Moving Picture World (Jul - Aug 1918)

July 6, 1918 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 109 Xr-sn-^.-^.^. g> &.g.gr> Critical Reviews and Comments Upon Current Productions rg r§ g »^>^ jg 5j S gg ^ gj — ^' j • ji ^ ^' §g gj g ^ ^.-^r^ "THE GIRL IN HIS HOUSE." Earle Williams Appears in Vitagraph Photoplay from Machine Made Romance. Reviewed by Edward Weitzel. SLOW action all through the Vitagraph Blue Ribbon Feature, "The Girl in His House," serves to accentuate the machine made quality of the plot. Harold MacGrath, author of the novel, is too skilled a workman not to put a lot of interesting material in his story, and the love interest will satisfy the spectator who has a taste for romance. The action of the heroine's father in refusing ever to look upon her because her mother died when she came into the world and then of robbing his employer of half his fortune so that the girl may live in luxury is rather too far fetched. The scene where the hero comes to get his mother's jewels which are kept in the attic of his old home and is held up at the point of a revolver by this same young girl who is living in the house and who has suspicion that the masked man is the engaging young fellow who has won her heart is also somewhat strained. Love's eyes are supposed to be keen, and the marked mannerism of Earle Williams, who plays the part of the hero, would betray him at once. James Armitage, having been jilted by Clare Wendell in favor of an aged millionaire, turns over his estate to his lawyer and goes to Asia. Six years later he iearns that Clare's husband has died and the young man hastens home. Once there. he makes several discoveries; first, the strange young girl is living in his house; second, that his lawyer has used the power of attorney to rob him and sell his house, and third, that he no longer loves the rich widow. He also learns that his lawyer is the father of the strange young girl and that he (Armitage) is greatly smitten with her. The solution of things is very simple after that. The picture ends with a bridal couple driving up to their new home, which is the old home of Armitage and the strange young girl. Good judgment on the part of the director, Thomas Mills, surrounds the picture with a well bred air and the acting of the cast is satisfactory. Earle Williams has never done anything better than his performance of James Armitage, and Grace Darmond is sufficiently attractive as Doris. James Abrahams, Harry Linsdale, Irene Rich and Margaret Allen act the remaining characters. Released June 24. "SAY ! YOUNG FELLOW" Douglas Fairbanks Rattles Through His Latest Artcraft Picture at High Speed. Reviewed by Edward Weitzel. JOSEPH HENABERRT, who wrote and directed "Say! Young Fellow," the latest Douglas Fairbanks Artcraft picture, did not put very much speed into his story, but the star's energetic method keeps it moving rapidly. One of the best features of the plot is the "hunch" that appears to the hero at the decisive moments in his career and, starting off with the words of the title, gives him sound advice. Excellent acting by the entire cast and skilled work by the director suc IN THIS ISSUE. The Girl in His Hou.se ( VitagTapb). Say! Young; Fellow (Artcraft). The Venus Model (Goldwyn). Hell Bent (Universal). The Eagle (Bluebird). Her Body in Bond (Universal). You Can't Believe Everything (Triangle). Closin' Iu (Triangle). The Scarlet Road (Fox). Meeting Theda Bara (Fox). Mutt and Jeff and the 75-Mile Gun (Fox). Good Night Nurse ( ParamountArbuckle). The Kaiser's Shadow (Paramount). Annexing Bill (Pathe). Tinsel (World). Thf Finger of Justice (Arrow). ceed in making an ordinary story vastly interesting. The melodramatic finish is valuable only for the chance it gives Douglas to show his surprising ability to perform stunts and risk his neck without dropping any portion of his engaging smile. The love interest and the touches of real sentiment are convincing, and there are many laughs in the five reels. Douglas Fairbanks, in the role of a cub reporter for the New York Herald, gives an exhibition of nerve and muscular development that the ordinary news gatherer could never possibly match. The regular man on the paper having failed, the cub offers to get an interview with a wealthy business man of the cutthroat type. He succeeds by climbing into the financier's house through the second story window and leaping on to him while the man of money is in bed. His next assignment takes him to a small countrytown, and when he leaves the place he has straightened out the business affairs and the love romance of a sweet old maid and a fine old manufacturer of the place, fought a gang of imported strong-arm men, defeated the cutthroat financier in an attempt to steal the business belonging to the old maid and her sweetheart, and secured the prettiest girl in town for himself. The acting of the star is as spirited and full of ginger as ever, and every Fairbanks fan knows what that means. Marjorie Daw, Frank Campeau, Edythe Chapman and James Neill are the representatives of the sweetheart, the villain, the old maid and the man she finally marries. "THE VENUS MODEL" Mabel Normand Is Excellent in Goldwyn Photoplay That Has Many Pleasing Moments. Reviewed by Edward Weitzel. IN HER latest Goldwyn picture, "The Venus Model," Mabel Normand makes it clear that a simple story about an everyday sort of girl can be very interesting when carefully acted and produced. For one thing, the story never gets out of its class. It starts in to tell of a bright little working girl who has brains enough to help herself up in the world and the picture never departs from its theme. None of the situations are impossible, and there is a pleasant, healthful air about "The Venus Model" that will win for it many friends. As Kitty O'Brien, the young factory hand who designs a new model for a bathing suit and saves her employer from going to the wall, Mabel Normand gives a clean-cut performance that is without a touch of extravagance. Kitty is employed by John Braddock, a maker of bathing suits who is on the brink of failure on account of not keeping up to date with his goods. The girl has a natural bent for designing and draws the model of a swimming costume that even her employer can see is smart and snappy. A pattern suit is made and Kitty offers to put it on and exhibit it in a store window. Two rival buyers catch a glimpse of the new model and rush to the factory to be the first to place art order. Braddock is so overcome by the success of the garment that he has an attack of heart failure and is ordered away by his physician. The new designer takes hold of the business with the help of the foreman and runs it with great success. Paul Braddock, her employer's son, has been expelled from college. When he comes to the factory to meet his father and finds Kitty in charge he takes a position, under an assumed name, and is set tosweeping out until the new boss promotes him to office boy. A handsome buyer who takes Kitty out to supper and a businesslike young woman who has a number of