Moving Picture World (Mar-Dec 1907)

3H THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD. Film Review. COHEN’S FIRE SALE. Edison. The opening picture shows the exterior of Cohen's Millinery Store. A number of ladies while passing, stop to admire the new designs, and the saleslady who stands at the door persuades them to enter and inspect the stock. At this moment an expressman delivers a large packing box at the door, marked, from "France.” Cohen appears and immediately proceeds to examine its contents; meanwhile the customers, not being satisfied with the styles, are about to leave, when Mrs. Cohen discovers the box of "Imported” hats. She quickly selects a few and induces the customers to return to the store. Cohen replaces the packing paper in the box, and also enters to assist with the sale. In the meantime an ashman arrives. He empties the contents of Cohen’s ash can, returns the can to its place, then perceiving the packing box and believing it to contain only waste paper, takes it away. Shortly after Cohen returns to unpack the box, but to his amazement it is missing. He runs to the corner, calls a policeman, and after explaining the situation, starts in pursuit, followed by Mrs. Cohen and the saleslady. The ash cart is seen passing down a street on the lower East Side. A group of boys and girls are dancing to the melody of a hand organ. As the cart passes them, several hats fall from the packing box on top and the children quickly pick them up. Farther on down the street the cart is seen passing a number of women who are standing near the curb, and who, seeing hats drop from the cart, rush to secure them. A scramble takes place in which the dainty millinery is practically destroyed. Cohen by this time arrives and mixing in among the women in an attempt to secure his missing property, is unmercifully beaten by them, until a policeman appears and disperses the crowd. The ash cart has now reached the dumping dock, and dumps its contents into a scow lying alongside. The barge trimmers pick up the remaining hats and placing them on their heads proceed to make merry as Cohen once more reaches the scene. In his frantic efforts to secure the balance of his unfortunate millinery he is pushed off into the scow by the angry ashman. The policeman airives and with his assistance Cohen soon secures the balance of the goods. The scene now reverts to the interior of Cohen’s store, where they try in vain to dispose of the remaining goods to several customers. Cohen in despair goes to his office, seats himself at his desk and drops his head in thought A bright idea seems to strike him. He walks to the safe, unlocks it, takes out a box containing his private papers, and selecting one (which appears to be an insurance policy), places it in his pocket, returns the box to the safe and locks the door. Leaving the room he shortly returns with a lamp, which he places on his desk and lights. He thinks a moment, turns around and seeing his cat, takes her in his arms, strokes her back, and picking 'up the lamp, carries both to the store. He places the cat beneath several hats on the table, with the lamp close behind her. Then clipping a piece of ribbon from a nearby hat, ties one end to the lamp and the other to the cat’s tail. He strokes the cat a moment, walks to the rear, turns off the lights and quickly leaves the store. A policeman notices smoke issuing from the transom, runs to the door and seeing the place in flames, turns in an alarm. Ihe following scene takes us to the fire station. Ihe engine and hose-wagon rush out and Hying around the corner are preceded down the street by the Fire Chief. On reaching the burning building several streams of water are turned on, and the fire soon extinguished. Several days have elapsed since the scene of the fire, and over the door of Cohen’s Millinery Store a sign reads: "BIG FIRE SALE.” Quite a number of women are standing at the door evidently waiting for it to open. Cohen and his wife appear, and elbowing their way through the crowd reach the door and unlock it. The women crowd and push their way into the store. The closing picture shows a close view of Cohen and his wife seated side by side, deeply interested in their insurance policy. Cohen seemingly well pleased, returns the policy to Ins pocket, and takes out a large diamond ring; this he holds up a moment for his wife to look at, then places it on her finger. Mrs. Cohen looks at the ring; presses it to her lips and smiles. Cohen looks for his reward in a kiss, and after several attempts, in which their noses seem to be in the way, they at last succeed. THE PRISONER’S ESCAPE. GAUMONT. A man is seen to obtain his liberty by leaping from one of the windows of a prison and running across the plain. He is observed by a sentry, who fires at him and raises an alarm, causing instant pursuit of the convict, who, in his race to elude his pursuers, suddenly appears before an old lady who is playing with a little girl, her grandchild. He begs her assistance, saying that he has escaped from jail and pleading with her to help him; the child joins in the plea, and the old lady hides him behind a bush, throws her cloak over it, and commences to play with the child. When the prison guards come up they ask her if she has seen an escaped conyict. Pointing in another direction, she sends the soldiers off on the wrong track, and when the coast is clear, she calls the man out. He blesses and thanks the old lady and goes on his way to freedom. Returning to his old haunts, he is welcomed by his boon companions, who rejoice with him at his escape. But he is pursuaded, after being plied with liquor, to join in an attempt at burglary. Very reluctantly he commences this work, but tries to get out of it. On the threat that he will be held up to justice if he does not do his pal’s will, he is compelled to go with him. In getting through a window they disturb the slumbers of a little child, whom the burglar recognizes as the child which accompanied the lady who helped him to escape. Taking the child in his arms, he consoles it and calms it to sleep, while his companion ransacks the house. Gently he replaces the child in its crib, where, nestled in comfort, it goes to sleep, holding the finger of the man. He tries to release it, but fears to awaken the child, and as his heart softens, he is unable to use force, and the tight hold of the sleeping child defies his weak efforts. The lady of the house discovers the other burglar and calls the police, who capture the man and take him off to jail. The lady, with fear and trembling, goes to the bedroom of the little child ,and to her astonishment discovers the burglar held by a little child, and recognizes the one whom she had helped before. He explains the predicament in which he was placed. He again asks her charity, sympathy and her help, and for the sake of the little child who has kept him a prisoner all the while, she listens to his plea, and pointing out through a windown to a church which is seen in the distance, she begs of the man to go to the church and commence a better life. He agrees to this, and is seen at the church, making his vows before the altar, and rising up with a resolve, he goes out to seek work, which he obtains. We next see him, an honest workman, respected by his companions, working at the bench and receiving the wags due to him for his weekly work, fully carrying out the text : “A little child shall lead them.” UNLUCKY INTERFERENCE. GAUMONT. A chimney-sweep has left his cart, filled with bags of soot, outside the house where he is cleaning a chimney, and upon his return with the bag of soot sees two mischievous urchins in the cart untying the bags of soot which are there. They jump from the cart, on seeing him, and he follows to chastise them for their mischievousness. They dodge rapidly around a corner, with the sweep after them, when a lady, dressed in a white costume just fresh from the laundry, meets the impact of the sweep, and her dress is ruined by coming in contact with the soot, much to her dismay. The sweep then goes after his horse and cart, and continues his chase of the boys, whom he overtakes and spanks. A team of cricketers appearing on the scene, thinking that he was taking undue advantage of the boys, try to make him desist, with the result that white cricket suits and soot prove to be a bad combination. DRAMA IN A SPANISH INN. GAUMONT. An hotelkeeper and his wife are seen quarreling over the receipts of the day. The wife asks her husband for money and is repulsed and thrust away, while the miserly husband gloats over the money which he has gained during the day. He then retires for the night. A Spanish gentleman, on horseback and benighted, rides up to the inn, wakes the host and asks his hospitality, which is given. In paying for his lodging the gentleman draws out a large quantity of gold, at the sight of which the landlord’s eyes glisten with envy. The guest is led to his room by the landlord and goes to sleep. Not so the landlord, whose cupidity has been aroused by the sight of the gold, which he determines to obtain. He is about to put his scheme into execution when he is confronted by the wife, who begs him to desist from evil-doing, and she is again thrust away. The innkeeper now goes into the guest chamber and robs his victim, who is awakened and struggles with the robber and