Screen Opinions (1923-24)

8 SCREEN OPINIONS TELLS THE TRUTH tttsttttstttti thus far the majority of the action is in the moving picture studios, where Galen, the hero, finds himself transformed into an actor and rescuer of the pretty heroine. The second chapter contains some amusing scenes which are also quite thrilling, in which a group of lions are let loose in the studio, so it would seem, and several realistic scenes of a picture in the course of construction are enacted. A fine effect is secured by having the lions photographed from beneath a platform onto which the animals are made to leap. Mary Beth Milford, who is new to the screen, does well in one of the feminine roles, and Louise Lorraine is delightful in the feminine lead. This series should give good satisfaction in any theater. STORY OF THE PLAY Gale Galen, an ex-champion boxer, his manager, Nate Shapiro, and his former trainer, Knockout Kelly, down on their luck crawl from underneath an overland express at Los Angeles, and accidentally are taken to the moving picture studios in a bus that stands waiting. They are mistaken for extras and are handed out their pay along with the others. Believing that he has been robbed by a tramp standing next to him, Gale starts a fight with the result that all three are taken to jail. One day when Gale is digging ditches with his partners, he sees what he thinks is a brutal assault on a girl. He rushes to her rescue and finds himself again in the midst of the movie people, and because of the fight he puts up gets an offer to star on the screen. After playing in a series of adventurous scenes in which a group of hungry lions are employed, he visits the scene of a boxing match, and in the absence of one of the competitors offers to substitute, and after discovering that his opponent is trying to win through fraud, he lands him a blow that proves a knockout. The first two chapters introduce a budding romance between Gale and Patricia Paddington, a little girl he has rescued from the lions in the studio. PROGRAM COPY— “Fighting Blood” (Second Series)— Featuring George O’Hara If you like combined comedy and melodrama, you should not miss a single chapter of the splendid new series of “Fighting Blood,” featuring George O’Hara and an excellent cast. ( “LAWFUL LARSEN”— [Class A-b] 95% (Adapted from the play of the same name) Story: — Wife Saves Husband from Trap of Society Gamblers VALUE Photography— Superior — Hal Rosson. TYPE OF PICTURE — Elaborate — Fascinating. Moral Standard — Average. Story — Excellent — Drama — Adults. Cast — Superior — Featuring Hope Hampton, Nita Naldi, Lew Cody and Conrad Nagel. Author— Excellent — Samuel Shipman. Direction — Superior — Allan Dwan. Adaptation — Superior — John Lynch. Technique — Superior. Spiritual Influence — Neutral. Producer — Adolph Kukor Footage — 5,000 ft. CAST Marion Dorsey Hope Hampton Andrew Dorsey Conrad Nagel Vivian Hepburn Nita Naldi Jack Tarlow Lew Cody Sonny Dorsey Russell Griffin Billie Van de Vere Yvonne Hughes Nora Dolores Castello Solo Dancer Gilda Gray Dancers at the Rendezvous Florence O’Dennishawn and Alice Maison September 1 to 15, 1923. Distributor — Famous Players-Lasky MORAL O’THE PICTURE— None Unusually Well Made Production — Elaborate, Colorful, Snappy — Featured Players A-l There are several reasons why “Lawful Larceny,” which is an adaptation of the successful stage play of the same name, steps into the 95% class, the chief one being an all around accuracy^ of technique. Director Allan Dwan has put his best into “Lawful Larceny.” He has guaged the psychology of the play correctly, with the result that the people of the picture are very human, big situations are thoroughly exploited, and there is a lack of the superficiality that too frequently creeps into the picture play. The construction of the picture is in itself interesting. The positive method of establishing the atmospheres of the Hepburn gaming house, and the characteristics of the keepers of the house previous to the introduction of the principal feminine character, Mrs. Dorsey, played by Hope Hampton, is effective, and the fact that the picture has been trimmed to the very last inch of superfluous film leaves the high lights of the play in bas relief, illuminated by carefully chosen subtitles closely allied to the action of the story. Neither money nor effort has been spared in providing an elaborate setting for the play. The apartment of Vivian Hepburn, (Continued on next page) k No Advertising Support Accepted!