Motography (Jan-Jun 1918)

June 29, 1918 MOTOGRAPHY 1201 CURRENT AND COMING RELEASES Viewed for the Box Office WITH THE STORY OF THE PICTURE Pathe Kidder & Ko. — (Five reels) — June 16. — Featuring Bryant Washburn. Good light comedy. Cuthbert Kidder's father has always been in the codfish business and looks down upon his son because the latter learned frivolous ideas at college. When Cuthbert wins a pool championship the old man is disgusted and turns him out, with instructions to stay away until he can show $10,000 he has earned by his own efforts. Cuthbert doesn't worry until he suddenly falls in love and finds money very necessary. So, as he is in a world of codfish, he decides to go into competition with the old fogies and he beats them at their own game. One of the best comedy phases of the story is where Cuthbert pretends to lose his memory, a good travesty on the old amnesia stuff. General effect — Has a lot more "pep" than Washburn's preceding picture. "Twenty-One," and his comedy is more sincere and spontaneous. Support — Good, especially Harry Jenkinson as the father. Production and photography — Average. Washburn has never done anything since his Skinner stuff that has shown any great talent, but this comedy is the nearest approach, so where his name still has value this will be a good attraction. It will please any alert audience that wants light amusement. with the censors and when you know that you know everything. Universal Smashing Through — (Five reels) — June 17. — Featuring Herbert Rawlinson. Bang-up melodrama with a lot of laughs. Jack Maston owns a mine that he needs money to develop. Maston goes east and cannot get money from the man he approaches, but funds are supplied by Holly Brandon, who is amused by Maston's ways. Maston returns to the west and Holly's mother, discovering she has been swindled of all her money, compels Holly to consent to marry Earl Foster, a scheming scoundrel. Foster insists upon an immediate marriage. Maston, his mine having panned out all right, hears of this and starts on a whirlwind trip to stop the wedding. He comes "smashing through" and succeeds in making the gate. It is his adventures en route that provide the title and the punch. Director, Elmer Clifton. Cameraman, Virgil Miller. General effect — This is a "zippy" yarn that gives them not a minute to stop to think whether it could happen or not, and when they're not thrilled they're laughing. Star — Rawlinson is a corker in this stuff and he is the whole show. Production — Good. Photography — Had to be good to keep up with the star. Any audience that doesn't like this story ought to see a doctor. Universal specials have been pretty good stuff lately. The Model's Confession — (Five reels) — June 3. — Featuring Mary McLaren. A sex story that finishes with a wallop after a slow start. Iva Seldon is the daughter of Bertrand Seldon, who betrayed her mother and refuses to see her or acknowledge her as his daughter. She determines to meet him and having plenty of money, induces a destitute society youth to introduce her to the fast set in which her father moves. Seldon, not recognizing her, tries to make love to her and in trying to force his attentions upon her in a limousine discovers her mother's portrait in a locket she is wearing. The chauffeur, looking back to see the cause of the noise in the car, loses control and the machine falls dowrn an embankment and the father is killed. Iva meanwhile has fallen in love with the young man who had taken her into society. Director, Ida May Park. Cameraman, King Ray. General effect — This story is a tissue of inconsistencies, such, for example, as the failure to show any reason why this girl was working as a cloak model, and why she wanted to meet her father whom she hated, and the idea of a dissolute father making unclean love to his own daughter is sickening, but otherwise this is a beautifully handled story. Star — Mar}McLaren is committing professional suicide by appearing in stuff of this sort, as she is a beautiful girl and very clever. Support — Kenneth Harlan in a good part. Production — Quite de luxe. Photography — Fine. This is the kind of a picture that will get you into trouble Vitagraph Find the Woman — (Five reels) — June 10. — Featuring Alice Joyce. An O. Henry story with mystery, jealousy and intrigue. Madeline Renard, an opera singer, induces an aged jeweler to make a set of wonderful imitation pearls for her appearance in "Marguerite." The jeweler is found dead later, and $20,000 which he had taken to invest for a Mme. Tibault is missing. Madeline is made the subject of suspicion by rumors set afoot by a man who is jealous of her sweetheart, Maurice Dumars. After many disconcerting events she disappears and not until a year later is it discovered that the jeweler had returned the $20,000 to Mme. Tibault, who, being ignorant, thought bonds he had given her for the money were some curious kind of calendar. Madeline is exonerated and reunited to Dumars. Director, Tom Terriss. Cameraman, Jo. Shelenderfer. General effect — A story that is cleverly conceived and cleverly told, with a typical O. Henry mystery and neat finishing twist. Star — Miss Joyce in the finery that suits her best. Support — Excellent character work by Vitagraph regulars. Production — Satisfactory. This is a high class offering, good for the best houses, and yet swift enough and with enough heart interest to hold them anywhere. Metro Social Quicksands — (Five reels) — June 10. — Featuring Bushman and Bayne. Light comedy romance, with more heart interest and less farce than recent B & B offerings. Phyllis Lane makes a wager that in four weeks she can bring to her feet Warren Dexter, a wealthy young bachelor who scorns the butterfly set of which she is a leader, and has openly declined even to meet her. She decides to have Dexter find her in a faint on his doorstep, but when she goes to his house she finds a woman burglar on the premises. She forces this woman to change clothes with her, and when Dexter returns and finds her she tells him that she is forced to steal by her brother and father and pleads with him to give her a chance to earn an honest living. Dexter has her installed as assistant to the housekeeper at his country lodge, and then, of course, falls in love with her. The burglars come back into the story unexpectedly, but are soon kicked out by the husky hero, whose proposal of marriage is precipitated by the event. So Phyllis wins her bet, but Dexter, hurled at this unexpected turn, leaves her and goes back to his country place. Phyllis humbly follows and they make it all up. Director, Charles J. Brabin. Cameraman. Rudolph J. Bergquist. General effect — This will please the BushmanBayne fans better than their more farcical pictures, though Francis X. Bushman and Beverly Bayne in the Metro picture, "Social Quicksands."