Variety (July 1919)

'.,■■>-'*>■%£ WO V 1 N G PI C T URfS 43 I I ■ STRAND. Jack Pickford in the Initial release by the first National Exhibitors' Circuit starring him failed to pull business at the Strand for either of the Sunday afternoon shows. The pro- duction was made by the Jack Pickford Film Company, and the title of the story is "Bill Apperson's Boy," a drama of the Blue Ridge Mountains of the type of "We 'Una of Ten- nessee" filled with "you alls" and other sup- posed to be Southern sayings. It Is a good little meller, but It hardly qualifies in the "full week's run in the best houses" class. Pickford plays his usual boy, and surround- ing him there are a score or more of "types" of the hills. There are three or four times when the story looks like it was going to be' a shooting affair, but it falls to come to the trigger point. Surrounding the feature. Managing Direc- tor Jos. L. Plunkett for bis last week at the bouse has selected a program that appears to interest Suppe's "Pique Dame" Is the over- ture selection. The Topical Review held the news of the minute, and was followed by a couple of baritone selections by Bruce Weyman. After the feature, Ethel Newton, soprano, offered two numbers. The scenic, one of the Outing-Chester series, and entitled "They Grow Everywhere," - was devoted to the baby life of Japan. The first of the "Hall Room Boys" comedy series made by Jack Cohn and entitled "How Do They Do It on $8 Per" was the comedy offering of the bill. It scored laughs. Fret. BILL APPERSON'S BOY. Buddy. Apperson .'. Jack Pickford Bill Apperson Russell Simpson Martha Yarton Gloria Hope Zeke Yarton Geo. Nlcholls This Is tbe first production that has been made by the Jaek Pickford Film Company and released through the First National. Of course, -the Jack Pickford contract with the First National was an aftermath to the Mary Pick- ford contract, and it was engineered by "Ma" Pickford. As it stands it is for three pictures, of which "Bill Apperson's Boy" is tbe initial offering. At the Strand on Sunday the feature failed to attract the usual Sunday business, even though the picture Is a fairly pleasing feature. It is not, however, of the calibre that would warrant its running for a full week in the best of the houses. For a regular program house with a change of- bill dally or trl-weekly It will get by nicely and Interest the fans. The story Is a tale of the Blue Ridge Moun- tains, with Bill Apperson. a mountain char- acter that talks slow and supposedly shoots fast, but the usual shooting that goes with a feud in that part of tbe country is strangely lacking, although there was reason enough for a lot of gun play. There were several in- stances where it looked as though the "weapons" were to flash, but the director fooled us by switching. Jack Pickford is "Buddy" Apperson, one of his usual youthful characterizations, well played and at times carrying a comedy touch that was refreshing. He is in love with Gloria Hope, who is playing the role of the only daughter of the Yarton family. There is the parental opposition to the match, but Buddy persists, and finally in the long run he wins out, but not until he has had a couple of scraps with her brothers and also does a bit in Jail. - Russell Simpson as BUI Apperson is a cork- ing character and wonderfully well played. The picture for the greater part Is exterior shots, some of them very pretty, but the interiors that there are are cheap enough, so that the production does not represent any great money outlay. Toward the finish there Is a studio shot in photography that Is a pippin for hav- ing been shot indoors. It shows a meeting on the mountain top of the boy and the girl wonderfully well, and just as wonderfully lighted. . . As a whole, a fairly interesting and enter- taining picture if you like Jack Pickford and his work. . Fred. RIALTO. Manager Hugo Riesenfeld managed to dig out the summer draperies for the Rialto stage this week, with the result that the house looked GO per cent, cooler. The first Sunday afternoon show managed to attract a full house before it was half run through, and at the flnlBh of the bill there were a few standees present at the back of the bouse. This was generally conceded to be extraordinary business for the house at this time of the year on a pleasant Sunday afternoon. The features of the bill that were played up in the lights outside of the house were the Tom Moore starring pic- ture, "The City of Comrades," a Goldwyn pro- duction, and the Harold Lloyd comedy. The selection from "Manon" served as the overture, and was followed by the Bruce scenic, "The Land of Silence." The trio from "Faust" was noxt sung by the Messrs. Brefel, List and Albano. The Rialto Magazine now has also the "Say- ings of Topplltzky" programed, and in addi- tion contained a William Fox cartoon comedy of Mutt and Jeff. The weekly Itself contained clips from the International, Pathe and the Qaumont News. A popular number, "Somewhere a Voice Is Calling," sung by Gladys Rice, was one of the distinct hits of the bill. Miss Rice has a pleasing voice, and the number Itself seemed to appeal. The feature followed. A cornet solo by Giovanni Nappl, a mem- ber of the Rialto orchestra, was very well played and landed. The solid laugh hit of the bill was tbe fast-moving comedy that con- tained a lot of pep. It Is entitled "Never Touched Mo," and It is as good a Lloyd picture as has been turned out in some weeks. It seems as though Pathe should be able to get this young man across with a greater draught than they are obtaining for- him at present. With the failure of the last Chaplin the field Is open for a real comedian, and Lloyd seems to possess all the necessary attributes: An organ solo closed the bill. Fred. THE HALL ROOM BOYS. This Is the first of a series of single-reel comedies that are to be placed on the market by Jack Cohn. They are all to be based on the famous Hall Room Boys cartoon that McQlll has been drawing for a great many years. Flanagan and Edwards, a team that have scored great comedy success in vaude- ville for years, have been engaged to enact the roles of Percy and Ferdle. The initial release of the series is entitled "How Do They Do It on $8 Per." It shows promise of being a fairly good leader to a good comedy series. The trouble with the first picture is, however, that whoever directed it failed to get bis big laugh punch over with tbe smash necessary to make it score. It is a funny picture, and the action leads up to the punch, but the knockout is lacking at the last minute. There also could be a little more wallop in the titles. The boys playing the parts get all that there is to be had, and they work ex- ceedingly well considering that this is their first camera attempt. No doubt the "Hall Room Boys" will improve as they go along, for there certainly is a fund of material at hand in the old McGlll cartoons, and when It is dressed up right for the screen and put over with the required punch the pictures should find a ready market. They certainly are clean and classy comedies, and there Is not an attempt at the real old-faehloned pie sling- ing In them. Fret. SILK HAT HARRY. Possibly other animated cartoons suffer unjustly by comparison with the latest of them, "Silk Hat Harry," specially added to tbe Rlvoli program Sunday. It la an International offering. Maybe what was needed In plotures all along was a more varied assortment*of those light- ning change pen drawings. The others have been shown everywhere. Going from theatre to theatre we see them again and again. What- ever the cause, this latest one of them all made a decided hit with the onlookers. The Idea of the first of these "Silk Hat Harry" pictures is the old one, with Harry getting the worst of it and the Judge a partner to the crime. The scene is at the race course. A crowd Is betting on Jazzbo. The Judge happens along, and Silk Hat Harry shows him a marvellous animal, whispering "Bet on Ma- chinery." "Looks like a horse," says the Judge. "What Is it?" Silk Hat Harry shows him that it is a fake run by machinery. The Judge bets his all, and then volunteers as Jockey. The race is going finely, when Polly appears and asks how it is run. Silk Hat Harry shows her, pressing the "stop," "back up" and "He down" buttons. When he does this the animal out on the track goes through all the movements, and Jazzbo wins the race. Polly has bet on Jazzbo, and the picture ends with the Judge putting the animal under the "kick" button, with unfortunate results for Harry. BOTHWELL BB.OWNE A BROADWAY SUCCESS Bothwell Browne has "shimmied" his way into the hearts of theatregoers on Broadway. He might class himself as the "Shlmnile Vamp" of stage and screen. Browne, as VARIETY stated in last week's issue, is appearing In person in connection wltii "Yunkce Doodle in Berlin," the Mack Scnnctt feature comedy which carries Browne's name as star. And while Browne keeps the audience in an uproar with his clever work in "vamping" the German army, the managers of the Broadway Theatre also have a large smile on their countenances. Why not! The box office receipts have sailed so high that a call for step ladders is about to be made. The film with Browne's personal appearance as well as the appearance of a bevy of Sennctt's California bathing girls is hi its third week. The line-up in the theatre lobby at each performance has never slackened—in fact, it is rumored said line has stretched out a bit. The feature with the appearance of Browne and the bathing girls will continue, with no Indication of "next Jump" mentioned. The entire triangle entertainment has been brought to New York's Broadway by Sol. L. Lesser, of San Francisco and Los Angeles, THE RIVOLI. Though the earlier shows at the Rivoll pulled in only a moderate number of spectators, the two last performances of the evening found the house crowded to the doors, With people thoroughly prepared to enjoy all that was offered. The big picture of the program was Ethel Clayton In "A Sporting Chance," a Paramount offering. This production is dis- cussed elsewhere in these columns. The house applauded tbe picture and seemed entirely in favor of It. This is interesting, because to the critical minded, tbe picture seems full of de- fects. ■!.' '.. What was above criticism Sunday was the playing Of the Rlvoli orchestra under the leadership of Erno Rapee. This wlelder of the baton has all the style and pep in tbe world, and he gets pleasantly thrilling results from his musicians. He began the evening with Tacbalkowsky'B "Nutcracker Suite." Why eo much Tschalkowsky Is being piled Into the program week after week is a question, for It does seem as if we got quite enough of the Russians In the dally news, but certainly this madman s composition was adequately rendered. Helen DeWltt Jacobs played on her violin Dvorak'B "Indian Lament/ and Julia Henry* a soprano, sang "Sunshine of Your Smile." These were the highlights of the musical offerings. The pictorial was again disappointing, Not enough personalities in it Mrs. Drew In Bunkered" and a Judge Rumhauser cartoon ^D^score o d ,, be^t n, but tte aak Hat Horry otter - A SPORTING CHANCE. CareyBrent.. * ...Hthei Clayton Paul Sayre ..Jack Holt S!£E, Br S, nt ' V- Hwb «" Standing Pamela Brent., Margaret Green Ralph Seward. Howard Davies 4 Rev J?*: InK )" A Sporting Chance" Is no child's Job. It Is a/marketable product, well directed, everything considered, and admirably photo- graphed, as most Paramount offerings are. On the other hand, this story by Roger Hart- man Is silly past even the giggling point The scenario by Will M. Ritchie will pass because, like the directing, it had a ridiculous etory to arrange in acceptable guise. What gets the picture by, however, Is tbe love Interest Jack Holt Is one of the best leading men In pictures, and Ethel Clayton knows how to dross, how to act, how to carry herself and how to pose for a photograph. Give these two sum-' clent situations in which they can make love and they will carry most pictures far enough to pay a good profit ~ They have done so here, but what a story they had to appear In. it was punctuated/ luckily, not only by love-making, but by some good two-fisted fights as well. Harry the Duka escapes from the penitentiary. He puts glass on tbe road, and out of commission goes Paul Sayre's car. As he Is trying to nx It, Harry sneaks up behind and puts Paul likewise'out of business, taking bis clothes and his car. Dressed in the convict's garb, Paul wins the sympathy of Carey Brent and gets a '-Job as her chauffeur. He makes love to her, but she repulses him. In comes the villain. ',' He la a low-life who has some compromising letters written to him by Carey'a young and attractive stepmother. Carey learns of bis threats, and goes after the letters. He catches her, but Paul also Is after the letters, and lie saves her and does up the villain In a peaoh of a fight. Then it comes out that fie Isn't a convict after all. George Melford did the directing. ARE YOU LEGALLY MARRIED? John Stork .Lew Cody June Redding Rosemary Theby Wayne Hearne Henry Woodward Sue Redding .Nanon Welsh J. J. Redding ...h. J. Barrows Henry Martin Roy Laldlaw "Are You Legally Married?" li a wallop right from the start as far.as the title goes, and to anyone with a showman's instinct it suggests untold possibilities in an advertising way. The picture itself lives up to the sen- sational title In a perfectly legitimate man- ner and carries the theme that the title sug- gests to a most complete end. The story Is based on a .United States Supreme Court de- cision that was handed down in tbe case of a couple divorced in one state. Tbe wife then remarried in another. Her marriage was not legal, for the state in which she was re- married did not recognize the validity of the 1 divorce granted in tbe other state. There- fore she was guilty of bigamy. After the pro- duction was completed it was shown in Con- fress, and as a result two measures were intro- uced that would nationalize divorce laws and compel each state In tho union to adhere to a same standard law on the question. The production was made by the Success Plotures Co., of Los Angeles, and tho first print was brought to New York last week. The Btory Is by Miles Dobson and Henry C. Warnack supplied the scenario. Robert J, Thoraby directed and Sol. Pollto was the camera man. The Robort Brunton studios fur- nished the art detail. As a states right proposition, "Are You Legally Married?" looks like a cleanup for the exhibitor. It is a picture that Is sensa- tional In advertising possibilities, but still a clean pcture that lives up to the sensation that Is promised. It looks like the goods for live wires who will go out and work it up. Withal It gives some one in cvory community food for real thought, for there Isn't a town of any size where there isn't some one who has been divorced and remarried and their status In the community will certainly be effected by the decision in the cose that has been plcturizod. Fred. ' ■■■■~?-rc M ml • r-'sap 7£$$S| '.■»■'■ ,.'■.. !»/.»4., ..„ ems** ' '"■'■''''■ . •' ^^.T-lUtiT,-.■ . . '• :;.:;. ■ a ■ft'-™ / J ■"T-fl ■'■ - f'~": : -. !i :'■"■//>?v'---'^i