Screen Opinions (1923-24)

SCREEN OPINIONS TELLS THE TRUTH 161 shaw, a jealous suitor, frames Big Tim O’Rourke and incidentally is the cause of a fire in Big Tim’s home, in which Sallie Drennan and Tim are facing death when Ace stages a thrilling rescue. The exhibitor can make no mistake in booking "Hook and Ladder.” It’s one of the wholesome, humorous kind of pictures that the most people are looking for. Mildred June, Edward Davis, Philo McCullough and Frank Beal lend the star good support. STORY OF THE PLAY Ace Cooper, a cowboy, arrives in town and is mistaken by the cops for a thief. In trying to evade them he dons a fireman’s uniform, assists at a fire, and mistaken for a man who was to be taken on probation, he is forced to remain. In the incidents that follow he falls in love with the chief’s daughter, and decides that he will submit to the ordeal of becoming a fireman without a struggle. When Gus Henshaw, a ward heeler and also a jealous rival of Cooper’s, frames "Big Tim” O’Rourke by sending Sally Drennan a note stating that she is to meet her father at O’Rourke’s home, Ace rescues Sally and O’Rourke from death in a fire started through Henshaw’s carelessness. The close of the story presents Ace as a hero and a happy lover. PROGRAM COPY — "Hook and Ladder” — Featuring Hoot Gibson Ace Cooper didn’t reckon on becoming a fireman when he wandered from the ranch into the city. Fate and the cops drove him to it, and a pretty girl made the job palatable. Don't miss Hoot Gibson’s best, “Hook and Ladder.” “STEADFAST HEART”— [Class B] 65% (Adapted from story of same name) Story: — Experience of Boy Branded With Murder by Small Town Folks VALUE Photography — Very good — George Peters. TYPE OF PICTURE— -SentimentalInteresting. Moral Standard — Good. Story — Good — Drama — Family. Cast — Good — All-Star. Author — Good — Clarence Budington Kelland. Direction — Good — Sheridan Hall. Adaptation — Good — Philip Lonergan. Technique — Average. Spiritual Influence — Good. CAST Lydia Canfield Lydia Canfield (child) Angus Burke Angus Burke (boy) . . . Mai Crane (boy) Mai Crane (man).... Crane (father) Bishwang Mrs. Burke Woodhouse David Wilkins Jake Titus Burke Trueman Mary Mrs. Canfield Marguerite Courtot . . . .Miriam Battista Joseph Striker Joseph Depew Jerry Devine Hugh Huntley . .William B. Mack Sherry Tansey Mary Alden William Black ... Marie Majeroni .... Harlan Knight Walter Louis Louis Pierce ... .Mildred Ardin ..Helen Strickland February 1 to IS, 1924. Producer — Distinctive Picture Corp. Footage — 5,800 ft. Distributor — Goldwyn-Cosmopolitan Our Opinion MORAL O'THE PICTURE — Every Boy Has a Right to His Chance Regardless of Ancestors. Construction Uncertain But Interesting Story Has Good Moral — Excellent for Neighborhood Theatres “The Steadfast Heart” is the kind of a picture that children will like, because it tells the story of an unfortunate boy whose mother placed a gun in his hand and caused him to kill a man. The boy’s fight to gain a place in the sun, aided by a few kindly villagers, proves interesting screen material. And although the last half of the picture is a bit confused the general effect is good. Some pleasing comedy is injected here and there by Harlan Knight and Sherry Tansey, and Miriam Battista also puts a punch or two into the action of the story. In the early scenes of the picture Mary Alden, playing a character that drops out early in the game, gives a notable performance. Her portrayal of the mother of Angus, benumbed from the cruel treatment of her husband, her imagination goaded by uncanny fears, is one of the best bits of dramatic work in the picture. The photography is very good, and locations have been chosen with an eye to the artistic. The cast is a capable one, with Marguerite Courtot and Joseph Striker playing the central figures in the picture’s romance. The development of the story is quite human and the moral is well pointed. STORY OF THE PLAY Angus Burke, the young son of a brutal mountaineer and his brow-beaten wife, is arrested for the murder of the sheriff, because his mother, fearing robbers, placed a gun in the boy’s hand and at the sound of someone trying the door, ordered him to shoot. At the trial the jury brings in a verdict of "not guilty,” and in spite of the determination of the inhabitants of Rain (Continued on next page) Unbiased and Independent Reviews Only !