Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1916)

September 30, 1916 MOTION PICTURE NEWS 2059 by the speech of the westerner, fix up a little surprise for him. But you are not told it's a frame-up at all until the end— that's where the suspense comes in. All jou know is that Douglas has a fast and furious time in a house with a supposedly Russian agent, his colleagues and the girl he holds in his power. After Douglas learns he has been tricked he walks off with the girl and turns the laugh on his friends. For the feminine side of the picture there is Jewell Carmen and a prettier and more attractive young lady would be hard to find. For the rest, and the rest have little to do, nothing but the best can be said. ' WHERE LOVE LEADS " (Fox — Five Reels) REVIEWED BY E. DRAW I T does seem a great pity that so much money is still wasted ■I in producing a scenario which has not the slightest merit, is unconvincing and utterly devoid of all interest and story. No director can hope to make a good picture without a really strong story. The first reel portrays scenes in a club dressing room, college The Fight on the Staircase dormitory and the annual contest between the rival college teams, all of which are well done. The remainder of the production is then taken up with sensational flights, desperate encounters, flights over roofs, chases down fire escapes, police rescues, and the raid of a white slave establishment. In this " storyless " production Ormi Hawley is the redeeming feature. Her performance as the young girl is admirable, and again seventeen years later, as a mature woman she again does justice to her role. The supporting cast, which includes Rockliffe Fellowes, Royal Byron, Charles Craig and Dorothy Rogers is quite capable. Marion Barstow is influenced by her parents to marry Sir Rankin Chatsworth, although she is in love with a younger man. Seventeen years later Marion has been neglected by Sir Rankin, who had tired of her soon after the honeymoon. Her only consolation is her daughters, Kathleen and Rose. Marion's mother has written, begging her to send the girls to America. Unfortunately Marion makes the sad mistake of entrusting her two daughters to Camille, a white slave agent. Camille cables to a confederate to prevent the grandparents from meeting the steamer on its arrival. The girls, however, are rescued by Richard Warren a newspaperman who had been Marion's sweetheart before she was *^orced to marry the nobleman. The former lovers are united ■*and all ends well. " THE WINNING PUNCH " (Triangle-Keystone — Two Reels) REVIEWED BY PETER MILNE ONCE again does Keystone come into its own with a whirlwind of new gags and trick effects, that places "The Winning Punch " in the winning class. The main feature of the picture is a burlesque boxing bout, quite the cleverest and most humorous bit of work we have seen in a long time. The cameraman has done his best here too and his manipulation of the crank has certainly resulted in a series of uproariously funny scenes. Outside of the fight the picture is just as worthy. The producers have concocted what appears to be a new Ford joke, when a fat man is kicked out of a bar, collides with the car and sends it whirling across to the other side of the street. And of course there is the usual amount of incidental funny business perpetrated in the course of the action that in the present instance is quite original. Slim Summerville as the champion boxer gets many laughs due to his elongated physique and his inborn sense of humor. Bobby Dunn, as his opponent, is a little fellow who we remember having seen in extra parts not long ago and who does exceptional work in this prominent role. Peggy Pearce is the girl and Jerry Linder and Billy Hauber appear in other parts. " HIS LYING HEART " (Triangle-Keystone — Two Reels) REVIEWED BY PETER MILNE THERE are no tricks of acting or production in this two-reel number starring Ford Sterling, and its laughs for the most part will be caused by the subtitles which are written in a fairly good humorous style. Neither Sterling nor other members of the cast do anything remarkable in the way of comedy acting, while the story offers few situations of the sure-fire variety. The plot concerns a dream indulged in by a husband who has neglected his wife to pay court to a manicurist. In the dream he marries her and straightway she fills his home up with barbers and other manicurists and he himself gets little opportunity to see her. Waking finally, he decides to make ' up with his spouse and all ends well. Glimpses of the Forthcoming Fox Feature, " Where Love Leads," With Ormi Hawley Leading the Cast