The Moving picture world (April 1920-May 1920)

May 1, 1920 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 727 He Is suddenly called to military service and bidding good-bye to his sweetheart he promises to return to her as soon as he is mustered out. He is assigned to military police duty In a town where "Carmen," a bewitching young cigarette maker, lives and lures. She gets Into a dispute with one of the factory girls and, in a burst of fury, injures her wltlx a pair of scissors. Joseph is summoned to arrest her. He succeeds in resisting her coquetlsh glances to the extent of handcuflSng her and putting her in prison. She persists, however, in exerting her wiles until he, madly infatuated, consents to setting her free. For this act he is disgraced, imprisoned and finally dishonorably discharged. Carmen has hastened to the smugglers' headquarters and here he traces her. In the meantime Mary is growing anxious, not having heard from him for weeks. She decides to start out in search of him. Carmen's charm has proved too strong for Joseph to resist. He has forgotten honor and duty because of her. One night as he Is jealously watching her flirtations with the military police whom she is detaining so that the smugglers can get over the border. Mary comes to him. But he refuses to return with her. Carmen's affection for him Is very fleeting. She soon gives him up for DalbonI, a popular opera singer whom she meets In a cafe. She is married to him. Joseph, broken down and disheartened, comes to the theatre where Dalboni is singing. He flnds Carmen, pleads with her and when she laughs at him, he attempts to kill her. For this he Is Imprisoned for two years. Mary makes up her mind to forgive him and upon being released he faces a happier future. Program and Exploitation Catchlines: Home, Mother and Sweetheart Were Forgotten in His Mad Infatuation for "Carmen of the North." And then Retribution Came. See How He Nearly Brought About His Own Destruction. "Carmen of the North" was as Treacherous as She was Attractive. She Could Hate as Well as l.<ove. A New Vampire Makes Her Appearance on the American Screen. Anna Bos, Beautiful, Bewitching, Versatile. Exploitation Anglesi Exploit the new star. This is the most unusual feature of the production. The love interest Is the strongest element of the plot. "The Gift Supreme" Bernard Durning and Seena Owen Are Featured in Stirring Drama Made by Macauley Photoplays, Inc. Reviewed by Margaret I. MacDonald. IT is safe to say that the Inter-Ocean Film Corporation has a good bet in the foreign rights of "The Gift Supreme," a six-reel production made by C. R. Macauley Photoplays, Inc., and distributed in this country by Repulslic. The picture has been carefully directed. The story, adapted from the original by George Allan England, is interpreted by a cast of well-known and capable players. One of the attractive points about the picture is the interesting characterization, which includes many different types. The accidental meeting of the principals, and the unhappy events which help to roughen the path of true love, provide plenty of color and suspense. The fight in the restaurant which leads to the final rounding up of the villain in the dope-selling scheme, is one of the most spirited punches of the picture. Scenes depicting the struggle with a victim of dope, who has been shut in a room and deprived of the drug for several hours, could be cut to advantage. Bernard Durning plays the role of the lover, Bradford Chandler Vinton effectively. Seena Owen, although always an attractive figure, gives rather a colorless interpretation of the role of Sylvia Alden Lon Chaney and Tully Marshal play up to the standard of former triumphs. The production promises well for the box office. Cast. Bradford Chandler Vinton. .Bernard Durning Eliot Vinton Melbourne McDowell Martha Vinton Eugene Besserer Sylvia Alden Seena Owen Irving Stagg Tully Marshall Merney Stagg Lon Chaney Rev. Ebenezer Crowley Boggs, ..Jack Curtis Dopey Dan .Dick Morris Mrs. Wesson Anna Dodge Lalla Graun Claire McDowell Story by George Allan England. Direction by OlUe L. Sellers. Length — Six Reels. The Story. In "The Gift Supreme," the chief characters are a young woman, Sylvia Alden who, since her father's death, has striven to pay money which Is being extracted from her illicitly by Eliot Vinton, a man who swindled her father, and Bradford Chandler Vinton, the son of Eliot Vinton. Sylvia, while engaged in mission work In the slums, meets young Vinton by accident. In the course of events they become engaged, without knowing the former unhappy associations of their parents. When Bradford's parents learn that he is about to marry a mission singer, they are horrified, and the elder Vinton resorts to unscrupulous measures in an effort to separate them. A crook investigator Is employed, who obtains the signatures of a couple of loose women on a report of Sylvia's character, which states that she had lived at a huse of ill-fame, and that she has a young son. In the meantime Bradford, disgusted with his father's actions, has opened a restaurant in the slums. Here the investigating gang also find their way. The outcome of the affair is that In a struggle with one of the gang Bradford is wounded and taken to the hospital, where Sylvia Is in training. His father and mother are sent for. On their arrival they find that their son's life has been saved by the sacrifice of the girl in giving her blood for transfusion purposes. Program and Kxploltation CatehlLnes: Stirring Love Story with Seena Owen. What Is "The Gift Supreme?" — See This Appealing Melodrama for the Answer. See the Tremendous Battle in the Restaurant Where the Villain Is Taken In Hand^Where His Dope Scheming Practice Is Brought to an End — This Is Just part of a Gripping Love Story. Exploitation Angles: Offer this as a melodrama, playing on the well chosen cast for appeal. Use lithographs and stills for your advertising punch. "Dollar for Dollar" Frank Keenan Featured in New Five-Reel Pathe Release of Dramatic Strength. Reviewed by Robert C. McElravy. THE Frank Keenan subjects usually probe a little deeper into life than most features, and this Pathe release, in five reels, entitled "Dollar for Dollar," is in line with former successes. It tells a tragic and generally pathetic story of the "under side of things," softened at the close by brighter scenes. Ethel Watts Mumford, author of the original story, has taken as her theme the sad variation between human ideals and human practice, a condition which is only too true to everyday life, as any one of vision must admit. It requires a greater effort to be good than to be bad, for the reason that the human tribe loves each other for its weaknesses rather than its strength. So in this story we have three distinct and well imagined characters — Marcus Gard, a milionaire who has made his money both by hook and by crook; Mrs. Marteen, a society blackmailer, and Victor Mordant, a wealthy bigamist. Not a very pleasant assortment of characters, on the face of it, but each made human and understandable by thei." protagonists — Mr. Keenan, Kathleen Kirkham and Harry Van Meter. Gertrude Claire also does a strong piece of work as Mrs. Mordant. The development of the plot is skilful and dramatic. The photographic effects are clear and there are some attractive outdoor camping scenes of timely appeal. The subject is a strong one of its kind. Cast. Marcus Gard Frank Keenan Mrs. Marteen Kathleen Kirkham Dorothy Marteen Kate Van Buren Victor Mordant Harry Van Meter Teddy Mordant Jay Belasco Mrs. Mordant Gertrude Claire Lewis Denning Larry Steers Thomas Brencherly Harry Kendall Story by Ethel Watts Mumford. Directed by Frank Keenan. Length, Five Reels. The Story. Marcus Gard, in "Dollar for Dollar," is a millionaire who has made his wealth by shady methods. He is at heart a good fellow, but has succumbed to the tricky practices of certain forms of "big business." His rival Is Victor Mordant, who also has made much money In Wall Street. Mordant, as Gard discovers, is a bigamist, having an insane wife Incarcerated in a private sanitarium. Mordnt's son, Teddy, is by his second wife and therefore illegitimate. Marcus Gard is fond of Teddy, in spite of his hatred of the father, and takes an Interest in the young man's affection for Dorothy Marteen, a pretty young society girl. Gard suffers a shock when Dorothy's mother calls at his apartments by appointment and victimizes him in a blackmailing scheme. Mrs. Marteen explains, by way of palliating her method of acquiring a living, that Gard was the cause of her husband's business ruin and death. Gard is forced to see the truth of this and instead of hating Mrs. Marteen he feels sorry for her. The climax of the story is reached when Victor Mordant Is mysteriously killed. Gard suspects Mrs. Marteen of the crime, since she also hates Mordant, but it develops that the dead man's insane wife did the deed. Two love matches follow the tragic death of Mordant. Program and Exploitation Catchllnes: Marcus Gard Is a Millionaire Who Made Millions by Shady Methods — He Has a Rival In Victor Mordant— The Latter Is Found Murdered — Who Did It? See This Dramatic Production — It Reveals the Murderer. Frank Keenan Starred In Story of Unusual Dramatic Strength Telling of the Sad Variation Between Human Ideals and Human Practice. Pathetic Story of Human Appeal, with Frank Keenan in the Role of a Millionaire Who Has Made His Fortune by Anything but Fair Methods. Kxploitatlon Angles: Play up Keenan and. appeal to his rapidly growing circle of followers. Offer the story as "An interesting study of big business and little parasites" and do detail advertising on some of the angles, notably the characters of the three chief figures In the play. The title offers good opportunity for a hook-up page or windows. "The Toll Gate" Paramount Presents William S. Hart in a Strong Impersonation, in a Dramatic Story. Reviewed by Louis Reeves Harrison. THE TOLL GATE" is a piece of screen artistry. It displays William S. Hart's personality to advantage. It holds interest on story merit alone. Its conclusion is satisfactory instead of being a sacrifice to the conventional ending. Well linked continuity and skill of direction cause it to run smoothly. There is sincerity and good taste shown in the selection of backgrounds. It is the story of an outlaw without an attempt to gloss over his character. To the contrary, while it shows his better traits in sympathetic moments, it does not avoid the truth as to his bitter vindictiveness and small store of scruple. In other words, it is consistent from beginning to end. There are some highly sensational incidents in the story, but they are not faked and are within reason. Hart is supposed to be at home in the role of an outlaw, but his skill of portrayal is far from being merely a question of type. He represents the combined daring