Motion Picture News (Jan-Feb 1922)

February i 8 , 1922 1157 “WHAT LOVE WILL DO” (Fox) “CHASING THE MOON” (Fox) Story of Regeneration Makes Good Program Offering THIS story of regeneration and romance, deftly blended with the sure-fire touches so dear to the sentimentalists, such as pathos, heart interest and small-town incident of a homely character is a fitting vehicle for expression by the Fox costars, Johnnie Walker and Edna Murphy. “What Love Will Do” cannot be called original but it has been treated in rather novel fashion. Indeed the director has balanced the little heart tugs so that they continually crop out and move the spectator to extend sympathy. There is even a semblance of humor extracted from the tale with Richard Tucker taking care of the comedy moments. The story fits the personalities of the stars. The plot unfolds a mother leaving her husband and little son to elope with a newcomer in the village. The father dies of a broken heart and years later the mother is forsaken by the man who enticed her away to the colorful city. The scene shifts to the youthful hero now grown to manhood in the little town. His one object in life is to hunt down and kill the man who caused the tragedy of depriving him of a mother’s love. The heroine is introduced as having a deep interest in Johnnie and inspires him to follow the straight path and help humanity. The boy had been the leader of evil associates but the girl starts him on the road to redemption. Coincidence or convenience enters here with the arrival of the villain who enticed the lad’s mother away. He poses as a revivalist, thinking the time ripe to bleed the town dry by staging a religious issue. The big scene follows with Johnnie frustrating the plans of the wily crook. The mother has entered the situation and recognizes the boy. There is revealed a hectic fight in which the youthful hero forgets his religious scruples and punishes the hired thugs of the* pseudo-clergyman. The latter is killed in the melee and a reunion is effected between mother and son. And the romance keeps pace to the end. The picture is directed in competent fashion by a director who seems to have the correct gauge of the small town. There is very little padding and the action always fits the situation. The mother-love theme, the heart interest, the pathos and Sentiment — these qualities will certainly make this an appealing offering for any program house — Length, 5 reels. — Laurence Reid. THE CAST Mary Douglas Johnny Rowan Abner Rowan Goldie Rowan Herbert Dawson Rev. Douglas By J. Strumwasser. Directed by William K. Howard. Photographed by Victor Milner. . . . Edna Murphy .Johnnie Walker ..Glen Cavender Barbara Tennant . . Richard Tucker .Edwin B. Tilton PRESS NOTICE— STORY Edna Murphy and Johnnie Walker, the Fox co-stars, will be seen at the theatre next in “ What Love Will Do,” a picture telling the story of a man’s regeneration through the power of a woman’s love. The youth, soured by the knowledge that his mother deserted him as an infant, and his father dying, left him penniless to struggle with the world, seeks pleasure in the company of toughs. He eventually rules the gang through his superior ability as a fighter, and assumes a disrespectful attitude toward all women. Then the “ one girl ” comes into his life in strange and dramatic fashion, and marked changes in his nature gradually take place. At length he takes up civic betterment work with all the force and energy formerly devoted to an entirely different sort of activity; but his old fighting spirit and ability prove of service when two robbers try to take church funds from him. The picture is marked by swift action and tense situations abound in a majority of the scenes. The appealing qualities of the offering are enhanced by the youthful enthusiasm of the co-stars who contribute sincere performances. It is said by impartial authorities to be one of the most interesting pictures of the season. PROGRAM READERS It is dangerous for a boy to lose his sense of reverence for his mother, but the love of a good woman can restore his faith. Even when evil companions have aided in forming bad habits and pleasure is found in pursuits morally and physically injurious, the “ one girl in the world ” may wean the mind of a man away from them. All of this is presented entertainingly in “ What Love Will Do,” a Fox photoplay which becomes the feature attraction at the r theatre next . The youthful co-stars, who have established themselves through a sincere enthusiasm — these co-stars, Edna Murphy and Johnnie Walker, carry out the demands of the story with charming performances. The picture is charged with deep human interest, pathos, sentiment, romance and swift-moving action. SUGGESTIONS This is the third of the Walker-Murphy series of pictures. You can start it off with a teaser campaign with the question, “ Who are the ideal lovers of the screen? ” and add the answer a day or two before the showing. Use the postcard stunt. Use the posters, lobby photos, cuts and slides. Use throwaways embodying the substance of love such as WHAT is the power of LOVE when it plays on the WILL of a youth who would DO as he pleased? Use program fillers and bill the picture as a human slice of life, carrying the elements of heart interest, pathos, sentiment, romance. Play up the co-stars, telling that each has made a name at the box office. Tell that Walker made a big hit in “ Over the Hill.” The same may be said for Miss Murphy. CATCH LINES Can love transform a man’s character? See Edna Murphy and Johnnie Walker in “ What Love Will Do.” The ideal lovers of the screen. See Johnnie Walker and Edna Murphy in “ What Love Will Do.” Some Stunts in This Weak Effort TOM MIX, who has been hitting the bull’s eye in his previous efforts, especially in his last release, “ Sky High,” has missed the mark in his new offering, “ Chasing the Moon.” This story lacks a plot and the sponsors must have gauged it correctly for they have attempted to dress it with snappy titles. It is a good deal like a comic opera story, the little thread of plot intruding here and there but making no impression. The star executes several stunts, many of which are of the hair-raising order, but even these take quite a time in assembling. The action pilots the star through a series of dizzy scenes having to do with wild motor rides, escapades in hotel dining rooms, knock-about work aboard a train and some comedy hokum in foreign countries. Mix has burlesqued his ideas before, but usually there has been something tangible about his exploits. However, the title has its value. It indicates that nothing can be gained from following moonbeams. Perhaps the main fault is a lack of a definite outline. It is as if Mix told the director to grind the camera without a continuity present to work with — and the latter proceeded to “shoot” anything and everything. The star is seated in a snappy roadster as the picture opens. He is contemplating sadly on the lack of new thrills. This is a good idea. Mix has dished up everything in the past few years — until it would seem he had no more stunts to conquer. Here he is wealthy and bored. A few flashbacks are shown revealing his craving for excitement and he finally decides to settle down on a ranch. From this point the picture takes up a helter-skelter scheme of development. Mix becomes inoculated with some deadly germ, the cure of which is owned by a professor in a foreign country. So the offering becomes a mad race to reach the learned scientist. One cannot become critical because the action is so absurd. There is some good thrills displayed on a train and the star has moments when he shows his daring in the saddle. An ultimate rescue brings the story to an end. The titles are snappy enough but often miss their mark through repetition. If one character talked in witty fashion the action would ring more genuine, but the other figures retort with crisp dialogue. And a play or picture which reveals the characters hurling snappy sayings at each other is always overdrawn, for the simple reason that you couldn’t find such a gifted crowd. The sequences are swift enough and the suspense is fairly keen in places. The supporting cast is adequate with Eva Novak playing the heroine in spirited fashion.— Length, 5 reels. — Laurence Reid. THE CAST Dwight Locke Jane Nor worth Milton Norworth Velvet Joe... Princess Sonia Prince Albert By Edward Sedgwick and Tom Mix. Directed by Edward Sedgwick. Photographed by Bennie Kline. ... .Tom Mix . . . Eva Novak .Wm. Buckley . . . Sid Jordan Elsie Danbrie . .Wynn Mace PRESS NOTICE— STORY Tom Mix, the popular interpreter of Western pictures for Fox, comes to the theatre in his latest attraction entitled “ Chasing the Moon.” This offering enables the well known star to display his gifted talents, such as superb horsemanship and lariat throwing. It is a picture crammed with stunts and incidents characteristic of his other pictures. The hero is fed up with excitement. In fact he fails to get a thrill out of anything. He finally decides to settle down on a ranch, and cuts up capers enough but there is no stimulant in them. Finally he inoculates himself with a deadly poison, the cure of which is owned by a professor in a foreign country. He takes trains, horses, steamers and other modes of locomotion but the elusive scientist is always out of reach. The picture unfolds several novel thrills and offers a tense hour of excitement. It is good-natured burlesque and Mix plays the role of the hero with his customary abandon. In the cast are Eva Novak, Wm. Buckley, Sid Jordon, Wynn Mace and others. The star wrote the story in collaboration with Edward Sedgwick while the latter also directed the feature. PROGRAM READER He was always chasing the moon. No matter how hard he tried, he could not find any enterprise which would give him a new thrill. He thought of his past adventures, but they had lost their appeal. So he settled down on a ranch. He didn’t remain long. He staged a sumptuous party in a hotel — one that earned him a name for reckless spending. But there was no thrill attached to it. Finally he discovered that he was carrying a fatal drug in his veins and that unless he could find the owner of the antidote in thirty days he would be a dead man. Thus he found a thrill. The wild journey took him across continents, trains steamers and practically over the world. Did he live? Come and see for yourself at the theatre next . “ Chasing the Moon ” with Tom Mix. SUGGESTIONS This picture features Tom Mix in a series of new stunts. You don’t have to be told how to feature his offerings. He either has a following or he hasn’t. So you are your own best judge. The mere mention of his name in the electrics is usually sufficient to attract the crowd. Emphasize that the picture carries several new stunts, that even the followers of Mix since his first days as a screen actor will fail to recognize. Play up the star. Mention that the picture is a breezy offering, packed with adventure, thrills, excitement and romance. Mention that Eva Novak is in the cast. The title can be worked out in a teaser campaign. The prologue can feature a background of the sage-brush country — with an ensemble attired in cowboy regalia whooping it up with characteristic songs and dances. CATCH LINES See Tom Mix in “ Chasing the Moon,” a picture of novel thrills and crammed with adventure. Story of a man’s pride, a woman’s love and a mother’s remorse. See “ What Love Will Do.” Do you think that Tom Mix hasn’t any new stunts? You are doomed to disappointment. Come and see him exploit some new thrills in “ Chasing the Moon.”