The Moving picture world (March 1923-April 1923)

346 MOVING PICTURE WORLD March 17, 1923 not appear to be as strong as other recent Ince productions. Lloyd Hughes gives a good performance as the Cajan boy and Frank Keenan is excellent as the father. Marguerite De La Motte, with very limited opportunities, fulfills all the demands of the role of the girl and Edward Burns is satisfactory in th€ thankless role of the son. The remainder of the cast are entirely satisfactory. Oast Colonel Newland Prank Keenan Jeff Newland Edward Bumii Coddy Jakes Lloyd Hnghe» Helen Meanix Marguerite de la Motte Colonel Meanix . James Nell Pere Jakes Walter Lynch Zeke Jakes James Mason Mandy Mattie Peters Mose Georgre Read Story by Anthony H. Rndd. Directed by Lambert Hillyer. Supervised by Thomas H. Ince. Lensih, 8,246 feet. Story Col. Newland disowns his son because of his dissolute habits and adopts in his place an ignorant mountain boy of a class known as Cajans who are descendants of noble refugees from France. The boy's intellect develops rapidly. He saves the life of a friend of the family, Helen, when her horse runs away. Learning the truth about the Colonel's son, Jeff, the Cajan boy Coddy kidnaps Jeff, takes him to the mountains and by heroic treatment makes a man of him, and they become friends. Coddy is accused of killing a revenue officer and jailed. Jeff becomes reconciled with his father and they bring a party to rescue Coddy who is about to be lynched. In the meantime, Coddy's people have set fire to the forests to try to burn up the town, and he has been rescued by Helen, who declares her love for him. Together they are overcome by the flames, but when found by the rescuing party it is discovered they will both live. "The Famous Mrs. Fair" Stirring and Vivid Drama of Real Life That Has Tremendous Box Office Power Reviewed by C. S. SevreO Vital, vivid and forceful is "The Famous Mrs. Fair," a Fred Niblo production, presented by Louis B. Mayer through Metro, which is based on a successful play by James Forbes. It is a picture that goes right into the home and in a fascinating manner tells an absorbing story of a very plausible domestic situation. Built on the theme of what happened to a typical family due to the absence of the mother for a long period when her husband, son and daughter were left to themselves, Mr. Niblo has developed the theme with such force and sound logic that the picture rivets your attention throughout its entire length. Of the same general type as another recent Mayer production, "The Dangerous Age," which, however, was the work of a different director, it bids fair to duplicate the unusual success which the former picture is now enjoying, and to build up a wonderful box office record. The story has been unfolded with such force that simply through its intense human interest, and the extreme naturalness of the characters who talk and act like real people, you feel that you are almost spying on the innermost home life of an actual household for in its realism it points out the weak as well as the strong points in each character. And to this strong audience appeal has been added a stirring if somewhat melodramatic climax in which, after an exciting race between an auto and a train, the brother succeeds in rescuing his sister, who through ignorance is being led into a compromising situation. This climax is fast and forceful; it does not follow stereotyped lines, but has some unexpected twists which strongly enhance the interest and appeal. Right along with the exceptionally fine direction of Mr. Niblo, which is evident throughout the production, should be mentioned the truly excellent work of the entire cast. Everyone gives a performance that it would seem could hardly be improved upon. Myrtle Stedman is wonderful in the title role, exhibiting deep sympathy and feeling. Huntley Gordon is fine as the husband and father and the same is true of Cullen Landis as the son, while Marguerite de la Motte as the daughter, a character which runs from the unspoiled simplicity of girlhood to the ultra-sophisticated veneer adopted bj' the flappiest kind of a flapper, is thoroughly convincing throughout; in fact, it is easily the finest thing that this talented young lady has done in her very active screen career. Don't hesitate to book this picture, for it should immensely please any type of audience and echo in your box office. Cast Mrs. Fair Myrtle Stedman Jeffrey Fair Huntley Gordon Sylvia Fair Margruerlte de la Motte .\lan Fair Cnllen Landis Dudley Gillette Ward Crane Angy Brice Camiel Myers Pegrgy Helen Ferguson Based on play by James Forbes. .Vdnpted by Frances Marion. Directed by Fred Niblo Photographed by Charles Van Enger. Length, 7,000 feet. Story During the world war, Mrs. Fair goes to Prance as a nurse and is decorated for bravery. Returning home she finds herself famous. An extended lecture tour is offered her, but her husband forbids her to accept it. 'She resents his attitude and accepts anyway. After she leaves, the process of settling down to humdrum existence without her seems unbearable and the whole family move to a hotel in the city. Feeling her absence every minute, her husband falls easy prey to the fascination of a vamp; her son, who is just reaching manhood, also starts out to find congenial amusement. This leaves the daughter, Sylvia, alone most of the time. So she, too, welcomes the attentions of a scheming young man and seeks to drown her loneliness in a continual round of hectic gayety. Mrs. Fair's sudden return home brings matters to a crisis in which Sylvia elopes, but is saved from disgrace just in time by her brother, who has himself just married a telephone operator. Learning of her husband's affair, she threatens to divorce him, but the greater peril to her daughter brings her to the realization that it was her neglect of her family that started It all. and everything ends satisfactorily with the family reunited. "The Love Nest" (First National — Comedy — Two Reels) In this comedy sad-faced Buster Keaton is shown meeting with all sorts of ludicrous adventures on the high seas. It is one of the very finest of his recent pictures and should please audiences everywhere. It is chock full of humorous incidents and quite a large portion is in the nature of a burlesque of "virile sea stories." Buster's experiences aboard the whaling ship are screamingly funny as well as unusual and are executed with the many unique touches for which he is well known. Laughable also are his experiences aboard a deep-sea target which is being shelled by a squadron of warships. There is an excellent "climax," where it is shown that Buster's wonderful trip was all a dream and his motor boat has never been untied from the dock. — C. S. S. Negotiations Off on Uniform Contract (Continued from pase 309) nontheatrical centers are using drama films supplied by the members of your organization, and this competition with Theatre Owners by Institutions paying no taxes and in many cases no government charges, has become very injurious to the thieatre owner. Some of the buildings in which these nontheatrical presentations are made are not equipped with safety devices to protect the public, nor were these places built or equipped with that same consideration for public safety, as applies to the theatres. The menace of unfair producer-owned, controlled and operated theatres has been increased by the activities of some of the members of your organization, and there has been and is at work within our Industry a subtle and dangerous effort to throttle the independent Producer and Theatre Owner by every possible means to serve the ends of unrestricted and centralized control. Despite assurances to our Organization and an agreement In writing by a member of your organization regarding the extension of their theatre holdings and agreeing that this practice should be discontinued and that theatres already thus acquired would be disposed of to Independent Theatre Owners, they have ruthlessly violated their covenants and agreements with our Organization and have steadily gone on acquiring theatres since you have been connected with them In an executive capacity and, as we believe, with your knowledge and consent. 'With their control of the film they produce aniJ distribute to theatres they own or control, and the constant extension of their theatre holdings, they make the position of the Independent Producer and independent TheatreOwner more precarious. For the many reasons indicated here anff because of further objections to the contract form you Issued, made by Theatre Owners in New York City, New York State and throughout the Country, further conferences with you at this time cannot be productiveof constructive results for our Industry. These objections emphasize the fact that your contract form offers no protection tothe Theatre Owners with regard to the deposit and advance rental money exacte<} from them by members of your Organization. Now the painful fact confrontsTheatre Owners that one Producer-Distributor member of your organization has had a petition in bankruptcy recently filed against him and that thousands of dollars of Theatr* Owners' money, exacted by him as deposits and advance payments on film, may be lost. This Producer-Distributor sat at the conference table with you and when we asked t<y have this deposit money of Theatre Owners safeguarded by law or an agreed trusteeship, you and those associated with you not only refused to do this but insisted that you must retain the right to combat all state^ laws designed for that purpose and would not agree to any proposal to safeguard theatre owners' money In this connection. We knew then, and your close association with this since near-bankrupt memberof your Organization enabled you to know then, that he was tottering close to failure. We wanted to safeguard the Theatre Owners' deposits thus imperilled. Under the circumstances there is nothing^ left for me to do now other than to advisA' all our members of the history of our negotiations and of the status of the same, warning them of the dangers of the contract which your employers now propose to use. We expect to demonstrate shortly that there are some Producers and Distributors within the Industry independent of your organization who are sufficiently farsighted to realize that this business cannot be benefited by a continued disregard of the principles of right or wrong, of fair or unfair dealing with the Theatre Owners, and that th<!y owe to our public and to our Industry a cod» of practice and a standard as fair and honorable as that used In any other business. For the present at least, the futility of any additional conferences must be apparent even to you. We thus leave the matter now with confidence that the future will demonstrate the folly of your unfair position an* that of your associates. We are determined to protect the interests of the Theatre Owners and are unwilling to be drawn intoany agreements which do not represent absolute fair play and a square deal for all. Sincerely yours, MOTION PICTURE THEATRE OWNERS OF AMERICA (Signed) SYDNEY S. COHEN, PresldenC