The Billboard 1922-03-25: Vol 34 Iss 12 (1922-03-25)

MARCH 28, 1022 The Billboard 95 s in the picturization for many subtitles, if Mr. De Mille were not the real artist he there would be all too many moments of jum and lagging interest. Wafler Hiers, James Gilley, must have credit for filling where the picture is thinnest, and he does to the evident delight and amusement of audience, who were especially enchanted en, upon his first visit to his future brotheraw's home, be breaks a priceless vase, and, then only a $25-a-week clerk, insists upon “THE VERMILION PENCIL” Story by Homer Lea, scenario by Edwin Warren Guyo} and Alace Catlin, directed by Norman Dawn, starring Sessue Hayakawa, released by R.-O. Pictures, shown in projection room, New York, March 10, — Reviewed by MARION RUSSELL ing for the damage he has done. Agnes es, as Virginia, looks pretty, but seems not have gone deeply into the art of emotional ing. Jack Holt, as Stafford, gave a satis tory performance, and Leah Wyant, as Fanny ine, was exceptionally good. fhe settings were pleasing, and Miss Ayres some unusually pretty costumes. SUITABILITY Residential! sections should like this, ENTERTAINMENT VALUE Very good. “THE FACE BETWEEN” Bayard Veiller production for Metro Pictures Qorporation, adapted by Donore Coffee from a story by Justus Mies Forman, starring Bert Lytell, shown in projection room, New York, March 10. Reviewed by MARION RUSSELL A very silly and at times totally unneo. essary type of story for Bert Lytell THE CRITICAL X-RAY The opening scenee of this picture are of b a nature that we greatly fear if it is p to the public in its present state the ree] will attract laughter where none is oded. Fundamentally the picture has been ly constructed and evidently the only reafor such situations as the reels develop for the purpose of permitting Mr. Lytell to ulge in the very fashionable fad nowadays playing a doa} role. He seemed to enjoy king back at himself in the characters of her and son. It also gave the star a chance display bis adaptness at makeup, for be e Tommy Carteret, Sr., an older edition bimself. Tommy, Jr., bad fine ideas of por, but Tommy, Sr., loved the ladies to his op detriment, and this failing got him in a rup with a married woman that threatened have disastrous results, but Tommy, Jr.,. ose voice resembled his father’s closely, pped in at the crucial moment and took the me upon himself. The husband of the in lady demanded reparation and Tommy eed to anything that he might suggest. Tbe ired husband, Hartwell, then demanded that Pamy be driven into exile and remain in a olate part of the country until Hartwell's th. Such were the terms of vengeance dended. Tommy goes, but his flancee believes p guilty of a wrong and refuses to say gooaIn an isolated part of the country he * alone until the rough element near bis ck intrude op his privacy and an ignorant , Marianna, also adds to his misery by being bim with her love. The rough crowd country desperadoes shoot the girl and iaTommy just as he is being forced into a triage with her. Hartwell having diel, his confesses that it was Tommy's father who the guilty party, and this gives the flancee, il, a chance to come and take Tommy home. t the blow on his bead has left him deus and filled with a -hallucination that rianna is haunting him and preventing his triage with Sybil. A fal) from a balcony £s a slight contusion of the brain that rees Tommy to his former normal self. Then wedding bells follow. This is not the sort of material that fur es pleasant entertainment. It only tends lower the acting ability of Mr, Lytell. That played his part well we do not deny, but the y was so absurd and so unbelievable in this ent century that it will not be accepted fously, Nowadays men do not sacrifice ir whole lives at a moment's notice for sake of an old rone, when a word of exbation might have set things right. All little mannerisms and odd methods intro d in the screen portrayals of Mr. Letell doubly exaggerated in this picture. The escript affair appears so theatrical that foes not make any Impression upen the emo s of the audience. It seems a desperate rt was made by the producers to permit Lytell to hevoize all the way thru the when a genuine scene or two might have / matters considerably. The names of * popular players were noted in the cast, ch included Sylvia Breamer, Hariee Kirk Frank Brown'ee and De Witt Jennings. leading lady wae listed ae Andre Tourneur, she closely resembled Evelyn Greely. Miss mer had an indifferent sort of role, SUITABILITY sere the star has a following. ENTERTAINMENT VALUB ‘low the average. ‘a This is a pictorial triumph in which Sessue Hayakawa gives @ very convincing performance ef a genuine Oriental. THE CRITICAL X-RAY his is the type of picture which would suit this very brilliant Japanese star, who has created a large following for bis work in this country, Ae @ general thing tbe scenario writer is under the impression that the Amerjean educated young Japenese man sbould marry a white woman and live bapplily ever after. This bas been the fault with so many Oriental stories which have found thelr way to the screen. But wisely in this instance Mr. Hayakawa has chosen a subject which 6ts his personality and which naturally blends with the added attraction of genuine settings, costumes and other minute details which places this pictore in a class by itself. “The Vermilion Pencil’ signifies that this is the baton which, when once raised by the powers in command, can sentence a victim to death, because the story is an old Chinese legend which has many dramatic situations and a few very thrilling climaxes. A Japanese ruler in the past ages bad condemned his wife, whom he believed unfaithful, to death by raising the Vermilion pencil and therefore spends the balance of his life in repentance for his cruelty. Later on when be learns that she is innocent be goes into the wilderness and lives as a hermit. But bis young son is sent to America to be educated and returns to his native land to engage in an engineering project. Here he meets a daughter of the wilderness, Hyacinth, and a mutual love springs up, but the girl is captured by an agent of the viceroy and taken to the palace. The young people meet again when be is engaged as her tutor. Their love is revived and they make an attempt to escape. But they are captured and sentenced to die by slow torture. At the moment of their execution their Uves ere saved by an earthquake, which helps them to make a dramatic escape. All the familar characters necessary for this type of story have been scattered thruout the film and the usual villain in the guise of a Mandarin makes all the trouble for the innocent and helpless ones. Of course this is a romantic story, but its background of old China with its superstitions, its rites and its picturesquely garbed people makes a truly pleasing offering. There is @ toucb of refinement about the work of Mr. Hayakawa which reaches the sensibilities of the better grade of theatergoers. In his embroidered robes, combined with tbe American polish gained from bis sojourn im the United States, the hero makes a very attractive appearance. The story also offers bim @ chance to portray dual roles and there is very little time that he is not actively engaged in the progress of the story. We migbt say that at certain intervals the action drags a bit, but the skillfc) handling of the climax, showing a vivid eruption with ali the horrors that such an earthquake entalls, cives the spectators a sense of realism. Bessie Love possesses the whimsical charm and this characteristic was noted in her playing of the innocent Hyacinth. Sbe does not always convey the Oriental type, but is selfish and alluring in ber own right. Thomas Jefferson bad the role of Ho Ling and Sidney Franklin, Omar Whitehead and Tote Dn Crow filled ont the small cast. To those who admire the picturesque type of foreign lands this picture will bave a wide appeal. The photography wes exceptionally clear and presented some very beautiful views, which looked as tho they were filmed in China. SUITABILITY All thesters. ENTERTAINMENT VALTE Good. MINNESOTA THEATER OWNERS MEET IN APRIL The Minnesota division of the Motion Picture Theater Owners of America will bold a convention and exposition at the Radisson Hotel, Minneapolis, April 10, 11 and 12. The assembly room of the hotel has been arranged as an exhibition hall, in which will be shown al) sorts of apparatus and supplies pertaining to the motion picture business. MOVIE THEATER CLOSED Netlievilla, Wis., March 16.—After ten years existence the Badger Theater, movie bouss bere, bas been forced to close by the owners of the building, the lease having expired. Otto Biles, owner of the equipment, bas removed the fixtures and made no plans for reopening. This leaves Neillsville with only one movie, Trag’s Theater, “ELOPE IF YOU MUST” William Fox presents Eileen Percy in ‘‘Elope If You Must,"" story by E. J. Rath, scenario by Joseph Poland, directed by C. R. Wallace. Reviewed by HORTENSE SAUNDERS “COME ON OVER” Goldwyn presents “Come on Over,’ by Rupert Hughes, directed by Alfred Greene, a Goldwyn picture, shown at the Capitol Theater, New York, week of March 12. Reviewed by HORTENSE SAUNDERS An amusing farce ful] of laughter and jazz. THE CRITICAL X-RAY “Keep moving’’ seems to be the slogan of “Blope If You Must.” It races along at such @ merry clip that you have no time to anticipate the plot. There is nothing novel about the plot—it seems to have borrowed most of the situations from popular farces of recent years, but it is highly amusing. One complication piles on top of another. Every plan is frustrated at least five times. And the actors work at breakneck speed. It is the gort of a play that you forget as soon as it is finished, but it would probably make yon forget a grouch if you were nursing one when you went in to see the picture. The subtitles read like a joke book. The person who wrote them could not resist puns. But you get used to that. As we sad, the plot is not new. It beg'ns with two stranded members of a barnstorming company, Nancy Moore and Jazz Hennessy. Nancy's blond bair and blue eyes and coaxing Ways are seductive enough to extricate her rom most difficulties, but they avail nothing with the conductor who seems to feel that each passenger should have a ticket or get off the train. Nancy's wiles, however, did not escape the attention of a wealthy New York business man who was seated on the other side of the aisle and he staked Nancy and Jazz to their tickets and offered Nancy $10,000 if she would Prevent a marriage between his daughter and a suitor favored by the girl's mother and despised by her father. So far as looking ahead and seeing Nancy flash the $10,000 check at the end of reel fve— well, you couldn't miss it. For Nancy is the type of person who, given a goal, reaches it. But you have to admit that the girl earns ber money. Sbe goes into the home of the rich New Yorker as a maid. Her duties as maid consist largely in running the whole house and determining the general policy of everything concerned with it. Sbe prevents Elizabeth, the daughter, from eloping with the man of ber choice by intercepting messages and keeping the two sweethearts epart. Jazz, disguised as a chauffeur, drives Willle Weams, the bespectacled suitor, into the country apd leaves bim there. She goes to the botel where Elizabeth awaits ber suitor and they al] get involved in a plot to catch some bomb throwers, and Nancy and Elizabeth get out of the botel only because of their extreme dexterity in climbing fireescapes and sealing walls. Then Nancy endeavors to bring about a marriage to Warren Holt, the suitor favored by the father. After a maze of intrigue Nancy finally has another girl impersonate Elizabeth and go with Willy to get @ marriage license and then has the innocent Elizabeth watch the transaction, quite unconscious of the real situation. Then, having spent much time trying to elope, and having failed, and hating to go home witbout having accomplisbed her aim, Elizabeth is glad to listen favorably to Warren Holt. They finally get the minister and, in spite of a few little difficulties such as the house burning up and that sort of thing, they bring the action to an end. Then, of course, Jazz and Nancy decide to marry, but no eloping for them—they are glad to abide by convention9 and the preacher is summoned. Eileen Percy gives s very spirited performance and is very capably sided and abetted in all her schemes by Edward Sutherland, who has the role of Jazz Hennessey. Mildred Davenport has the role of the romantic Elizabeth, who fek that life owed her a big romance. This is a production which bas no aim but to amuse, and it should be pretty successful at that, SUITABILITY Wherever a light, fluffy comedy is desired. ENTERTAINMENT VALUB Strong for thie type of story. MABEL NORMAND TO SAIL Los Angeles, Marck 16.—On the heels of Mary Mile’s Minter’s departure for the Orient yesterday {t was announced here today that Mabel Normand would leave for g vacation in Europe immediately on completion of ber present picture. Miss Normand will not return from the Conttnent until late fall, it was said. SIGN WITH R-C PICTURES Los Angeles, March 16.—Announcement is made tha: Robert Thornby has signed with R-O Pictures to produce a series of Bobert Thornby productions. It is also stated officially that Harry Carey has signed his starring contract with the or ganization. A light, entertaining comedy which plays up to all the traditions of the Irish, and is handled with sympathy as well as good humot, THE CRITICAL X-RAY Here is a play 100 per cent Irish, and maybe 6tronger, that goes along so smoothly and so amusingly that you forgive it for the large amount of hokum involved. Whereas you won't find much in it that is new in the matter of characterization, you will find much that is appealing and much to laugh at. It isa play that leaves no bad taste. In fact, it is handled with such a broad tolerance and a general disregard for caste or social barriers that you can't help wondering why life should be so hard when it.could be so easy and pleasant if we all had the alleged easy-going, carefree dispositions of the Irish. It is not a play to analyze or take apart, but one to enjoy for what it is. The story opens in Ireland. Shane O’Mealia sails for America to make his fortune, promising to send for his sweetheart, Moyna Killiea, @s5 soon as he can save enough money. Now al) know that this saving money proposition sounds much simpler, discussed in the abstract, than it proves to be when put to the actual test, so it is not surprising that three years went by and Shane was still without his bride. Not only that, but he had not even a job. He has a home in New York with the Morahans, He beeomes involved in something of a love affair with Judy Dugan ip an attempt to help her find work for her father—who has a weakness for strong drink. Father Morahan goes back to Ireland to visit his mother, and brings Moyna and his mother back to America with him. When Moyna arrives in the Morahan household Shane is not there. Judy arrives end leaves a message for Shane to meet her with her father at the priest's. She explains that her father has given his full consent. Moyna put upon this the construction which the majority of people would, so she rushes out of the house and becomes lost in New York. However, a policeman finds her and returns her to her new home, but she refuses to see Shane. Morahan gets his old friend, Carmody, who owns several railroads, but who used to run barefoot back in Ireland, to give Shane a job. His sister, Mrs. Van Dusen, a social light, is kind to Moyna, gives her a stunning evening frock to wear, and then invites all the old friends in for the evening, including Shane and Judy. Of course, when Shane sees Moyna's sartorial possibilities, he is more than ever incensed at her attitude, but he is bound to be silent until) Judy gives him the right to explain. During the evening Moyna overhears a conversation which sets everything right. Instead of going to the priest’s house to be mar ried to Judy, Shane was merely going there with her to witness her father’s signature to a pledge to drink no more. There seems to be no good reason why this should have been shrouded with such secrecy, except for the convenience of the narrative. At any rate, the party ends happily, with everyone dancing Irish Jigs and having a good time generally. And Shane and Moyna settle their difficulties quickly and easily. Colleen Moore makes little Moyna Killiea 8 very appealing, capricious Irish beauty, whe manages to look quite as winsome in a calico frock and shawl as she does in a Lucille model. The part of the fickle Shane is well portrayed by Ralph Graves. Kate Price kas a chance to do some broad comedy work and makes a very amusing character of Delia Morahan. Others in the cast do their parts very acceptably. The Irish atmosphere is at all times maintained. Some of the captions are set forth in a broad brogue. There are shamrocks and clay pipes galore. It was accepted with enthusiastic approval! at the Capitol, and it seems safe to predict that it would be pretty popular with the average fan. SUITABILITY Ita appeal ts practically universal. ENTERTAINMENT VALUD High. : “THE GLORIOUS ADVENTURE” BOOKED AT CAPITOL, N. Y. Word reaches The Billboard that ‘'The Glorious Adventure,’ with Lady Diana Manners, the first natural color motion picture drama, has been booked for its American premiere at the Capitol Theater, New York, in April. The picture is the first to be made by the newly improved Prizma process. This J. Stuart Blackton production was presented for a considerab's run at Covent Garden, London. The picture is undergoing revision in the Prizma laboratories at the hands of Katharine Hilliker and Capt. Harry Caldwell, prior to its Capito) presentation by Mr, Rothafel,