Moving Picture World (April 1912 - June 1912)

66o THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 525ZS5eSe525252525S525Z5i252525i!51 Independent] Film Stories GAUMONT. ATTACKED BY A LION (May 16).— In the lone, rast deserts of Morocco, with his nearest neighbor more than thirty miles away, a contented hermit is passing his life. His house is fairly well concealed from the bands of marauding Arabs who traverse this desolate waste, so that he does not deem it necessary to have any connection with his neighbor, so distant, except by telephone. One night, however, a group of Arabs discovered his hut, and by means of stealth tried to gain admission, for the purpose of pilfering his house and killing him. Their plan, however, is frustrated when the hermit sees them on their approach and opens fire. By rlrtue of his position the latter Is able to withstand the enemy, despite their number. With rifle in one band, he resorts to his telephone and attempts to notify his neighbor of his peril. The Arabs discover this means of communication with outside assistance and, one of the best shots of their number directs his aim at the telephone wire, with the result that he cuts it in two. Part of the message, however, has already been received by the friend over thirty miles away, and the hermit hopes, almost against reason, that his situation has been made clear. The friend on th* other end has understood the whole matter. He realizes bow dangerous and short-lived must be bis efforts in keeping so large an enemy at bay. Without delay he mounts bis swiftest and enreit steed and heads for the scene of action. On the way a terrible sand storm blows up and the Journey Is of course Impeded. Little did the benefactor who had pledged himself so willingly to the rescue of the hermit realize the dangers of his undertaking. While asleep, with his horse cautiously picketed near him. he is suddenly disturbed by the roar of the savage Hon. He Jumps np in dismay only to recognize one of these monstrous beasts about to spring at his horse. He grabs his rifle, and, without having time to aim a sure shot, kills the lion in the very act of pouncing upon his faithful beast. After encountering several similar desert terrors, the horseman finally succeeds in reaching the vicinity of his friend besieged by the Arabs. He makes his appearance in the very nick of time as the bold marauders had, by their craftiness and endurance, completely worn out the lonely hermit. His powder and ammunition was entirely exhausted. His vrater supply was also gone. Not one bit of food was left. There was nothing for him to do but to surrender. The presence of the friend, however, turned the tables. The Arabs, fearing a large rescue party bad come, were dismayed and were driven In confusion to the outskirts of the desert. The two friends then sat down to recount to each other the details of their respective perils. THE FATE OF MOTHERS (May 19).— The willing deprivations that mothers make for their offspring is a theme familiar to all. The extent of the suffering incurred by her devotion often reaches down to the tenderest cords of her heart. In this two-reel subject, Mrs. Herbert, a widow, centers all her affection on her charming daughter, Suzanne, a pretty and dainty young lady of eighteen. Her devotion keeps her from accepting the offer of Ernest Prather, a friend her age, who keeps reminding her that Suzanne Is no longer the child she was when he made his first request for her hand, some five years back, and that she is now perfectly able to take care of herself without maternal fondling. Nevertheless her unsefish love for her daughter quite fills her life, for which reason she persistently holds her admirer at bay. One afternoon, however, Suzanne steals off and not caring to interrupt her pleasure, sends a note to mamma explaining that she has called upon family friends, the Dunkirks, who have urgently invited her to stay to tea, and that she will be home promptly at 10 P. M. The unusuallty of such a procedure causes Mrs. Herbert to call on the Dunkirks herself, where she learns that Suzanne has not told the truth. Overcome by the disclosure, she returns home to await her truant daughter. At ten o'clock her patience Is rewarded when she sees Suzanne alight from a taxi in the company of a charming fellow who claims an affectionate good-night kiss. Upon the daughter's entrance to the library, mother upbraids her severely, only to learn that Suzanne loves this friend, Willis Allison, and has already affianced herself to him. The mother is overcome at the Intelligence, but is forced to make the best of It. The young couple are wedded and settle down In a veritable mansion of luxury, taking Mrs. Herbert with them to live. However, both Willis and Suzanne, having come from families used to extreme comfort, prove careless with their money and squander it most shockingly. Mrs. Herbert ventures a precautionary warning, which so incenses Willis that he insists that his mother-in-law leave their home and live by herself. This ultimatum proves a hard blow for mother to endure, but there is no other alternative, wherefore she packs up and goes off to herself. Young Allison's recklessness soon leads him to wild speculation, with the usual result — complete bankruptcy. He is forced to meet an obligation of S50.000 when he hasn't even a ten-spot to his name. This crisis fells Suzanne, who, forgetting her husband's mistreatment of mother, runs pellmell to her with her woe. Daughter finds mother just signing a letter to the persistent but kindly Prather, this time agreeing to accept him as her husband, thereby ending her enforced loneliness. Mrs. Herbert listens to daughter's tale of despair, tears her letter to Prather into shreds, and, with true motherly affection, draws a check for the sum of $57,000, her entire savings, and transfers it to the account of the youthful Allisons, Willis and Suzanne, thereby protecting them from everlasting humiliation. Thus is an example of the sincerity of mother-love, one of the many daily, yes, momentary, occurrences of maternal sacrifice. TOMMY BECOMES A TOREADOR (May 23).— Tommy, the ambitions butcher-boy, has been spending a most busy life, but an advertisement of a pretty young girl desiring to marry a toreador, in order to inherit her uncle's huge sums left her. He forthwith presumes to be a noted bullfighter, wins the girl's consent to marriage and accepts the generous hospitality of her relatives, who give a large banquet in honor of the engaged couple. During the festivities. Tommy is asked to pantomime some of his arenic strokes, during which demonstration he accidentally whirls up against a stranger at one of the other cafe tables. The stranger resents the accident, and asks Tommy where he learned bull-fighting, at the same time presenting his card, which discloses him to be the noted Local bull-fighter. A match in which both are to exhibit their skill is arranged. Tommy enters the arena with shaking knees, is tossed most brutally by the bull. Of course he is discovered as a fakir, loses his fiancee, who marries the real toreador, while Tommy Is forced to continue working as a butcher-boy, and even forced to deliver meat to the home of the young toreador and his rich wife. SOLAX. SOULS IN THE SHADOW (May 15).— Alice Penryhn, the younger of two orphaned sisters, is engaged to Harry Mayne, but in a moment of girlish folly, accompanies Will Mortimer, a member of the "fast set,** to a somewhat rapid Bohemian restaurant, and promptly regrets it, being fearful that Mayne will discover her imprudence. Her elder sister, Christine, has discovered that Alice has an organic heart affection, and that she is In a dangerous condition. Christine is herself In love with Mayne, but conceals it for her sister's sake. Mortimer forces Alice to see him at midnight, and in a drunken humor, tries to embrace her. In her terror and frenzy she strikes him with a heavy ornament and kills him. Christine discovers the accident, and, taking the burden on herself, Is arrested for the crime. She Is placed on trial, and, just as the jury Is bringing In a verdict of guilty, Alice staggers into court, confesses that she killed Mortimer, and collapses. The judge is thereupon forced to discharge Christine. IN THE YEAR 2000 (May 17).— A great number of prognostlcators often terrify us with visions of what will be when women shall rule the earth, and the time when men shall be subordinates and adjuncts. It is rather a fine question to decide — for chivalrous men, anyway. To-day, with the multiplicity of feminine activities and the constant broadening of feminine spheres, it Is difficult to predict to what height women will ascend. In the Solax production of "In the Year 2000," the release of Friday, May 17th, a serio-comic prog nostication Is unreeled on the screen with such magnetic force, charm and rich imaginative detail that one Is compelled to accept the theories advanced on their face value. The conditions are reversed. Women in this film are supreme, and man's destiny Is presided over by woman. No attempt is made at burlesque, bnt the very seriousness of the purpose of the theme makes the situations ludicrous. THE GLORY OF LIGHT (May 22).— A blind man, although In comfortable surroundings, suffers mental agony because of his affliction. His kind wife and little child try their hardest to make his life happy for him, but the young blind man continually broods over his misfortune. While sitting on the steps of a public building — and all the world passes on seemingly happy — God reveals to the blind man in a vision a side of life which makes the blind man satisfied with his lot. The young man sees, Instead of a patient and good wife, a veritable shrew, a woman who Is mercenary and unwifely. She sends him out with curses to earn a living. He tries hard to find employment, hut an uncharitable and commercial world Is impatient with his shortcomings. He comes back to his house and finds that he is dispossessed, while his wife upralds him. He goes out again and tries to steal some bread, bnt he is caught by a mob, and as the mob pounces on him, the blind man wakes up and finds that it is growing dark and that his good wife has come to take Mm home. He then thanks God, while his former mental agony is alleviated. THE KNIGHT IN ARMOR (May 24).— The father of an heiress" has objections to Billy because he ithe father) wants his daughter married to a man with a title and distinction. The father has Billy rudely ejected from the house while the favored suitor is encouraged. Billy gets an Idea. He steals a suit of armor from his sweetheart's parlor and dresses up in it. The armor happens to be an antique, with a marvelous lock. Billy locks himself in it and although he creates havoc with the household (here we get a demonstration of very entertaining trick work) he later finds that he cannot get out of his plated suit. He is taken to a blacksmith and there at the forge his coat of steel Is removed, not only in the presence of the people he has tormented, but also In the presence of his sweetheart and her father. The father has a sense of humor and gives np his daughter to the man with Imagination and nerve. REPUBLIC. THE OLD CHIEF'S DREAM (May 21).— Chief Patt Tyhee, the head of the almost extinct tribe of famous Bannlc Indians, visits President Taft at the White House and after a lengthy interview with the "White Father." he is slowly walkingdown the steps of the capitol, when, overcome by fatigue, he rests upon the steps, pulls forth his pipe and smokes. Sleep soon overcomes him and he sees a vision of his by-gone days when he was a young buck and the whites were beginning tosettle in his territory. He again sees the famous raid on the town of Mitcbellville, when he and bis small band attacked the town during the absence of the male population. Scene by scene is vividly portrayed in his dream. The Paul Revere-like ride of one of the young girls of the town, as she went for reinforcements, the heavy rain of leaden messengers pumped Into his band by the brave women of the West, the different times his band was repulsed by the white squaws, and finally the complete defeat of the Indians as they were driven away by the white settlers, led by a white squaw. So real does the dream seem that he awakens with a start, gazes around as though in a trance; then realizing that he Is In the capitol city, slowly continues his journey. HER BIRTHDAY ROSES (May 25).— When you have promised your sweetheart as a birthday gift a rose for every year of her life, and ordered your florist to send her eighteen roses, and the florist, trying to show that he appreciates yoor patronage, adds twelve roses to your original order, and unknown to you, sends the entire lot to the young lady, what can you expect but an instant breaking of all ties. Poor Edward could not understand why he was driven from his sweetheart's door on the day of her birthday when he went to see how his present of roses was accepted. Can you imagine his rage when the florist tells him that he sent thirty roses Instead of eighteen to the young lady? VNDVA.M MEPkD INDISPUTABLE ORIGINATORS of COWBOY FILMS. WE CONTINUE TO OFFER EACH WEEK MR.G.M. ANDERSON , '(POPULARLY KNOWN AS BRONCHO BILLY )IN THRILLING STORIES ri'j^i'U'irA'^rrji^ia-.^f'Kuri'ir'ViryflatiiLi'jJiiiiia^ifVji1.^ productions tk ithispaper SUPERVI$IONo^MR.ANDER$ON,ASSISTED BYACAREFULLY TRAINED COMPANY