Motion Picture News (Jul-Aug 1919)

Augusts, 1919 (Exhibitors Service) 1075 ^o^v liew ^ov\^ Stooge 9 the 91n.o\K7 THERE is a striking similarity this week between the three Broadway shows, the RivoH, Rialto~and Strand. They are ahke as three separate bills could be. Women stars are featured, broad comedy provides the laughs, and the current events numbers are largely duplicated in all three houses. Again also the feature offerings are romances, with no hint of melodrama. Just plain love stories, which after all in the main, please more people than the more emotional, tense offerings. It has been a good many years according to Darwin since Man began to make love to Woman. It will be a great many more before the last lover will have had his day. So the love story always interests — on the screen — on the stage — in real life. " All the world loves a lover." At the Rivoli, the feature picture is " The Better Wife," a romance of an American girl who finds her happiness with a husband in Old England. Clara Kimball Young is the star and in support are such well known people as Lillian Walker, Barbara Tennant and Nigel Barrie. The Comedy is "Among Those Present," a Paramount-Sennett production and the scenic and educational is combined in a Prizma release, " Oahu," an island of the Hawaiian group. The colorings are beautiful, while the educational values are contained in information concerning pineapples. The pictorial is specially selected and especially interesting. At the Rialto, Vivian Martin in " Louisiana," by Frances Hodgson Burnett, is being shown as the screen feature. ' This is a romance of the New South with a mountain bred girl finding her lover and husband in New York. The comedy is " Are Married Policemen Safe ? " and the educational and scenic are also combined in a Universal offering titled "The Bear Hunt." The Magazine is interesting also. At the Strand, " Through the Wrong Door," with Madge Kennedy starred, is presented for the larger feature. Miss Kennedy meets her lover in the West, but marries him in Philadelphia. The scenic is an Outing-Chester, " Haitian Nights Tale," being a trip to this land of an ex-slave's futile dream and the comedy is the same as that shown at the Rivoli, " Among Those Present." An educational, " How Animals Behave," released by Pathe, is an analysis of motion. The announcements for next week are : Strand — The Love Burglar, with Wallace Reid. Rivoli — The Way of a Woman, with Norma Talmadge. Rialto — Nugget Nell, with Dorothy Gish. CQcckh'. Pails Ml inail 'EivoU Thesdre THE stage setting usually prepared for the overture at the Rivoli is withheld to the third and fifth numbers this week, the bill opening with the orchestra's rendition of selections from " Samson and Deliliah", a bibical subject with splendid choruses. The music is decidedly oriental in color but is of a character particularily appealing in its harmony and as rendered by the Rivoli orchestra earns rounds of enthusiastic applause. "Samson and Deliliah" (Camille Saint-Saens 1835 — ) was first produced in Weimar in 1877 and later was played in Paris. As an opera in America it had only a single performance in Italian prior to 1908 when Oscar Hammerstein produced it at the Metropolitan. There is no overture to the opera and the only portions for orchestra alone are from the ballets. These are given at the Rivoli. With the lights in amber and the procenioum arch and curtain draped to heighten the effect, the music begins with the strings and reeds carrying the burden for a major portion of the score, the brasses and drums coming in to full volume only a few minutes before the number closed. The Prizma offering is a trip to " Oahu " of the Hawiian Island's group, combining the beautiful and the educational most artistically. The subject deals with the pineapple from its planting to the time it is sealed in the can ready for the table. At the screening and until the title " On this fertile field " Brunette and Blond " is played when the change is to " Sunset Land " and "Hawaiian Moonlight" to the title "The Laborers." A fox trot is then taken up and continued to the end. The third number is a novelty in a mechanical piano, called " The Ampico Reproducing Piano ", a demonstration of which accompanied by the orchestra held interest for the rendition of " First Aiovement Concerto in D Minor", with Leo Ornstein as the " Invisable soloist. A stage setting designed by Art Director Wenger accentuated the really very beautiful instrument. This number was lighted in purple. The Rivoli Pictorial is screened to especially convincing wind effects as a close view of aeroplanes are shown. The orchestra plays a lively gallop for the footage up to Gauments contribution of horse races at Paris, France, changing to " At The Race Course " for the title prior to the one man, " home made " aeroplane scene, (International) of "Little but Oh, My", "Sugar Lump" is then taken up until the aeroplane flies out of the camera's vision, when the orchestra remains tacit and effects are used to the views of the illfated Hadley-Paige machine wrecked at Parrsboro, N. S. (Gaumont) when Redemption is played for the footage covering Gaumonts views of a collapsed bridge at New Bern, N. C, and to International's releases of notables in England recieving University honors, up and to " In College Cap and Gown — " when " Wedding March " is played to the Hooligan cartoon comedy title. " At The Fountain of Youth " with effects serves to screen " Hooligan " continuing to title " Widow Jazzbury, ' when the change is to " Milo " for the footage up to Holligans wedding morning title. Siam is then played for the rest of the comedy with a change to Fairy's Greeting " International's views of " Yanks in Practice " and Kintograms strip concerning Canada's trout streams, with " Wash Rag " used for International's " Easy to Keep Cool " scenes of boys in New Orleans and " The Flying Dutchman " until title " Yankee Athletes " wheij the change is to " Our Boys Across the Sea" on the views folloTving tke title "French and Yankees Celebrate — ". This is continued to the end of the pictorial. These latter strips are OF THE Universe EXCLUSIVESr 'Htad Ottlct Soul/i ytdtt ic A full page in the " million-sale " London Daily Mail is advertising on a big scale. This page was used for Educational Film Corporation releases released by International, and include scenes of the Life Guard at Cape Cod drilling. Number five on the bill is Edoardo Albano, baritone, rendering the Neapolitan song, " Torno A Surreniento" in Italian, costumed in the clothing of a Neapolitan boatman. A special setting representing a "street " in Vienna with a back ground of typical Viennese buildings, beautifully lighted embellished this number. At the screening of The Better Wife, the Rivoli feature, Clara Kimball Young starred and such support as Lillian Walker, Barbara Tennant in prominent parts, and for the scenes to the title, " The following afternoon," the orchestra uses " From The Country Side " when " In Holland " (D. S.) is taken up to the title "Count of Cheveral ", after which " Romantic Suite " No. 1 is played to the title "At the Baronet's Home", when the change is to " Suite Poetique No. 1 " for the footage to title " Dusk finding Lady Beverlay — ." For the sequences following this title and tothe scene where the car overturns special selections from the Rivoli library are played to the title " The Days Drag By " when "Sunshine and Shadow " is the selection for the scenes to the title "Helen Has Told Me You are Leaving", after which " Cavatina " the theme is rendered. On the title " Then In Southern France ", " Ma Poulette " is played, to the title "And a Letter from France " when the organ relieves the orchestra. With the organ accompanj-ing, a violin solorendition of the theme is given beginning on the title, " You don't mean that you really don't love me?", with the orchestra returning on the title,. " Through The Long Night Hours ", and again playing the theme. This is continued to the title, " But When Helen Kingdon — " then " Shadowland " is taken up for the scenes prior to the title " The Following Afternoon " with a change to " Lyric Pieces No. 1 " for the scenes following. On the title " Hands Up," " Hunkatin " is played, with a return to " Lj'ric Pieces No^ 1 " to " Charmian I Do Not Hope — ", when the theme is again used to the end of the picture. Rendition of the " Dollar Princess " by the or