Photo-Play World (June 1919)

dog; he is a master in the art of acting, and his tricks are such as make him almost human. Marie Prevost is the customary flirta- tious wife, with a dozen supposed husbands hunting her down. The part is obviously made for this little actress, who is pretty enough but never does any acting worth the name. Charles Murray is a host in himself, and Eva Thatcher holds up her end of the picture nobly. “THE ISLAND OF INTRIGUE”— Metro, featuring May Allison. CAST May Allison. Jack Mower. Gordon Marr, Frederick Vroom, Lillian West. Hector Sarno, Edward Alexander. When Isabel Ostrander wrote “The Island of Intrigue” she probably never thought of it as material for a motion picture. But given the perseverance of a director who would not stop at any cost to secure the right settings, the tale becomes a mighty fine piece of photo-play literature. The company went all the way to the Islands of the Pacific to secure the proper backgrounds, and the picture shows the result of much travel, some hardships, and untold expense in its handsome views, its dusky supernumer- aries and its variety of location for the many episodes. Maida Waring is the daughter of a rich old man, who adores her, and who hesitates to leave her alone in their California mountain home when he is called away on business. So he arranges with a friend, Mrs. Smith, to take Maida to her country house on an island, to stay with her until his return. He leaves his daughter, and Mrs. Smith calls. Maida has never seen the lady, and therefore without question she goes with her, only to discover that she has been kidnapped. She is taken to an island in the Pacific and is ordered to write to her father for ransom or be tor- tured. Meanwhile, the real Mrs. Smith finds her proposed guest gone, suspects something is wrong, and sends for Mr Waring. Maida escapes from the house she is, in, but is almost recaptured, her father’s search party arriving barely in time to save her The story has a number of exciting possibilities and Miss Allison is given a chance for more than one athletic feat. Taking it as a picture whole, it ought to prove one of the most popular things this pretty star has done. The support is well chosen, several old favorites reappearing in the minor parts. “ROARIN’ ROAD”—Paramount, fea- turing Wallace Reid. CAST Wallace Reid, Ann Little, Guy Oliver, Theodore Roberts, C. H. Geidart. One can always depend on a good picture when Wally Reid and Ann Little get to- gether. They do the most excellent team- work; neither is too big to let the other have a chance. In the new story, which is a picture adaptation by' Marion Fairfax of short stories by Byron Morgan, Wallace Reid takes the part of Toodles Waldon, absorbed in winning two races. One is to marry the Cub, daughter of the Bear, a big automobile producer, and the other is to get the prize for the biggest automobile race that has ever been run in the West. As an automobile salesman Toodles pre- pares for both races, but the Bear stands always in his way, until through a series of wrecks, arrests, and escapes from prison, the imperturbable Toodles races a fast train and arrives in San Francisco simultaneously with the Bear, who is carrying off his daughter The exploit is one that even a grouch like the Bear must admire, and finally he hands over his daughter. I he picture is full of exciting episodes, and Mr. Reid is very happy in his role of easy man about town and speed bug. He knows how to handle a car as well as an aeroplane, and as always he knows how to take a knock-out blow standing up and how to make love to a pretty girl. The training that Wallace Reid has had as a young Eastern college man who went West for a job and fell in with a tough lot of ranchmen, has peculiarly fitted him tor these rollicking comedy- dramas in which he has proved so success- ful. He makes a most attractive young swell; wears his clothes like a model, and >'et is able to display a brawn and muscle that are formidable. In making the picture, the famous Santa Monica automobile race course has been utilized for a background, and the auto- mobile feature of this story will help to make it exceedingly popular “BERESFORD OF THE BABOONS” —Paramount-Flagg comedy CAST Olin Howland, Beatrice Tremaine, Joseph Burke. This is a burlesque on the recent Tarzan pictures, with a fling of fun at the Darwin theory. Beresford of the Baboons is the missing heir of the Duke of Swank, and he lives in a jungle with baboons for his companions and a strange assortment of other animals, among which are chickens that lay square eggs. He has a taxi-crab which he uses as a vehicle and numerous other odd and ludicrous impedimenta. Into the jungle comes Professor Choate, with Lord Archy and Cissy, in search of the missing heir. Beresford falls in love with Cissy, and having been her rescuer from danger, he marries her. The whole story is pre-eminently funny; filled with absurd incidents and situations. Without a doubt it will be a favorite with children and the grown folks who like real fun. "HAROLD, THE LAST OF THE SAXONS”—Paramount, featuring Sidney and Mrs. Drew. CAST Sidney Drew, Mrs. Drew. This is a very funny picture, one of the funniest the Drews ever made. That it should come after the death of Sidney Drew gives it a touch of pathos that will fill many a heart with sadness in spite of its inimitably comic situations. As Polly and Henry Minor, Mr. and Mrs. Drew once more appear, this time in the guise of small-town people who are to take part in amateur theatricals. Mr Drew, in a gaudy union suit and kimona, is the Saxon Harold, and a more amusing figure has rarely appeared on the screen. This is one of the longer comedies which the Drews were making at the time of Mr Drew’s unexpected death. It shows the capable direction of Mrs. Drew, who arranged the sets and prepared the continuity. As the wife of William the Conqueror, Polly is second only to the Saxon Harold in ludicrousness. “FOR BETTER, FOR WORSE”— Artcraft, all-star cast. CAST Elliott Dexter, Gloria Swanson. Raymond Hatton. Tom Forman. Wanda Hawley, Sylvia Ashton, Theodore Roberts. A most excellent cast has been gotten together for this new DeMille picture. The scenario was written from a play by Edgar Selwyn, and Jeanie MacPherson was the scenarioist. The story is of the love of Sylvia Nor- cross and Dr. Edward Meade. Dr Meade is a specialist in children’s diseases, and though he is anxious to enlist for war service, he realizes that he is needed at home, and so decides to remain. Sylvia, to whom he is engaged, cannot understand his motives and accuses him of being a slacker She marries Richard Burton, already enlisted, out of spite, and Burton goes to France. There he is wounded seriously, and rather than go back so badly mutilated, he sends a message to his wife that tells of his death. In the mean- time, Sylvia has had an experience that has shown Dr. Meade to her in a true light, and when she learns of Richard’s death she turns again to the doctor whom she has never ceased to love and who has never ceased to love her. They are just about to be married when her husband reappears, having come from a reconstruc- tion hospital where he has been made al- most new. Learning of what is about to take place he realizes that Sylvia will lose her happiness if he makes himself known and so he goes away and leaves the two to marry. The picture is one that portrays a unique brand of heroism. It shows the man who can fight and the man who can control himself to the extent of keeping out of the fighting when he sees that his real duty calls upon him to do just that. Elliott Dexter, as Dr. Meade, gives his usual fine interpretation of the principal part. Mr. Dexter’s versatility is becoming a byword; he is capable of creating an infinite variety of characters. Inthistype he is peculiarly happy, since the part calls for dignity and self-restraint, with just now and then an emotional flare. Miss Swanson continues to make good her promise of artistic feminine character- ization. The part is not big, but it gives the actress a chance to be charming, and she makes the part wonderfully winning and human. Tom Forman, as Burton, displays skill and intelligence, and Ray- mond Hatton, Sylvia Ashton and Theodore Roberts as usual create their parts with excellent result. The photography has that fine finish which has come to be synonymous with a DeMille film; the sets are admirable down to the last detail, and are given an elaboration that only a master hand would dare indulge in. In short, this is another of those pro- ductions de luxe which we are coming to look forward to; they surpass the spectacle, in that they carry a human interest story which makes the picture well worthy the name so many artists would like to use, the photo-drama. “THE UNKNOWN LOVE”—Pathe, featuring Dolores Cassinelli. CAST Dolores Cassinelli, E. K. Lincoln. W Cook, Robert Elliott, Bradley Barker. This is a very slight story on which to hang a six-reel picture. Only the excellent directing saves it from being obviously