Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1918)

October 5 , 1 p 1 8 2253 "THE APPEARANCE OF EVIL"— WORLD Excellent Suspense Runs Straight Through THE World Film product has shown great improvement recently and " The Appearance of Evil," starring June Elvidge, steps right in line with the rest of its releases. It presents a novel story that starts right out by getting the suspense up, nor is it ever let down until the end. Clara Beranger, who made the scenario from the Hazeltine story, has done one of the cleverest pieces of work that the writer has seen. Anyone who knows pictures is going to appreciate this, while the usual audience is going to notice something real different from the ordinary cut and dried fare of the picture program. The story presents some excellent comedy and satire that is sometimes burlesque, while the tale of Mrs. Brown and Louis Letchworth is never devoid of interest. — Released Oct. 7. — Length, 5 reels. — P. S. Harrison. THE CAST Ma: :a Brown June Elvidge Louis Letchworth Frank Mayo Gordon Brown Douglas Redmond, Jr. Charlie Royce Clay Clement, Jr. Miss Spurgeon Nora Cecil Elsie Quimby Inez Marcel Mr. Quimby Louis Grizel Ross Darnton Jack Drumier Story by Horace Hazeltine. Scenario by Clara S. Beranger. Directed by Lawrence C Windom. Photographed by Max Schneider. THE STORY Mrs. Maida Brown lives with her little boy at Bayport, a secluded country town. A regular visitor to her home is Louis Letchworth, a young man who is in the business of manufacturing airplanes. His lawyer, Royce, a gentleman with a sense of humor as well as a sense of the law, has tendered him a check for a hundred thousand dollars from an " unknown backer." This backer is in reality Mrs. Brown. The many week-ends which Louis spends at Maida's home cause first her servants and then the whole town to talk. The Purity League gets busy and eventually Maida is obliged to move away, although her relations with Louis have been anything but proper. In the city Harold Brown, the brother of Maida's dead husband, seeks to learn the truth regarding his sister-inlaw's relationship with Louis. One night he sees Maida emerge from Louis' apartment. As a consequence she is summoned to his lawyer's office the next day. Her immense fortune which her husband had left her reverts to Harold provided Maida marries again, according to the terms of the will. Harold believes Maida is married to Louis. This she denies. He then starts suit to obtain custody of the child because of Maida's conduct. With this Maida makes a clean breast of everything and tells Brown and the lawyer that she was married to Louis in Belgium shortly after the outbreak of the war. She cannot produce a marriage certificate and they do not believe her. Royce solves the problem. Louis, being handy with his pencil, sketches the face of the witness who attended the marriage. Royce then enlists the services of an actor — a real make-up artist — and there is proof of the marriage. Louis' enterprise has been successful and so he is able to return the hundred thousand to Maida's fortune, which, in turn, is given to the Browns with the rest of the money. AD TALK A distinctly novel picture, " The Appearance of Evil," featuring June Elvidge, will be shown at the theatre on of week. This is from a story by Horace Hazeltine, the well known short story writer, and concerns the harm done an innocent couple through malicious gossip. It is an excellently composed picture, maintaining a high degree of suspense, and at the same time introducing some of the richest comedy, satire and romance ever conceived. Miss Elvidge is seen as a young widow, Mrs. Maida Brown. Seldom has this beautiful actress been awarded a more congenial role. Her thoroughly human qualities and her skill as an actress were never shown to better advantage. Frank Mayo and Clay Clement, Jr., are the principals in the supporting cast. The story relates of the weekly visits of one Louis Letchworth to the home of Mrs. Maida Brown at Bayport. On a certain Saturday afternoon after the arrival of Louis, the maid starts to gossip. Intimate, though harmless, scenes between her mistress and Letchworth she enlarges upon until they become truly awful in the eyes of craven, hypocritical champions of purity of the village. And a result of the maid's gossip, Maida is shortly obliged to leave her pretty home at Bayport and return to the city. But here, too, gossip pursues her and it is not long before her brother-in-law starts suit to obtain custody of her child on the grounds that she is morally unfit to bring him up. The manner in which Maida proves her own innocence of any wrong-doing and at the same time makes all her defamers hide their heads in shame puts a fine climax on this thoroughly human little story. Its moral, " Judge not, lest ye be judged," is driven home with subtle force. CATCH LINES June Elvidge's latest and best world picture. Written by Horace Hazeltine, well known short story writer of the day. Never condemn a person on appearances only. In " The Appearance of Evil," the villagers of Bayport judged Mrs. Maida Brown as a " wicked woman " on appearances. They drove her from their midst and were the cause of untold suffering. " Judge not, lest ye be judged." June Elvidge in the most unique and fascinating role of her career. ADVERTISING AIDS PAPER: — One 6-sheet; two 3-sheets ; two 1sheets. LOBBY DISPLAYS:— Two 22 x 28 colored; eight 11 x 14 colored; eight 8 x 10 black and white. CUTS AND MATS: — Cuts and mats for newspaper advertising have been prepared by World Film in one and two columns, showing tense moments from the scenes of production and the star. Matrices of these cuts are available, free of charge, at all World Film exchanges. Electros are available at a reasonable cost. One and two-column type advertisements are suggested in the press sheet which has been prepared. These type ads give striking catchlines with name of theatre and date at bottom. Throw-aways have been suggested with catchy phrases appearing on front and back. Two and three-column cuts and mats have been prepared, the matrices free of charge. The three-column cuts show scenes from production with star and members of supporting cast. SLIDES. SUGGESTIONS This is the best picture June Elvidge has done for World Film in many a day and, besides, it offers a novel story. Play it up as Miss Elvidge's best and as one of World Film's best. The author, Horace Hazeltine, is a known story writer. His work on this certainly stamps him as original and he and his work may be boosted sky high. " BEHIND THE LINES IN ITALY " (Continued from page 2251) Italian flags could be used to decorate the front and the lobby, also the interior. If you run the general type of " feature " bill, make the week or the days on which you show the feature an " all Italian " occasion. An Italian singer could sing the national anthem of their country or one or two of the popular Italian love songs immediately before the picture. Forget the weekly when you run this feature, unless you compile your own from several sources. If this is the case drop the war stuff. This Can Be Used in Either News Story or Ad