Moving Picture News (Jul-Dec 1912)

THE MOVIXG PICTURE NEWS 29 to think of some plan. Jack brings Gertrude and Mrs. Robbins falls in love with her. The two young people are in despair. They tell Mrs. Robbins their story and in each other's arms, they weep e.xceedingly hard. Indeed, they weep so hard that Jack has to take off his coat after a while and hang it on a chair to dry, for the shoulder is quite wet with Gertrude's tears. She, wishing to wipe Jack's tears away, takes out her powder puff from her purse instead of a handkerchief, and proceeds to powder Jack's face. Mrs. Robbins nearly goes into convulsions. Then Jack decided that they will both commit suicide, and shows how he will first shoot himself and then Gertrude, and they will lay down in a nice position, and die in each other's arms. Presently the father comes in, and staring hard at Gertrude, remembers that he has met her at a society function. Papa Halsted and Mrs. Robbins give each other the wink and the scene ends with "God bless you, my children." an oath to quit gambling forever. Her father, awakened by Mrs. Steele passing through his room, secures his revolver. In the darkness he sees a figure crouched near the safe and he fires. There are troublesome times in the Steels household until Mrs. Steele is pronounced out of danger. When she is well again she keeps her promise to pay Steele's present debts, and Steele keeps his promise PATHE PATHE'S WEEKLY, NO. 49 (Dec. 2). THE ELECTRIC LAUNDRY (Dec. 3).— A blessing to all housewives. It does away with Monday's drudgery. Place the soiled clothes in a basket, turn on the current and they are, automatically, taken to the modern laundry. They are washed and ironed by electricity, and, while you wait, they are returned to your home. Great idea. And so simple it's a wonder no one ever thought of it before. On the same reel: PARIS AND ITS MONUMENTS.— A series of views of the artistic beauties of Paris, its churches, its memorials, Eiffel Tow£f, Alexander Bridge and the tomb of the Great Napoleon. HIS LITTLE INDIAN MODEL (Dec. 4).— Frank Russell, a celebrated artist, is painting an Indian subject and has for a model an Indian girl around whom there seems to hang some mysterious suggestion of English ancestry. As the days go by the kindly disposition of the painter wins the heart of the Indian maiden. Mrs. Russell pays a visit to her husband's camp and is greeted affectionately by him. This enrages Silver Cloud so much that she attempts to kill her rival, and nearly succeeds. While this thrilling scene is being enacted, Russell has succeeded in learning from the Indian woman who claims to be the mother of the girl that Silver Cloud is really a white girl and that many years before, two children were saved from a shipwreck, one of them being adopted by white settlers and the other taken by the savages. This knowledge completes a chain of circumstances which convince Russell that his wife and his little Indian model are sisters, and the very interesting, finely photographed film ends happily. THE TENACIOUS LOVER (Dec. 5).— It needed somewhat extraordinary persistency for Tom Jenkins to win Myrtle Townsend over the prejudices of her family. But Tom was always a master of strategy. When he learns that his prospective sister-in-law has been ordered by the doctor to secure the services of a nurse for her baby, he masquerades as a woman and gets the job. An English lord is anxious to win the hand of Myrtle, and while at the house Tom has an opportunity to prove the worthless character of the favored suitor. Of course, the duties of his new capacity place Tom in many predicaments and his efforts to avoid discovery are highly amusing. AN ESCAPE OF GAS (Dec. 6).— When a maid makes a hit with Max nothing can keep him from telling her of his love. The versatile comedian intercepts a gasman who is going to repair a leak at the home of Max's sweetheart and takes his place. Fortunately. Max mistakes the water pioe for the gas pipe, and in the deluge that follows, the obiections of the girl and her father are drowned. On the same reel: THE OCTOPUS.— A close observation of this much-feared inhabitant of the seas. TH^E SPENDTHRIFT'S REFORM (Dec. 7). —Dan Steele, a "man-about-town." is a consistent loser at cards, which compels Mrs. Steele to ask for money of her father, with whom the Steeles make their home. The stern old gentleman refuses to give her monev for any purpose other than to educate her son. From this allowance Mrs. Steele saves a little for a rainy d^y. -The rainy day arrives. Steele returns home late one night and his patient wife is waiting for him. He confides to her that his creditors have driven him to the wall. Mrs. Steele offers to secure the necessary money from her savings in a strong box which _ she keeps beneath her father's safe. Steele's heart is touched by this and he takes In writing THANHOUSER AT LIBERTY— GOOD PRESS AGENT (Dec. 8). — He limped along the Rialto, so badly bunged up that a friend felt impelled to ask if he had been playing a Bomb on the Mafia Circuit in the "Big Time." "It is just another case of a man getting the worst of it for making good," he explained. "I consented to go out with 'The Whirling Dervish' Company, and I told Governor that he would get something new in the press work line. That big doll of a star wanted her name in the papers, but there is nothing to her, nothing at all." "They won't fall for the old stuff any more, and I had to be up to date. We struck one town where they had a smallpox scare, and they fell for my dope all right. I told them how one of our chorus dames had smallpox, and how the star passed the night nursing her when all the others were afraid, kissed her fevered brow and all the rest of that sob stuff. They fell for it like wolves, and that big false alarm got her picture on the front page. "Was she grateful? Not a bit of it. She blamed me when the health department sent around and rounded up the company, quarantining them in a vacant house. Look at the ad, boy, look at the ad. Why my story was printed all over the United States. But the company was peevish and then some. "They'd have got out in a few weeks, and it saved them from losing money on those rotten 'killduff' one-night stands, yet they beefed awfully. So I showed them how to escape by scaring off the guards by pretending to be ghosts. (That is some press agent stunt, too. Bo.) _ I led them safely through the town to a freight train, so that they could make a getaway to the next town. Were they thankful? Nothing like it. The leading comedian and 'props' beat me with clubs and knocked me off the train. And that big 'dub' of a star cheered them as they were doing it. "So, I've left the company. Wouldn't care to work with a company like that, for you never are appreciated. Doubt if they will stay out long, for the company is rotten, the printing punk, and the bookings the worst ever. Now I am back again, and say, old man, do you know anyone who wants a good press agent? Frohman wants me. but there are some things about his office I don't like." AURORA FLOYD (2 reels) (Dec. 10).— Aurora Flovd was the daughter of a rich banker._ ^^^lile a schoolgirl she contracted a romantic attachment for her father's groom. James_ Conyers. and eloped with him. Their married life was unhappy, as her husband was vulgar, cruel and a drunkard. Her father, when he found how affairs were going, offered Conyers a large sum of money on condition that he leave England never to return. Conyers eagerly accepted the proposition, and Aurora returned to her father's home, not even their friends being aware that Aurora had been married. Six months later a newspaper account told of the death of the worthless groom. Aurora was now free and when John Mellish, the voung squire of Felden Park." paid her attentions, she consented to become his wife, much to her father's satisfaction. Aurora entered Felden Hall as the squire's bride just about the time that Mellish engaged a new trainer for his racehorse. In this man .Aurora, to her horror, recognized Convers, her first husband, and she realized that the story of his death was only a cruel trick. Conyers bnldlv blackmailed her. explaining that unless she yielded to his demands for money he would have her prosecuted as a bigamist. The note containing his threat was brought to the hall by Steve, a half-witted stable boy. He suspected something was wrong, snied uoon .\urora. and while she was out of the room rst-nrred thrnugh the window, picked up the note s'^e had dropped in her aeitation. and armed himself with the squire's pistol, meaning to "se it tn subdue Conyers. The helpless Aurora met Conyers at a nhce agreed upon and turned over to him all the TTionev pnd iewels she could get together. She then returned toward the house to dec'de unon her future plans. Steve, who ''ad tracked fhem. now confronted Convers and demanded a share of the spoils. Convers refused, and started to heat Steve. The bov, wild with rage shot him down, took the satchel of iewels and money, dropped the pistol beside his victim. to advertisers please mention "MOVING PICTURE NEWS' and escaped. The shot had been heard in the house, and Mellish and Mrs. Powell, his housekeeper, started out to investigate. Their path led them toward Aurora, and she, to elude them, retraced her steps. Thus she came upon the body, and when the others, arrived she was bending over the body, the pistol in her hand. Mrs. Powell, who always hated her young mistress, denounced Aurora as a murderess, and the case against her was black. Her gallant husband, however, stood loyally by her, even when the secret of her marriage was revealed to him. In court he was at her side, fighting desperately to save the life of the woman he loved. Aurora was convicted of murder, and was about to be sentenced, when Steve, the real criminal, was dragged in and confessed. The spirit of the man he had slain haunted him, he declared, and practically drove him into the arms of the law. Aurora, humble and contrite because of her terrible experiences, meekly begged her husband to forgive and forget her, but he clasped her in his arms, telling her she was the one woman he loved, and that in the happiness of their future life they would forget the sorrows that had been. MAJESTIC THE HYPNOTIC CHAIR (Dec. 1).— Professor Henrick has invented a wonderful hypnotic chair which, when the proper current is turned on, possesses the power of mesmerizing dozens of people at the same time. His friends give him a banquet, and after he drinks a great many toasts, he decides to finish the night on the Great White Way, instead of returning home. Miss Gaylife accompanies him, and in his friendly mood he invites many extraordinary people to visit him. His wife, discovering he has not come home all night, starts out for his office and arrives just as the professor and his assistant. Professor Scardon, are trying to persuade Miss Gaylife to leave the office. She refuses and they get an idea. They place her in the hypnotic chair, and when the furious wife enters she is told that Miss Gaylife is a patient. Just then the bell rings and a street cleaner is shown in. To quiet him, the professor pushes him toward Miss Gaylife — he touches her gown — the current is turned on and he stands powerless also. The scientific commission visits the professor and comes in contact with the others and is immediately electrified. But the doctor's assistant puts on rubber gloves and proceeds to release them one by one. General confusion ensues and as Mrs. Hendrick still shows fight she is pushed back into the chair while the professor, his assistant and Miss Gaylife start back to the White Way, leaving a sign on the door informing all callers that they will be "gone for six months." IN OLD TOWN (Dec. 3).— Peggy Milton returns to the old town from a fashionable boarding school. She is met at the depot by her affectionate parents and her old sweetheart, Tom Harland. But Peggy has been spoiled by the fashionable school. She is now vain, romantic and silly, and thinks that her parents and home are old-fashioned, and the world about her entirely wrong. She is cold to Tom, and snubs her parents, and they cannot understand. When she gets to the house she begins to cry because it is not like the swell residences of her classmates. She finds fault with her room and decorates it with college flags, photographs of athletic teams, and rah-rah boys, and altogether makes it silly looking. She sits around the house eating candy and reading silly novels while her mother does the housework — never helping. She ridicules the town boys who call on her and finally gets the girls together, shows them her scrap books and tells them how swell the boys are out East. They primp up, imitate her with her affected hair dressing, big bows on her dress, etc., and they snub the boys of the neighborhood. Tom Harland comes to call and sees her reading a pile of novels. He is disgusted, and goes to talk with her father on the back porch. The old man tells his troubles, so does the mother, and Tom is taken up to look at the room, unknown to Peggy. He studies the (Continued on page 33.) H9RR9ROFSIN ONE REEL SPECIAL^ LITriOS AND THREE SHEETS . .>'^^ ASK FOR IT —