Movie Age (1927)

PAGE 22 MOVIE AGE K — ' it — L . . "'i X '"=^C The PICTURE GUIDE • Little Tips on New Pictures iff K X 3C— ■ K X X 1C X A Hero on Horseback. Distributed by Universal. STAR: Hoot Gibson. SUPPORT: Ethlyne Clair. TYPE: Western Jewel. TIME: Present. LOCALE : Western town. LENGTH: 6 reels. SYNOPSIS: Billy Garford, a happygo-lucky cowboy, goes broke at the gambling table and then accepts the of¬ fer of J. B. Starbuck, a neighboring rancher, who advances him a large sum, with Billy’s ranch as security. The cow¬ boy loses every penny of this except $50, which he gives to an old prospector as a grub-stake. Then he goes to work for Starbuck as a common hand, but soon gets fired for being too attentive to Starbuck’s daughter, Ollie. The old prospector strikes a bonaza and splits his big winnings with Billy, who buys the bank. His crooked cashier, also in love with Ollie, goes south with the funds. The citizens storm the bank and threaten to lynch the old prospector partner, while Billy pursues the abscond¬ ing cashier and his henchmen with the usual Hoot Gibson results. HIGHLIGHTS: Storming of a bank, comedy. Soft Cushions. Distributed by Paramount. STAR: Douglas MacLean. SUPPORT: Sue Carol. TYPE: Comedy. TIME : A thousand years ago. LOCALE: An oriental city. LENGTH: 7 reels. SYNOPSIS: Doug is the leader of a thief band in an ancient city. He falls for a slave girl who is about to be sold. He makes a hit with her although she has ambitions for a place in the sultan’s harem. Doug steals enough money to buy her, but is arrested. His case is taken to a higher court, each time the magistrate falls for the slave girl and ordei’s Doug executed. Each time Doug does a “Houdini” and escapes. The Sul¬ tan buys the girl, but Doug, disguised as the Police Chief, pulls the sultan’s whiskers. A chase follows in which the Chief is arrested, and Doug steps in to save the sultan from being executed. As a reward he is told he can have anything he wants. Doug takes the girl. HIGHLIGHTS: Gags, the chase after the sultan, the settings. The Country Doctor. Distributed by Pathe-DeMille. STAR: Rudolph Schildkraut. SUPPORT: Virginia Bradford. TYPE: Action romance. TIME: Present. LOCALE: A rural community. LENGTH: 7 reels. SYNOPSIS: Amos Rinker has been pi’omised the management of the new hospital by Harding, a philanthropist. But his heart is broken when Harding gives the job to a city doctor. His prac¬ tice nearly gone, Amos leaves. He learns that Joe Harding, the philanthropist’s son, is ill in a cabin in the moun¬ tains. Harding’s city doctor refuses to go because of a tei'rible snow storm. Rinker fights his way through the storm to the cabin which has been almost blown away by the gale. To save Joe from paralysis, Rinker operates in the blizzard with the aid of Opal, Joe’s wife who has never been recognized as such by the boy’s father. The deed wins Harding’s love for the girl and for Rinker who becomes the head of the hospital. HIGHLIGHTS: The storm, the opei’ation in the snow, rural scenes. The Million Dollar Mystery. Distributed by Rayart-State Rights. STAR: James Kirkwood. SUPPORT: Lila Lee. TIME: Present. LOCALE: An American city. LENGTH: 6 reels. TYPE: Mystery story adapted from the book. SYNOPSIS: Hargreave, formerly a member of a terrorist band, is being sought by the order for desertion. Flor¬ ence Hargreave, the daughter, has been sent to a boarding school and has never seen her father. On the night she re¬ turns, the gang attacks. Hargreave is seen escaping but is captured. At the house is nobody but Florence, Jim Norton, a newspaper reporter, in love with Florence, and the Butler, Jones. All sorts of things begin to happen, for the gang is after the million dollars in cash that Hargreave had hidden in the house. Adventure after adventure hap¬ pens until Norton rounds up the gang, and discloses the fact that Jones, the butler, is really Hargreave. HIGHLIGHTS: The escape by air¬ plane, the gang’s actions, mysterious sit¬ uations, and romance. The Stolen Bride. Distributed by First National. STAR: Billie Dove. TYPE: Romantic drama. SUPPORT: Lloyd Hughes. TIME: Present. LOCALE: A European country. LENGTH: 7 reels. SYNOPSIS: Franz had come to America at an early age, leaving his sweetheart, Sari, in the native land across the Atlantic. When Sari becomes a countess, she visits New York and again meets Franz. Circumstances forces her to return to Europe. Franz follows. At the border of his country he learns that all natives of the country must do three years of military service. He is made the orderly to Baron Von Heimberg, who is seeking Sari’s hand. The baron knows of the love affair be¬ tween his orderly and Sari and tries to stop it by putting him in prison. But Franz escapes and steals away with Sari on the night of the announcement of her engagement to the Baron. The Baron’s wife, however, arrives and calms Von Heimberg. HIGHLIGHTS: Foreign scenes, the banquet, the escape of Franz, the wed¬ ding ceremony. Paid To Love. Distributed by Fox. STAR: Virginia Valli. SUPPORT: George O’Brien. TYPE: Romantic comedy-drama. TIME: Present. LOCALE: An imaginary country. LENGTH: 7 reels. SYNOPSIS: Crown Prince Michael is cold to all women and gives little thought to society. The king decides to hire a woman to vamp him, and carries out the plan by getting Gaby, a character of the Paris underworld, to do the deed. Prince Eric, a cousin of Prince Michael, hears of the plan and decides to get the girl for himself. He masquerades as Prince Michael and begins his courtship. Eric’s plans are foiled, however, when Gaby breaks away into a terrific storm where she accidently seeks shelter in the Prince Michael’s castle. There she meets the man she is paid to love. The prince falls in love with her at once, and the girl realizes that she is in love with the prince, despite her position. The result is that the royalty marries the under¬ world girl.