Universal Weekly (1923-1925)

40 Universal Weekly December 6, 1924 A PAGE OF SYNOPSES "THE MAD WHIRL" A Universal Jewel With MAY McAVOY THE middle-aged Harringtons keep apace with their son Jack on his drinking bouts and jazz parties. As a result, the entire family begins its breakfast morning after morning with headache powders. One day their son meets his childhood chum, Cathleen Gillis, who has returned home from boarding school. He is attracted by her beauty, and neglects a blonde flapper friend just to follow Cathleen about. She is kind to him, but gives him little encouragement. Old man Gillis, a reformed saloonkeeper, runs a soft drink establishment. He is familiar with the way the Harringtons carry on, and he warns his daughter against seeing Jack. Jack persists, and on an occasion when he had been out all Saturday night, he chances near the village church, meetmg Cathleen. The girl, thinking he had attended services, is amiable to him. Then it is that he declares his love. She accepts him after he takes a pledge to avoid drinking. But a short time later she discovers that he has violated his word to her and she horsewhips him. Again he begs her forgiveness and her compassionate nature overcomes her determination to cast mm over. Carried away with their mutual love, they elope in his car, and are married. When Gillis receives word from his daughter to this effect, he dashes angrily into the Harrington home and upbraids them for the viciousness of their lives, and the way they had aided their son in his destruction—which would react harmfully upon his beloved one. The Harringtons are indignant, imagining they have conferred prestige on Gilhs' daughter, but when the old man leaves they realize the folly of their past And the honeymooners continue on their way. "TENTING OUT" One-Reel Universal Comedy Featunng NEELY EDWARDS and BERT ROACH HUBBY and wifey decide to spend a short vacation under a tent, and in order to have all the conveniences of home, they bring their butler along with them. Before leaving, the butler manages to save them from the unscrupulous hands of a dealer in camping outfits who is trying to sell them a quick cooking stove that really doesn't cook at all. Once on the beach they have a great time for the first day, but that night while preparing for sleep, hubby gets careless with his cigar and the lamp, and the next thing they know all three are floundering around in the water trying to get on their beds, which have come with them. "PRESENT ARMS" Two-Reel Century Comedy Starring WANDA WILEY WANDA is a housemaid who loves her mistress' son. The boy is an aviator, who drops out of a plane, falling through the chimney and knocks Wanda down. He refuses to fall for her charms and dashes off in an auto with a load of beauties. Wanda sees that something is wrong with the machine and overtakes it on horseback, pulling him to her just as the machine plunges over a cliff. The next day his mother has a heart attack and sends Wanda to the fort for him. He is on guard duty and she swaps clothes with him, resuming his duty. Later, she gets sleepy and is discovered by the captain, who details her to K. P., peeling onions. Then she has to do picket duty at night. Next day a spy steals their radio plans. Wanda chases him on a motorcycle. She recovers the papers and meets her obstinate lover, changing clothes with him. He is hailed as a hero. Realizing that she is responsible, he dashes back to her and begs forgiveness. She accepts him. "THE RED RAGE" Featuring BILLY SULLIVAN BILLY REGAN, son of a wealthy Australian ranch owner, has inherited a very hot temper from his father and starts a fight with George, one of his college chums, when he tries to play a joke on him. Billy is given a party at his home that night, his sweetheart is wearing her mother's valuable pearls. George asks Billy and his best friend Frank to take two girl friends of his home because he hasn't the time. Billy and his friend agree. Billy tells his sweetheart Helen to wait until he returns. While they are gone George, in reality a crook, calls Helen and tells her that Billy got into an accident and is at his home. Billy and Frank take the girls home and Frank tells him to hurry and take Helen home that he can take a cab. Helen goes to George's house and finds nobody there except George. George makes her give him the pearls and she screams. Frank lives right across the hall from George and as he comes in he hears her. Frank runs to the door and knocks. George pushes Helen into a room and opens the door. He draws his gun and tells Frank to go into the same room, and makes ready for a getaway. In the meantime Billy has learned where Helen is, but when George tells him she is not there his temper rises. He knocks the pistol out of George's hand and knocks him down. He then rushes into the room, sees his chum and his girl together and shoots Frank. He instantly realizes his mistake and his broken-hearted. His father tells him that he, when younger, had a terrible temper, too, and that he went to another country to learn to control it. So Billy decides to go to the U. S. A. for a few years. "PONCE DE LEON" One-Reel Universal Comedy LISTEN, children, and you shall hear the real story of how they made a monkey of Ponce De Leon in Palm Beach. Ponce De Leon had one great ambition and that was to be young. But in spite of the fact that he entered all of the dance contests, he had to have his face lifted every three weeks and had three Jack Dempseys performed on his nose. But when he lost the last contest, he decided to make a trip to Florida for an application of the Fountain of Youth. Arriving at Palm Beach on a rum runner, he asked the first Indian he met where was the Fountain of Youth. The Indian, who was pulling telephone poles apart with his fiingemails, said, "Ask my father." De Leon discovered the father had finished plowing his pop-corn patch and was trudging homeward with the plow upon his shoulder. After some misgivings, the ancient but rejuvenated Indian agreed to show our hero the pool. But there were so many other Indians coming in and going out revivified that De Leon had a terrible time getting there, and then the Indians put up a job on him because they were afraid he would spoil the water. Every Indian that went in came out forty years younger. So when De Leon finally got into line and jumped in, the Indian chief stepped on him and kept him so long under water that when he finally emerged he had reverted to the original form of human life and become a monkey.