The Moving picture world (April 1920-May 1920)

May 8, 1920 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 861 of Two Milliners Who Fall Heir to a Kortune. Romantic Drama of Great Appeal — A Delightful Picturlzation of a Pleasing Story. "The Miracle of Money" — It Sure Does Prove a Miracle to Two Milliners Who After Working Hard for Many Years Finally Enjoy Life After Inheriting a Fortune. Exploitation Angles: Offer this as the novelty, the romance of two women each over forty. Sell on the story, but add that It is given excellent playing at the hands of the cast. Play up the ensemble effect as strongly as you would a star and tell that It Is pure entertainment and not merely a starring vehicle. "Terror Island" Paramount Presents Houdini in Sensational Melodrama by Arthur B. Reeves and John W. Grey. Reviewed by Louis Reeves Harrison. TERROR ISLAND" is too well constructed as a story to be classed as a vehicle, but it suits the peculiar qualifications of Houdini as if it was made expressly for him. The authors have done their part with skill and good taste. A vast amount of capable effort has been made by the director to give the voyage to a treasure island the force and charm of realism. The settings are ingenious and admirable. The large ensembles are handled in masterly fashion. Throughout the entire story there is so much to admire and commend in the way of good workmanship that it seems a pity that it is marred in any particular. It starts ofT with zip, and it is carried on with enthusiasm, but Houdini is too intent on exploiting his tricks to realze that, even in sensational melodrama, it is dangerous to grossly falsify the admitted facts of nature. When a young lady is crowded in to a safe that barely admits her being inside, locked in and the combination unknown, then thrown over a high precipice into the deep sea, no imagination is elastic enough to conceive of her rescue. When Houdini enters a submarine tank, emerges from the submarine below water and swims to the exact spot where the safe rests on bottom, experiments with the combination awhile, opens the safe, swims back with the lady under water, enters the submarine tank, and then emerges into the boat — whewl The spectator may concede much, but, for the sake of good entertainment, the unplausible, the impossible, should not be thrust down his throat. The faults of "Terror Island" are those of Houdini alone. He is, nevertheless, a good actor when fairly reasonable. Lila Lee does her best screen work in his support, and the entire product has so much that is really entertaining that it must be valued as good in the summing up. Cast. Harry Harper Houdini Starkey Jack Brammall Beverly West Lila Lee Stella Mordaunt Rosemary Theby Job Mordaunt Wilton Taylor Guy Mordaunt Eugene Pallette Captain Black Edward Brady Chief Bakaida Frank Bonner First Officer Murphy ..Capt. Ted E. Duncan Mr. West Fred Turner Story by Arthur B. Reeve and John W. Grey. Directed by James Cruze. Length, 5.813 feet. Tlie Story. Harry Harper had invented and constructed a submarine with a submerged tank device for salvaging the cargoes of sunken ships when he first heard of "Terror Island." His Information came from a bright young girl, Beverly West, ward of Job Mordaunt. She communicates that her father is held captive on Terror Island in the South Seas and threatened with death by the natives. She shows Harper a letter from her father explaining his situation and describing the location of a wrecked ship on which were valuable consignments of daimonds and jewelry. His life will be spared if his daughter brings the natives a sacred pearl, in her possession. Harper makes ready to undertake the rescue on his submarine. Mordaunt makes one desperate attempt after another to thwart this plan, and obtain the sacred pearl. He finally succeeds in carrying Beverly and the pearl away in a vessel he has outfitted for the same voyage. Beverly is sewn up in a sack and thrown overboard, but Harper is close behind with his submarine, and he rescues the girl by swimming out from his submerged tank. There are many thrilling adventures on the island when the two vessels arrive, but Harper is finally captured and returns to his boat in time to see the natives thrust Beverly into an iron safe they have taken from the wreck and thrown from a cliff into the sea. He goes out from his submerged tank without diving costume and rescues her from the safe. He returns and fights a man in diving suit for the box of jewels. By his bravery and ingenuity he rescues the father of Beverly, and all sail for home in a state of happiness. Progrrnin and Kxploitation Catciillnes: Smashing Melodrama Full of Love— Thrills and Adventure with the Well-known Houdini. Houdini in "Terror Island" — See Him Escape from a Nailed Box Under the Water — Hand to Hand Battle with Pirate Diver Under the Waves — Tremendous Encounter for Love and Gold in the Submarine — And Many Other Thrilling Scenes. A Dashing, Crashing Melodrama with Houdini— Thrill After Thrill — Battle After Battle — No End to the Intense Action in This Stirring Play. Exploitation i^n>;Ies: Play on Houdini for your appeal. There is a good story, well played, to back up his stunts, but the stunts will sell most of the tickets; so play up the stunts, listing the most spectacular, such as the underwater rescue and the escape from the native noose. For a novelty angle try "The only actor who ever got into the dictionary." "A Nurse Among the Teepees" Public Health Film Produced by Carlyle Ellis Gives Arapahoe Indians First Screen Introduction. Reviewed by Margaret I. MacDonald. A PLEASING and valuable piece of work has been done by James Goebel under the direction of Carlyle Ellis in filming scenes among the Arapahoe Indians on the Windy River reservation in Wyoming. The picture, "A Nurse Among the Teepees," is primarily intended to emphasize the necessity for, and the efficiency of the public health nurse who, from the log cabin in which she makes her headquarters, deals out consolation and practical aid to the Indians. Their children, many of whom are afflicted with a distressing eye disease, are treated by the public health nurse, and under her care the race is found to be increasing instead of decreasing in numbers. The fact that it was forty degrees below zero when the picture was taken made it very difficult for the photographer, Mr. Goebel, to get the scenes with any degree of comfort. He also states that he had considerable trouble to persuade some of the Indians to pose for the camera. The truth of this was evidenced as the women hid their faces behind the babies which they carry in their arms. As the picture progressed, however, they took courage, and finally consented to "smile for the lady." The types shown in the picture, from very young men and women to the squaw and genuine warrior brave, are unusually interesting. One of the notable features of these scenes is the blending of ancient and modern customs. For instance, an Indian wearing the clothes of the modern man is not averse to the use of the blanket, as of old. This is the first time that the Arapahoes have been filmed; and it is perhaps fortunate that the pictures were taken in the dead of winter, with the snowcovered Rockies in the distance as a background. The "snow stuff" in this picture is delightful, and the production is one that will fit well into the theatre program. "Edgar's Hamlet" Second of Booth Tarkington's "Edgar* Stories Produced by Goldwyn Is Replete with Lively Comedy. Reviewed by Margaret I. MacDonald. THE second of the Goldwyn two-reel comedies based on Booth Tarkington's "Adventures and Emotions of Edgar Pomeroy," is a delightful example of juvenile comedy. It serves the purpose of entertainment for the adult audience as well for children, and is well made. The youthful players do credit to the director by the perfectly natural manner in which they portray the different characters of the story; and the person who fails to derive genuine pleasure from viewing this picture, is indeed hard to please. As the story runs Edgar decides that the next Saturday's entertainment shall be a Shakespeare day. With this in view he gets his cast together and, accompanied by a book of Charles Lamb's "Tales of Shakespeare," he proceeds to put on the show. His littL sweetheart, who refuses to play the part of Ophelia, turns out to be "the fly in the ointment." She discovers that the boys have stolen their mothers' best clothes and threatens them with disclosure of the fact, all of which leads to her getting a free ticket to the show, and a treat of ice cream and fruit sundaes which leaves the treasury bankrupt. Finally the time comes when, after the show is over and Ophelia has attempted to drown herself in an improvised lake, with "mother's" best dress and hat on, there is a sad reckoning for Edgar and his best friend. Not only does he suffer the pains of punishment, but he is also blac<-listed by the parents of his pal, who is told that he must not play with Edgar for a month. Goldwyn-Bray Pictograph Features of Recent Issue Shows Activities of Travelers' Aid Society and Childe Hassam at Work. Reviewed by Margaret I. MacDonald. THE latest issue of the Goldwyn-Bray Pictograph covers one of the most important welfare movements at work in our country. This is the Travelers' Aid Society, whose activities shown in this issue of the Pictograph bring before us the necessity for lending a hand to strangers landing at our gates, or unsophisticated persons trying to get from one point to another in their own country. This number of the series shows a fainily from Italy, en route to Texas, being met by an agent of the society, placed in a taxi with fare prepaid to avoid grafting of taxi drivers at the other end, and headed for the train which is to convey them across country to a father waiting on his little farm in Texas. Another illustration of helpfulness shows the arrival of a war bride, whose fiance is unable to get leave to meet her at the time of the arrival of the boat. She is met by an agent of the Traveler's Aid Society and conveyed to headquarters, where the young man comes later, and the marriage ceremony duly performed, the young couple are started on their way in a happy frame of mind. Another interesting subject of the Pictograph shows the well-known artist, Childe Hassam, at work in his studio. His method of preparing etchings is one of the attractions of the picture. An "Out of the Ink Well" number shows the cartoonist overwhelmed with work, too busy to complete the cartoon. So he sends a drawing of "Dave," the clown, to the operator; and Dave takes a hand, directs the picture, and provides some interesting cornedy scenes for the audience, after which he dives into the ink well, pulling the cork in behind him.