Moving Picture World (Jul-Sep 1913)

THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 321 to the standard. The capture and firing of the bridge were realistic, but the shooting of the negro mammy as a spy we thought an unpleasant ending for the story. The photography is very good. "BILLY. THE WISE GUV" (Gem), July 7.— In which Billy and hid friends are raided by their wives while poker playing. His wife proceeds to show his friends, later in the reel, that she is boss of the home. Not very much of a story in this. "DUBLIN" (Gem), July 7. — Glimpses of Ireland's famous old city. The photos are not overly clear in places. "THE PROOF OF THE MAN" (Nestor), July 7.— We got up a decided interest in this story, in spite of the fact that villains have many times substituted fake maps of mining claims and walked off temporarily with the original plans. In this case, however, the villain had a change of heart and the prospector and his wife get back the stolen map. Conventional Western drama with an entertaining story of its kind. "THE WOP" (Imp), July 10. — Harold Shaw here gives a good characterization of an Italian laborer, sent to prison for picking up coal. We think his case would hardly have been called before the same judge who passed upon the contractors, a legal technicality worth considering. When released the Wop sets about to find his little child, who has been adopted by the judge's daughter. The leading character in this carries the story along in interest and altogether it makes a fair appeal. "THE FRONTIER TWINS START SOMETHING" (Frontier), July 10. — A series of pranks played on a ranch by two mischievous girls. The humor of this is not very strong and the situations are not very interesting. The clear photos are the film's strongest point. "A MODERN WITNESS" (Victor), July 11.— This little story has a unique, attractive plot and is very entertaining, though not extremely probcble. The blind brother dictates a shurt story to his sister, and the thieving villain sets a dictagraph in order to steal the story, for which an offer of $500 has been made. The scheme is discovered and promptly nipped in the bud. James Kirkwood and Gertrude Robinson have the leading roles. An entertaining offering. "THE PICKET GUARD" (Bison), July 15. — This fine two-reel number has a quality all too rare in pictures — charm. It illustrates effectively a well known war poem. Wallace Reid appears as the sentry on guard along the Potomac. Homesick and lonesome, he reviews the scenes leading up to his enlistment. Later he is mortally wounded in a skirmish and scenes are shown back at his home when the news is brought to his wife, impersonated by Pauline Bush, The close is tenderly pathetic This offering is notable for its artistic effects and its appealing story. A fine production. "OH, you FLIRT!" (Imp), July 12. — A rather pleasing half-reel number, in which a man flirts with a nurse maid and when the baby disappears, he is pursued and finally charged with kidnapping. Fair comedy. "HY MAYER'S LIGHTNING SKETCHES" (Imp), July 12.— More of Mr, Mayer's excellent cartoon work, dealing with questions of the day in characteristic style. On same reel with above. "PEARL'S DILEMMA" (Crystal), July u-— The applicant for janitor is mistaken for a n'ember of the Black Hand and creates much excitement for a time. Belmont, who h proving himself a man of many parts, literally and figuratively, is the suspect. He consumes a plate of spaghetti almost like a sure-enough son of Italy. "SQUARING THINGS WITH WIFEY" (Crystal), July 13.— Brown and Green, out for a time, exchange overcoats and get their presents mixed up. The usual complications, rather well done this time. On same reel with above. "WHEN HE WORE THE BLUE" (Nestor), July 11.— A lively little comedy half-reel, in which the hero, caught in a poker raid, borrows the policeman's cap and coat and becomes traffic cop. While this would be a serious misdemeanor in real life, it works out very well in the picture. "FOUR QUEENS AND A JACK" (Nestor), July ti.— Eddie and the married woman try a little flirtation, but the jealous husband intervenes. A somewhat pleasing trifle, on same reel with above. "THE LINE RIDER'S SISTER" (Frontier), July 12. — An exceptionally good offering, both in the matter of an entertaining story and good pictuies. It shows what this company can do when it has a definite story to work on. There is a human touch in this, where the boys chip in to get a doctor for Ranee's sister, aid the river scenes were excellent.. The cloEe could have been made much more effective if it had not been hurried so much, But the film is better than the average Western offering. "THE TRAIL OF THE HANGING ROCK" (Eclair), July 9.— Some exquisite photographic effects in this two-reel offering and an abundance of fine mountain scenery. The story of the sacred rock is an entertaining cue, with many dramatic moments. J. W. Johnston and Barbara Tennant play the leads. The adventures of Barbara's husband and his incarceration as an escaped criminal was nicely handled. The cutting of his arm with the knife was a gruesome touch which might have been avoided. A strong story, with particularly good outdoor effects. "THE FISHERMAN'S FORTUNE" (Reliance), July 14.— Ned is a big bully of a fellow who inherits $3,000 from his uncle. Because Lucy has refused him, he commits robbery and steals his own fortune, which he generously shares with two pals. This new feature is the strongest point in this film story, which possesses a fair degree of interest. "ASHES" (Reliance), July 12. — This two-reel story, by Marion Brooks, has many points of merit and will make a good feature for any programme. The old man. represented by Irving Cummings, spreads a plate at table for each of his former sweethearts. The story of each is enacted on the screen, he participating in each one, beginning as far back as iS6r. The screen is surrounded in each case by the girl's favorite flower, and the actresses of the Reliance company all appear to good advantage. A new idea nicely presented and full of fine sentiment. "HER ROSARY" (Reliance), July 16. — The love story of a nun, with the words of the famous song printed verse by verse. The girl was wooed by her lo/er in charming pastoral scenes. They stand on a bridge and she commands him to jump into the water. He does so and is drowned. Her days thereafter arc filled with regret. A delicate, tender story, quite well presented. "LO\*fe, AND RUBBISH" (Keystone), July 14.— Ford Sterling appears in this as Mr. Fickle. He flirts with women in the park and starts considerable trouble. His rival rides down hill in a barrel into the lake. The children thumbing their noses at the close was a bad piece of business in an otherwise fairly good reel. Many exhibitors will prefer to cut this off. "GRANDAD" (Broncho), July 9. — A two-part drama, featuring an old veteran of the Civil War and his little granddaughter. The old man drinks whiskey and this leads to his expulsion from the home. He starts out on foot and seeks work at day labor. The child follows him and an effort is made to bring him back, but he dies after attempting to do hard work. There are some battle scenes shown incidentally, and the close is a Decoration Day scene in a large cemetery. Quite an appealing story and nicely handled. "AN ERRAND OF MERCY" (Thanhouser), July 11.— A rather obvious story is this, telling of a doctor who becomes jealous of his wife, and i* brought back later by a hurried call from his own child. It seemed to us the doctor had good cause for jealousy when he discovered his wife at the piano, with a man's arm resting about her shoulder. This opening feature weakened the observer's sympathy with the wife. "HEART THUOBS" (Broncho), July 16. — A characteristic war drama in two reels. The girl refuses to wed Groves, who was her mother's choice. She falls in Icve with John, who becomes a rebel. The mother will not forgive the girl and sends her from the house. War spenes intervene and both John and Groves are shown amid the raging battle. John is shot and dies with his newly born baby in his arms. It is years aftef the war that the mother relents and takes the girl back to her. Not quite as strong as the average Broncho production. "FOR THE MAN SHE LOVED" (Thanhouser), July S.— Quite a pleasing story is this, telling of a girl who dropped her bracelet in a canyon. Her lover gees down with a rope to get it. The rival pulls the rope up, leaving him there to die. But the girl discovers him and goes down, puts the rope about him and pulls him up with the aid of her horse. It looks impossible, and the chances are it never was really done that way, but it makes an interesting picture. "A CREPE BONNET" (Thanhouser), July 13.— Rather grim humor to fill a house with mourners for a man who is really not dead, but this is brought about so naturally that it is veiy laughable. The children, pretending to bury a dead doll, tie crepe on the door. Naturally the friends suppose poor John has died, as he was sick, and crowd into the house. The picture winds up by the kids getting spanked. A funny situation in this. "THE INGRATE" (Majestic), July 12.— This is the familiar story of a man befriended by another, who pays back the debt by robbing his benefactor. The first scenes are laid in the desert country. Later the two men meet in a Wall street crash and the first ma-n gets his revenge by trapping the ingrate. The love story was simply tacked on at the close, A fair offering. "ONE OF THE FIi>;EST" (Majestic), July 8.— A policeman falls into a cellarway and is stunned. His rival, wishing to injure him, leaves a whiskey bottle near him. He loses his place on the force, but after a realistic fire in which he jjlayed the hero, is reinstated. The police force of Los Angeles is ?hown drilling in this film. "THE SHADOW OF THE PAST" (Majestic), July 6.— A pretty love story helps this film along very much. The girl, to escape the unwelcome attentions of a theatrical manager, goes to the country, where she finds a lover. The love scenes are natural, and when he learns of her past life he refuses to give her up. Quite pleasing, though not new. "TO ERR IS HUMAN" (American), July 17. — The baby drops rodent poison into the well, c'"eating much sickness. Steve is suspected and is in serious danger when the baby tells how the accident happened, and the girl goes to the rescue. An obvious plot and not very strong. "AT THE HALF BREED'S MERCY" (American), July 19.— There is a fine lot of action in this, which would be more effective if built around more convincing situations. The child and man start on foot and ccver the same distance as the horseback riders, going at full speed. The scenes are Western and generally pleasing in character. ^ "TRUTH JN THE WILDERNESS" (American). July 14.— Warren Kerrigan again gets into action in t^is number, which possesses considerable interest. He goes to Mexico for two years, leaving Helen. When he leturns heme sh? has forgotten him and married another. He goes back to Mexico and finds happiness with the girl who had helped him in his v.ork there. The gun work in the saloon v. as interesting, but not entirely convincing. "RED MASK" (Kaybee), July iS. — Her-j is also a film story in which it impressed us that the leading man did not quite look his part, though we have liked him very much in some rcles. There is plenty of action in the story; the bandit is shot toward the close and dies, leaving the girl le loved to mourn him. "FOR THE MAN SHE LOVED'' (Eclair), July 16.— A two-reel offering, with a rather vague beginning, but which works up into an entertaining story. It should have been made clesr, however, that the girl was planning a revenge upon the scheming ftllow who had her lover imprisoned. .As it stands now, the heroint*'s motives are not clear and until the close of ihe second reel she appears merely as a foolish girl, who has accepted favors from Dave and generally comnrcmiscd herself. The windup would be stronger if the observer knew m.'jre about her intentions. A subtitle of an appropriate character would remedy this. "THE TALE OF A HAT" (Nestor), July iS,— A half-reel with a unique liitle comedy idea In it. "^hree women try on the same hat, and are kissed behind a screen by their lovers, with complications that may be imagined as a result. Good photography. "WHEN ins COURAGE FAILED" vNcstor), July 18.— This, on same leel with above, shows js a men's club and a woman's suffrage meeting. One poor husband, locked out of his own home, gets inside a cloUies hamper to get inside the house. Somewhat amusing.