Moving Picture World (Mar 1917)

1(»80 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD Stories of the Films l^lfflMIMMMItltllMIM VIM. WANTED— A BAD MAN.— The little town of liicksvillc is proud of their new uniformed police force, and a wire comes that a desperate criminal is at large and that a reward ol JSOO is offered for his capture, dead or alive, great excitement prevails at the central police station. Dud and Slim, the two new additions to the force, are determined that they will capture the bad man. Their search begins, but Miss Et'jel comes between them, and for a time they almost forget that it is their duty to capture, dead or alive, the terrible "Giant George." When the "Giant" comes leisurely walking before them with six-shooters drawn, our two brave policemen desert their duty and flee for safety. A riot call is sent in and the town police force Anally locate the bad man in his room. When they attempt to arrest him, however, he quietly takes away their revolvers and orders them from his room. Bud and Miss Ethel find a huge mallet, and when the bad man attempts to leave his room it falls from Bud's hands and the bad man falls in his tracks. Bud receives the reward, and peace and quiet once more reign supreme. KALEM. BULLS OR BULLETS? (Ham and Bud Comedy). — The story opens with Ham and Bud caught between two fires. On the one hand a band of threatening cowpunchers wave them out of their town, and straight ahead loom up two Mexican bullfighters. They put the champ bullthrower and the blue ribboned matador to flight, and then invest themselves in their holiday regalia. Proceeding across the desert, our valiants at last reach the Mexican settlement, where on the morrow there is to be held an exhibition of bull throwing. They are entertained like conquering heroes, and petted by the beautiful senorita for whose hand they shall contest as an added attraction. While all the nobility looks on in fiendish glee, the great horned bull is turned loose In the arena. After a false start or two, Ham Is about to ram his trusty blade home, when a voice coming from the bull pleads for mercy. After that the bull fight degenerates into a tango tea, with the bull doing the best tango of the three. And then — enter the dethroned bull fighters. Exit Ham and Bud. Ah, well, 'tis nice to serenade black eyed senoritas, but this matador stunt — 'tis not the life for our merry friends. THE PHANTOM MINE (An Episode of "The American Girl" Series — Two Parts). — The cast: Madge King (Marin Sais) : Roger King, her father (Prank Jonasson) ; Larry Kerwin (Edward Hearn) ; Jake Barstow (Ronald Bradbury). Written by Frederick R. Bechdolt. Directed by James W. Home. Jake Barstow returns to the West after a spree in New York and Chicago. He meets Chuck Peters and Piute Charley, two of his old cronies, and boastingly shows them clippings that relate the stories of his exploits in the metropolitan centers. Tapping his pocketbook significantly, Barstow says it's time to get some more of the easy money to be had thereabouts. On the day following his return, Barstow visits the San Remo ranch and endeavors to interest Roger King, its millionaire owner, in his Greenback mine. King instructs his youthful superintendent, Larry Kerwin, to visit the mine, and if it proves to be the bonanza that Barstow says it is, to pay him $10,000 for a half interest. Barstow figures that Larry will draw the money and carry it on his person. Shortly before the two are to meet, Larry is held up by two masked men in his hotel room. They get nothing ; the money is held in trust by the local bank, and instructions have been given not to pay it to Barstow except upon Larry's written order. Barstow and Larry start for the mine back in the hills. At a point where the trail divides, Larry takes out his knife, and, unobserved by Barstow, slits the oats sack carried by their pack burro. Proceeding to the secret mine, Barstow trusses Larry up and compels him to sign an order for the $10,000. Meanwhile King and his daughter, Madge, alarmed for Larry's safety, have secured a guide in the town and follow as fast as their horses can travel. The guide is Chuck, and he has had orders to prevent the Kings from reaching the mine. If necessary Piute Charley is to resort to extreme measures in assisting Chuck to carry out liarstow's orders. At the fork in the trail, Madge discovers the oats strewn along the ground in the opposite direction from that taken by t^eir guide. Following up this clue they reach the entrance to the mine, and are fired upon by Chuck and Piute Charley. Barstow also takes a hand in the game. After King has done for his confederates, Madge gets the drop on Barstow and disarms him. Barstow then boasts that they will never see Larry alive, because he has lighted a fuse leading to a box of explosives back in the mine. Madge rescues Larry not more than ten seconds before the whole country rocks with the force of the explosion. THE FATE OF JUAN GARCIA (An Episode of "The American Girl" Two Parts). — The cast: Madge King (Marin Sais) ; Roger King (Frank Jonasson) ; Larry Kerwin (Edward Hearn) ; Colonel Sarka (Ronald Bradbury) ; Juan Garcia (Edward Clisbee). " — we're just crazy for a picture of you riding one of those wild Western horses — ." So read Madge King to her father, the millionaire owner of the San Remo ranch, as she mentioned the name of her Eastern chum. "We'll have old Manship bring out his best cameras," smilingly replied her father. And so it came about that Madge, dressed in one of her smartest riding habits, was ready to be photographed with the ranch house for a background. Juan Garcia, one of the helpers, is instructed to bring Miss King's horse. He is about to comply, when he happens to glance down the road and see an old Mexican woman bearing a jar of water on her head fall in a faint. He helps her out to the road, where a rig is waiting screened from the view of those about the ranch house. Suddenly Garcia is confronted by an armed Mexican. A few seconds later a shot rings out, and when the Kings come to investigate they find a pistol, one chamber discharged, lying in the roadway, but not a trace of their ranch hand. Now Juan Garcia is in reality a revolutionary leader of importance in his own country, and his death is greatly desired by Colonel Sarka, a Slav, and the agent of a Continental clique with large Mexican mining interests. If Colonel Sarka can furnish indisputable proof that Juan Garcia will never lead another raid upon their mining camps they will reward him handsomely. At a point not far distant from the San Remo ranch, the photographer, who is returning to the village after obtaining the picture ' of Madge on her white horse, is held up by masked men and compelled to bring his cameras in Colonel Sarka's home. The following day Madge rides into the village to get her finished pictures. Having cut his finger the photographer hasn't developed the plates. Madge offers to do it for him. When she holds the developed plate up to the light she is startled to find thereon the face of a dead man. Then the photographer relates his holdup of the previous day; how he had taken a picture in Colonel Sarka's house blindfolded, and had evidently given the Colonel the plate of Madge by mistake. That afternoon. Colonel Sarka's spy holds up the Kings in their home, and makes a clean getaway with the negative plate that Madge had developed. Madge manages to find the trail, and enters Colonel Sarka's headquarters. She is made a prisoner and locked in a cupboard. Roger King and Larry, his superintendent, follow. Larry lets King go on alone, while he rides to the village to get the sheriff. King sets a signal fire going as soon as he discovers Madge's horse. He. too, is knocked out by the conspirators. When Larry and the sheriff arrive there is a battle royal before the Colonel's aides are subdued. Madge bursts out of her stuffy prison in time to wing the Colonel as he leaps off the porch roof with the telltale plate under his arm. The band is rounded up, and Madge returns home with her own picture. THE VEILED THUNDERBOLT (An Adventure of "Grant, Police Reporter"). — The cast; Grant (George Larkin) ; Marguerita Morales, a nurse (Ollie Kirkby) ; The "Snider" (Robert Ellis') ; "Doctor" Baldwin (Harry Gordon) ; Blanchard, a millionaire (Cyril Courtney) ; His Wife (Mary Taylor-Ross). Written bv Robert Welles Ritchie. Directed by Robert Ellis. Grant is sent out by his city editor to get a statement from Mrs. Blanchard. the widow of a stock operator. It has been intimated in the March 24, 1917 stories of the millionaire's sudden demise that his enemies cashed in heavily on short sales of stocks just a few hours before his death. One of the first things that Mrs. Blanchard shows Grant is her late husband's personal diary. It contains a reference to the "spider," and intimates that "if the 'Spider' is behind this, I'm done for." Grant insists that the widow accompany him to the private hospital where her husband's death occurred. He interviews the doctor and the nurse, but they attribute the broker's death to congestion caused by their patient taking a bath against orders. When the doctor leaves the room for a moment Grant, who has already formed his own theory, investigates. Beneath the bath tub where the stricken man had been found, he unearths some .electric light cord, a socket connection and a rubber glove. Later, when Grant returns to the hospital to investigate further he is denied admittance. He has Mrs. Blanchard telephone the detectives to come at once and burst in the door if necessary, while he starts up the side of the building in an effort to gain admittance through a trap in the roof. Meantime the bogus doctor and his equally bogus nurse have been frantically working to clear away the last vestige of incriminating evidence. They have even ripped out the wiring in the cellar, but they know that Grant must have the tell-tale wire and glove in his possession. Grant finally gains an entrance into the room where the tragedy had occurred, and is set upon by the doctor and an assistant. In the struggle the wire and glove fall from his pocket, and Marguerita, the "Spider's" trusted agent, uses it with telling effect upon the intrepid reporter. When the detectives burst into the room, Marguerita escapes by sliding down a rope ladder, but the "doctor" and his assistant are led away. Grant soon recovers from the shock administered to him, and is able to proceed to the Chronicle office and write his story. IN THE WEB OF THE SPIDER (An Episode of "Grant, Police Reporter"). — The cast: Grant (George Larkin) ; The Spider, master criminal (Robert Ellis) ; Margarita Morales (Ollie Kirkby) ; George Brule (Harry Gordon) ; Harry, his weak-kneed son (A. B. Foreman). George Brule, owner of the New York Chronicle, instructs Tom Grant, his star police reporter, to investigate a series of thefts of bonds reported by the president of the Mtrrimac Trust Co. Brule's son, Harry, is an employee in this bank. Grant is taken on as a clerk in the Merrimac's bond department, and notices that Harry Brule acts as though he had a load on his mind. Confident that his employer's son knows something about the thefts, Grant watches him with the aid of a pocket mirror. He sees him take some bonds, stuff them in an inner pocket and hurry out of the office. Grant follows. The trail leads to a flashy restaurant. Brule is evidently in the toils of a dark haired demi-monde. He sends her to the telephone. As they leave the restaurant in a taxi, Grant follows in another one. Entering a mean looking alleyway, Grant sees that the girl has blindfolded young Brule. Be • fore he has gone more than a few paces into this entrance court, Grant is engaged by two burly negroes who fight so viciously that the pair he is trailing have disappeared when he is again free. Inside the shabby looking house Brule comes face to face with the Spider, a master criminal, and the man who is swinging the stock, deals that are to make everybody rich. Brule turns over his bonds to the Spider to be used as collateral for additional speculating. Grant, by a series of almost impossible roof climbing, gains entrance to the Spider's quarters. The birds have flown. But he has the proofs, and they involve a well-known bucket shop proprietor who undoubtedly has all the stolen bonds. After a spectacular exit out of the Spider's retreat by means of the gutter pipes. Grant confronts this broker and obtains the bonds. It is now his painful duty to report to his employer that his own son has been the indiscreet thief. The story is hushed up and young Brule promises his father to make what amends he can for his wrongdoing. THE REGISTERED POUCH (An Episode or "A Daughter of Daring"). — The cast: Helen (Helen Gibson); Kinney (G. A. Williams): Jimmy (Marion Emmons) ; Jose, a track hand (George Routh). Written by Edward W. Matlack. Directed by Walter Morton. Kinney, the old section boss, is delighted when Helen agrees to take his boy, Jimmie, In hand and teach him telegraphy. The boy proves an apt pupil and soon masters the code, but is heart-broken when the Chief says he is too young to take a regular shift. Jimmf swallows his sorrow and helps Helen and the lineman construct a "loop" over to her house, and often remains in the station while she slips home for her meals. Jose, a Mexican track hand, reports for section work much the worse for liquor. Kinney