Motion Picture News (Apr-Jul 1915)

74 MOTION PICTURE NEWS Vol. 11. No. 16. INTERESTING FILM REVIEWS iiiiiiiii: PRODUCTIONS FROM ALL PROGRAMS llllllillllllllllllllli llll 1 GENERAL FILM PROGRAM "The Ebbing Tide." (Biograph. Mon., April 19.)— A fishing village story of a girl who dies as a result of too great joy following disappointment in love. A shallow effort at tragedy. "The Quicksands of Society." (Biograph. Two reels. Tues., April 20.) — A story which is fully as futile as its title. A rich man divorces his wife to marry a "vampire." She elopes with another man and is killed in a wreck. The rich man then returns to his former wife and is accepted. In the cast are Franklin Ritchie, Louise Vale, Ben Hall, Alan Hale and Gretchen Hartman. "To Have and to Lose." (Biograph. Thurs., April 22.) — A pioneer becomes separated from his wife in the desert, and is discovered by a prospector who has previously rescued the wife. He overcomes a wish to let the husband die; and takes him back to his wife, thus completing a very old plot. Isabel Rea and Frank Newburg are the married couple, and Franklin Ritchie the prospector. "When Hearts Are Young." (Biograph. Fri., April 23.) — The familiar story of a widower and widow who fall in love, but fear the attitude of their families. Of course the widow's son marries the widower's daughter, and thus sets the example which is followed by various other couples in the comedy. In the cast are Jack Drumeir, Rea Martin, Irma Dawkins, Kate Bruce, Jack Mulhall, Gus Pixley and Adila Comer. "Jean the Faithful." (Biograph. Sat., April 24.) — When a girl went blind her former sweetheart abandoned her, and quiet Jean took his place. The girl in fact supposed him to be the other man, but when she was cured she learned her mistake. She also showed that she knew which was the true lover. Augusta Anderson plays the heroine, while Charles Perley is seen as Jean. "Sleep, Beautiful Sleep." (Edison. Wed., April 21.) — A youth who is never on time at the office resorts to all sorts of methods to induce himself to wake up. His first arrival on time is through the office slylight, assisted by an explosion. An amusing picture extremely well photographed. "The Heart of a Waif." (Edison. Sat., April 24.) — A parsimonious couple adopt a child instead of hiring a maid. She is overworked and illtreated, but when she saves the family from burglars, who nearly get the farmer's whole savings, her value is appreciated and she is sent to school. A good picture for a neighborhood theatre. "The Tramp." (Essanay. Two acts. Mon., April 12.) — Review at length in another part of this issue. "The Mystery of the Silent Death." (Essanay. Mon., April 19.) — The mysterious death of her mother, followed five months later by her brother's equally mysterious death, arouses Adene's suspicions against her stepfather, who, as she discovers, is the sole benefactor of her mother s will. She and Louis Courtland start an investigation, with the result that one night they catch the stepfather in the act of making a deadly gas which it is his intention to send through the fireplace in Adene's bedroom. After a fierce struggle the stepfather is turned over to the police. Beverly Bayne, Albert Roscoe and Lester Cuneo make up the cast. "The Snow Burner." (Essanay. Three acts. Tues., April 20.)— A drama of a north woods lumber catrro, featuring Richard C. Travers, k rt. Calvert and Lillian Drew. A refined girl from the city is left destitute by the death of her father. The rough lumber camp boss tries to get her into his power, but with the aid of a haltbreed eirl, whom the boss had wronged, a young man thwarts the plot, and after an exciting Chase the boss is killed by the enraged lumber jacks. "The Fab'e of the Two Unfettered Birds." (Essanay. Thurs., April 21.) — A clever George Ade comedy showing that the parental instinct is bound to crop out even among refrigerated uplifters Edgar and Laura, two high-brows whose friendship was about as romantic as a cold hot water bag, and considered matrimony the height of vulgarity, _ become interested in a homeless baby. Learning that the law does not allow any joint ownership of babies, they are forced into marriage in order to adopt it. "Done in Wax." (Essanay. Thurs., April 22.) — A hobo is pressed into service to take the place of a wax figure of King Woof, which had been destroyed. He got away with it until he was sold to a restaurant keeper. When the statue started eating food its owner decided that it was altogether too life-like, so he boxed it up and threw it in the lake. Wallace Beery plays the part of the hobo. from the disabled engine and proceeding on a gasoline track car makes the connection just in time. "His Wife's Secret." (Essanay. Fri., April 23.) — G. M. Anderson is featured in this drama as a burglar, who, hiding in the house unknown to the wife, is discovered when the husband suddenly returns. His wife's peculiar actions arouses the husband's jealous suspicions, but the burglar is able to explain matters and a domestic tragedy is averted. "The Conspiracy at the Chateau." (Essanay. Two acts. Sat., April 24.) — A good production of an interesting and quite unusual story. Beverly Bayne, Albert Roscoe and Lester Cuneo are featured. Thormly, a political candidate, is discovered by Hobart, a rival boss, in his country home with a beautiful and mysterious young girl. The romantic story of her presence there is revealed to them both after a duel which followed Hobart's insult of the girl. Hobart apologizes, and Thormley falls in love with the stranger. "The Face of the Madonna." (Kalem. Three reels. Mon., April 19.) — This drama is improbable to the point of impossibility, in addition to which it introduces that wholly incorrect view of an artist at work, which is so exasperating to anyone at all familiar with the facts. A girl crook meets an artist who has been abandoned by his wife on account of his dissipation. She consents to pose for a painting of the Madonna on which he is about to start work. Of course there is the usual love affair, which the timely death of the artist's wife allows to come to a satisfactory conclusion. Alice Joyce and Guy Coombs do their best to make a poor story interesting, but are not equal to the effort. "Lotta Coin's Ghost." (Kalem. Tues., April 20.) — There is a wide variation in the quality of the Ham Comedies of which this is a fairly good example. Ham and Bud attempt to steal Lotta Coin's valuable necklace, but her appearance in a sheet and wearing a death's head mask puts_ the would-be robbers to a speedy and amusing flight. "Martha's Romeo." (Kalem. Tues., April 20.) — The fat girl is not crowded with suitors until she sends herself a note to the effect that she has just inherited $10,000. Then every man in the boarding house camps on her trail. She picks the one she most fancies, and after the ceremony breaks the news to him. William Wadsworth_ is the unlucky suitor, and Jessie Stevens the girl. Arthur Housman is also in the cast. A very good comedy. "Mike Donegal's Escape." (Kalem. Two reels. Wed., April 21.) — The girl detective makes another of her commonplace discoveries in this story. A prisoner has escaped from a cell which has no exit large enough for a man to pass through except the door. The girl detective naturally concludes that he left by the door, and when he is discovered and tells his story, this proves to be the case. Arthur Shirley, an Australian actor, who is new to American audiences, appears as the girl sleuth's latest assistant. "Willie Whipple's Dream." (Kalem. Fri., April 23.) — This is a slapstick comedy, in which the first part shows actual happenings and the second the adventures which go through the hero's mind after he receives a knockout blow. Trick photography is used to some extent. In the cast are Myrtle Stedman, Ethel Teare, William Wolbert and Phil Dunham. "A Race for a Crossing." (Kalem. Sat., April 24.) — Helen Holmes continues her adventurous career as the clever telegraph operator in this production. Corporations must he as soulless as the law implies or before this Helen would have owned the whole road. When the agent of a rival road tries to spoil a trial run made in a bid for the mail contract, Helen takes the mail "The Great Experiment." (Selig. Two reels. Mon., April 19.) — Reviewed at length in another part of this issue. "The Conversion of Smiling Tom." (Selig. Tues., April 20.) — A Tom Mix western drama in which an outlaw saves a widow and her daughter from being turned out of their home by the heartless mortgage holder. The daughter later persuades the outlaw to surrender when cornered by the sheriff and his posse. He is induced to lead an honest life henceforth. "The Face at the Window." (Selig. Wed., April 21.) — A crabbed old man is murdered the night after he had quarreled with his nephew. Circumstantial evidence points to the nephew as his murderer. A bloody hand print and a hotel check enables the detective to trace down the real criminal, and the nephew is exonerated, much to the joy of the uncle's beautiful young secretary. An exciting drama with Edith Johnson and Lamar Johnstone in the leading parts. "The Idol of Fate." (Selig. Thurs., April 23.) — This is an . amusing comedy played by Elsie Greeson and William Scott. When Billy offends the very human idol it frowns upon him and his troubles begin. Through a misunderstanding his engagement is broken, business setbacks occur, the upper berth in the sleeping car collapses upon him with its corpulent passenger, and everything goes wrong. Then the idol starts to smile and good fortune comes as persistently as had the bad, culminating in his making up with his fiancee. "The Tyrant of the Veldt." (Selig. Sat., April 24.) — The daughter of a poor South African farmer in order to save her father from bankruptcy sacrifices her real lover and marries a wealthy Boer. A few years later she elopes with her former sweetheart. Her husband follows and is prevented from shooting her by a leopard who leaps upon him from the branches of a tree. She realizes the cowardice of the man who eloped with her, and, forgiven by her husband, returns home. "The Taming of Rita." (Vitagraph. Mon., April 19.) — The plot is an old one, but is always popular. It tells of the younger sister, who is disapproved of by mother and her older sister, but who wins the love of the rich young man picked by the sister for herself. Margaret Gibson is seen as Rita, and Alfred Vosburgh as her sweetheart. "The Guttersnipe." (Vitagraph. Wed., April 21.) — The Guttersnipe is a young girl who has had to shift for herself for so long that she hardly knows how to understand a kind act. When she is adopted by an old man she has a chance to prove her gratitude by saving his fortune from a thieving nephew. There is a romance also. Lillian Walker plays the title role. "Sonny Jim and the Valentine." (Vitagraph. Thurs., April 22.) — Sonny Jim is once more the unconscious »cause of bringing great happiness to a deserving person. Chancing to overhear a mortgage holder threaten to close up a little candy store he tells his father, with the result that friends of the old lady who runs the place buy the mortgage as a valentine. Bobby Connelly, as usual, is seen as Sonny Jim. "Whose Husband." (Vitagraph. Fri., April 23.) — A henpecked husband and a bullied wife live on opposite sides of the street. An importer appears and tries to pass himself off as the supposedly dead husband of the latter. He is found out. but his activity has led to a reform which leads the two couples to happiness. Flora Finch and Kate Price appear as the two wives. MUTUAL PROGRAM "Ambrose's Lofty Perch." (Keystone. Sat., ■\nril 3.) — In this Mack Swain appears as the king of the harem, and has a number of weird experiences, all of which are excrutiatingly funny. Louise Fazenda appears in support. The king's jester and all around handy man is a most clever comedian ; in fact so are all the players clever.