The Moving picture world (January 1926-February 1926)

January 2, 1926 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 51 mwlM See What Santa Claus Brought ! "The Feud" (Fox — Comedy — Two Reels) EVERYONE of the Van Bibber comedies produced by William Fox have been laugh-getters and "The Feud" is one of the very best of the lot. In addition to having all of the characteristics of the others, it has the advantage not only of an American locale for the action but it is also a clever and highly amusing burlesque of a popular type of motion picture plot, the Kentucky feud. This time. Van is shown touring Kentucky in an auto and before he knows it he has bought an estate and the feud that goes with it. By a succession of typical Van Bibber lucky happenings he discovers a hidden treasure and single-handed overcomes and captures the rival band of feudists. There are a lot of highly amusing situations that will keep you chuckling and two absolutely new gags that are "whizzes." A deaf man asks Van the price of his car as the auctioneer is selling the estate and Van shouts $6,000 which is accepted as a bid then the deaf man asks the price of the most expensive car. When Van shouts $15,000 the house is knocked down to him. Later Van locates the treasure from a map that ends with the instructions to grasp your right thumb forcibly with your left hand and let go suddenly. In doing this his elbow hits the spring of a secret panel in the wall. These two scenes are genuinely funny and should convulse any audience as the laughs are spontaneous and unexpected. — C. S. Sewcll. "Marvels of Motion" (Red Seal— Novelty— One Reel) AS with the previous numbers of "Marvels of Motion" Issue "C" takes several subjects which are presented in normal, slow, reversed and stop motion and trick photography combined. The result is interesting and to the uninitiated baffling. The well selected subjects include shots of tennis champions such as Johnson, Tilden, Helen Wills, Alonzo, Patterson, etc.; a dancing team; roping and broncho riding at a rodeo; Ranger, a remarkable jumping horse, bulldogging and a midget trying to ride a burro. — C. 5-. Sezvell "The Call of Hazard" (Universal — Western — Two Reels) BUILT along familiar "western" lines this Mustang brand two-reeler featuring Fred Humes develops an average amount of entertainment value by its smooth direction, hard riding and snappy fighting. The hero appears as a cowboy who comes to the defense of the daughter of a traveling patent medicine man when she is attacked by a gambler who has cheated her father. Fred secures evidence that the gambler used marked cards and as a result of a fight following an auto chase in which he follows the villain on horseback and takes a short cut he proves by a scar on the man's shoulder that he is a criminal. Fred wins the reward and the girl.— C. 6". Sewell. MiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiH^ Here They Are ! Call of Hazard, The — Universal. Feud, The — Fox. Going Good — Universal. Gosh Darn Mortgage, The — Pathe. Live Cowards — Educational. Marvels of Motion — Red Seal. Pathe Review No. 1 — Pathc. Salty Sap, A — Educational. Prep School — Universal. iii{ii{iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii:;iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiifiiiiiiiiiiiii» "The Gosh Darn Mortgage" (Pathe — Comedy — Two Reels) THIS is a really funny travesty on the favorite melodrama of the stage and screen, replete with typical Mack Sennett gags and atmosphere. The cast includes Thelma Parr, Peggy O'Neill, Douglas Gerrard, Edna Tichenor, Charles Farrell and William McCall. Eddie Cline directed. The stranger from the city starts the trouble. One innocent country maiden is ignored, another is wooed. The father of the unlucky girl, who already has a perfectly §ood sweetheart, favors the city chap to save the old home. The unwilling bride puts the veil on the willing bride. Then it passes back and forth several times until the city chap and the favored lover aren't quite sure which girl is which. Of course true love triumphs in the end. There are some good chase scenes and the players are excellent in their roles. — Sumiicr Smith. "Going Good" (Universal — Comedy — Two Reels) AVERY familiar slapstick formula has been followed in this Century comedy starring Wanda Wiley, that of the inventor who is harassed by foreign spies who use bombs and other dastardly schemes to gain control of his invention. Wanda first appears as a girl in overalls scrubbing an auto which runs away and happens to be passing when the inventor, to elude the spies jumps from a skyscraper window and lands on the car. There is a chase and an explosion in which each finds themselves in the other's clothes and finally they land in a house where the furniture is all covered with sheets. Figures keep jumping out and stealing the "paper" but finally the inventor wins and proposes to Wanda. There is nothing new in this comedy but it may prove amusing to the dyed-in-the-wool slapstick fans. It is neither as snappy or amusing for the majority as several of Miss Wiley's recent offerings.— C. S. Sewell. "A Sahy Sap" (Educaational — Comedy — Two Reels) BILLY DOOLEY scores in this Christie Comedy of a sailor, the butt of all jokes, who comes ashore to collect an inheritance bequeathed to the sappiest member of a family. It is up to him to qualify and this he does by simply acting natural. The evidence is conclusive, particularly when he sets fire to the house and then drowns it in a flood of water from a bath tub faucet he forgot to shut off. Most of the scenes revolve aroun^ Dooley while acting natural and other members of the family trying to act nutty. They should cause screams of merriment. Dooley in his make-up looks the part of a perfect fool, so much so that he doesn't have to do much to get the laughs. This subject, however, gives him some good gags and the result is good entertainment. Incidentally, Jack Puffy has a fine part. — Sumner .Smith. "Live Cowards" (Educational — Comedy — Two Reels) AL ST. JOHN is the chief player in this Mermaid Comedy. Others in the cast are Otto Fries, Virginia Vance, Eva Thatcher, Jack Lloyd and Phil Dunham. The subject follows conventional comedy lines in telling the sad story of newlyweds entertaining their in-laws, with scenes of lions and leopards rampaging tlie house for a finale. It would be good stuff if it had not been done so often. The actors are capable, the stunts are funny and the action moves with a zip, thanks to the direction of Stephen Roberts and the supervision of Jack White. — Sumner Smith. "Pathe Review No, 1" (Pathe — Magazine — One Reel) THE CHIEF feature of this first issue of the 1926 series is a section of Annette Kellcrmann as a diver before the Knechtel "process camera." It is her second appearance in the Pathe Review and it is much more effective than the first, though that was striking and beautiful. Audiences ought to eat up this issue. Minting the coins of the French Republic is shown under the name of "How to Make Money." Time lapse cameras register the blooming of American flowers in Pathecolor. — Sumner Smith. "Prep School" (Universal — Comedy — One Reel) IN this issue of the Blue Bird comedies Arthur Lake, the featured player is cast as a chap working his way through prep school by peeling potatoes. He pretends that a noted little dancer is his sweetheart and Eddie as a wealthy chap seeks to have some fun by forcing Arthur to ask her for a dance. The dean who likes Arthur has explained the situation and the girl kisses Arthur and gives him all of her dances to the chagrin of Eddie and the other boys. A picture that is up to the standard of the series and should appeal more especially to the growing generation. — C. S. Sewell.