Moving Picture News (Jan-Jun 1912)

TI-IE MOVING PICTURE NEWS In short "'Hubby's" reign has ceased, and "vivi la 'Buster.' " Driven to despair he consults an intimate friend, who advises him to steal the dog and return it to the owner. This in due course, through strategy and deep laid plans is accomplished. And the end is not yet. The wife's tears and entreaties prevail upon him and he inserts an advertisement, offering a handsome reward for the return of the dog. This meets the eye of the fancier; his cupidity is aroused, and to the discomfiture of "Hubby," the dog is returned to the Brown mansion by a confederate of the fancier, who collects the reward. Deep laid plots, plans and schemes are evolved and resorted to in quick succersion, but they avail not. As a last resort. Brown visits an asylum for orphaned and abandoned infants, and selecting a beautiful baby girl, he arranges for its adoption. This is finally accomplished, the infant is delivered in due course, and when Mrs. Brown sees the baby, she at once abandons "Buster," and "Woman's instinct prevails." A dog farm. ihe interior of a foundling asylum, showing a score of infants in charge of nurses, are some of the features of this film, which is certain to occasion continuous laughter from beginning to end. VOTES FOR WOMEN Beliance Release, June 26th, The scenario for this photoplay was written by Mrs. Mary Ware Dennett. Mrs. James Lees Laidlaw, and Mrs. Francis Maule Bjorkman, and the entire production was made under the supervision of the National Womens' Suffrage Association. By this it will be readily understood that it is not a burlesque on the suffrage question. It exploits the favorite theories of the Suffragists — their reasons for demanding the ballot, etc. The suffrage workers are vainly endeavoring to win over Senator Herman to their cause as his vote on a certain bill they favor — means its passage. May Fillmore, one of the most ardent of the workers discovers that the father of a little motherless tenement brood has died of tuberculosis after having vainly importuned the owner. Senator Herman, to make building alterations that will remedy unsatisfactory conditions. She goes to the Senator's fiancee, Jane Wadsworth, and succeeds in securing her help. Jane accompanies May to the poor bereaved' family and she is shocked at the terrible lack of sanitation. They find three little girls and a baby left to fight the world alone. Elsie, the eldest, is doing embroidery sweat-shop work at home and minding the baby, while Hester works in a department store. The other tot is a halftime scholar and in the afternoons assists her sister working on corset covers for another shop. All these fearful conditions are pointed out by May and have their desired effect upon Jane. She is further shocked upon learning that her fiance is the ne.gligent owner. Jane goes to him and pleads that he do something in the matter. He waves her away and treats her like a child. Angered, she joins the suffragists and assists in bringing both her father and the senator to terms. Hester is insulted by a floorwalker in her father's shop, which proves another shock to Jane when her father does nothing in the matter. Later she is stricken with scarlet fever which she contracted from the embroidery on one of her trousseau gowns which came from her father's store. The father and senator upon learning that they were in part guilty, as the embroidery was made in the senator's unsanitary tenement, give in and most enthusiastically join the suffrage movement. They are seen with the girls at suffrage headquarters, at the Men's League and finally in the parade. The following well known suffragists assisted the Reliance players: Dr. Anna Howard Shaw, Miss Jane Addams, Mrs. Mary Ware Dennett, Mrs. James Lees Laidlaw, Mrs. A. C. Hughston, Mrs. Harriett May Mills, Mrs. Charles Beard, Miss Eleanor Byrnes, Mrs. Raymond Brown, Mrs. Marcia Townsend, Mrs. Frances Maule Bjorkman, Mrs. F. Maule Cooley, Miss Inez Mulholland, Miss Anna Maxwell Jones, Miss Ann Forsythe, Miss Mary Keegan, Mrs. L. H. Ozedam, Mr. R. C. Beadle, Executive Secretary of the Mens' League, Mr. James Lees Laidlaw, Executive Committee, Mens' League, Charles Wadsworth Camp, Editor Metropolitan Magazine, Whitter Bynner, poet and playwright. Max Eastman, Secretary Men's league, Frederick Nathan, Executive Committee Mens' League, also assisted. Among the Reliance players who took part in the picture were: Miss Gertrude Robinson, Mrs. Balfour, Miss Delespine, Miss Pearl Egan, Miss Gladys Egan, Mr. Charles Herman, Mr. E. P. Sullivan, Mr. J. W. Backus, and others. BEFORE THE WHITE MAN CAME Reliance Release, June 29 This story deals with the lives of the Indians who ruled primeval North America for centuries before the white man came. Meene-O-Wa, the fairest maiden of all the tribes of the Utes, was called the Yellow Rose because of her beauty. Wahtuma, the leopard, loved her but her heart was not given to him. One day in the forests she came upon a handsome young stranger. They looked into each others eyes and MeeneOWa knew that she loved him. Leaving him there she ran away but he followed her back to her father's camp. He went to the old chief looking upon his headdress of a single feather, told him that the man who won his daughter must be a chief. Then considering he told Wahketa the stranger, that if he could vanquish the famous warrior Wahyums in a wrestling match, he might claim as his rew-ard the Yellow Rose. Wahtuma, full of hate for his rival put forth his best effort in the fight that followed. And Meene-0Wa stood by, her heart torn with fear that Wahketa might lose. But the straight and supple stranger soon had the master hand and slowly forced his more powerful foe to his knees, amid the plaudits of the tribe. So Meene-O-Wa was given to Wahketa and Wahtuma left them vowing vengeance. A few days later Meene-O-Wa while waiting in the woods for her husband is thrown from the rocks by Wahtuma. And there it is that her husband finds her dead. The bereaved husband carried his wife's body back to the camp and after handing her to the old chief he begs boon of the Great Spirit that he be able to kill Wahtuma. Rushing out into the woods he comes upon the Leopard and hf gives him just one chance to defend himself. Before the fury of the maddened husband the other man's weapons are powerless and he is overcome and killed. Wahketa then returns to the camp to mourn over Meene-O-Wa's body; she has been avenged. THE SERPENT Republic Release, June 18 The serpent in this story is a beautiful woman of royal blood whose infatuation for a young artist brings snake-like methods for a mind distorted by jealousy and desire. Jean Malias, a poor but talented artist, while painting the picture of his blind sweetheart, is driven from the Countess' estate by the caretaker, and as he is about to leave, leading his blind sweetheart by the hand, he encounters the Countess herself — she grants him permission to make free use of her grounds and also honors him by posing for a portrait. During the sitting, the Countess expresses her love for the young artist and is spurned by him. The proud woman's rage knows no bounds and in seeking vengeance she resorts to the lowest degradation of womanhood. She writes a letter upbraiding the young artist for the liberty he has taken with her, and further tells him that his conduct is not only a gross insult, coming as it does from a plebeian, but that her honor and that of her husband has been attacked. She craftily arranged that this letter falls into the hands of the Count, who after he has read it, plans with his wife to get the young artist to visit the estate again. They do this by sending him a letter signed by the Countess asking him to call and finish the portrait. "The young artist cannot resist the beckoning finger of fame and fortune that will be his if he finished the portrait, and unsuspectingly he goes to the estate; he is set upon by ruffians and badly beaten. The Countess relents as she sees the boy lying unconscious on the ground and throwing herself across his body, she confesses the truth to her husband; the Count befriends the innocent victim of the woman's wile and assists him to fame and fortune. HER FATHER THE SHERIFF Republic Release, June 22 The Sheriff, father of the girl and a handsome son whom he is educating at an Eastern College and his good wife, constitute the Sheriff's family. The Sheriff's pay is not princely and he finds it hard to make ends meet. He is sorely tempted by a dishonest cashier of a small bank who is anxious to annex for his own use a consignment of gold that is expected at the bank. The cashier, to cover up his tracks is willing to let the Sheriff and his friends in on a good thing; the sheriff falls for the scheme temporarily and covers his track by means of a false telegram calling him out of town. Of course the Sheriff does not leave town, he is too busy robbing the bank and hiding the loot in a rendezvous in the wilderness. The gold arrives at the bank on time and disappears the same night. The cashier is found bound and gagged and tells a glowing story of a daring hold-up by a masked band. During her father's absence the Sheriff's daughter determines to take the trail and run the robbers down herself. With two hounds and her brother's Eastern chum she starts out. The dogs readily picked up the scent and follow it to the robbers retreat where the girl discovers that her father is implicated in the crime. Her father has already repented his step in the matter and has declared to the others that he will return the gold, resign his office and let the law deal with him. While he holds up the others, the Sheriff's daughter secures the gold and returns it to the bank. When the cashier learns of this, he. accuses one of the men of breaking faith with him and they are soon in a deadly clinch and disappear over the brink of a mighty chasm. Later they are found lifeless at the foot of a cascade, thus paying for their sin. Coals of fire are heaped on the Sheriff's head when the President of the Bank writes him and congratulates him on being the father of the bravest girl in the world. THE FLIRT Rex Release, June 13 She was a flirt. She was very much of a flirt. She would think no more of a little encouraging coquetry than we would of drinking tea. The flirtation was the greatest indoor sport. Remember, she wasn't immoral, or really bad, or mad; she was simply an innocent flirt. We are not generous when we say this — we are merely just. Respect of that organ of many tunes called a man's heart was lacking in her composition. Such an hypothesis as that a man's love is a serious thing would be as funny to her as humor. She was pretty, one of the cardinal requisites of a successful flirt — and all flirts are successful. She was graceful and gay; yet sometimes she would be filled with a melancholy seriousness and a meditative wistfulness; and it was while she was in this ultrafeminine mood that we thought that the careless and ruthless manner in which she abused and abased Cupid was not related to her real self, but rather to a wild, warring spirit that had somehow become associated with hers, and that her genuine impulses and auto-suggestive integrity were tender and true. Yet — she was a flirt. Among the men who loved, worshipped and pursued her was one not much more than a boy. To him she was the world and everything thereafter. He was the most ardent and the most faithful of her human toys. Yes, she was everything to him — and then the rest. And smiling, cynical men and women who could remember things themselves called him "her dog." The flirt had an aunt, a haughty, snobbish aunt, who owned a very beautiful and equally expensive summer home in the country. She contemplated a sail to Europe, and invited the niece to take possession of the property in her absence. So the goddess moved her temple and her . followers their shrine. There cajne to the summer hotel near by — a real man. None with eyes to see could mistake that — and her eyes were trained and tutored. Her pride, or vanity, or the indefinite but emphatic desire for a new triumph, clamored for the attentions of the newcomer. By wit, wile and guile she was determined to attract and interest him. He observed her advances with a kind of surprised doubt, an almost unbelieving understanding. His attitude toward her was almost obsequious, polite and reserved to a degree of