Moving Picture World (Jan-Mar 1912)

48 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD GEM COMPANY ANNOUNCES FIRST RELEASES. Brief Review of Four Highly Creditable Subjects From the New Company. The reader will remember that we were speaking last week of the Gem studio in general and of our verj' favorable impression of everything connected with it that we saw. Out of a couple of dozen finished negatives four have been selected to be the first releases appearing once a week, on Sundays, as first-run pictures. The initial release of the Gem Company will be "The Defender of the Name." This is a Civil War picture of intense dramatic interest. One of its most pleasing features is its historic atmosphere and fidelity to the Civil War period in the matter of costumes and settings. The story is entirely different from most war tales. The absence of the usual wartime love episode is somew^hat of a relief, yet the story holds the interest from first to last. It has to do with the son of an aristocratic Southern family who joins the Confederate army and later is selected to cross the Union lines in quest of important documentary information. On his way he witnesses the execution of a Union spy and his courage fails him. He slinks back to his home where his sister observes his cowardly return and, a moment later, his more cowardly suicide, which is cleverly shown by suggestion. Being an aristocrat by birth, the dead mari's sister cannot abide the shame of a coward in the family. Acting quickly upon impulse she herself crosses the Union lines, invades the headquarters, procures the documents and retreats under fire after having shot one of the Federal officers. Reaching home in safety, she drags her brother's body to a part of the grounds and leaves it there with the much wanted papers tucked in his breast. There the lifeless youth is found and is later buried with military honors, as a hero, without anyone's knowledge of the real facts except his sister, "The Defender of the Name." "Readin", 'Ritin' and 'Rithmetic." A highly entertaining comedy picture to be released Sunday, Jan. 28th. "The action revolves about a winsome school teacher who has the power of captivating the hearts of men without any effort on her part. The school-room scenes are realistic and highly amusing. One of her pupils is a large, stupid country boy whom she is obliged to punish. Through this punishment she comes into contact with the lad's irate father who comes to the school like a roaring lion and departs like a cooing dove, for he is at once smitten with the pretty school teacher and falls an easy victim to her charms. Before long father and son are both having day dreams of love and tenderness about the young schoolmarm and each privately makes up his mind to propose to her. Their reception at the school teacher's home as they appear in their Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes is very funny. They do not win her because she is already "spoken for" by a handsomer man. The incidental school-room scenes and the ensembles of school children are a touch of nature that will appeal instantly to all beholders. "Under Her Wing." A picture with more truth than poetry in it ; a phase of everyday life that has not been overdone in pictures. An irresponsible husband of the type that has no right to take unto himself a wife and bring children into the world without some visible means of providing for them. The principal male character of the picture is that of a shiftless young man who has established a family and then found the task of providing for them an irksome matter. Being out of work more than not, a sister of his who lives with the family secures him a position in the banking house where she is employed as a confidential clerk and stenographer. He is thus placed in a position to provide for his family, but the crookedness in his nature rises quickly to the surface at the sight of quantities of money that are deposited in the safe every night. Taking advantage of his sister's confidence he commits a theft which is quickly discovered by the sister who immediately starts after her erring brother and arrives home a moment after him. She accuses him and demands the money, but in the midst of the accusation her employer and detectives arrive. Rather than see a needy family deprived of a breadwinner by imprisonment the sister confesses to being the thief and is, of course, arrested. Upon her is found the money which her brother had returned to her, but the police not being satisfied keep an eye on the young man and trick him into a confession. He is then arrested and the sister released, to the satisfaction of her employer. The employer learning the circumstances of the young man's family refuses to press the charge and reinstates the girl into his confidence. By this time the love of the sluggard's wife is completely dead and there are no regrets when he leaves home with his bundle to return no more. His sister then determines to become the bread-winner herself and takes her brother's family "Under Her Wing." The part of the improvident husband is played in a convincing and finished manner by Mr. Velfey, and the part of the stenographer is played by Miss Marion Leonard in her usual competent way. "Through Twisting Lanes." This picture will be released February nth. It is a rustic story that involves the happiness of a young couple and treats with the question of elopement in a distinctly original way. The girl's father is quite positive that a good farm-hand would be a more desirable husband for his daughter than a fellow who paints pictures. Consequently his objections to a young artist who was working in his neighborhood and had fallen in love with the girl. In spite of parental objections the lovers were married by the elopement process and were e.xpelled from home by the stern old father. They went to the city and got along nicely for some time, but the unanswered letters of the young wife to her parents were a source of unhappiness to her. Finally her artist husband thought of a plan for reconciliation. In working garb and with his mustache shaved off he applied for work at his wife's former home. The old man gave him a job and soon discovered that his new farm-hand was the best man around the place for work, and formed a great liking for him. Meanwhile the daughter had come home with the story that her husband had deserted her. She was welcomed back and was jOou engaged in her household occupations of former days. The old man smiled with favor upon a love affair that seemed to be growing between his daughter and his new farm-hand, but it troubled him when he remembered that she was another man's wife. It all came out right in the end when he discovered the trick and found out that his artist son-in-law was also a rattling good farm-hand. Every scene in the picture has a direct bearing on the final result and the picture as a whole is extremely pleasing. These new Gem pictures are remarkable for their style and execution. They can be considered an acquisition to the Independent programme and are going to cut a considerable figure in the photoplay business. H. F. H. HAROLD A. LOCKWOOD. The Nestor Film Company, always on tlie aiert for new talent, discovered some months ago Mr, Harold .■\. Lockwood, a splendid looking young man and a most promising actor. Mr. Milton H. Fahrney. the .\estor Western director, and Mr. Thomas Ricketts, the Xestor comedy director, saw great possibilities in Mr. Lockwood, and he was promptly engaged to play juvenile leads in the Nestor st^ick company. The young man made good right from the start and was soon a favorite among the players of the Nestor Company. Under the able guidance of Messrs. Ricketts and Fahrney he is fast developmg into a motion picture artist of no mean worth. Mr. Lockwood has a pleasing and magnetic 'personality and is one of the handsomest juvenile leads.