Reel Life (1916-1917)

PERILS OF OUR GIRL REPORTERS’ “Ace High ’’ is the third of thrilling newspaper stories A SPLENDID example of intelligent dramatic construction and direction is revealed in “Ace High,” a product of the Niagara Falls Studios — Story No. 3 of the “Perils of Our Girl Reporters” stories, fifteen in all, re¬ leased by the Mutual Film Corporation. The story is one involving a smashing adventure in the dance halls of the East Side in New York, by Jessie Forsythe, a young girl reporter, who has been in¬ structed by her managing editor to explore that field for color in writing a series of Sunday stories. What Miss Forsythe (Helen Greene in real life) really “dug up,” was the story of the year in metropolitan journalism— the actual inside facts with regard to a con¬ spiracy that had long baffled the political editors of the paper. In order to ingratiate herself into the favor of “Dago Mike,” a saloonkeeper politician and cabaret proprietor, Miss Forsythe undertook to fill the position of a cabaret dancer who had been taken ill, and MfKk because her dancing proved a novelty in the i low hall to which Mike assigned her, she be¬ came a popular favorite. Her society was im¬ mediately sought by McTeague, boss of the ward, and this, of course, gave Miss Forsythe her opportunity. How the young woman became involved in the quarrel of half a dozen gangsters who fought for her favor and how she turned the power thus acquired to good account for her paper, are told in a series of episodes so in¬ tensely exciting that it is impossible to avoid falling into the spirit of the play. The principal fascination about Mrs. Tupper’s plays is that they are based on actual newspaper happenings and are true in story and atmosphere. There are no impossible newspaper types in “Ace High.” On the con¬ trary the managing editor who gives Miss Forsythe her assignment is a real managing editor, engaged in editing a real newspaper. The reporters who are shown busy at their work in the newspaper office from which Miss Forsythe makes her exit to tackle the slums, are really and truly newspaper reporters, do¬ ing their regular newspaper tasks. Helen Greene, who is the star girl reporter of the series, displays in her acting a very thorough knowledge of news¬ paper work. She carries no notebook and is not forever wagging a pencil in the faces of her victims. On the con¬ trary she is a very consistent girl reporter of the type to be found in scores of newspaper offices from one end of this country to the other. The scene of the political plotting that results in a desper¬ ate fight out of which Miss Forsythe gets her big story, is truly depicted. It is in one of the back rooms of “Dago Mike’s” cabaret that the trouble begins. John Dillon, a young poolroom keeper of the ward, has made up his mind that Miss Forsythe is not really a cabaret performer but that she has been inveigled into the life by some specious means and he determined on her rescue. Dago Mike, attempting to frighten Dillon away from the girl, precipitates a fight in which he is badly worsted by Dillon, and almost immediately the latter is surrounded by gunmen of a gang hired by McTeague. There follows the most interesting replica of a New York gunman’s fight ever put on the screen. There is something about the sudden outbreak and fatal ending of this character¬ istic gun battle that is declared by the New York police to absolutely force conviction of its genuineness. “If I hadn’t known this was ‘framed’,” said Commissioner Willis, “I certainly should have believed the fight actually took place and that its elements were those I have seen mixed up in similar affairs scores of times. It is the most realistic gunfight I have ever seen staged.” In the thick of the fighting, Miss Forsythe is not so brave as to be unconvincing. She is scared to death when the shooting begins but not too scared to seize a weapon and de¬ fend her defender when his life in endangered. Miss Greene, in telling of her preparation for the role of “The girl Reporter” said a few days ago that she had cov¬ ered nearly every sort of assignment ever handed a woman in the New York newspaper offices. “The real woman reporter is not the flighty, fidgety pencil pushing sort of person we have been used to see¬ ing depicted on the speaking stage,” said Miss Greene. “On the contrary, she is a rather reserved and observant young woman, as a rule, given to listening rather than to talking and to action rather than to words on gen¬ eral principles. “In my interpretation of the character for the screen I have en¬ deavored to epitomize all that I have learned about the actual news¬ paper worker in petticoats and what I have learned is a great deal.” Helen Greene in scene from “Ace High.” REEL LIFE — Page Eight l