Motion Picture News (Nov-Dec 1922)

3386 Motion Piet u re News “ The Kingdom Within ” Sehertzmger-Hodkinsou — 6036 Feet (Reviewed by Laurence ReidJ ANY melodrama of the open places which carries a spiritual flavor — which has for one of its central characters a figure possessing a strong regenerating influence — which releases a rich vein of conflict, romance and human interest is bound to prove interesting. “ The Kingdom Within ” is seldom picturey because coincidence is absent, and the director has not shaped any conveniences. In the first place he has been given us a plot which rings with a good deal of truth despite the variations of its conflict. First we see a blacksmith proud that he is to have a son who will grow up and be strong. But the boy is born a cripple with a paralyzed arm. Through the years the father turns upon him with venomous hate. The youth is compensated in that he possesses a keen spiritual insight. He is happy carving toys for the children of the community which adjoins a lumber camp. The scenes up to this point carry a heart tug and are well constructed and the subsequent sequences carry on the good work. Next door lives the girl who is ostracized because her brother is in jail for robbing his partner. She also has hate in her heart, and the boy exerts his spirituality in turning her hatred into love for mankind. Meanwhile the melodramatic flavor is keeping pace with the heart interest. Indeed it is admirably interwoven so that it appears perfectly dovetailed — as if each incident had its place. There is a villainous lumberman who has a grudge against the partner of the man in prison — and kills him. Circumstantial evidence links the girl’s brother as the murderer since he has his freedom. The villain steals into the girl’s house and threatens to kill her if she informs the authorities. He returns to carry out his vengeance. In a struggle with the cripple, the boy recovers the use of his arm. This is a new kind of miracle and is much more convincing than what is usually revealed through the efficacy of prayer. So the father is happy that his dream is realized. It’s a good audience picture, finely staged, and carrying a plot which holds the interest all the way. One or two slight gaps are permissible under the circumstances. The acting is splendid as contributed by Russell Simpson, Pauline Starke and Ernest Torrence. Clayton Hamilton’s titles are well written, full of meaning and aid considerably in giving the feature its value. The Cast Caleb Deming. Danny West. . Ames Emily Preston Will Preston. . Krieg Dodd Connie . . Russell Simpson G. Walt Covington Gaston Glass Pauline Stark . . . . Hallam Cooley . . . Ernest Torrence . . . . Gordon Russell ..Marion Feducha By Kenneth B. Clarke. Directed by Victor Schertzinger. Photographed by J. S. Stumar. Produced by Victor Schertzinger. Released by Hodkinson. The Story — Treats of the spiritual regeneration of a crippled boy’s father who hated him because he wasn’t big and strong, and a girl who hated the community because she was ostracized on account of her brother being in jail. Lumberman threatens to kill her. When he returns to carry out his threat the crippled boy gives him battle. The boss lumberman twists his arm and makes it perfect And the father is happy. Classification — Melodrama and romance interwoven and carrying a strong spiritual flavor. Production Highlights — The good direction. The spiritual flavor. The human interest. The scenes between the boy and girl. The acting of Russell Simpson and Pauline Starke. The excellent atmosphere. Exploitation Angles — Would advise playing this up as great audience picture, concentrating upon the spiritual flavor. Mention the cast. Use the title for a teaser campaign. Drawing Power — Good for any type of audience and should draw most everywhere. A scene from “ Choose Your Weapons,” ChristieEducational comedy. “ The Freshie ” Kernan — Five Reels (Reviewed by Laurence Reid ) 'T'HIS will occasion surprise among those followers of Guinn Williams, familiarly known as “ Big Boy,” to discover him in a story of college life. The majority of our directors have invariably failed to humanize the collegiates correctly. Most of them have little speaking acquaintance with what constitutes a higher or lower seat of learning. The director, here, has not caught the real serious side of college life (no director as yet has caught the true psychology of the undergraduate who carries the world on his shoulders), but he manages to extract a good deal of humor and incident from the plot which is not so far wrong after all. The star has a likeable personality in the role of a cowpuncher who wants an education. A professor encourages him to prepare for college but once he has matriculated he has his troubles before him. Unfamiliar with sophomoric pranks he becomes the “ goat ” of the campus. The boys kid the life out of him and hazing comes in for some incident. Finally he makes the acquaintance of the most popular girl and their efforts are concentrated in embarrassing him. They will get him in bad with the faculty by having him arrested upon some trumped-up charge. But during the girl’s absence he climbs in a window of her home, encounters a burglar and overpowers him — thus winning the gratitude of the girl and her parent. The material is slight and really belongs in a polite comedy of three reels. However it offers its moments of amusement once it gets into its stride. At least there is something doing most of the time. Guinn Williams is too talented in the saddle and with firearms to waste his time trying to play a collegiate or attempt comedy. He looks best in the. westerns which put his name over. If he must be versatile he should find some story which contains the heroics of lumber camp life, etc. The Cast Charles Taylor “ Big Boy ” Violet Blakely “ Tubby ” Tarpley Prof. Noyes Ranch Foreman Tom Jack “ Society ” Sam Mr. Blakely • Guinn Williams . . . Molly Malone Lincoln Stedman .James McElhem . . .Edward Burns Leo Phelps • • Sam Armstrong • J. Buck Russell Jules Hauft By W. Hughes Curran. Directed by W. Hughes Curran. Photographed by Charles S. Stumar. The Story — Treats of a cowpuncher who hankers for an education. Professor helps him along. The collegiates make life miserable for him. Becomes popular with charming girl and wins her gratitude for overpowering a burglar who breaks into her home. Classification — Comedy-romance of cowpuncher who seeks college education. Production Highlights — The sincere acting of star and Molly Malone.. The atmosphere. The even action. Exploitation Angles — Would advise making a play for high school, college, and boarding school students. Use the title for a teaser campaign. Play up star who has come along fast as new type of cowboy actor. Drawing Pozver— Best suited for neighborhood houses and for audiences comprising the younger set. “ The Flirt ” Universal-Jewel — Eight Reels (Reviewed by Laurence ReidJ BOOTH TARKINGTON wrote a delightful story in “ The Flirt ” — a story which presents a vivid close-up of a small town family who are dominated by an irrepressible daughter whose personality and magnetism completely envelop the less colorful charms of her relatives. It is a story which earned the tribute of being truthful. And adapted to the screen it retains its values — its charm — its human appeal, and all of its lifelike incident. For Hobart Henley is one director who can be trusted with such a type of story. He has guided his players so that they might have stepped from the pages of the book — particularly in the personalities of George Nichols as the father, Harold Goodwin as the older brother, Helen Jerome Eddy as the spinster sister and Eileen Percy as the vibrant daughter whose idea of life is to play with men’s affections. The characterization is sound, and so is the plot, which while it releases no strong dramatic moments, manages to entertain through eight reels because of its intimate slice of family life — wherein a wilful daughter runs the household. He has emphasized the contrast between the two sisters and has not forgotten the Tarkington whimsicalities. Perhaps some of the incidents could be dispensed with for the sake of brevity, yet there are few moments when the story sags. The humor is quiet and real. Why not with the tormenting brother ever busy to embarass his pretty sister? The flirt is content with a small town boy until a city slicker appears after which she transfers her affection. And in doing so she precipitates a heart drama in the home. Father will go to any length to please the girl, so he unwittingly agrees to help the youth promote his worthless stock. It looks like stormy days ahead for the disillusioned old man, but the older son returns and makes good the father’s loss in compensation for what his dad did for him in making him realize the value of money. The atmosphere is there in abundance. We have the average home of the middle class — the family at dinner and in the parlor. The teasing brother may be too portly to be a genuine Tarkington, but the author’s humor is not lost through him, nor through the rough-neck son-in-law. The flirt learns her lesson and marries a local boy. And the turkey is carved and peace is in the home. A neat picture, well adapted and directed and good for any house in any locality. The Cast Papa Mama Cora Laura Hedrick Jimmy Della Fenton .... Sam Fenton Valentine Corliss Richard Lindley. Wade Trumble. . George Carroll. . . . . . . George Nichols Lydia Knott Eileen Percy Helen Jerome Eddy . . .Buddy Messenger . . . . Harold Goodwin Nell Craig Tom Kennedy .... Lloyd Whitlock Edward Hearn Bert Roach William Welch By Booth Tarkington. Scenario by A. P. Younger. Directed by Hobart Henley. Photographed by Charles Kaufman. Produced by Universal. The Story — Treats of family life in the average small city. Heroine is such a dominant personality that her relatives seem colorless. She is willful and has her own way. Nearly brings tragedy to home through giving affection and trust to wrong man. But the home and the honor of the family is saved by timely intervention of brother. Classification — Adaptation of Booth Tarkington’s popular novel — showing human interest, comedy and near-tragedy of life in the average middle-class home. Production Highlights — Director has approached this story with respect for its characterization, plot, color and atmosphere, retaining values of book. The humor, the acting of George Nichols and Eileen Percy. The human interest. The rich detail.