Moving Picture World (Jul-Sep 1913)

io68 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLE "PLAYING THE PIPERS" (Vitagraph), August 22.— An amusing full reel comedy, which would have been even better as a half reel. The preparations were a little tedious, though many laughs came during the bagpipe contest. Hughey Mack and Dorothy Kelly played the leading roles. The fire which developed toward the close of the contest interfered with the humor and served no particular purpose so far as the story was concerned. "THE LIZAiyD" (Patheplay), August 22. — Instructive views of green lizards in their native haunts. They feed upon caterpillars, shed their skins like snakes, and have a curious friendship for toads. A very interesting half reel. "VISIT TO RUINS OF POMPEII" (Patheplay), August 22.— On same reel with above, a worth-while view of the buried city, now uncovered and restored in part. The scenes are in color and give a strikingly clear idea of the splendid civilization of that remote day. A good release. "THE RAG BAG" (Lubin), August 22. — A bit of foolishness without any very definite idea back of it. The tramp gets into a rag bag and is sold with the rags by his friend. Ver^ light comedy. "SMASHING TIME" (Lubin), August 22. — This, on same reel with above, is more entertaining. The colored girl places a watch on her slipper, in imitation of her mistress. She attends a ball and a jealous girl gets hei lover to smash the watch. This creates a rough-house among the darkies which is spirited and amusing. Real darkies were employed to give tone to the occasion. "FOOL LUCK" (Kalem), August 22. — The young husbands, living in the same flat, both promise to bring, their wages home. But both stop and buy lost baggage being auctioned off by the railroad. The developments are absurd and mildly amusing. "DECEIVING UNCLE ASA" (Kalem), August 22.— This, on same reel with above, elicits more laughter than the other. It is the old proposition of the young man's friend dressing up as his wife in order to get uncle's money. This is better done than usual and is enjoyable. "THE GOOD INDIAN'* (Selig), August 22.— An ordinary Western release, telling a familiar story. The Indians go out on a raid and set fire to the cabin of the doctor and his wife. The good Indian comes to the rescue, being grateful to the wife for having saved his child's life. The burning of the cabin was the principal feature and this was considerably drawn out. "THE BLIND BASKET WEAVER" (Kalem). August 25.— The situation has been used in a number of former pictures; yet a very slight twist has given it a measure of individuality and fresh interest. A lame girl (very well suggested by Alice Hollister) loves a blind basket weaver and has a rival. An operation on the blind man's eyes restores his sight and she prefers to let her rival become his chosen one rather than have him see her deformity. There are some good scenes; but the picture is not what could be called strongly acted. It is clearly photographed and makes a commendable offering, not a big one. "A MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING" (Edison), August 25.— Two weaknesses keep this picture from having a "punch." The fact that it refuses to go the whole way and be simply an out-and-out melodrama with all the impossibilities of such keeps it from getting anywhere; it doesn't prove or rightfully end anything and so itself criticises the situation it chose. Then it is hardly probable that a bank clerk who looked as intelligent as Richard Tucker would lose ten thousand dollars in so inexcusable a way; it criticises nearly every character concerned in the plot. It is a very well staged offeiing and the chief players are all that could be desired. Bessie Learn has the romantic lead opposite to Richard Tucker. Robert Brower and William West play the friendly bank presidents. There is a bookkeeper in West's bank who deserves mention, but we don't know his name. May Abbey is a niece of President Brower and Benjamin Wilson is the minister. The script is by Dr. J. H. Landau and was produced by George Lessey. "WHEN GLASSES ARE NOT GLASSES" (Vitagraph). August 23.— A farce with a good joke that seems perfectly new and is very enjoyable. The author, W. A. Tremayne, has skillfully prepared his plot to make the most of his joke. Along the way, as it were, the players, especially Hughie Mack, have added bits of character comedy that the audience plainly found amusing. There was a good deal of laughter and the offering can safely be recommended. It was produced by Van Dyke Brooke. Josie Sadler plays the widow to Charles Brown's wooer. "HER WOODEN LEG" (Lubin), August 25.— In this picture a very slight plot gives the Lubin people of Producer Arthur Hotaling's Company a good chance to he entertaining in their delineation of farclal characters. Mae Hotely's asking on the street for "help in getting a wooden leg" amuses, because it has so plainly nothing to stand on. There is a good deal of fun in the offering that is not at all boisterous. There is, by the way, a corking chance for a good story of sentiment in the picture's idea. The script was written by Epes Winthrop Sargent. "ON THE DUMB WAITER" (Lubin), August 25.— A farce that entertained the audience very well. Robert Fisher plays a "boob" who goes in his night shirt to the dumb waiter for some groceries ordered by his wife (Eleanor Blanchard) and the door slams. He begs of his neighbor, a married woman (Peggie O'Neil), to let him craw! along her fire escape. He is seen by the woman's husband (Robert Drouet) and there is trouble v/hich has a comical ending. It was produced by Joseph Smiley. "THE CROOK AND THE GIRL" (Biograph), August 25.— The story told by this picture 13 unusually weak for a Biograph. In it the heiress falls in love with her new gardener and he a crook who has been payed by the villain to get employment at her house to steal a paper from her which will deprive her of her inheritance. Then the author didn't carefully guard our sympathies away from the villain of the story who, as the rich man's nephew, was counted heir until the girl came and, so it seems, supplanted him without good cause. The hiding of the will was not stron'?, nor was the snatching of the first will from the old man by the nephew in an early act. One can make a will as many times as one pleases. It is a well acted offering and has some beautifully lighted scenes and some good photography. Claire McDowell is the girl; Harry Carey, the crook; Lionel Barrymore, the nephew; Hector Dion, the butler, etc. "PATHE'S WEEKLY" August 25.— Seveial of the items this Monday are not so clear as could be desired. Of course, enough is shown to make the topical of great interest. "THE REFORMED OUTLAW" (Lubin), August 26.— Romaine Fielding generally produces from the shoulder; he uses situations that are sometimes as in this case not wholly new and puts them over freshly by the vigor of his handling. We enjoyed this picture and the audience seemed to like it; but it was helped by the poorness of what went before it. It is the old story of the girl and the outlaw, but there is a fresh way of doing things and of looking at things in it and a very acceptable note of sincerity that makes it entertaining. Mr. Fielding probably never sees anything mechanically. Mary Ryan, the girl, also has a habit of being brand new, Jose Robinson plays the outlaw. "THE ADVENTURES OF A WATCH" (Selig), August 26.— The story is really foolish. Careful production and playing can do little to save such a plot. "THEY WERE ON THEIR HONEYMOON" (Selig).— On the same leel is this picture with a decidedly far fetched situation for a comedy; but there is fun in it. Some of its scenes are amusing, taken by themselves, and being very clearly photographed are pretty. Mrs. Owen Bronson is the author and the producer is Charles France. Palmer Bowman and Alma Russell play a newly married couple who to win 'a bet take a strange way to enjoy their honeymoon. "A MISTAKE IN JUDGMENT" (Edison), August 26.— A very good picture by M, B. Havey of a young boy's background. It is a sincere story, full of human sympathy and with that understratum of humor that true insight nearly always gives. It is out of the ordinary run of pictures and appealed to us more than any offering in a long while. The boy is a natural youngster and his parents don't understand him very well, so he has a hard time of it until things get too rough for his sense of justice and he runs away for a day and has a good time in a boy's way. We hope to see other pictures by Mr. Havey — who very clearly is a human being. The picture has been sympathetically produced by Charles M. Seay. Yale Boss earned the lead effectively and naturally. Charles Sutton and Mrs. Williams play his parents. It is very well photographed. "A DOLL FOR THE BABY" (Vitagraph), August 26.— An Independent company made a picture sometime ago that resembled this closely and did it even more effectively. The main idea is the race of cow punchers through dangerous miles to get for a sick baby a doll which the doctor thinks will save her life. She is the idol of the ranch and had set her heart on the doll when she was taken sick. Many who have not seen the story will be entertained by it. There is some hard riding and an attack of hostile Indians who try to wipe out the punchers who are bringing the doll. It was produced by W. J. Bauman. "THE LOVE THEFT" (Essanay), August 26.— A good many people will like the story of this picture. It finds pathetic sentiment in the case of the old clerk (T. J. Commerford) who absentmindedly puts in his pocket a picture of "his little sweetheart," the very little girl (Eleanor Kahn) of his employer (Jules Ferrar). The frame is valuable and when it is missed the employer sets a detective (E. H. Calvert) on the search for it. Things would have been all right if a crook (Bryant Washburn) had not stolen it fiom his room. There are some good things in the character line in it. Jules Ferrar's role gave no great chance, but he has utilized what he had with perfect naturalness. Mr. Commerford's playing in the picture's chief role is very commendable; he stirs sympathy. A very fair offering. "THE HOSTAGE" (Patheplay), August 26.— An unusual picture witn true desert scenes and real Arabs, We have not the slightest doubt that it was taken in the actual Sahara and it perfectly 'suggests the nomadic life of the desert's peoples. The photography is clear and often beautiful. It is these lesser things rather than the story which is very fair, however, that make it a fine offering. The story is simple and might be true, but is not strongly dramatic. The leading man over-acted all through his business and this took the edge off the story's reality., Licensed Specials "BREAKING INTO THE BIG LEAGUE" (Kalem), August 20.— A review of this two-part picture will be found on page 620 in the issue of August g. "THE LINE-UP" (Vitagraph), August 16.— A fine two-reel special offering which is in truth a feature. The story is of college life and its hero is the captain of a football team. We find the villain in the captain of the rival team, and the climax comes at the end of a fiercely contested football game which is the most exciting game we have ever seen on the . screen. To see the picture is almost as good as to be a college man when the home football team wins. A tremendous crowd of spectators has been perfectly suggested. Their enthusiasm shows vividly the phases of the game and the changing of victory from the villain's to the hero's side. We cannot say that the story is wholly convincing, but is certainly effective, and the producer and players deserve high commendation. A very desirable offering, one to excite enthusiasm. "THE WATER RAT" (Selig), August 25. — A two-part special offering featuring the well-known detective, Locksley, who has appeared in other offerings of Selig make. Several noticeable weak moments keep the picture from making as a whole a very marked impression; but, in spite of all, the story holds the interest. The audience seemed to enjoy it and not the less in that they could make fun of and get laughter from the awkward diving into the river of the "water rat" and others. This touch of comedy was unintentional, but left no ill effect on the picture as entertainment. The "water rat" (William Stowell) is a desperate crook who lives in a "house of mystery" near a river and is a society man when off duty. His robbery of some valuable jewels gets the picture's hero (Thomas Carrigan) unjustly suspected and is the final cause of his undoing; for Locksley (Charles Clary), at the plea of the heroine (Adrienne Kroell), trails him down. Some very cleverly made scenes make the story impressive in places, and some of the waterside photography is perfect. It is a safe offering, not a great one. The author is Frederick Ingram and it was produced by Oscar Eagle.