Variety (September 1909)

VARIETY 13 "Ralph Benefit* by Other*' Curiosity" (Path*). A novel bit of trick camera work gives strength to this series. A poor boy finds • small kaleido- scope on the sidewalk. He places It to hla eye. Immediately upon the screen Is shown the shift- ing design of shapes and colors as the youngster sees them. Psssert-by are attracted and demand to look tnrough the Instrument. The boy starts it tbrlTlng business by sell log peeps Into bis find mimI In this way accumulates a ueat sum to turit uver In bis liunl working mother. HUSH. VARIETY'S OWN PICTURE REVIEWS stance the moving picture business would benefit not alone In attendance, bat In Its general stand- ing with the public at large. It would seem that almost anybody would prefer to see an Instructive •ubjeet in preference to pictures of trumped-up lynching bees, revenge, carnage and photographic tommy-rot. WALT. "The Hew Mail Carrier" (Path*). A reitlly luiighHhlo comedy Is hero presented, iilthough II Is possible that Aiiierlcuns uilss the essence of the buinor. The reel was probably ineunt to refer to the recent strike In Parla. The mall carriers are locked out and postal authorities hire substitutes. One Is a clumsy fool, sent to distribute letters in a rack. Becoming tired of the job be throws the missives about by the handfuls, letting them drop any old place. Fall- ing at this Job he Is loaded down with letters and packages and sent out to deliver them. His methods are extremely simple. Arriving at a resi- dence that strikes bis fancy, ho shows his prefer- ence by dumping a handful of letters and pack- iiges on the door-step as a token of his regsrd. (iettlng back to the depot he Is compllroeuted upon bis speedy Job. und given a second load of mall to deliver. Tills is ton much and he makes a single Job of getting rid of the mall, dumping the whole business down a sewer. The stupid letter carrier I* a first rate comedian, and the success of the pic- ture is as much due to bis pnntonilme as to the limiior of tbo idea. RUSH. "The Doctor's Bride" (Lnbln). The cheap sentiment characteristic of a maudlin woman novelist marks this so-called dramatic subject. The doctor befriends the daughter of a deceased patient and later marries her. She Is removed to the wealth and luxury of the medico's home. Falling asleep In her husband's study while be Is reading (a most unladylike performance, by the way) she dreams that she liecomes Involved In a flirtation with a younger mmi. elopes with bliu and Is finally dragged down to jioverty und disgrace by him. All the In- cidents In this process are reflected on the screen. At tbe finish she wakes up. The stage settings mid piintoiulme sro indifferent. RUSH. "The Haunted Hat" (Lubin). "The Haunted Hat" is a short length. A straw but seems to move about tbe ground without visible mean* of locomotion. Amused passers-by watch It with various emotions from the tramp who thinks bo "has 'em" to tbe woman who Is frightened Into hysterics. A member of the crowd llnully Investigates and, turning tbe bat over, discloses a small kitten. RUSH. "My Wife's Gone to the Country" (Essany). There Is nearly 1,000 feet of good fun In this. The comedy starts with the packing of wlfey's Kilps and boxes prepurutory to her trip. The husband is admonished to be good and again re- ceives a thorough course of instruction at the passenger station. Hubby has carried his burden of grips and boxes to tbe entrance gate and In turning them over to his wife she gives him her band bag to hold for a moment. In the rush to make tbe train he and she both forget about it, and he absent-mindedly carries It home with him. He dances about In great glee as he anticipates bis coming days of freedom, and changing his clothes for un evening of fun, starts off "to do the town." He stops at tbe corner saloon and treats all his friends; next be picks up two male companions and takes them to a music ball. Here the trio occupy a stage box and the gay old boy Immediately "chooses" a "sister act" and throws a note to their feet. They pick It up, retire to their dressing room and decide to ac- cept the invitation which has been extended to them. Tbe trio of male fun seekers meet tbe girls at the Btage door, charter an automobile, and after a ride around town wind up at tbe "de- serted" husband's flat. The party la ushered Into tbe dining room and tbe husband goes into tbe kitchen to get supper for tbe crowd. The film then shows tbe wife seated In a passenger coach, the conductor'a demand for a ticket, and the wife's discovery that her band-bag Is miss- ing. Wife, bsg and baggage are hustled from tbe train and she Is compelled to walk borne, arriving while the husband Is In the kitchen. He discovers from the window that his troubles have commenced. He temporarily disposes of the party of erstwhile revellers by putting one of the girls In a trunk, one of the men out of tbe window, aud the.remaining couple In a closet. A series of pictures Is then Interwoven to show the discomfits of the various people In the position they are In. Tbe finish Is quick and fast, for wlfey discovers everything, throws the Intruders out of tbe flat and Is bumping hubby's bead on the table when tbe reel ends. The subject is well done snd Is humorous to a degree. WALT. "Short-sighted Mary" (Lubin). This with another comedy subject makes up 100 feet, Lubln's Iste release last week. There la a growing demand In the exhibition houses for comedy subjects, but It Is bard to see how reels of this ipiallty advances the merit of a show. "Mnry" Is tbe general servsnt In a well-to-do household. Short slghtedness mskes her clumsy In tbe handling of china (one of our very oldest comic paper Jokes) and causes all sorts of un- fortunate accidents when she serves dinner. Mary also assaults tbe brlc-n-brac, demolishing seversl Impressive uiurble flguresi She Is given money and sent to tbe art store to replace it. After making n wreck of tbe art store, she runs away with a marble statuette, only to break It on ber way home. This performance Is several times repeated. In serving dinner she pours soup on the head of a dignified elderly guest and drops the hot coffee down his wife's back. It needs a pretty rrnde and unsophisticated audience to find merriment In such clowning. RUSn. "Niagara In Winter Dress" (Vitagraph). The title Is the description. The falls, whirl- pool, Niagara River and tbe river above the falls Is shown clogged with Ice, covered with spray or clouded In a veil of frost. Several spots mi shore fsmlllar to summer visitors are shown, iiud an Interesting result Is attained by this 860 lict of Vitagraph workmanship. WALT. "The Hunchback" (Vitagraph). Here Is a flue film of strong dramatic appeal. A hunchback bellrlnger has an o'erweanlng thirst. His crippled condition aud besotted ways make him the butt of village fun-makers. Upon going to a wine-garden for another drink, he is made fun of and teased by tbe crowd. One man In particular attracts bis resentment. In a moment of anger be grabs the fellow by tbe throat, nearly choking him to death. Tor this he la pat In tbe stocks. "Tbe angel of the village" la shown passlug among tbe poor and distributing alms and when she cornea to the poor hunchback lu the stocks, surrounded by bis Jibing tormentors, she secures bis release and takes blm to ber home, where she establishes him as her gardener. Under ber good Influence be reforms and In grati- tude he becomes ber devoted servant and pro- tector. In passing to ber home she is Insulted by two libertines who wsylay Jier, but tbe hunch- back arrives In time to foil their purpose and puts them to flight. The designing villains plot to entice her to their home by means of a de- ceiving message, stating that one Is near death, requiring her assistance. Her Instinct as a good Samaritan Is nearly overthrown by her Judgment, but she consents to follow and upon gaining tbe Interior of the villains' retreat she Is set upon by the shamming brutes. One leaves the room, locking her in alone with her powerful tormentor. Tbe hunchback, meanwhile, has found tbe note which was written to bis mistress, and be sets out at all speed to gsln tbe place to which she lias been enticed. Finding the doors barred, be climbs a vine to tbe window of the room wherein she is struggling, and makes bis entrance In time to kill tbe villains. In tbe light the hunchback Is wounded and after be has carried his mistress in safety to her own garden, falls dead at ber feet. Tbe playera are excellent and tell tbe story In an Interesting and skillful manner. WALT. "The Pay Car" (Salem). This fllm wss released Sept. 3, making an In- teresting and effective addition to tbe many good reels the Kalem's have turned out. It runs 930 feet, telling a dramatic story with a good finish. When a locomotive engineer reports for work, he finds tbe fireman, assigned to make the run with him, Intoxicated. The engineer orders him away. Tbe fireman attempts to strike his superior and Is knocked down. This arouses a spirit of resentment snd the firemen resolves upon revenge. The shift of scene finds tbe engineer at home with his wife and sick baby. The doctor calls, indi- cating tbe Infant la In grave danger. Amid tbe displays of grief by wife and husband, orders ar- rive for the engineer to take tbe engine which Is to pull the pay train over Its monthly route. Tbe next scene shows tbe fireman crossing the railroad yards, again or still Intoxicated; he la set upon by a band of toughs who hold him np and rob him of all his possessions—a black bottle presumably full of liquor. The bottle Is passed once around and makes everybody friends. Tbe fireman enlists tbe aid of bis new and strangely snade cronies In bis plans to wreck and rob tbe psy car. Tbe gang repairs to an appropriate spot along the railroad, placing ties upon the trsck. They are discovered by tbe engineer's wife. She waves her shawl as a danger signal to the ap- proaching train, but Is overpowered by the gang, who carry her away. Tbe engineer baa caught tbe signal, bringing bis engine to a halt at the pile of ties. Upon recognising bis wife's shawl and having seen the gang carry tbe woman awsy, tbe engineer forma tbe train crew into a pursuing posse, and the chase begins. Eventually the gang Is overtaken. They shelter themselves In a build- ing, and for a time resist tbe attacking party. After a lively gun battle, tbe kidnappers are over- come and tbe whole outfit shot to pieces. Tbe reunion of husband and wife la the finale. While some of the details have not been as carefully worked out as they might have been, the omis- sions are not serious, tbe complete fllm carrying Interest and - conviction. WALT. "The Horse and the Haystack" (Oaomont). An Improbable picture, depending upon trick photography for Interest. This trick, of running a borse and wagon swiftly between trees In a woodland Is sufficient for the abort fllm which It Is. Tbe title arrives from tbe horse appa rently devouring an entire haystack. His speed thereafter Is derived from the excess energy gen- erated by the enormous amount of hay consumed. 81 MB. "The Hypnotio Wife" (Pathe). "Tbe Hypnotic Wife" la an Incompleted picture. Tbe finish Is the fatber-ln-law in a lunatic asylum, where he has been placed by a series of tricks on tbe part of bis daughter-in-law, tbe entire series being a reversal of tbe "motber-lu/law" long standing Joke. Through this It Is laughable, tbe daughter and wife playing ber part well. Sbe Is a tyrant over ber husband, who appeals to bis father. Upon the father arriving at tbe fam- ily domicile, be takes command, when tbe wife seeks sn hypnotist who Instructs ber in the art of controlling. Returning, and finding her father- in-law half dressed, sbe places blm under her ac- quired hypnotic Influence, sending him through tbe streets in bis freak costume, which flnelly lsnds the portly fether in an insane asylum. The missing scene anyway could have been only one of mutual forgiveness snd so on. though au abrupt ending leaves a feeling of dissatisfaction always. The comedy is very good throngbont. 81MB. "Great Event at Podunk" (Oeamoat). A atatue Is to be unveiled at Podunk. Furmers have atreamed luto towns with teams; locsl bands und the military are on the streets, when It Is discovered thst a group of five people on tbe cur tracks is the statuary. While tbe procession forms for tbo dedicatory services, a switchman ut the power house shuts off the current, releas- ing the quintet from tbe embrace of electricity, which tbe first one bad a shock of, electrifying tho others ss they touched her. Upon being re- leased tbe strenuous woman of tbose electrified tears up the town, turning over the genuine statue and raising roughhouae in general. All tbe scenes, from tbe posing of tbe five people into tbe group, are shown, the views Including tbe power bouse. The maintaining of the position by the group Is particularly effective, as a scene snd as a pose. The "production" end of tho series Is most elaborate and commendable. In all respects It Is interesting, and somewhat amusing. 8IMB. "The Midnight Bons" (Labia). "The Midnight Sons" Is a plain, unvarnished history of a "souse party." Four dress suited young men are seen to leave a hotel in the last stages of Intoxication. They stagger into a music hall and, becoming Involved in a general rough- house, sre summarily ejected. Walking through toe streets tbey come upon a Chinese laundry man carrying a huge hamper of bundles. Tbey take tbe basket away from blm and, returning to the music hall, bombard tbe stage people. Again tbey ure ejected. In an automobile, tbey travel about for a short time, nothing of possible comedy value happening during tbe ride. One of the party de- parts and tbe Isst few minutes of tbe film shows blm returning home, going to sleep. During the night be Is seised with an attack of dellrum tre- mens, sll shown on the sheet. The old trick of tsklng tbe pictures slowly and running them off at regular speed so that tbe actors seem to move ubout (In tbe lmsglnatlon of the "drunk") at a rate of 70 miles an boar, Is resorted to, and this mskes the sole laugh In tbe aeries. RUSH. "A Dash to Death" (Edison). A splendid film with a thrilling finish. An American girl has paid the price of marrying a foreign title. Tbe duke sbe wedded la an Impos- sible husband and brutal in tbe extreme. The girl stands It as long as sbe can, and then cables her father that her married life is nnendnrable. The man who still loves ber, but whom she left be- hind when she married tbe foreigner, starts abroad commissioned by tbe father of the unhappy wife to bring ber home. The American reaches the ducal residence Just at tbe time when the hus- band's brutality has reached the limit; for tbe duke strikes down bis wife with a blow In tbe face. Tbe American starts In forthwith to take revenge. There Is a lively scrimmage. The duke gets a good whipping. In fact the American mskes it so hot tbe duke escapes by tbe window. Tbe American goes after him. There is a chase An automobiles, winding up In a plunge from the top of a cliff, the complete ruin of an automo- bile, and the death of tbe duke. Tbe Edlsons In procuring this sensatlonsl effect wrecked a prac- ticsble car of large slae by running It off the top of tbe Palisades on the Jersey side of the Hudson. In making the fllm New York la shown in the distance. The machine Is first seen to go over the rocks; then the camera cstches It as it top- ples over, turns two somersaults and lands In a craab of smoking and smouldering wreckage. The finish Is a startler, and the observer Is completely surprised. WALT. "The Billposter's Trials" (Path*). Nearly 600 feet of comedy fllm Is shown nnder this title. French methods of blllpostlng seem to be different from tbe way tbey "sheet 'em up" In this country and there Is a laugh in the clumsi- ness of tbe moving picture type of workman. Three mischievous boys mix into tbe scene and their antics contribute a part of the "trials." Further along In the reel, pictures posted on the fence sre transformed Into living subjects and the billposter gets some rough handling by these re- juvenated three sheets. The idea conveyed seems to indieste that tbe billposter "sees things." Tbe lsughs are worked out by tbe manner In wblch be Is bsndled. Not a very good Idea and not well treated. WALT. "The Dyspeptio and Hla Double" (Kalem). Among our most senseless attempts st comedy may be mentioned this fllm. An anbsppy creature with poor digestion, tbe general mix-ups attend- ant upon mistaken Identity form the bssls of a valueless fllm. It must have taken considerable courage to even think of presenting a *lm of any class slong such lines. The result sttslned Is nearly six hundred feet of nothing at all. WALT. "Manufacturing Bamboo Hats" (Paths). Motion photography Is here put to Its very best use. Unusual scenes of an educational value are of vastly more value and Interest than most of tbe Imaginative "comedies" and pictures of crime and carnage which tbe studios are now devoting time to. This fllm shows the msnufacture of bamboo hsts, starting with the growing reeds and ending with tbe finished product. Cut on the shores snd rafted down the river, the various stages of preparation and tbe work of actual manu- facture of the bamboo Is shown In clear fllm. Tbe types of nstlves, the pictures of the country and bouses snd the Interesting details of bsmboo production and manufacture lend a decided Inter- est to the fllm. There must be hundreds of other foreign scenes of equal Interest, obtainable with- out the vast expense attendant upon turning out moat of the films which are made in America. With more films like Patbe provided In tbls In- "The Conspirators" (Kalem). Intrigue, treachery snd desth to the villain Is well worked out In this fllm. The president of one of the South Amerlcsn republics where they have a revolution every minute, Is appealed to by three plotters who demsnd thst they must have their way or off goes tbe president's bead. A time Is set for sn answer, which Is not forth- coining. The conspirators draw lots and the man who draws the short straw starts out to do the killing. Incidentally the wife of the president Is Infatuated with his secretary. On tbe day set for the assassination, the president drives home unexpectedly and nearly catches bis wlfs and the secretary In fond embrace. To make his escape the secretary Jumps into the carrlsge as it is be- ing driven away snd passes out of the gats while the assassin is lying in wait. Thinking, of course, thst tbe occupant of the carriage Is the President, tbe murderer fires and kills the secre- tary. The fllm Is given s farther tragic finish by tbe arrival of the president and his wife; the latter falling prostrate upon tbe corpse of her lover. Tbe photography Is excellent and the com- pany wblch posed the picture were clever actors. Tbs film runs a little over four hundred feet and msy be rsted good In Its class. WALT. "Suffer Little Children—for Such Is the Kingdom of Labor" (Edieen). This paraphrase and title Is a poor selection, for the Kingdom of Labor has less to do with the story of tbe fllm than has man's weaknesa and women'a strength. It rnns a full thousand feet and got a band when it was displayed at tho Union Square; that's going some with picture audiences. Tbe story: A young woman is made love to by a chap who is logically too late, for she la in love with another. However, before giv- ing ber final answer to the most recent applicant for her hand, the one sbe loves best comes home from abroad and she catches him lu sn attitude of tenderness toward another girl. This Impels a quick decision and she merries tbe man sbe loves least. There Is a Jump to flfeen years lster. The Interior of an bnmble home is shown with two youngsters asleep. The mother Is busy at work when the father arrives intoxicated. He brutally directs attention to the clock, ludlcatlng that It Is time for tbe little boy to go to work. Tb<» youngster is forced oat of tbe house, snd is next seen at work In a glass factory. From heat and overwork be falls prostrate and la carried borne to the grief-stricken mother. Ms tiers have come to such desperate straits with the family, that tbe mother aends tbe little girl out wltb an ap- peal for asalstance. Fate directs her to the home of the man whom tbe mother bad decided not to wed, fifteen years before. Noticing tbe resemblance, be compares tbe girl's face with a picture be has of her motber, and realises thst the women he still loves Is In distress. He fol- lows tbs daughter to the unhappy borne. There Is a scene between the old sweetbesrt and tbe miserable mother; but resisting bis promises to provide for her if she will go wltb blm, she de- clares to continue ber lot where It bad been cast. The fllm meanwhile has shown tbe drunken father In a saloon, spending bis lsst cent for a drink. There Is a "vision" adjunct to that part of the fllm which shows to the stuplfled fstber bis little son, brutally treated when be falls fslnt at the glass factory; also the betrothal scene which be snd bis wife enacted years ego Is brought to bis mind. Tbe combination Is too much, working a resolution to reform. Returning to his borne, be is Just in time to meet bis former rival, dressed In tbe helgbt of fssblon snd evidently moot pros- perous. The comparison with his own wretched state and his family's surroundings humiliates him. The father falls upon bis knees before his neglected end Ill-treated spouse snd tbere is a happy reconciliation. The fllm csrrles tbs story with excellent continuity and Interest, tbe acting Is well done throughout snd the subject sbould have much popularity in the rounds of tbe picture theatres, for It tells s story wblch the aversge of humanity knows is not In tbe least Improbable. WALT. "Prof. Puddeahead's Patents" (Urban). Tbls Is trick comedy of good class. Tbe pro- fessor bss Invented sn aeroplane In combination with an automobile and In conjunction therewith Is an appsratus which works by suction and Is able to pull almost anything Into the machine, at no matter what Its height. While tbe Pro- fessor la showing bis Invention to a mischievous boy and girl they decide to take a trip In It as soon ss possible. Their opportunity comes when tbe Professor goes Into his house for a moment. They sail away. Tbe fun comes In operating the suction scheme snd they pull up everything from a square meal to a policeman. Finally they de- scend with a crssb, following a bresk In tbe mechanism snd fsll where the old Professor can revenge himself by sonsing tbe boy and girl with water, and doing other unpleasant things to them. The tricks are funny and tbe whole film Is good. WALT. "Oh, Uncle" (Biograph). Tbere Is In this fllm s reasonable amount of humorous situations which must, If tbe presents- tlon Is to be successful, appear In all comedy films. The picture Is not s riotous laugh, but It Is amusing In a mild way. A newly married bus- bsnd receives from his rich uncle a note announc- ing thst if be ever marries he will be cat off from Inheritance. To tbls Is added the Informa- tion that uncle Is sbout to psy a visit. Tbe wife Is disguised as a servsnt girl to deceive him. Upon bis appearance uncle proceeds to make violent love to the supposed msld, while tbe hus- band rsgee In fury. Uncle finally lets It be known tbat be hss been "wise" all along, and has been pi eying a Joke on tbe pair. This leads to general congratulations.