Screenland (May–Oct 1925)

76 SCREENLAND "^U^-vu^ ^ ^^^^ ^^/^r G[ Jeanne Lorraine, the winner of the Tom Terriss contest, conveys her than\s to Screenland. Some New Films {Continued from page 48) drop a gentle hint. In the final close-up, Billy says to little Mary Brown — "Yes, you are going to go straight — to the minister." As for all the other "birds" ■ — they are "jail birds" now. Owen Moore plays the part of Billy Rhodes. He couldn't help being Al, with Mary Carr for a mother. Gladys Hulette is lovely as the Nightingale, and all of the supporting cast are good. If you like crook pictures, our advice is — go straight to this show. * * * Here comes Bob Custer again, every body, in the fifth of his Texas Ranger Stories — The Texas Bearcat. Sounds like a bear of a picture — -eh, wot? Bob Custer is right there on the click of the camera, wide sombrero, flashing eye and all. In the story he takes the part of Dave Sethman, the supposed half-breed son of old man Sethman, owner of vast cattle lands. To this ranch country comes wealthy John Crawford, planning a revenge. He's got not only a bone to pick with this old man Sethman, but a whole skeleton. With him comes his daughter Jean, and his secretary Watson. Jean, played by Sally Rand, is a beauty. But we can't say that much for Watson. He's a four-lettered word spelling — F-O-O-L. To most of us, playing the fool at some time or other, comes pretty easy, but we imagine it a bit hard doing it in reel life. So here's our hat off to the guy, Jack Richardson in this case, who gets the laughs whether he wants them or not. We are almost sure that being a .simp isn't so simple. It must be fierce falling in love with the son of your father's worst enemy. But that's what Jean does. It would go hot at our house if Oscar fell in love with our landlord's daughter, unless the rent came down as the result of it. There's no such luck. Our landlord is a bachelor. When Jean refuses to see Dave Sethman again, he thinks it is because she knows he is a half-breed. So you can guess how happy he is to find out in the last chapter that he is no Indian after all, but John Crawford's son. That makes him in love with his own sister. Tough luck — until the father of Dave, and the foster father of Jean, unties all the knots so that the nuptial knot can be tied instead! P. S. — We forgot to say that Crawford gets his revenge. lias Mary Flynn is an honest-togoodness crook drama, and, what is regular Desmond wow. The old story of the West done in a new way. And as full of unexpected turns as a shark, and each turn happens to be a bit more exciting than the last. From the beginning to end there isn't a dull moment. I didn't have to look to see if Oscar was awake or not — and besides, I couldn't spare the time. It's mostly about Nancy, a young crook of the Underworld. She's as hard-boiled as any of them. The cops get on her trail. But for the timely assistance of John Everett she would have stood up to the handcuffs. But Everett takes her to his beautiful home and offers her a chance to go straight if she wants to. Under the name of Mary Flynn she meets Tom Everett, the son, and since Tom is played by Malcolm MacGregor, do you wonder that Mary falls in love with him? We would ourselves. William Mong takes the part of the father, and he certainly looked the kindly, generous soul he was supposed to be. We have a good hunch that William Mong would be the real sort to know. Mary is grateful to him for all his goodness to her and when the time comes for her to repay it, she doesn't sneak out the back door with the family heirlooms. She doesn't even run off with the son. What she really does will make you sit up and take notice. And maybe it won't leave you with a mist of tears in your eyes. The Meddler is the latest thriller featuring William Desmond, and it is more, it features Evelyn Brent. It's all r.bout priceless gems — the Turk's ruby, an Oriental emerald, and a perfect pearl of a girl. This is the first picture we have seen starring Evelyn Brent, and we certainly hope it won't be the last. She's got the double-barrelled personality — Beauty and Brains. She knows how to grip the heart without spilling her tears all over the premises. We hope she always has the luck to get as good a story as this one. Here's Bill Desmond all dressed up as Richard Gilmore. There's nothing really wrong with Gilmore excepting that he has too much money — and nerves. For a weak constitution one is as bad as the other. Like all millionaires, Gilmore has a fiancee. But this one isn't after his money, for she decides to turn him down, and all because he isn't romantic enough. Do you get that? Head over heels in love and not in the least romantic about it. Gilmore goes out West in search of Romance. He's like a lot of folks who go out on a quest for Happiness, when they don't know how to find it on their front doorstep. Out West, Gilmore soon puts the "man" in Romance. He holds up the Red Gulch stage and meets the one passenger, Gloria Canfield, ably played by Dolores Rousay. He doesn't know it at first, but she stages a hold-up all her own — for his heart. The town sheriff, who does everything but, is out on Gilmore's trail since he is known everywhere as The Meddler. But it takes the make-believe bandit to round up the real law-breakers. Just how it does it makes this thrilling photo play. And you'll find out in the final close-up whether his old girl takes him back — or the new girl takes him on. Vihna Banky {Continued from page 49) cently rid herself of eighteen pounds; but on leaving for California Miss Banky still had ten pounds to go. (Literally, ten pounds to go.) Continental women, it seems, may be a bit plumper than their American cousins and still be acclaimed beauties. Miss Banky describes the difference by holding up a charming little finger: "In America," she says, "one mus' be lik' dees." Accompanying the Hungarian screen star on her long journey from Budapest to. Hollywood were two quaint character dolls, Bubi and Lily. One is a Very masculinelooking boy in a sailor suit and the other is a chubby, naive Fraulein who Miss Banky laughingly declares should also be limited to lamb chops and pineapple. But the strangest thing about these strange companions is that they are being carried along for company and not for publicity, as is the case with so many mascots; for their fair mistress took the Gotham newspapermen completely off their feet, when she arrived at our portals, by absolutely shunning interviewers and photographers and by declaring that she had positively nothing of interest to say. Miss Banky 's first picture in America will be the film version of "The Dark Angel," in which she will appear opposite Ronald Colman. George Fitzmaurice, who will direct the production, took his prospective directee to see Patricia Collinge in the part before the play closed its New York run at the Longacre Theatre. Asked if she thought, while watching the play, of any way in which she would change certain scenes. Miss Banky smiled and admitted, through an interpreter, that she expected to make a great many changes.