The Billboard (1920)

Ss& mF.'i'i, i MWsWty SBHrv3 KB; DESERT LAW, .Rufo Dorsey .Jack Richardson Tho Stranger... ;...George Pearce Donald McLane..; ,A1 Whitman Julia Wharton Leotta Lorraine Sheriff Ray Hanford Deputies Bert Appling and James Parley Logan Phil Gastrock Jim Joe Singleton Dick .Leo Pearson Buck Curly Baldwin' Thrills galore are found In "Desert Law" (Triangle). Thero is little chango for great variety in pictures of the "Wild West" type, as life there, according to the screen at least, is not complex and men, motives and emotions are primitive. Donald McLane Incurs the hatred of Rufo Dorsey simultaneously with the winning of the affections of Julia Wharton. Rufo is the boss of tho country and is surrounded by a body of henchmen as unscrupulous as himself. When It Is learned that Donald has discovered crude oil flowing like water on his proporty, his chances for a. long life are not improved. So Donald is speedily "framed," a man being shot at in a crowd and immedi- ately dragged out of sight. He is said to be murdered and Donald is branded as the cul- prit. It all seems a little thin, but it gives the legalized outlaws a-motive for putting him out of tho way. So he is arrested and sen- . tenced to death without delay.'' But Julia has written the governor for help and in response a man in plain clothes arrives. Learning the true state of affairs, he sends a telegram in code for help. Donald is rescued and goes to— the Wharton ranch, where the plain clothes man also seeks safety. Barricaded in the house, they light desperately with the out- laws, who surround them. But at the crucial moment four automobiles crowded with sol- diers arrive, Riife having been killed in the meantime. It being discovered that Donald did not commit the murder of which he is ac- cused, he is let free to bore for oil and make love to Julia. The parts are well played. Al Whitman as Donald shows himself to be both a horse- man and* fighter, while Jack Richardson makes a villainous villain. . Direction and photography both of a high order. MO V I N G I* IGTU THE EMBARRASSMENT OF RICHES. Elizabeth Holt Lillian Walker John Russell, philanthropist Carl Brickert Wm. Gildersleeve, banker John Costello Bobby Gildersleeve, his son... Edward Keenan Count Orloft Henry Sedley Lelghton Craig Edward Roseman Mrs. Goodwin Harriet Ross Alma Reeva Greenwood Miss Partridge .....Peggy Lundeen Ted Phelan Howard Truesdale Jim Connors— John DUlion Sentiment, heart interest and a few dramatic touches are woven Into this extremely pleas- ant five-reel comedy in which Lillian Walker is featured, and produced by her own organi- zation. It was shown privately. The subject Is treated In a novel, natural fashion, and one that will make an appeal. Not the slightest strain upon one's credulity and the ending Is the logical outcome of a sequence of plausible eventB. The story Is by Louis K. Anspacher, Roy Somerville wrote the scenario, while Edward Dllllon did the di- recting. The photgraphy and lighting are satis- factory and In the lattor reels some fine houses and gardens have been requisitioned, all fit- ting In comfortably with the locale. While lacking novelty, at least In pictures, the story Is' Interestingly unfolded and has to do prin- cipally with a young woman who Is changed overnight, through the death of a distant rela- tion, from Lizzie Holt, a sweat shop worker, to Elizabeth Holt, heiress. Elizabeth Hold (Miss Walker), who said she was tired of being poor and craved riches, has a terrible time with her money and has to assume the role of her own private secre- olnematographer, who has been her leading man in pictures ia New York,; and with whom she was in love when he left to Join the French Army. The. tortures MIsb Dalton receives at the hands of the Germans; particularly a captain of jthe Huns, Is appalling, and the agony she sufferes is depicted in every line of her face, of the Huns, is appaling, and the agony she the spectator is'kept at a tension almost pain- ful. * Miss Dalton Is seen at her best Jn this pic- ture. The scene in which she exposes her breast on which the Hun captain has Im- printed the "crosB of shame," to her lover, la a dramatic climax which it would be bard to equal, even on the speaking stage. Miss Dal- ton has a small but carefully selected com- pany, all the members doing excellent work. Edmund Lowe, who takes Jean Ploard, la a manly looking chap and acts in a straight- forward manner which carries conviction. BEANS. Betty Brewster. Edith Roberta Her Father John Cossar g'Hs. ..." Harry Carter Wlngate. -..Charles Gerrard Glendon Kirk. ..> Lewis J. Cody Betty Brewster will have none of pink teas or tangoing. Upon leaving finishing school she yearns to work in her father's bean can- nery but, thwarted In this by her uncon- vinced parents, she contents herself by writ- ing advertisements for the beans. Betty's father is a bean magnate and Ellis is a business rival. Wlngate, her father's secretary, is in the pay of Ellis. Brewster holds certain options which he wishes to re- new as they are about to expire. The papers must be in San Francisco on a certain day before a certain hour. The picture, a Bluebird feature, Is one of those stories of a chase in which the hero— or heroine in thlB case—arrives Just in time, on the tick of the clock. Betty is the emissary, as her father 1b sud- denly stricken with gout. She is to meet Glendon Kirk, her father's lawyer, whom she has never seen, at a certain Junction. But Wlngate, the perfidious secretary, whom she has never seen either, boards the train and J Impersonates the lawyer. He gets the papers before Kirk's arrival, and makes Betty be- lieve that Kirk Is he—Wlngate. So Betty' con- trives to get Kirk off the train at a way sta- tion where they are both left behind. They undine- t^STr,, ™ ,"i— ,"fv. "6"«"«s una on become involved in all sorts of difficulties^ fiftSfiS"ft* % ^L Clot £ es ,a tne ru,ns '" Wlngate, finding that he has taken the wrong hL« 'is*$.? ?J? &&..**&• gooA . *> r " Paramount standard. Mien Bennett is splendid- ly supported by Robert McKim as her cruel, tyrannical, drink-loving husband, and Jack Holt as the sugar planter. Maude George Was, a hardworking Hawaiian girl. Lydia Knott was entirely satisfactory, other roles were also capably- handled. Soenically the picture is one of the best of the season, and photographically auperb, the r^Jfili"® 0 ?, 68 ttn f tne Hawaiian views being exceptionally good. d-T?Si l ";? ry * 8t tlm . es has a B °rt of "Bird ot SnTta M »i.i a £S£lV i n £ ri ¥ tt0 Plantation the «-J a » , \i tno £'"8 husband, unconsciously sets fire to himself, and, while ablaze, plunges head- long over a cliff. Uncanny and horrible, per- haps, in conception, but a deserving fate for one of the despicable German type as depicted in the screening. Director Ntblo may have had his doubts about the effect, but "good foo«" oouW be neard ttrough e 0 c u ' t «» n e^: "The Marriage Ring" and Miss Bennett are w fi'L w *? rth wh,, ° anywhere the flags of the Allies ny. afarfc. OUT OF A~CLEAR SKY: S^Si? 8 ? Celo8to d « Bersek..Marguerite Clark v&fiPnfSSF** Tbamu Meighan nS?i« D n y ? k • - B - J - Radcliffe Grown Prince Raymond Bloomer SSL." B t? bby Co *">elfr Stev§ Retort Dudley Granny White".V.V.V.V.'.'.'.".'.Maggie" H' Fisher &""*" -•• ...Hlfen'MonlroBe m7,,£L ...Robert Vivian X™* "'• -Nell Clark Keller i«%l a V ve,y u°? eak,ne '." 0ut ot a Clear Sky" !?./■£ 5? m ^'P 8 "^n* **«' *>est <>* the long list of Marguerite Clark film successes. In it ^?. h ^, < i? mp . arat!veI y 1!ttl ° to do bVlook cu tf, which, of course, she does. The story Is by Maria Thompson Davles. directed by Marshall Kellan, nto final Para. aSSL&PkJPP ,s "ot "IrtinSedtOT directorial brilliancy. It seemed as if the Sr&ns tbe *■» m hope,eM « Miss Clark baa the role of a Belgian countess who gives up title and wealth, run- ning away to America to avoid marrying a German prince. Her uncle follows liT quest °.t ^.„ 8nd 8he £P kB Ietn 'o to the mountains oL Te k nes8ee ' T here sne encounters a young and handsome land owner who aids her to 2? 1o AS re a t»ves. , The housein which fl^inl ^i? 8 ,B PF 1 ^ by "Bntnlng and on Thomas Meighan is the hero, Eisft; Radcliffe the conspiring, uncle,.and there is a supporting cast of equally competent players. But they had so comparatively little to do the entire effort seemed wasted. „ •■ ■ Jolo. THE CRAVING. Alia Kasarlb../N p e ter Gerald geulah Grey. May Gaston Carroll Wales. .Francis Ford His Brother .Duke Worhe His Mother. Jean Hathaway A strange picture is this Universal feature, "The Craving," in which Francis Ford plays a fantastic, drink-sodden creature. There 13 not much plot, nor is there a lesson tangibly taught. The picture Is a fantasy, dealing with, the sins of the flesh, and the power of the* mind. Tricks and illusions are shown on the screen, but the photography is not particularly extraordinary. The picture was shown at the Broadway Theatre. Carroll Wales (Francis Ford) Is a.'chemist who has discovered the formula for a high ex- plosive. This secret Alia Kasarlb wisheB to learn. He uses hlB ward, May Gaston; who is under his hypnotic power, to tempt Wales with liquor, knowing that he has formerly been ad- dicted to drink, but had overcome it. Wales returns to his former mode of living. Kasarlb gains the ascendency over him and learns the secret Wales' spirit is taken on an imaginary trip over battle grounds and through scenes of lust to show him the pit- falls that await slaves of the fleshr - So Wales awakens a changed man. He goes to the laboratory-of Kasarlb, where ther Is a strug- gle, during which an explosion kills Kasarlb. And the ward and he are then released from Kasarlb's influence and free to marry each other. ; Several novel effects are secured In the Illus- tration of some of Wales' hallucinations. He toys with wine glasses and.bottles in which women dance in wild abandon, and he curi- ously picks the wriggling figures up In his fingers. But one wonders what It Is all about. Mr. Ford does his best work when he is supposed to be drunk, although the picture affords little chance for acting. Mr. Ford did his own directing. package from Betty, comes" back aid denounces her as a thief. She and Kirk are thrown in jail while Wlngate departs for San Francisco In an automobile. Betty and Kirk escape in another car which they have stolen. They arrive at a road-house where their car is recovered by the owner. Wlngate Is here too, and Betty gets the pa- pers again. Here her father comes in a car and picks up Kirk while Betty goes ahead on a motorcycle. She falls off and Wlngate re- covers the papers. Then a thrilling chase commences, on and off ferries and over bridges, until finally Wlngate staggers into the office where a meeting is being held. He produces the papers which prove to be Betty's bean advertisements. Again he has taken the wrong papers. _ And Betty totters in on the minute with the papers, closely followed by her father and K i«. ,, Her ,atner makes her his manager, while Kirk persuades her to let him be her partner. It Is an amusing story, *ill of snap and ac- tion, it combines comedy and melodrama an ™EE? v J, d< ? a d,vert| ng and original picture. Edith Roberts, as Betty, is a most daring young woman as well as a good actress, while the r&st all pass. Direction and photography tune she had Just left the premises, and her uncle departs in the belief she Is dead! Thin ?«mJ? e 2 f° m * ?2 re o«ey-cutey stuff in at" H m HL Bg tp qualify as a housewife in order band y ° Ung land owner t0T a n" 8 " JACK CUNNINGHAM Staff .Writer Robert Brnnton Studies* Los Angeles Recent Releases for Barrlacale, Keenan, Glaum and Kerrigan THE MARRIAGE RING. "The Marriage Ring" Is styled a Thos. H. tary before the man with whom she Is In love Jnce production, with Enid Bennett starring'. is. He Is one iLfi 2 na i F™a Niblo's name on tne lnltlal will favor nor with his attentions. of those altruistic young persons who does set tlement work, and at first scorns to marry Elizabeth, when he discovers her Identity and she has to fairly throw herself at him before ho will accept her. Miss Walker acts with pleasing simplicity in both roles. In fact, one Is more interested in the star than in the story. There is no lack of action. A gambling house raid In which some society slummers are caught and one or two good scraps, tone down the slight tendency to overdo the so- ciety end. VIVE LA FRANCE. Jenevlcve Bouchette, picture actress, _, . Dorothy Dalton Jean PIcard, army clnematographer, _ ' „ . , Edmund Lowe Captain Helnrlch May. Fredorick Starr Colonel Bouchler, French officer.Thomas Guise Plorro La Gal, French poaRant..Bert Woodruff Mnny pictures of late dealing with German atrooitics, but for sheer harrowing realism, with thrills thrown In, few have equalled the above, in which Dorothy Dalton Is featured by Paramount, shown prlvatelv last week. T.bfK.M.ory was ,writtoji...by U 1L. Van Lena. arid the picture made under the direction of R. William Nelll. Technically, Mr. Nelll has turned out an excellent production and tho photography has been handled In masterly manner. Miss Dalton Is Jenevieve Bouchette, a picture actresR. Learning her aged parents had been murdered by German troops in their home at Deschon, Franco, she returns to her nntlvo town, and meets Jean PIcard, an army reeling as being the dlreotor. and it was some strenuosity that Niblo put his wife through as Miss Bennett in private life is Mr«, Fred. Niblo s work on this Paramount picture stamps nim as a director of merit, with prospective subjects sure to show improvement. His long companionship with things theatrical stands him in good stead, and he shows a deft touch here and thero of details that makes the en- tire production stand out. Miss Bennett was never seen to better screen advantage than in this subjeot. All the way she not only makes a sweetly, womanly ap- peal to the men out front, but also endears herself to the women by the natural way she - handled the role of the unhappily married woman. It Is a war picture in the sense that the entire theme is founded upon the German spy system, and that it spreads propaganda of the American type that means one thing— the utter rout of militarism and the extermina- tion of the Hun-murdering army system. For this the scenario Is to be praised, although there is not a single uniform shown or any- thing tending to create the impression that all patriotism runs to life In designated mili- tary-wearing apparel. So that the picture could have a picturesque setting that would be -•"-Kiighty iilctf■•••ii , nd- r attra'etlve'" : 6h : 'the u "lur'eeri i: Ttli¥''' cameramen get plenty of scenic action on Hawalia. The picture starts In the States and ends in the far west, with tho atmospheric environment of the kind that helps put a pic- ture over. The story is pretty well connected with suffi- cient villainy to sustain a high tension throughout. The cast for the most part is up to the TO THE i FOREIGN THEATRE MAN You can add to your income by dis- tributing American-made films through- out your territory—100 percent increase in foreign sale last year! _ Also carbons ami all motion picture accessories There is still a splendid opportunity for live, responsible distributors in many districts. The facts will be sure to interest you. Inter-Ocean Film Corporation (Paul la. CJiromelin, Pires.) -^ -- 42nd Street near Broadway, New York II 111 Wm