihe ruler of a small European country, and sore pressed by a neighboring country of great power. He is ordered to abdicate or accept death at the hands of spies of the other power. Terrence, who happens to be his double, succeeds, after many difficulties have been overcome, in getting the king away in safety, and throwing his pursuers off the track. Just as O'Rourke thinks his mission complete, the king returns, because the girl he loves has been left behind him. He then signs his abdication and is a free man to marry the girl. Excellent double exposure work appears in several places in the final reel. "Carmen's Romance." (Sterling. Mon., Dec. 21.) — One of the Sterling kid comedy-dramas with Billy Jacobs and the usual supporting cast. It is funny, most of the humor resulting from the antics of two of the members of the cast, the villain and the hero, while in a well. Billy is endeavoring to pull thera out. Billy plays the part of the peacemaker and smoothes things over in the finale. This will please more than the ordinary kid comedy, although it might be appreciated more if childish actions were resorted to by the children instead of their emulation of grown-ups. "For I Have Toiled." (Nestor. Tues., Dec. 22.) — This is an interesting story of unusual human interest, of the kind that leaves a pleasant taste in one's mouth at its termination. The unimportant love story that appears is not necessary to keep up the interest. Murdock Mac Quarrie in the role of the philanthropical employer, who has been asked by a business associate to cut his employees' salaries, visits and stays among them in the guise of a workman, discovers that his men are obliged to strive hard for the little they receive and thereafter determines to run his plant on the profit-sharing plan. "The Call of the Waves." (Gold Seal. Two reels. Tues., Dec. 22.) — This is one of Francis Ford's productions featuring Ford himself and Grace Cunard. The story is one of the uncultured, wild girl, who is taken from her childhood home by the sea and adopted by a woman of social prominence. Finally, after suffering the pangs of unsuccessful gambling at Monte Carlo, she is rescued from compromising straights by her old lover; later they are married. Miss Cunard doesn't quite fit her part, but in its entirety the picture will afford good entertainment. "Vivian's Beauty Test." (Crystal. Tues., Dec. 22.) — If anyone takes pleasure in watching persons who, if they left themselves as nature made them, could pass off as reasonably nice looking, comfort their faces and bodies and devise schemes in which they make themselves appear repelling to a great degree, he will enjoy this picture. If he doesn't he will not. "Love and Spirits." (Joker. Wed., Dec. 23.) — Ernest Shields has a comedy style of his own creation which never seems to grow at all tiresome. He is almost always funny and here he is so comical that some will be crying from laughter all the way through the picture. He flirts with a girl, and then makes a date to go and see her. He is welcomed by the girl's parents and invited to partake in a spiritualistic meeting. He is frightened and runs away. How he bribes the spiritualist to let him appear as the girl's future husband and the discovery of the deception bring the reel to an uproarious close. Betty Shade is the girl. "The Fortunes of Margaret." (Eclair. Two reels. Wed., Dec. 23.) — This is an unusual offering produced in a very effective manner and played nearly as well with Isabel Daintry and Max Fisher in the leading parts. Margaret assumes the blame of a theft for the love of her brother and leaves home. She is married happily. Later her brother breaks into her house and is killed by a p^oliceman. The girl is united with her father through her child. This sounds dull, but it isn't. It is a well told tale which holds the interest throughout. "Innocent Dad." (Sterling. Thurs., Dec. 24.) — In which John Brennan, one time of the Kalem cornpany, makes his debut into the ranks of the Universal. Playing the name part of this comedy, it is poor Dad who gets into a whole lot of trouble when he is the most innocent one of the crowd. There is a grand mix-up in a dining room which is fairly humorous. The picture is a comedy of the average order, nothing startlingly funny, but everything passably humorous. "The Big Sister's Christmas." (Rex. Two reels. Thurs., Dec. 24.) — The atmosphere of niceness that pervades this entire picture is admirable and beautifully carried out by Herbert Rawlinson, Anna Little. William Worthington, Helen Leslie and Dick Rossort. It is more true to life than many, and a very timely picture for the Christmas season. The older sister of a moderately well-off family runs the home and does everything to make her father and younger sister more comfortable, neglecting herself. How she becomes, righteously, the least bit dissatisfied and how she finds the man she loves makes a wonderfully entertaining number. "Who Stole the Bridegroom?" (Nestor. Fri., Dec. 25.) — This is one of the pictures that Eddie Lyons produced while Mr. Christie was visiting New York, and he has made an excellent comedy, assisted by Lee Moran and Bess Meredvth. Lee Moran is uproariously funny as the "de tective. Eddie is about to be married and visits the man who is to be his best man, only to find himself quarantined, because the child has smallpox. Eddie then attempts to escape from the house, but is frustrated a number of times by the detective. He finally manages to escape and gets married, and It develops that the baby was infected with the innocent malady of prickly heat. "The Accusation." (Victor. Two reels. Fri,, Dec, 25,) — There are many and tense situatiofis in these two reels that have been developed in a manner that is most powerful. There are two rivals, one of them very bad, who when the other is engaged to the girl accuses him of being the father of a baby belonging to himself. Things reach their height when the girl who was wronged by the defeated rival openly denounces him in the presence of the other woman, her father and lover. Then all ends well. Harry Myers directed and played the male lead, and is to be praised. Rosemary Theby plays opposite, plays her part well and looks as pretty as ever. Brainsley Shaw Is an excellent heavy, whose reformation leaves the story without one. Neil Moran is the father and Ruth Fielding the other girl. "Hot Stuff." (Joker. Sat., Dec. 26,)— A lively farce in which William Franey, Gale Henry and Jane Bernoudy are the principal characters. Due to the mischievous actions of a tramp two women, both accomplished pie bakers, become antagonistic toward one another. They each bake a pie ; one has cayenne in it and the other tabasco. When they are eaten violent action begins and only stops because the reel closes. This will be liable to create a good bit of laughter. "The Rustler Outwitted." (Frontier. Sat,, Dec, 26,) — A hired detective is unable to discover the rustler and would-be assassin of the ranch owner and departs after a fruitfess search. It then remains for the ranchman's daughter to arrest him by disguising herself as a man and bringing him to the sheriff. This makes a pleasing offering, with Joe Franz in the rustler's role. "The Law of the Range." (101 Bison. Three reels._ Sat., Dec. 26.) — -Although this picture contains an excellent story, there is not enough action in it to warrant three reels. If it were all as lively as the last reel, it would be excellent, but unfortunately it is not. The acting of William Clifford, Sherman Bainbridge, Marie Walcamp .and Val Pal is as good as ever. The small ranchman resists the encroachments of his powerful neighbor and for revenge steals his cattle. His enemy then lays siege to Smith's place and finally captures him and is on the point of hanging him, when his little child begs his captor not to and he lets the man go for her sake. MUTUAL PROGRAM "Fatty and Minnie-He-Haw." (Keystone. Two reels, Mon,, Dec. 4.) — In which Roscoe Arbuckle gets into a world of trouble with an Indian squaw who desires his hand in marriage. He runs away from her, and takes refuge in a bar room, where he and a gentleman aptly termed "the last of the booze fighters" will surely create roars of laughter. This is another of the sidesplitting two reelers that this company is turning out. It will be received with just as much enthusiasm as the others. "In the Conservatory." (Princess. Fri., Dec, 11,) — This is a detective crook story which offers a surprise in almost every scene and is naturally of great interest from start to finish. The man. who at an entertainment gives himself up as a crook to save the good name of a maid, turn* out to be a detective, while the man wlio posed as a detective is really the crook. This seems sadly impossible in the telling, but the manner in which the picture is produced makes it quite convincing and strong, Boyd Marshall appears as the detective and Mayre Hall is the wrongly accused girl. "In Tune." (American. Two reels. Mon., Dec. 14.) — The author-business man, who lives a very unhappy married life, is much in love with his stenographer. Because of his abscntmindedness he signs his name to a blank piece of paper, and a clerk in his establishment uses this to further his dishonest ends. The author suspects the stenographer and she gets to work on the case and apprehends the real culprit, .^fter this the author's wife dies and the story ends as would be expected. Although these reels contain two widely different themes, they are well combined, so that the story is good in regard to continuity. _ Many of the scenes transpire in an office in wlTich the lighting is poor. Aside from this the photography is good. Ed. Coxen is the author, 'VVinnifred Greenwood the stenographer, George Field the dishonest clerk and Charlotte Burton the author's first wife. "When East Meets West." (Thanhouser. Sun., Dec. 13.)— This reel made by the Thanhouser company in the Yellowstone National Park com