Reel Life (May 1914 - Dec 1916)

“The Idol of The Stage” Masterpicture De Luxe Edition A drama of society and the stage, produced by Gaumont Starring Malcolm Williams THERE is a fascination about the footlights, about the life back of the curtain which always appeals to those who have not felt its heart throbs nor known its sorrows as well as its joys. That is one reason why there are many plays and stories written about the stage and set in its setting, and that is one reason why people delight in reading or seeing them. For its second Mutual Masterpiece, De Luxe Edition, the Gaumont company has chosen just such a play in The Idol of the Stage, featuring Malcolm Williams, himself a noted idol of the stage. It is a story of the humanesses of theatrical “folks.” It is a drama of their hates and of their loves. Philip Van Kortland, (Malcolm Williams) known on the stage as Edwin Hargrave, the story reveals, is the son of a proud old Knickerbocker family. Although he has attained fame as a Broadway favorite, his father, who is opposed to the stage, asks him to give up his professon and marry the daughter of an old friend of the family. Philip refuses, and later, on a western tour he meets and falls in love with Doris Morton, a wealthy society girl. He does not know that she is the girl her father wishes him to marry. Not knowing that Philip Van Kortland and Edwin Hargrave are one and the same, Doris’s father declares he would rather see his daughter dead than married to an actor. Thereupon Philip and Doris take things into their own hands and elope. In Chicago, Doris falls ill. Acting by night and watching over his sick wife by day nearly wrecks the young man’s health. Gradually he loses his finer sensibilities from sleeplessness and nervousness and takes to the use of narcotic drugs. Leaving Doris in the care of a nurse, Philip is compelled to go on with his tour. When an opportunity comes to head a southern stock company, he gladly takes the high salaried position in the hopes of soon clearing himself from the debt brought on by Doris’s illness. Greater misfortune is then added to the young actor’s portion, through the love of the manager’s daughter, Marian, which finally turns to hate when she learns that Philip is married. He is arrested on the grounds of stealing a ring which Marian herself had given him when she traced him, one evening, to an opium den. Weak-willed and vacillating from drugs, he pleads guilty to a crime he never committed, and is sent to prison. Through it all, Doris, his wife, remains true and trustful. Her daily visits to her husband in prison greatly affect Charles Porter, a villainous trusty, who secretly plots to win her on the expiration of his short term. He, Porter, schemes to get a story printed in a blackmailing society paper, making it appear that Doris has come to the prison to see him instead of her husband. At the same time, learning that Philip will be released as soon as his desire for drugs has been cured, Porter secretly supplies him with narcotics. Refused admittance to the prison, disbelieved by those who knew her, and unable to communicate with her husband, Doris goes away to another city, where her child is born. Unable to find any track of Doris and believing that she has deserted him, Philip gives up the stage on his release from prison. Later, he establishes himself in the city in which Doris lives, eking out her existance by the aid of her son, who sells n e w s p a pers on the street. On the evening of a benefit performance of “In gomar,” the leading man is taken sudd e n 1 y ill. Philip is requested to take his place. He does. In the audience, though unknown to him, is Doris, who had made use of the tickets for the performance which Philip had given her son when the lad sold him a paper that afternoon. After the play, Doris is attacked by Porter, now a tramp. Her son runs to Philip, his father, for aid. Philip's surprise and joy at finding his wife is unspeakable. Caught, Porter is forced to confess to his villainy, and the drama ends with happiness for the reunited husband and wife, for their son and for his grandfather. Malcolm Williams, the favorite of many successful productions on Broadway is seen in the role of Philip Van Kortland. Strong, handsome, sympathetic, the virile actor makes a splendid player for the part. His first hand knowledge of the very life which he is portraying qualifies him, naturally, for the leading role. Lucille Taft, the Gaumont star, make" a sympathetic Doris, being especially suited for “sympathy” roles. Malcolm Williams, the Broadway star, in a scene from “The Idol of the Stage.” REEL LIFE — Page Seven