Picture Play Magazine (Sep 1921 - Feb 1922)

46 Von Stroheim and Mrs. Grundy The bedroom secrets of Mae Busch and Maude George, as the villainesses, are not spared. ment of a couple of hours previous. "American-born children are the greatest readers of newspapers in the world, and what American newspapers print — well, you know ! It would be nice to eliminate all the smut in the world, and steps to that end are being taken prett}' generally, but a little dust remains — here and there. The good old public has not yet got over its early Puritanical curiosity as to what goes on behind closed bedroom doors. Von Stroheim gives the good old public a peep, that's all !" Y on Stroheim told me that he believes the national bird of America will some day be the ostrich — instead of the eagle — if Americans continue to hide their heads under their "wings" every time a morbid bit of life is mentioned, but he believes that this time has not yet arrived, and therefore he decided to entertain the nation with "Foolish Wives." He admits that his villain is low and degenerate, but he excuses the fact in defense of his American hero, whom he makes doubly good l:'y contrast, although not a goody-goody. Mrs. Grundy drew a shocked sigh at the knee-length imdergarments on the American Envoy on the screen. "Some of the greatest men of the age have worn knee-length whatnots, according to report," I whispered. "It is even said that Mr. Anthony Comstock wore them one very warm summer, but not, of course, in the winter. Why quibble at this when the best magazines are full of whatnot ads?" "I refuse to argue with any one," Mrs. Grundy announced in her most high-handed manner. "I made up my mind that this was a disgusting spectacle before I ever saw it. No one could spend one million two hundred and nine thousand nine hundred and eighty-one dollars on a picture and still have it in good taste. Perhaps if it was history, or a morality play, the expense would be justified. But Universal will never find this a paying investment." "Keep still, can't you?" I replied, getting exasperated at her quibbling when I was almost falling off my bench watching the archvillainies of "Foolish ^^'ives" and forgetting that there was a Mrs. Grundv in the world. "Didn't you know that ' 'Way Down East' cost Griffith eight hundred thousand dollars itself and that though it was neither a morality play or a historical one it has already made twice that sum for its producer? The villain in it was a rascal of the worst sort, but not so iiendish as Von Stroheim makes his villain; that's all the difference. Any first-class European villain can give cards and spades to the American variety and then take all the tricks." Although Universal City has made mucn of the fact that this picture cost more than a million dollars in real money, implying that perhaps some other reputedly expensive pictures were enhanced in cost by their press agents, the point to-day is not so much that Universal City, never before given to making expensiA-e pictures, has spent this sum, but that it has spent it on a picture which is smelly as to plot and almost lieyond the ken, in stark realism, of American audiences. Yet it is from America that the financial return on it is expected, because even Von Stroheim himself is doubtful if European audiences will be interested in watching the affairs of an American couple in Monte Carlo. If it turns out to be a financial success. Dame Rumor and her neighbor, Madame Grundy, will have gone far to make it so. As for any actual malicious eft'ert on the youth of this country, I think that may be ]5retty thoroughly discounted, for this picture certainly makes depravity and crime obnoxious rather than alluring. Continued on page 85