Motion Picture News (Jul-Oct 1915)

72 MOTION PICTURE NEWS Vol. 12. No. 3. ■in f a iipp ■iiiiiiiiiiii "vms:,. r:r niiiiiH ii limn i i iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiasl liiiiiiilnlliilliililillihiill iiiiiiliii ■■■■■■■■■^■■■■i iiiiiiiiiuininiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii i »■■■ i mill n i INTERESTING FILM REVIEWS PRODUCTIONS FROM ALL PROGRAMS ■■ii iiiiiiiiiiini i iiiiiiimiiiiiiiii ■ i mi i i nil iimm i ■ iii i iiiiiiiiiii in iiiini mil ■■ ii J iiiiiiiiiii GENERAL FILM PROGRAM "The Crooked Path." (Kalem. Two reels. Mon., July 19.) — Reviewed at length elsewhere in this issue. "The Chadford Diamonds." (Biograph. Mon., July 19.) — A pair o£ society thieves make their way into good circles by the ruse of "permitting" the" woman to be saved from what seems to be an attack by a footpad. They get away with what they think is a diamond necklace but find that a fake necklace was substituted by the daughter and secretary of the rich family. The daughter and secretary are in love. Charles Perley and Augusta Anderson are the crooks ; Charles Bennett is the rich man and Madge Kirby and Robert Nolan his daughter and private secretary. Directed by George E. Reehms. "His Singular Lesson." (Biograph. Thurs., July 22.) — The jealous husband who thinks to surprise his wife with her lover finds that the other man is a burglar. A well done comedydrama. Alan Hale and Claire McDowell as the husband and wife and Hector V. Sarno as the burglar. Walter Coyle directed. "His Criminal Career." (Biograph. Sat., July 24.) — George Green, at his club, bets he can hold a job a month though posing as an ex-convict. Through the work of a real convict he is arrested but finally wins his bet and a wife as well. Charles Peley is Green and Augusta Anderson the girl he wins. William J. Butler plays a professor and Robert Nolan a crooked detective. George E. Rheems made this picture, too. "A Daughter of Earth." (Biograph. Two reels. Tues., July 20.) — Reviewed at length elsewhere in this issue. "A Change far the Better." (Edison. July 21.) — A comedy of mix-ups. Directed by Will Louis. "The Secret of the Cellar." (Edison, Sat., July 24.) — Sally Crute has one of her adventuress parts in this melodrama. The cellar is the hiding place of a band of thieves. Much exciting action. Directed by J W. Castle. "The Fable of the Home Treatment and the Sure Cure." (Essanay. Wed., July 21.) — One of the exceptionally good George Ade fables in which a leading citizen cures his offspring of her love for a young man by inviting him to live with the family The moral is "Don't get acquainted too soon." Charles Stine, Frankie Raymond, Peggy Sweeney and Albert Martin do good work in the principal parts. "Others Started But Sophie Finished." (Essanay. Thurs., July 22.) — A good slapstick with Ben and Mrs. Turpin, Margaret Joselin, Victor Potel and Harry Tood playing the main parts. The plot is conventional but this makes little difference in the present case. "The Sky Hunters." (Essanay. Three reels. Sat., July 23.) — An exceptionally good release, written by W. Anthony McGuire and featuring Edna Mayo and Bryant Washburn. The moonshiner's daughter is brought up as a boy. When a revenue officer starts prying around in the mountains he meets this girl dressed in men's clothing. She is suspicious of him and he of her. Due to numerous wranglings in the band and the fear of detection by the government, the members separate. The girl, however, has found the man she loves in the revenue officer. "A Bag of Gold." (Essanay. Mon., July 19.) An inventor steals money that he may be able to complete his machine. The cashier of the bank is accused of the crime and is obliged to serve a long prison term. Later he secures employment with the guilty man. Their children being in love, the inventor realizes his cowardice and speedily makes amends. Sydney Ainsworth, Beverly Bayne, Clara Haskell and Jack Meredith are the leads. "Jabez's Conquest." (Essanay. Two reels. Tues., July 20.) — In which a farmer manages to outwit two gangs of thieves that attempt to take his money away from him while he is traveling in Europe. Nell Craig, Sheldon Lewis, Jack Meredith and Ben Hendricks are in the cast. "The Spook Raisers." (Kalem. Tues., July 20. — Ham is the medium and little Bud the latest things in spirits in this comedy. They have all sorts of really funny adventures, which are brought to an end by a materialistic policeman whose wife is a seance habitue. Harry Griffith is the policeman and Ethel Teare is the wife. Myrtle Sterling plays a fake spiritualist and Martin Kinney is her assistant. _ The co-operation between the medium and assistant furnishes the comedy business which is ver^ good. "The Strangler's Cord." (Kalem. Two reels. Wed., July 21.) — Reviewed at length elsewhere in this issue. "In Double Harness'." (Kalem. Two reels. Fri., July 23.) — By a liberal use of close-ups, most of them very well placed. Tom Moore, director and leading man, has built a pleasing, light, two-reel picture out of a very tenuous story, which deals with the double elopement of mother and son. Marguerite Courtot plays opposite Tom Moore as the daughter. Helen Daly plays the eloping mother. Richard Lyle and Ina Brooks are the girl's parents. "The Girl on the Engine." (Kalem. Sat., July 24.) — Another of the always exciting "Hazards of Helen" series with Helen Holmes. This time Helen drives an engine and opens the exhaust valve, effectually stalling the engine just where it stops employees of a rival road from tearing up the tracks to put a new line through. A hand-to-hand fight between the gangs results in victory for Helen's side. Well done and exciting. "A Barnyard Mix-Up." (Lubin. Split reel. Tues., July 20.) — A funny cartoon by Vincent Whitman, bringing Rastus again on the screen. Farmer Corntassel finds Rastus after his chickens and leads him a merry dance over haystacks, but the bullets of the farmer have no effect, so an ax is brought into requisition and Rastus is laid low. A dynamite explosion resurrects the little thief. As a huge goat suddenly appears, the erstwhile enemies make common cause against the animal. "A New Way to Win." (Lubin. Split reel. With "A Barnyard Mix-Up." Tues., July 20.)— A new angle on the mother-in-law joke forms the substance of this comedy, which, however, has a human touch that can teach a valuable lesson — that three people can dwell together in amity, if they will only make allowances for other people's peculiarities as well as their own. John tried to get rid of his mother-in-law. but the wife objects, and makes life so miserable for hubby he is glad to get "mother" back on any terms. After a storm, they all decide to forget the lurid past and start all over again on a better plane. Hattie Edwards is the mother, Baby Mack her daughter, John Edwards the husband. "Her Idol." (Lubin. One reel. Fri., July 23.) — This picture, adapted from V. E. Roe's story, "A Phoenix of the Hills," tells of the noble hearted sacrifice of Hedda, a young Italian girl who is the cook at the ranch where McMurtry is foreman. When the foreman, under sudden temptation, attempts to steal some money left in his care, Hedda takes the crime on herself. It turns out all right in the end, however, and Hedda and McMurtry marry. Joseph Smiley directed. The cast comprises Justina Huff, John Smiley, Clarence J. Elmer, Harry Loomis, William Carr. A particulaly good scene is the cowboys at dinner, during which they unmercifully bait little Hedda. "The Foreman of the Bar Z Ranch." (Selig. Tues., June 30.) — A western drama produced by Tom Mix from a scenario by Wallace Clifton. Tom, the sole heir to his uncle's wealth, is accused of murdering him when the older man is found dead after Tom had quarreled with him over Tom's love affair. After developments point to another as the culprit. This is fairly entertaining, although the plot and situations are conventional. "At the Flood Tide." (Selig Wed., July 21.) ■ — This drama is rather gruesome. The fisherman mistreats his wife and as a consequence an old friend of the woman kills him Another man she loved is accused of the crime, but after she has taken the blame herself a note is found from the real murderer, confessing the deed. "The Goddess." (Vitagraph. Chapter Ten. Two reels.) — In this number Tommy, who is living with one of the miners, gets into serious trouble. The miner's wife loves him and when, sue discovers that her love is not returned it turns to hate. She makes her husband believe that Tommy attempted to embrace her, and the miners, led by the enraged husband, are about to hang the innocent man when Celestia arrives on the scene accompanied by Stilleter. Ceiestia by her simple and unaffected manners forces the woman to tell the truth. This is a very interesting number with Anita Stewart, and Earle Williams doing most of the work but ably supported by Eulalie Jensen as. the miner's wife, Ned Finley as the miner, and William Dangman as Freddy. MUTUAL PROGRAM "The Diamond from the Sky." (North American. Two reels. Chapter Eleven.) — Blair's mother demands that he marry Esther instead of the adventuress. He consents and the same day begins his suit. Esther pays little attention to him as she is always thinking of Arthur. In the meantime Arthur has become very rich in the west. Luke Lovell, the gypsy, attempts to find him as he is possessed of some knowledge of the estate. He rides on a freight car, but is thrown off. When he comes to he discovers the diamond lying beside him on the track. As he is about to snatch it a snake strikes him Here Arthur finds him on the track as he is returning from work The diamond is lost again and an Indian finds it. Esther resolves to go to Arthur and starts west, accompanied by. an old family servant. "Old Jane of the Gaiety." (Thanhouser. uSn., July 18.) — Old Jane is the wardrobe woman at the Gaiety theatre whose story persuades a little chorus girl not to go on her first party but to marry the man she loves — her country sweetheart. Ethyle Cook does well in the dual role of Jane as she tells the story and as she was when a chorus girl Grace Decarlton is the little chorus girl. Others are Jay Yorke, Morgan Niblack, Janet Henry and Winnifred Lane. "The Mystic Jewel." (Majestic. Two reels. Sun., July 18.) — John Burton is suspected of having killed his brother to obtain the jewel. The doctor tells the newspaper men he has the jewel. Thus he traps the real thief, an Oriental girl in search of the jewel. The players are Signe Auen, Chales West, Joseph Henabery, Lucille Younge and Spottiswoode Aitken. Jack Conway directed. "A Chase by Moonlight." (Komic. Sun.. July 18.) — A Fay Tincher comedy, with a motorcycleautomobile chase. The other funmakers are Clarence Barr, Elmer Booth, Max Davidson and Louise Aichel. "The Lie." (Reliance. Mon., July 19.) — A fisherfolk story. Galeb marries Joan through the lie. He tells her that her husband was drowned at sea. But David comes back and regains his wife and child. Adoni Fovieri is the wife. Joseph E. Singleton is Galeb and William Hinkley the husband. Little Betty Marsh is the child. Ray Myers producer. "The Picture of Dorian Gray." (Thanhouser. Two reels. Tues., July 20.) — An adaptation of Oscar Wilde's famous story. Harris Gordon plays Dorian Gray, whose picture as painted by Basil Hallward, unmasks the inward bestiality of his nature. Dorian finally follows the example of his sweetheart Evelyn and kills himself. Helen Fulton plays Evelyn and A. Howard is the artist. Ray Johnston is Lord Wotton, Grav's friend. "The Runaways." (Majestic. Tues., July 20.) — One of the Majestic kid comedies. The bad boy persuades Carmen to run away with him. Georgie rescues the handcar in the nick of time from a rushing freight train. Violet Radcliffe is the tough kid, George Stone js-JJ^e good bov and Carmen De Rue is Carmen. These kid comedies are always good.