Motion Picture News (Jan-Feb 1916)

570 MOTION PICTURE NEWS Vol. 13. No. 4. them together, and when Mrs. Van Zant hnds out that Betson is not a rough cow-person, but quite eligible, she consents to their marriage. In the support are Harry Von Meter and William Stowell. "He Thought He Went to War." (Vogue. Sun., Jan. 30.) — Not shown for review. "Some Night." (Beauty, Wed., Jan. 26.)— The word "some" in the title is used m the slang sense, and is quite applicable. The preposterous plot adds to the humor furnished by ultra-speedy action that often verges on the slapstick. Fifty or more girls in dishabille give atmosphere to the boarding school interiors, as well as furnishing a harmlessly unconventional display of pulchritude. Dick, in love with Gladys, invades the precincts of Miss Boardman's select school for girls, but when Miss Boardman enters the room where they are, he disguises himself as a girl cousin of Gladys'. The principal suggests that the visitor sleep with her, and Dick is worried. By chance, Dick's father arrives at the school to take up his teaching duties. Dick rushes to his room, and Miss Boardman misunderstands. To add to the confusion, a burglar enters the house, and is mistaken by the girls for Dick. Finally Dick captures the thief and is forgiven by everybody. The cast consists of Carol Holloway, John Sheehan, Bessie Banks, George Ahearn, and Marty Martin. "The Smugglers of Santa Cruz." (Clipper. Three reels. Fri., Jan. 28.) — The outstanding feature of this picture is the series of exquisite marine views used as settings, and the wonderfully fine photography thereof. The story drags occasionally, and the tragic ending does not seem logically necessary. The members of the "Diamond from the Sky" company who are included in the cast produce the high-grade acting one expects of them. Langdon, a revenue officer in search of smugglers, falls in love with Verna, daughter of a lighthouse keeper. The mistress of the smuggling gang betrays the rendezvous to Langdon, and he is able to confiscate some of the contraband. After several brushes with the smugglers, Langdon is finally killed by them. Verna commits suicide, so that her spirit may join Langdon's. The cast is composed of Charlotte Burton, William Russell, Roy Stewart, George Periolat, and Eugenie Forde. "Lord Loveland Discovers America." (American-Mutual Masterpicture DeLuxe. Five reels. Thurs., Jan. 27.) — Reviewed at length elsewhere in this issue. "Bungling Bill, Burglar." (Vogue. Thurs., Jan. 27.) — Not shown for review. "A Sanitarium Scramble." (American. Fri., Jan. 28.) — The humor of this comedy-drama is "delicate, and usually effective. Juvenile parts are not the best fitted to the abilities of Vivian Rich and Alfred Vosburgh, but they are uniformly good. Others in the cast are Mother Ashton and Hugh Bennett. Reeves Eason directed. Aunt Penelope can't be a Red Cross nurse herself, but she wants her niece Janice to take up the humane profession. Janice goes to a hospital to get the training, but she is soon dismissed for breaches of discipline. She opens an apartment, and asks all her boy and girl friends to the house-warming. Aunt Penelope inopportunely arrives, but Janice explains that she has opened a private sanitarium, and that the men are patients, and the girls nurses. Her aunt finally discovers the deception, but under circumstances that thoroughly mollify her. "Walk This Way." (Beauty. Sat, Jan. 30.) — Neva Gerber and the players cast with her are pretty generally called upon to act -a serio-comic piece, based on the two adages, "The course of true love ne'er ran smooth," and "Love laughs at lock-smiths." This is one of that sort, and the cast is entirely adequate. If the third saying, "All the world loves a lover," is true, this picture should be popular. Beside Neva Gerber, there are in the cast, Walter Spencer, Lucille Ward, Robert Klein, and Jack Gains. Betty loves Harry, but her match-making aunt wants her to marry a gentlemanly floor-walker named Fluff. Betty and Harry elope on a motorcycle, so the aunt has to wed the floorwalker herself. PAT HE EXCHANGE INC. "Pathe News," No. 2. (Pathe) — Mysterious explosion and fire wrecks oil plant at Chicago ; shipment of 32,000 live geese leaves Mansfield, 111., for New York; spring fashions; annual mummers' parade in Philadelphia ; striking views from a Russian seaplane in action ; Harvard hockey team at practice ; state dam at Troy, N. Y., destroyed by dynamite ; Skookum River in flood at Centralia, Wash. ; $200,000 fire destroys Ocean Park, Cal. ; auto races at Los Angeles ; Italian liner, armed with 3-inch guns, reaches New York ; schoolship Newport reaches New York after 15,000 mile cruise ; scenes of recruiting and infantry drill in England ; new stamp-making machine in operation at Washington; Harvard students box in snow; Boston society folks at tobogganing and skiing. "The Red Circle," No. 6. (Balboa. Two reels.) — The plot of this serial appears to grow in interest with added complications. In this episode, entitled "False Colors," the Red Circle, with which June Travis is birth-marked, as the sign of a family of criminals, is used to further the work of a band of real criminals, operating at a fashionable resort. While June is being sought by spies, whose war plans she has seized, the spies are arrested for annoying women, whom they stop in a search for the red circle. She attends a big ball, at which Alma La Salle, a clever society _ thief, is working ; while June and Lamar are sitting on a divan, they see in a mirror, a woman's hand steal out from a screen of plants, deftly unfasten June's necklace, and remove it. They are amazed to see a red circle on the hand. The mystery is not explained even when June's old nurse reports the next morning having seen a woman washing a painted red circle from her hand. Lamar locates the woman and trails her back to the city. Ruth Roland, Frank Mayo and Lillian West head the cast. "Madame X." (Savage. Five reels.) — Reviewed at length elsewhere in this issue. UNIVERSAL PROGRAM "Animated Weekly," No. 201. (Wed., Jan. 12.) — Harvard's track squad: prosperity parade in Syracuse, N. Y. ; alien wireless operator arrested as suspect, Portland, Me. ; opening of racing season at New Orleans, La. ; derelict blown up off Providence, R. I. ; ruins of Chicago's recent $2,000,000 fire ; first snowfall in twenty years in California ; English recruits leave London for the front; Animal Rescue League operates in Boston, Mass. ; goills feeding in London, Eng. ; Ascot speedway opened in Los Angeles, Cal. ; Representative James Buchanan recently indicted for conspiracy ; view of the U. S. S. Oklahoma ; Hy. Mayer's cartoons. "A Soul Enslaved." (Broadway Universal Feature. Five reels. Mon., Jan. 24.) — Reviewed at length in the issue of Jan. 22. "Her Steady Carfare." (Nestor. Mon., Jan. 24.) — Betty Compson, irresistible as ever, and Ray Gallagher engage in a subtle love affair in this that is sure to meet with everybody's pleasure. Al Christie concocted it and Horace Davey directed. most of them furnished by the excellent comedienne who plays the slavey, but on the whole it is not a very good picture. Victor Potel has the lead. "Discontent." (Gold Seal. Two reels. Tues., Jan. 25.) — A character study featuring an unpleasant character and therefore not a very pleasant picture, although in development and production it is good. Doc Crane as the old soldier who is taken out of the veterans' home by Iris rich nephew, and who by his complaining attitude creates discord in a perfectly happy household gives, as might be expected, a sterling performance, but for all that "Discontent" (very aptly named) does not please. "Hired, Tired and Fired." (Imp. Tues., Jan. 25.) — A most conventional comedy written and produced by Roy Clements. It is the poor piano mover again, who needs over half a reel to get the music box out and then discovers he has the wrong address. There are a few moments in this, "Knocks and Opportunities." (L-Ko. Two reels. Wed., Jan. 26.) — This release has a good plot that holds of itself and a lot of humorouslyeffective trick work, while Billie Ritchie's horseplay strikes an unusually funny chord. Louise Orth and Reggie Morris take the other leads. The settings are particularly expansive for comedy while the wedding scenes add a humorous touch of spicy unconventionally. "Across the Line." (Victor. Wed., Jan. 26.) — Number three of Jacques Jaccard's little stories of real life. The photography is somewhat poor, being too dark in a number of scenes, but the story is well worked out and creates an average amount of interest, although the characters arc not over-clearly defined. "The Red Lie." (Laemmle. Three reels. Thurs., Jan. 27.) — This highly effective detectivedrama starred in by Rupert Julian was reviewed at length in the issue of November 20, page 81. under the title of "The Ferret." "Sammie Johnsin — Hunter." (Powers. Split reel. Thurs., Jan. 27.)— A most amusing animated cartoon by P. Sullivan portraying the dreamed adventures of a colored boy who goes huntingJust the right thing for children and highly amusing for old folks. The pictures are smooth, and do not tire the eyes. On the same reel with "Fishing for Lamprey." "Fishing River Lamprey." (Powers. Splil reel. Thurs., Jan. 27.) — The various processes that herring go through from the time they are taken out of rivers in Denmark until they reach our tables are shown in this number, which is a most interesting educational. "The Inner Soul." (Laemmle. Two reels. Fri., Jan. 28.) — This picture by F. McGrew Willis deals with an impossible story in a rather impossible way, so the ultimate effect created is not convincing although the story's development causes some interest. Constance Johnson, Malcolm Blevins, Jack Livingston and Ray Hanford have the principal parts. Leon Kent directed. "Nan Good-For-Nothing." (Big U. Fri., Jan. 28.) — An English picture of the London Film company's, featuring vivacious Edna Flugrath in a role excellently suited to her attractive personality. The story is slight but its human interest qualities keep up the interest at all times. "Flivvers in the Dance of the Shivvers." (Nestor. Fri., Jan. 28.) — That English comedian, Charles Evans, is seen again as a female dancer who assays all manner of national and classic dances on the vaudeville stage with the usual uproarious results. It is very good and keeps the standard of the series up to a high mark. "A Daughter of Penance." (Bison. Two reels. Sat., Jan. 29.)— Henry Otto directed this and as might be expected the scenes and photographic work are splendid. The locations are a treat to the eye and besides being beautiful they are well chosen and throw the story in a most appropriate setting. The story, by Charles Saxby, is romantic and mysterious, furnishing just the right proportions of each ingredient to produce a most satisfying: effect. The leads are handled by Edna Maison, Douglas Gerrard, Majorie Lake and Phyllis Daniels. "Uncle Sam at Work." No. 6. (Powers. Sat., Jan. 29.) — This number shows the work of the Departments of Agriculture, Forrestry and Reclamation, including scenes of logging, fire fighting and road building. Although the photography is rather hazy, and the reel edited in rather a slipshod way, the individual scenes are most interesting. "Mrs. Green's Mistake." (Joker. Sat., Jan. 29.) — This number of Allen Curtis relies for the greater part of its humor on the story and the entangled situations rather than the cast, which for a time neglects its eccentricities to a certain extent. It is a good picture and Gales Henry, William Franey, Lillian Peacock and Charles Conklin do effective comedy work. PRODU CTIONS PRODUCING MONTHLY, FEATURE DRAMAS f^ERIT IIN WHICH "THE PLAY$ ^ FAMOUS SCREEN STARS UNDER Fl Mi OF -J THE THING"; PRESENTINGMOST -1 -! DISTINCTIVE A RTfSTf C *'* -i DIRECTORS IVAN FILM PRODUCTIONS IMC. <^*rO 126 WEST ^6 ST. NEW YORK ml Be sure to mention "MOTION PICTUEE NEWS" when writing to advertisers.