Talking Picture Magazine (Jan 1933 - Jul 1934)

Page 8 TALKING PICTURE MAGAZINE October, 1933 subsequently attempts to elope with lier, but is discovered and confined to the guardhouse while Vivian is obliged to return home to Cumberland in disgrace. The Civil War breaks out and Gale, now a Captain in the Union Cavalry is sent to Cumberland. While riding through the village he comes upon a Lieutenant of Infantry, Miles Burton, former classmate of his, forcing his attentions upon a struggling Southern girl. Gale tears Burton away and they fight. Burton wounds Gale with his sword and leaves while Gale is taken into the hovise by the girl whom, to his amazement lie recognizes as Vivian. The wound is a severe one, and when the detachment goes on Gale ii mains on to be nursed back to health. The only other occupant of the house is an old colored mammy, since A'lajor North is fighting with Lee near Richmond and Vivian and Gale renew their old love. At length Gale is forced to return to his command but he promises to communicate with Vivian who tearfully gives him her own riding horse and wishes him Godspeed. Eighteen months pass. Vivian's baby is born but she hears nothing from Gale. Cumberland is once again the scene of military activity and the inhabitants are burning their homes and stores and poisoning their wells in anticipation of its capture by the Union. All flee save Vivian, her baby and her old Slave Blossom. Lieutenant Burton and a detachment of soldiers ride in and amazed at sight of the beautiful girl. Burton again tries to embrace her. She holds him off and raucous laughter is heard as soldiers break in holding up some bottles of wine they have found in the cellar. To test it, Burton forces Vivian to drink and she toasts the South and Jeff Davis. When he demands that she give wine to her baby, Vivian tries to beg off, but under the watchful eyes gives the portion to her child. With a cry, all the soldiers drain their glasses and suddenly Burton notices the child is dying. Shouting, Burton draws his sword and descends on Vivian who mocks him. But just then the door opens and Captain Gale enters. Taking Vivian in his arms he silences her taunts, and tells her how he has tried in vain to communicate with her. While the soldiers rush out gasping for breath, Vivian points to the baby and falls, dying in the arms of Gale. As he holds her to him tenderly, kissing her forehead, he bends to her lips and drinks from one of the deadly glasses. Outside Major North and his reinforcements arrive and capture the poisoned detachment, but as he enters his house, the Major bares his head at sight of his daughter in the arms of her lover — dead. MEN WITH MONEY Hobert D. Cheatham Drama File No. 10227 IN love with Henry Brown, a soda clerk, Alice is advised by her father, Mr. Kin Herst, to marry someone who can offer her more in the way of worldly goods. She replies that Henry is a worthwhile boy, who spends his spare time in study, and accuses her father of placing too great a valuation on money, but he urges her to forget the boy, and devote her attention to Conrad Smith, a wealthy lawyer, who loves her. Believing that he is ruining Alice's future. Henry leaves town without seeing his sweetheart, writing her a note which explains his actions. The girl weeps bitterly, as she reads it. Mr. Smith is known to the underworld as Ned Kent, a gamibler, and gang leader,; assuming this dpuble identity for business purposes. When Alice refuses to marry him, he determines to kidnap her father in order that he may be alone with the girl, and at the same time obtain ransom money. Explaining this plan to three members of his gang, he sends a false telephone message to Mr. Herst, and instructs them to seize him, as he walks to the home of a friend, in answer to the call. Binding and gagging him, the gangsters take Mr. Herst to a lodge in the Bear Mountains. The next morning Henry Brown, who has secured a position with a construction company in a nearby city reads the account of the kidnapping and obtaining leave from his duties, goes to help Alice. Disguising himself in the white costume of a ghost, Henry steals into the camp of the gangsters, and. frightening their guard, sees Mr. Herst, but dares not enter, as he is unarmed. He picks up a note dropped by the guard which requests Alice to come to the camp, alone, the next night, bringing five thousand dollars in ransom money. Going at once to her home, and still wearing his disguise, as he fears that if the plans are revealed Mr. Herst may be found, Henry secretly leaves this note, but ladds a post-script which advises her to bring a pistol. As he is leaving the Herst home. Henry encounters John, the negro chauffeur, who throws up his hands in terror, and runs frantically into the house, informing Alice that he has seen a ghost. She laughs reassuringly, and orders him to drive her to the camp in Bear Mountains the next evening, leaving word with her friends that they are to notify the sheriff if she does not return within three hours. Arriving at the lonely camp, Alice is taken to a room, where she is left alone with a masked figure who takes her ransom money, and then removes his disguise, revealing himself to be Mr. Smith, alias Ned Kent. The girl struggles helplessly as he forces his attentions upon her. but at that moment Henry, in his white garb, breaks down the door, and sends Mr. Smith to the floor with a terrific blow. Police arrive as they are struggling, and arrest Ned and his gang. Mr. Herst is found in another room, boun<l but imharmed. When he is released he gladly gives his consent to Alice's marriage with Henry, and the young couple are presented with a reward of one thousand dollars for the capture of Kent and his gang. THE CUCKOO CLOCK Wilfred Lellmann Short Subject File No. 10368 IN his little Swiss home high in the Tyrolean Alps, Fritz Hallcrthal sat at his work table carving, endless designs. For weeks now his fouryear old son had tried to guess what the thousand minute wheels and cogs were for, but now as Fritz carefully fitted them together little Jan clapped his hands with glee for there, standing for all the world to see, was a wonderful clock. Gravely Fritz wound the mechanism and before Jan's very eyes a jaunty little cuckoo popped out to sound its shrill little call and then darted back again out of sight. Every hour as long as they lived, Fritz explained, the cuckoo would come out to see that all was we'l and pop in again. Buxom little Anna smiled happily at the absorption of her husband and son for while Fritz was working on the clock he forgot for a moment his resentment against the stupid game laws that forbade a man to hunt in his own beloved mountains. Anna trembled as she remembered how many times Fritz had put his knapsack on his back and set off to hunt in defiance of the game warden. Again and again she had begged him not to risk his life so, but each time the desire to bring down a fine buck had been too strong and off he had gone. But now the clock was finished and Anna shuddured as she saw Fritz finger his gun reflectively. Then one day after his regular ceremony of winding the clock and kissing the saucer-eyed Jan, Fritz set off into the mountains. Anna shook violently as she heard a shot, but an instant later Fritz darted through the door, and when the game warden appeared, a now composed Fritz greeted him solemnly and plied him with wine while the stupid fellow rubbed his head and said he was sure a poacher had come this way. As the warden staggered down the path tha hour struck and the cuckoo mocked. "Cuckoo, cuckoo." Roaring with delight. Fritz pulled Jan on his knee and told Anna how he had just barely managed to escape that time. Anna wept and once more Fritz promised he would not hunt again. Daily Ft-itz went through his little ceremony before going about his business as a guide, but one day he omitted it. Sick with apprehension Anna went to the subterranean trapdoor and discovered Fritz had once again taken his knapsack and gun. Each hour she grew more frantic, and Jan restlessly asked question after question about the clock and where his father might be so late until, panic communicated to him, Jan wept himself to sleep on his mother's lap while Anna watched the road with burning eyes and each hour the cuckoo came out to call the passage of time. Meanwhile Fritz left the house and. as a black cat crossed his path, laughed heedlessly. In the underbrush the hunter stalked his game patiently waiting until a rustle brought to his alert senses the awareness of a fine male deer. The moonlight shone on the poacher's gun. Exultantly Fritz fired and the proud buck leaped in the air and fell dead. But, "Halt!" the game warden shouted, "or I'll shoot!" Obeying instinct, Fritz fled. A shot rang out. Fatally wounded the hunter collected the last bit of strength in his body and as the clock struck nine. ten. eleven. Fritz staggered across the threshold and fell dying, Jan, awakening with a start, wailed. Anna screamed and threw herself across the body of her loved one. magnificent even in death, and the cuckoo, stopping forever at the stroke of eleven, stood staring at the woeful scene. THE FALL OF ZEUS Paul R. Snider Costume Drama File No. 10377 AT work upon the girdle she is going to wear in the great beauty contest, Hera as usual begins nagging her Olympian husband. Zeus. First she complains about the power Aphrodite and her son E''os are assuming and when Zeus assures her that she has nothing to fear from them, Hera adopts a conciliatory tone as she brings the conversation to the topic nearest her mind. Zeus is to be judge of the beauty contest, isn't he? Zeus frowns importantly. Well isn't she the most beautiful of the goddesses? For a moment Zeus steals a look at his mature and amply-proportioned spouse. Then he coughs judiciously. Of course, he adds, with , his fingers carefully crossed, he thinks so, but a husband has no right to pick his wife when he is supnosed to be acting as an impartial iudge. Hera's burst of uxorious fury takes Zeus' breath away, but at last 'he comforts her by promising to resign his position in favor of Paris. Thus Hera will be assured of justice. Hera is not sure her husband means that as a compliment, but a glance at his face contorted in what he believes to be an expression of his confidence in her surpassing loveliness, reassures her. The following morning Hera awakens her grumbling hjisband who feels entitled, as the Lord of Olympus and Earth, to more sleep, and when he admits that as yet he has done nothing about getting Paris for the contest, Hera dispatches him. Tired, overworked, Zeus begins stropping his razor l)ut just as he is shaving under his chin. Hera yells in to hurry him. and Zeus swears mightily as he cuts himself. Ill-tempered he goes to Vulcan's garage and storms violently as his chariot wheel is repaired. Dashing to the festival, he searches anxiously for Paris, but as he sees Menelaus sitting in his box without his wife, Zeus remembers the gossip about Helen and Paris, and post haste repairs to the home of Menelaus. He winks ponderously as, by means of several transformations, he manages to slip in on the erring pair and finds them sitting blissfully together. Zeus' severity melts at sight of Helen's loveliness, and he remembers just in time he has appeared to them in the guise of Hermes. He induces Paris to obey, albeit reluctantly, the command of Zeus, but promises the loan of one of the King's own chariots to expedite the return of the young lover. On the way back to Olympus. Zeus cannot get Helen's desirability out of his mind and he decides to step in himself in the guise of Paris and enjoy her beauty unhampered. With an excess of good feeling, he strides into Hera's room and kisses her resoundingly. A slap is his reward, and as Hera shouts she will tell her husband, Zeus remembers suddenly that he is not in his own guise and hastily transforms himself before her eyes, only to be received with crushing sarcasm. Hastily Zeus hurries her out to the arena and bows stiffly as the crowd cheers lustily. Excusing himself, Zeus assumes a boy's identity and creeps about, overhearing Paris bribed by Aphrodite who offers him the gift of the fairest woman in Greece if he, now the judge, selects her. Paris after dramatic hesitation chooses Aphrodite and while the crowd yells its approval, Hera is nasty in her accusations of collusion. In the ensuing riot, Zeus slips off as Paris carries off Helen. Meanwhile, Eros confidentially informs Hera that Paris is eloping with Helen in one of Zeus' chariots, and Hera follows. Believing Hera has discovered him, Zeus sets Helen down and flees. Hera catches him and shakes him until, before her startled eyes Paris turns into an abashed Zeus. At her stream of vituperation, a thunderous laughter arises from the Gods Eros has assembled to watch his little joke and henceforth Zeus and Hera are rulers in name only, while Aphrodite and Eros are the actual Lord of Olympus and Earth. CIVIL MARRIAGE Augusta E. Tuttle Drama File No. 10292 IN the excitement of packing to go to America, it had not occurred to Paul Sand that his daughter Lucie would so far defy his wishes as to have the legal notice of her marriage to Pierre Gervais posted. Now, learning that the civil marriage was to take place today, Paul rushed furiously to the City Hall and seeing Lucie and Pierre standing together, struck the boy a heavy blow on the head, explained to the crowd that the fellow had insulted his daughter, and riished the protesting Lucie into a taxi. Hurrying his plans, Paul proceeded immediately with his wife and daughter to Havre and when Lucie insisted hysterically that she was married to Pierre, her father scoffed and demanded a marriage certificate for proof. All the way across the ocean Lucie was too ill to think and her mother dared not risk her husband's anger by openly sympathizing. At Ellis Island the Sands were met by Paul's friend Jean Silvestre who brought them to his home. Everything was strange to Lucie. The jabbering of an alien language, the caring for the Silvestre 's twin infants and two older children while Mrs. Silvestre took her friends about. Then an excursion boat sank and among the number, less victims were Lucie's mother and father and Jean's wife. In her agony, utterly alone, Lucie brooded over Pierre Gervais. He had said if she left France he would follow. Had her father's blow killed him? Had he found another girl? Jean finding her dully weeping, put his arm about her shoulder and promised to take care of her. When matter-of-factly he explained his children needed someone to take care of them, Lucie haltingly told him of Pierre, but while her four step-children screamed lustily, Lucie Jean shrugged. This was America. In the hot flat, listened uncomplainingly to Jean's eternal comparisons with his former wife who could so well manage the squirming children that were Jean's pride and joy. And when her own baby was born, Lucie felt at last she would have someone of her own again to love, but in a few days the tiny wailing child gave up the struggle to stay alive, and Jean's silent look somewhat blamed the frail Lucie. How could Lucie know that all this while Pierre, having followed her to America was exhausting his resources in a futile search for her and was even now working at the pier, hopefully searching every face. But Fate is whimsical, and Jean decided, at last, to return to France. It was at the dock that Lucie stumbled against piled luggage and as a workman helped her to her feet they stared at each other. "Pierre!" "Lucie!" "Come Lucie." said Jean, and dully she hurried after her husband. Stunned Pierre watched her but, unable to go on, as the ship cleared the dock, Lucie leaped overboard. Pierre watching, saw Jean wring his hands, saw the bubbles, and dived in. Later, with a police officer and a priest standing by, Lucie explained between sobs she was married to