Variety (September 1919)

MO V I N G P I C T U R THE I^TEPPING STONE. A Triangle flve-reeler, starring Franlc Keenan vltb Mary Boland. Is not likely a recent release and was caught for a one day shoving at the Stanley, New York. There’s not much to" the picture, other than Mr. Keenan's fine playing. .Perhaps Miss Boland would have loomed up more brilliantly with more to do It with. A noticeable per- formance was given by the unknown vacllli- atlng husband, who was raised to prosperity and dropped to despondency In the first two reels. • The story Is of Keenan as a Wall Street ruler becoming attracted by Miss Boland as the wife of the useless one. He decides to establish the family in wealth and position. suspecting that the husband will walk out when everything la coming bis wa" The magnate forgot to figure on one thing—and the wife walked .>out first when she saw the finish, without leaving word where she had gone. Tho Wall Street man and the hus- band suspected the wife bad killed herself. So the husband killed himself. About a year after the magnate met the widow In the office of a broker, for a scene that It had taken up about two reels to reach. Then he married her and the picture was over. It could have been told in one reel. Sime. THE MANTLE OF CHARITY. Monte M. Katterjohn has completed the con- tinuity of his first original stoir since Joining Paramount. Production will start this week, «■ I. nr V —Tttagnph Company of America FP—Famous Playtti-Lasky Corporatloa U —Metro Ploturea CotporaUra B —Select Plotorei Corroratlon Q —Goldwyn Floturee Corporation tJ —CnlTersal Film Mfg. Corporation FN—^Flrit National Exhltilton’ OltoiU Mu—Mutual Film Corporation F —^Fox FUm Corporation OV —General Film Company F —Patha ■xchanm, Ina $ 1 , 000 , 000,000 Is Our Pledse! Just when one thinks that there wasn't much of an excuse tor making this subject, “The Mantle of Charity” (American) and a Fathe “future,” the scenario takes a sudden twist and right hango In the eye-o comes a climax that Is sure to have picture audiences laughing unexpectedly during a scene that Is supposed to be as serious as death Itself. The story Is old, but this unexpected climax isn't, that la. It hasn't been drummed to death In the pictures. The nice looking young man in the picture Is running a charitable organi- sation and aeemi so wrapped np ;ln the project he unexpectedly meets a charming young woman whom be takes under bis char- itable wing, and because she has a baby—at. least, the little bundle she oarrisa gives him every reason to suspect that It Is her offspring —he gives her a Job,as a atenographer. In duo time he takes It upon himself to believe that her condition wa%< due to an old scoundrel who in truth la her Sardian. The audience known that the girl la as rich 08 a treasury mint, and that the supposed baby Is her pet dog. She goes through with the deception and when she slips a poverty- stricken woman money because tbs needy one had a baby that was 111, the young man who bad denied the father charity tor reasons best known to bis line of Investigation, learna that ahe has rendered financial help and fires her out of hla office. This rich girl, known aa Norah Malone, opens across the street a compotitivo organ- isation that rendered aid first and made an Investigation afterward. The man bad them all rushing back when he tacked up a algn reading that ‘‘We help and never investigate." Then the mother that the girl had help^ comes Into vision, telling of another climax at home. The drunken father won’t go to work and demands that the woman go on the streets and pick up coin that way. The young woman says If the young man of charitable inollnatfona la half a than he would go up there and whale the everlaatlng out of the drunken brute. He retaltates, "If yeu are half a woman, you will (»ma along and watch It.” She goes. Then cornea a merry fight The . drunk starts to whale the daylight out of the other man. The latter pluoki renewed courage and salle in, giving the drunk a knock-out punch. An he atandr there, looking at hla fallen adveraary, the mother, the very rnnac woman who bad been helped by the , rieh young man, with a poker gives the young man a k. o. from the rear. At the private showing this unexpected angle, and it was no doubt meant for a aerl- ous twist of tbs story, caused a loud guffaw from the reviewers preaent. It’s really a . gen- uinely comedy development that will receive laughter deapite any intentions of the nos- nsrlo otherwise. nsrlo otherwise. It Is a scenario that Jumps a wide ditoh at the beginning, leaves muon to bs imsginad and really runs through an absurdly far- the comedy fracas saves tho film from doing a Brodle. There la nothing else to the film. Not much acting. MargarHa Fisher Is featured. ■ She la the rich young girl with the "dlsgulMd baby.” Pbotographloally this Amsrloaa-Pathe an- Bwers all purposes, with ooma of the sosnss capitally staged. Mark. LAUGHING BILL HYDE. Laughing Bill Hyde..... -.Will Rogers Fonotab Anna Lehr Black Jack Burg .John Salnpolln Dr. Bvan Thomas Clarence Oliver Joseph Wealey Slayforth^ Joseph Herbert Denny Slevln. .....Robert Conville Danny Dorgan .........Dan Mason Will Rogers, erstwhile lariat thrower, of later years a monologlst, makes his debut os a acreen star In Res Beach's “Laughing Bill Hyde,” a Ck)ldwyn picture, directed by Hobart Henley. A new star to fll --dom is neoescarlly a mat- ter of importance to the trade and it should be stated early Rogers la a success. Us Isn't an actor on the screen any more than he Is on the stage, hangs his head la the same man- ner, comporting himself with the same shamb- ling awkwardness. Nevertbelma he relgctera humor and pathos os' Inclalvely as his mono- logs are punctuated with humor. A close-up of him depicting grief over tho loss of hla pal shows him gulping his “Adams apple,” and for the portrayal of humor be has a most engaging amlrk. The star la surrounded by a well selected aupporting company with painstaking and in- telligent direction. The story la western In locale and Is In Rex Beach's bwt vein. “Laugh- ing Bill"-Is a man who bad been “borrowing" things In the absence of their respectivo own- ers since he was ten years old. The tale opens with BUI and bis pal breaking Jail. It develops later he was doing five years for assaulting his brother-in-law (or abusing BIU’i sister. In the escape Bill’s crony Is mortally in- jured. He sticks by him, carrying him to the home of a physician. When hla pal dies Bill heads (or the Aloakan gold fields. On board the ship he la In a stateroom robbing it when Its oocupant enters. It la the doctor, who determines to reform him and cure, him of consumption. > BUI Is a bad one, morally and physically, A warm friendship Is thus created. The doctor has gone to Alaska to make bis fortune, being poor and In love with a sweet young girl, who will wait for him. Bill meets a half breed Indian girl who has been robbed of her mine by an unsorupulous promoter. He In turn Is being robbed of a goodly portion of the mine’s output by "hla foremen. Bill'straightens things out for the girl and the doctor and wins tha Indian maiden for a wife. That he has to resort to dishonesty by “salting” a worthless mine be- longing to the doctor and foisting It on tha unscrupulous promoter does not take away from the attractiveness of the sympathy for the Jall-bird lead; ='There—l&=-oca«!domUe- oosodys ■the- Rlvelt • audience last Sunday afternoon laughing at some of the titles. Rogers makes of "Laugh- ing Bill” a very human Individual, not an idealized romantic personage, but Just an or- dinary mortal with a soul. The first Will Rogers picture may be sst down aa a success. If future ones fit bis por- soaality as snugly we ahall have aoethsr star for the aoreMi, ail ms