Moving Picture News (Jan-Jun 1913)

THE MOVING PICTURE NEWS 29 his brother at his side. At the grave the minister and Maggie and the father and Billy form a little compact, and walk home past the barroom, now placarded "Gone Out of Business For Good." GREAT NORTHERN FRED AS A SOLDIER. — Fred decides to become a soldier, but as a matter of fact he lacks most of the requirements necessary to stand as a bulwark against his country's foes. He is stout and healthy enough and for this reason he is admitted to the army, but he lacks courage and in the end this proves to be his downfall. The story is built around wholesome comedy lines and the fun is calculated to keep the average audience in the best of good humor from the moment the film is shown until its conclusion. Fred first makes himself the laughing stock of the army by failing to make good at the trials of strength and agility. In jumping the horses of the gymnasium he is a positive failure, and when called upon to climb a rope he calls for assistance before being able to meet the requirements. But in spite of his failings he is admitted to the ranks of the privates and carries himself with dignity until he is ordered to take his turn at target practice. On the rifle range he tries to perform the almost impossible feat of shooting at the target with his back turned from the bullseye and he retires from the field in disgrace. But it remains for Fred to further humiliate himself when, during the army manoeuvres, he retreats from the field under fire and proceeds to take a little nap at the side of a tree, after removing one of his boots in order to give the impression that he has been wounded. When he is carried to the barracks, the commanding officers decide that he is not a fit person for active service in the army, and, in consequence, he is dismissed. Then he rejoins his wife and comes to a realization that marital relations are more to his liking than martial occupation. On the same reel is a beautiful scenic entitled "Summer in the North," the views being taken off the coast of Jutland, Denmark. In this subject the onlooker is given a most vivid glance at the beauties of the Scandinavian coast. RELIANCE THE GRAFTERS (March 22).— John Hascom, contractor, shows worry and dejection over the condition of his business. A checking of the yearly reports, prepared by his attractive bookkeeper, shows an alarming condition of affairs and Hascom sees no prospect of his dearest wish being consummated. Alva Bennet, the bookkeeper, occupies a closer place in her employer's mind than that of mere business aid. John Hascom has hoped that a good business year will place his fiances in a position, where he may change his office assistant, to his life partner, but his books show such an alarming shortage that John is forced to curb his love declaration to Alva and wait for better times. Miss Bennet is fully aware of the badly concealed love of her employer and suffers as keenly as he. She has hoped for his declaration and sees that only financial matters are keeping them apart. She tries to cheer him up to fresh efforts in his business, but the man seems to have lost his grip. Alva shows him an advertisement in the daily paper for a large contract for street work, and asks him why he does not bid. John tells her that only political friends of the administration will be considered. Alva, not convinced, persuades him to file a bid anyway, and she succeeds in getting him to figure on the work and prepare his bid, which must be filed before three o'clock that day. She works feverishly to finish the typewritten work and get it down to the City Hall before the closing time for the acceptance of the bids. John smiles at the enthusiasm and knows it is all in vain, he is outside the ring and his bid will never be considered. He leaves the office to attend to outside business and Alva rushes to complete her hastily-prepared bid. She sends it by the office boy who arrives at the City Hall with Alva's sealed document. The clock points to 2:30 and the boy is refused the filing of his bid. He is told by the clerk that all bids have been received and opened and the contract awarded. The boy goes back and tells Alva that she is too late. The loyal girl sees the advertised time is not yet up and determines to fight for a fair chance. She rushes to the City Hail, capturing a reporter of a Progres sive paper, and drags the surprised man to the clerk's desk, where she demands a chance to file her bid. Pointing to the clock, which points to three minutes to three, she shows the ad in the paper which holds the filing time until three o'clock. She tells the political friends of the contractor that she will have a fair deal and the reporter stands by ready to get a graft story for his paper. Alva is sneered at by the clerk and told that the bids have gone before the Board of Supervisors in the next room. She, dragging the reporter with her, braves the supervisors and demands reading of her bid. Tuey try to set her aside, but an elderly man, noted for his adherence to clean politics, listens to the girl and sees time is not yet up. He demands a square deal and reading of the girl's bid. The great discrepancy in the price of her bid and the others starts a crusade for cleaner government by an article of the reporter's in the paper, enabling men like John Hascom to share in the city's work. The large contract enables Alva's employer to tell her the long-cherished secret, and at three minutes to three, John Hascom and Alva Bennet spoke the words that made them man and wife. HIS DAY OF FREEDOM (March 26). — In the shipping-room of the penitentiary, No. 333 is secretly nailed up in a wooden box by the convicts and shipped as a box of prison-made shoes to a store at Freeport-by-the-Sea. The clerk who opens the case is knocked senseless by the convict, who, appropriating a long store coat, goes his way, to get mixed in the love affair of Betty Jones, who tends store for her father, a fisherman. Crouching between a hedge and a side window, No. 333 sees Jones, who has just made a sale of fish, hand over to Betty a roll of bills, which she places in a tin box on a shelf of a window near the watcher. Jones departs and Betty runs to the open door to greet her sweetheart, Paul Kimball, giving the convict an opportunity to reach in and secure the tin box. Skulking into the rear window he peers into Betty's kitchen. Hunger tempts him to enter. But Betty's merry impulse to make Paul shopkeeper while she tidies her kitchen, gives the intruder no time to escape, so he hides in the wood-box. Felix Hill, an undesired suitor, enters the store, and, perceiving his successful rival, starts ridiculing the sub-clerk. Betty, to replenish the kitchen fire, mechanically lifts the cover of the wood-box, but with attention so strained toward the quarreling men, she fails to see the wicked face glaring up at her. At the sound of blows she drops the heavy cover and stuns the convict. Dragging Paul off his victim, she angrily ejects them both. Then turning to the wood-box she discovers the dazed occupant. On assisting him out his convict suit is exposed but his helpless condition arouses her sympathy, and at his entreaties she gives him food. Meanwhile the shoe clerk regains consciousness and his thrilling tale starts a village mob in pursuit of the convict. No. 333 hearing their approach, begs Betty's protection, and in terror and sympathy she shields him and the pursuers depart. Real gratitude is felt by the hardened criminal as Betty lets him depart, well disguised in an old fisherman's suit of her father's. During this time Felix has sought Betty's father with an account of the beating received at the latter's store. They return, where Jones roundly scolds his daughter, and, on discovering his loss, demands the tin box of the amazed Betty. An idea of revenge strikes Felix. He deliberately lies. "I saw Paul put a tin box in his pocket." The accusation sends Jones rushing to the constable. The convict, now safely disguised as one of the _ fishermen standing about the constable's, enjoys the excitement of his non-capture. Suddenly Jones appears before the justice demanding the arrest of Paul, who is present, for the theft, with Felix as eye witness. As Paul is led away Betty rushes up, and, on witnessing the anguish and despair of his benefactress, No. 333 is seized with the first unselfish impulse of his wicked life. After an inward struggle, he tears off his rubber coat and stands — the self-exposed convict. Handing over the tin box he exonerates Paul and utterly .confuses the lying Felix. So ends his one day of freedom. MAJESTIC THE WRONG MISS WRIGHT (March 23). — Miss Priscilla Brown, a spinster of forty, leaves a book on a bench in the waiting-room of a railway station. Flora Wrieht finds it there and is looking at it when Frank Allen comes up and sits down beside her. He is evidently much taken with her. Their train is called and Flora hurries out leaving the book where she found it. Frank thinking she has forgotten it, pockets it and follows her. They take the same train and Priscilla boards it also. On the train Frank makes several attempts to start a conversation with Flora, but is snubbed. Priscilla, on the contrary, goes out of her way to be agreeable, much to his annoyance. Arriving in New York, Frank orders his cabman to follow Flora's cab, only to find that through the cabman's mistake he has followed Priscilla. In his hotel room he suddenly remembers the book in his overcoat pocket, and, opening it, reads the inscription: "To Miss Priscilla Brown from Stephen Ellis, New York." Happening to know Stephen Ellis, Frank writes him a note, requesting an introduction to Miss Priscilla Brown, but before the note is sent he sees in a newspaper that Ellis is on his way home from Europe aboard the Lusitania. He tears up the note and despairs of ever seeing Flora again. Frank sails for Europe several days later and is delighted to find Flora among the passengers and considerably annoyed to find Priscilla, who promptly renews her attentions. He tries to make Flora's acquaintance in the way in vogue on shipboard, but she discourages every advance. The Lusitania is sighted. Passengers crowd to the deck. Frank, suddenly recalling the fact that Stephen Ellis is aboard her has an idea. He sends a wireless telegram to Ellis demanding an introduction by wireless to Miss Priscilla Brown. A satisfactory reply comes back and Frank sends it with the book to Flora by a steward. Flora takes the book and telegram, but when she reads the address on the latter she hands it back and points out Priscilla, who is standing near. Priscilla receives the message with delight and sends the_ steward for Frank. Flora suddenly discovers that she has kept the book, starts toward Priscilla with it, when its appearance strikes her as familiar and, pausing to examine it, she recognizes it as the one she had seen in the railway station. Instantly the situation becomes clear to her and she laughs with great amusement, and is hardly able to conceal her merriment when Frank, making eagerly for her, is waylaid by Priscilla. As they go out together Flora, with a sly smile, hides the book behind her and follows them. Flora is standing at the deck rail waiting for them as they come around the deck, Priscilla chatting animatedly and Frank the picture of dejection. Flora steps up as they are about to pass her and gives the book to Priscilla, explaining how she happened to have it. Priscilla introduces Flora to Frank. While Priscilla is exclaiming in surprise over the book, the young couple chat and presently, forgetting Priscilla, they turn their backs on her and stroll off absorbed in each other. Priscilla is left for the closing picture, standing deserted, looking after them puzzled, as she looks from the book to the telegram, not understanding the situation. THE PRIMA DONNA'S CAT (March 25). — A beautiful Persian cat, of great value, owned and much prized by an opera singer, becomes lost in the most mysterious manner. The opera singer is very much surprised and upset over its loss and hires the services of a private detective to find it. Her maid, who has been accused of carelessness because she failed to stay awake when she was supposed to have been taking care of the cat, in her efforts to help them out, originates a fictitious story to the effect that she is almost sure she saw a man wearing a green necktie appear and steal the cat. Now, it seems that across t>e hall from the opera singer's apartment lives an old bachelor, who' is very much enamored of another popular actress, who also has a cat which is not as valuable as the Persian, and of which she is inclined to be jealous. Immediately on learning these facts from the opera singer, the detective places his_ suspicions on the old bachelor. The suspicions are strengthened by the fact that the detective learns that the old man has ordered milk. After a series of events, during which the poor bachelor and his sweetheart are put under the ban of suspicion, it is discovered that the old bachelor's valet has spilled ink on his master's waistcoat, which accounts for _ the milk episode, thus obliterating the detective's most important clue. The detective, t'-us foiled in what he thought was a wonderful discovery, tries every ridiculous method possible to find the cat. However, the cat is finally found by the opera singer's fiance under the bath tub, waiting patiently for a mouse to appear.