Variety (November 1919)

■■,:,:■' ■ I." is ;.Wrtt V.x- MOVING PICTURES 55 '>■ <;..' £ Tv: MS* Dlvcrn)ty of entertainment at tho Rial to this •«k Is mora Inclined la tho comedy itln Uwn tho serious. Presumably tho oemady layout for the Rlalto to part or 'Doctor** Relaenfeld's matured pi a ns for tho house. This ho carries into effect aa no other generalissimo of that. playhouse ha* done before. .'. ' The Interpretation of tha Lfcxt irork faired to bring out the delicacy of certain pungeg, duo la a measure to cross purposes between first and second vloUna, This was materially ovorbaatoccd and lost altogether hi the read- Im; of other passages by' the solo- of Bobs Nyary on the cxlraaboln. • On the whole, the musical performance Shows an Increasing efficiency and greater re- spect for composition of tho truly classic -Other musical feature* of tho program found fever, with If ax Seydel as a harpist, perform- ing the Schubert "Fantaeie." 'Praneesea Adri- an!, soprano,'and> Bdoardo Albano, baritone, .-:■ amnr aa unusual aria from "La Favorim." in « <juaiin>d manner. The musical features closed with DepowTr organ Detection from Gounod's "Faust" "Fair But False," a Christie comedy based I ail a thin plot, winds up the movie enter- tainment It teemed to get a lot of laughs on t of the aadlcnce, and for that reason must ■ '- -P>sa The ^opening pictures of the program In- cluded a v Brace , scenic, entitled "Frosea . Thrills," released by Educational Films, ■ * ■ ■ '' ' i i ' i . i n ■ HAWTHORNE OF THE U. S. A. inthony HamfltonHawtharac...Wallace Reed tdney Blake. ■> Harrison Ford lacese Irma., • •••••,%«• ,-^.. ■ * - • •. •. I'll a Leo Itchi;. .Tully Marshall Adutelcl ... .. ........ .,•..,.......Charles Ogle settles ...•,..> .^-.V.».."•*.'....._•. • .Guy Oliver., YladlrrUi- ......'^ .......... Edwin 8teven> Fredericks. • Clarence Burton Senator Ballard......,«;.. .Theodora Roberts Kate Ballard'. .......I....Ruth Rcalck Xbyr 'Augustus III Kobcrt Brower DeWltr .......... v «».........Frank Bonner Tho feature of the Rlatto's* program is ■Haw tho rim of the V. 8. A.." a Paramount- Artcraft release, fashioned from the play by James B. Pagan and .scenario I zed by' Walter Woods. It may be Worth mentioning tn pass- ing that the play had a brief career hers soma years ago at tha .Astor. with Douglas Fair- banks ns tho star, wu.Uo its career on the legit was short-lived, the same Verdict will probably never bei applicable to the picture. For It has. the virtue of laugh producing qual- ities, though the picture slides from a genuine comedy vein to fared. its story and situations have found placa before in tho dramatist's shop, but the dif- ference .in thla pic turn la that there) la a erlghtiy different flavor. It 'tolls briefly of Hawthorne's adventures In an impoverished "kingdom. With .a side-kick, they break the hank at Monte Carlo and )ournoy forth. They land In thla obscure Kingdom with a roadster • sum a hag filled with coin. Their winnings ore reported to tho revolutionary party plan- ning to overthrow the monarch. The hero finds hlmm'Tr drawn Into the net of the. "reds" while at the same time ho is madly In lovs with, tho ruler's daughter. Ho marries her at last after a succession of episodes; as any | child with two years''of matured, reading may Imagine. Tho feature with Wallace Hold as the star has much pointed humor, with situations that .are improbable enough, but sufficient to pass too sedulous criticism In Its smooth and rapid denoument The star's work U satisfy- ing, but furnishes htm a role leas genune than "The Lottery Van." Tho rest of tho players are of tha usual efficient F. p.-l, stock, including Theodore HobertsT^Uia Lee, Tally Marshall. Edwin Btovens and others. ao that tha organ solo containing no matter hew much wealth in music. Is used merely far routine purposes while an audience may find comfort In Us allotted seats. The Capitol Color-Land Review, a Prlzma feature, shows some good scenlcs, while tho ' News events are headd by the Intrnatlonal's pictures showing tho sinking of British merchant craft by \j boats. Their value has been written of in the Hialto'o revlow of tho current week's show there. Other scenes show in mora detail the Prince of Wales' arrival In New York, crossing -to the Battery and his escort down Broadway. fly Mayer's "travelangh" brings tha aadlenoa to the "American Venice," a scare and five, mile* from. Broadway. The offering !•*» not of super-Interest, but pleasing to know that America has Its own Venice. In the selections of'Fryer's Band' and the band Itself gives tho captious touch to the'whole entertainment. It Is a .question whether hand music can quite ill! the bill for picture enter- talnmenf, Essentially brass and wind Instru- ments may emit a crashing forte which strings can never supply. But the diet on which picture : audiences have boon fed bos always embraced tho orchestra as a unit rather than a band. The "Demltiasse Review" was well under way when tho entire bill took n change tor the worse . and took on the aspects of a big time vaudeville house. Between tho third and fifth number came a'specialty by Parish and Peru, and Jim TOney, billed sixth, was shoved up a couple of num- bers ahead. The other turn was not billed. But I all were well received. The Review remains practically the same, with the honors being equally divided by the • principals, "' ,'■■' .-.,: -;■>* *## *!•>< '!■.'.■ £8 THE CAPITOI. Providence sent us a number of men who con- ceived and erected the "largest theatre 'In the wcrtd." In that sumptuous playhouse they offered with seemingly good latent a lavish en- tertainment, lavish In variety, lavish In fea- tures and so Unpractically prodigal that the one show might easily be cut In half, with the re- sult that one slice of the two would be suffi- cient for any audience. The Capitol's show, as VARIETY pointed out In Its first rehearsal of the offering the opening, week, might stand pruning—pruning. In fact, until the last vestige of superfluity brings It* bin down from the total length of' three hours and forty minutes to about one-half of that What VARIBTT said then holds good of tho present week's bUI. It Is too long. It was not a capacity audience that filled tho large playhouse Tuesday night. At least 12 of .the rear rows In the lower floor were vacant, thqugh the "divan" boxes were well filled. This show la billed progranutUcalry as "De Luxe Performances." With the exception of the legit mustcal features as played-by Pryor's Band and the picture features, including the Stage Women's War Relief Picture and Guy Empey In "The TJnderourrent," there seems, lit- tle; change. The "Demltasae Reveew" remains as In the beginning. An addition In the turn of Parish and Peru has been made. The show gat under way on the dot of S fol- lowing the organ solo of Dellbes' "Procession of Bacchus." Organ selections are growing a bit tiresome to picture audiences, and this seemed only too true in this Instance. It'll becoming ■'- '■■■ •".;,•. . viewed below, Elsie Ferguson In "Counter- feit." •.'• ••',■: The Prisma one reeler shows the dyeing process employed la coloring, blending and achieving the'effects in-the cloth known as Batik, and la particularly fascinating to women. . The results speak for themselves The way they are reached seems, simple enough,ka you look st them, but doubtless an amateur would make a mess of a try at U. The pictorial contains pictures of a German submarine sinking merchant ship's, the first ever shown here. They are put out. by In- ternational and are direct from'the flies of tow Berlin government. In securing this for International. Hearst has undoubtedly scooped the) country, and he doesn't forget to brag about It The other high lights) were some excellent shots from Washington of the Prince of Wales. The comedy was Sunshine's "A Bchoolhouse Scandal." Tho vocal music wag "Ltrt'fime Of Summer," sung by Betty Anderson," with Greta Bachrich at the piano. Oswald. Max- ' audit' played "Romance" on his) violoncello and the orchestra performed as usual. ' s ?,' THE* UNDERCURRENT. It Is doubtful Whether "The Undercurrent" described as a "vital photodrama," playing the' Capitol this week as the big feature,, released through Select'and-featuring the ex-soldier. Gay Bmpey, in the star role, will succeed on the basis of intrlnsio artistry. The only Quality It has to recommend It Is that it exploits the evils of Bolshevism, taking up a thWded theme of - industrial unrest In present-day conditions. The novelty of the story is not new. It con- cerns briefly the adventures of a returning sol- dier to the United States after finishing his tans ■ over there, who, later comes In contact with the' supposed agents of the Lonlne-Trotaky regime on this side of the Atlantic It shows, Moreover, how these agents begin to work their subtle propaganda Into the hearts of loyalists, urging upon them the philosophy (?) of equality, etc., trying at last to sweep them into the vortex l caused by their undercurrent manoeuvring. Tho foaturo ns propaganda reaches-a certain element of truth, but as a feature whose object is mom fur entertainment purposes than ac- qualnta'nc with an evil already in the grip of the law, its verdict of approval must' run some- ' what short of the unanimous. tl is a question, too, for- debate, whether the personality of Guy Bmpey In tho star rolo may . giro the feature a wider scope of popularity. It seems at this time that the short-lived. popular- . ity of the ex-soldier caused by bis book, "Over . tho Top," has run the gamut of circulation. It . Is a thought, too, that the public Is trying to forgot the war, and that reminders of the fero- cious struggle only open old wounds that are ' far better sealed and with the process of time i healed It possible* The continuity chapters ofl "The Undercur- rent" are no.striking example of deft work- manship. It Is ragged In spots and oftentimes crude. •■•■'• Mr. Bmpey Is no artist, although he tried hard to be. For the purpose which he Is used there Is every reason to believe that If the role were assigned to a a actor with better screen features and a llttla Inherent talent for the camera or the stage tho part might havo stood out. In spots the feature rises to creditable heights. For example. In the ending chapters, oho of the Hods—a woman—seeing that the law Is about to checkmate her career, draws a revolver, kills nor cringing associates and firca the lead Into herself. This bit 1» worthy of no less a Russian than Turgenlev. Tho woman who plays this part is known as Mariska, In screen life Betty Blythe. Competent assistance is also given the film In what little there Is to be done by Charles a. Stevenson, Betty Hutchinson, Eugene Strong and Sally Crate. The photography has little to Offer. -One scene that might have put an ounce of punch ln.it hut runs short of that because of poor direction Is a free-for-all In a meeting where the soldier turns back to the flag and denounces the rod flag. It teemed to bo so amateurish that tho Capitol audience laughed at' the ef- forts of the struggle. It was on the surface the weakest thing In a hand-to-hand encounter. There wero other moments when the same au- dience began kidding It along. The "photodrama" to by. Guy Bmpey, the scenario by William Addison Lathrop, the di- rection by Wlldrid North and the photography by Jack Brown. Who among this quartet wUl -take the greater share of the-responsibility for the feature must also face (he music of very poor craftsmanship. COUNTERFEIT. - > : Virginia Grlswold Blsle Ferguson Stuart Kent..; ..David Powell Mrs. Palmer .Heleno Montrose Colonel Harrington.............. Charles Kent Vincent Cortes., Charles Gerard lira, Grlswold... <•• Ida Waterman Mr. Palmer ,. .Robert Lee~ Keeling .Uncle Ben ...,*,. ...Fred Jenklna Aunt Jemima • lira ■ Robertson Marinette, the maid ' Elizabeth Breen "Counterfeit," an Artcraft Special with El- sie Ferguson starred, got off to a flying start this weak at the Rlvoll. But the effective be-' "sinning given this picture by Oulda Bergere, who wrote the acenaro, and by her husband, Qoofga. Fltzmaurlce, who directed, doesn't, last all "the way. Either these two are at' fault, or tha cutting, room, "for the confusion that creeps in when the villain tells the hero- ine that he doesn't understand about the money, or else the fault existed In Robert Baker's story, which la unlikely. .,.".-, ■'', In fact, the' story, an original otto for tha. screen, illustrates the valud of buying auch compositions as opposed, to buying novels and plays and adapting them. This story, except- ing the fault noted, proceed* unhaltingly from beginning to 'end. It Is bviously m«do for Its purpose'and eo has the advantage over a work meant for another medium and twlated oat of recognition to make a screen holiday. With the present demand In view, Baker has concocted a society melodrama. Counter- feiters are clipping considerable had coin Into the Newport fact get. How.' these people be- , have and the settings in which they live, we get a correct Idea of from this picture. Tha,t Is to say, the director has'them fethavo uko human bclnga who. aren't afraid of cackling neighbors and are. Intent oka enjoying them* selves. Among (he happy .players at the game of gaxneh la Virginia Grtewoldt Impersonated with distinction by Miss Ferguson. She. a a nowoomer to Newport, and, because of the counterfeiting, she Is regarded with some suspicion. Young Mr. Kent falls la love with her, only to be driven away by an action she. cannot explain. Later she Is instrumental In catching the counterfeiters red-handed by throwing smoke bombs on their yacht. That she Is a government agent then becomes clear and Kent returns for a kiss and forglvenesa , The photography by Arthur Miller falls short of the Paramount standard, but Miss Ferguson's gowns and hats do not. One .of them Is an evening dress of white satin with a beaded girdle and panels that fell from the shoulder, forming a train. It was very effective. ZiCed, STEAND. The Strand deserves especial credit this week for getting, Views oft ho Tale-Princeton battle on the screes immediately. Thoy wera ' shown Sunday, and Baton evidently baa' a feeling for American enthuetasma, ■ In a .mu- sical way. It woa Victor Herbert weak at this . house. The feature, reviewed below, was Con- stant Tolmndge in "A Virtuous Vamp," a First National attraction offered by Joseph 1£ Gohsacs. The acenle was another Outing-Chester, with amusing Inserts by Xatherlne Hllalker. This one showed the training of a Geisha girl In Japan and a Japanese marriage, a wetld thing in Its way. The overture was from Herbert's "Rose of. Algeria," with Alois Raiser conducting, while there were three vocal offerings, all from Herbert operas. All were well received. Red- forne Holllnshoad sang "Bweet Mystery of Life," from "Naughty Marietta," while Kl- dora Stanford and Malcolm McBoohern ren- dered other numbers. The organ, soty was from "Sweethearts." heed. MV01I. The Rlvoll has a goad show this week. The muslo I- well chosen, nicely balanced and sufficiently popular, and the pictures, from the Prlzmncolor olterlnt; to tho comedy, are In- teresting and amusing. The feature Is ro- A VIRTUOUS VAMP. Gwendolyn Ileauford Constance Tslmsdge Mrs. Armltage Harda Daubs Hdward Cecil Armltage Jack Kano James Crownlnshlold Conway.Tearlo Katharine Crownlnshleld.....Jaanetto Hortoa Minorva Crownlnahield. ..».. Margaret Linden Klrby Wallace McCuteheon Mr. Boil ....Ned Sparkln Mr. Hicks ..William Bvilte Mr. Davis .' William Gaunt There are both amusement and charm In "A Virtuous Vamp," Ip Which Constance Tal- . ■•" 1 madge a tarred on the Strand procram this week, but there Is no aw winking tho foot, that the old light-hearted Inspiration that, formerly characterised tho wnrli of Anita Loos as a devisor of titles Is somehow lacking, from this Emerson-Loos production offered by Joseph M. BohencK as- a First National at- - traction. la the old days Miss Loon's humor flowed without effort from, her pen to the " screen. Mow-there to a trace of strain always ) somehow ap par ant. •'.'■:' But Constance Talmadge Is itlll rollicking unaffectedly all over' tae.pisoo and oho has superior direction from David Klrkland. Pi*- .. haps not he, but Emerson and Loos, dovieed , tha opening, where a four-year-old girl amid the ruins of the San Francisco earthquake-far shown tamping a aremafl who rescued her, and the latter scenes wherein a nearsighted man sees Miss Talmadge out of focus, In other words, without realising her charm. ' These two scenes are th* Original pornts fa this pro duct Ion, whlcxt o U erwl to • Is. t at let ac-! f tory enough. ■ • . _ •.•' >'"', f,v- • ' The story concerns n girt wfio Jtlet can't help vamping all the man in a purely—well. tho word slipped In, so lot It ec—a purely virtuous way, then. When she cames' to> New Tork she conceals the fact that pho lo really . m member of the Britten aristocracy, and goes t to work -tor James Crx>wnrr(iihre,ia, conllrmctl bachelor, na'Nellte Jones. For tho Honorable ' < Gwendolyn his slaters are tooTtlng to make - her a part of their social campaign, hut they ,! cannot And her. They Irani It their brother's stenographer fiancee, only to learn too late Just Who she Is. This port Ul overdone—cheap stuff, cheaply humorous—hut on the whole the pleturh wJU do^ v . tfexl. '- i , ' '■„ ,. , *.. .. '"• THIS ARIZOIA CAT CUW. Blossom Rnggleg....,..'. ^. .vBdytho Sterling Frank etimpaen./ winiam.qninu Hank Buggies .Gordon BiOcviile ; , Asa.Harris ..i.....Leo MaIoa»y, Zapatu .'.»....v."'•..»Btove>- Clemeto ., Except for Its scento possibilities, mado rich by'the bounty of nature and utilised as a background for "Tho Artaono Cat Claw," ■ there Is very little left to rocommehd this feature ''''■'." , V ; '" As a drama of potent strength it fe- too weak. The theme of conflict botweon a Mex- ican bandit as a cattle rustler and a woman's ■ power .In a hand-to-hand encounter before : bringing him to the bar of Juatlco. la too long played out to command a Wholesomo interest. An audience at tho Claremont seemed to think '</- so, too, for a' perceptible raBtleesnens woa ob- served throughout the showing of ito fivs reela Played as a double-header, it. stands a ;'-V chance of getting, by, bat will not stand the , test on it* own to the larger playhouses,' Most of the scenes are AimedJn oxforlc**, and though enacted by. a competent cast,, tiio production did not Involve lavish expenditure, / Onei feet of.horsomanehlp In the.feature ;'■ is truthfully outstanding and has never been : done before. .In the pursuit of the hcroino , for the "bad man," distance to overcome by, *,• swinging rider and'borso across a gorgo 1,000 '•'■ feet to depth by means of a, derrick. This feat of equcatrianshlp is boldly pro- jected and furnishes 'a .genulno thrill.. Prob- ably with" this the. picture might find, avid patrons in those who oars.for tho "Westerner". ■■ merely because It has cowboys, enough olioot- . ing to make a timid police commissioner grow gray overnight and a bad, wlokcd Mexican bandit. The production is crodlted to Leon T. Oa> .'■,/.'.'/ borne and la taken from the etory'by CharloBSi*'"' Mortimer Pock. Direction to that' of William ,';? ■ Bertram.. , ,;'•;' •.";'.''%'^-v '■;?•■',''','.'", THE TEEMBIING HOUR, .'■-■."■ A Universal plx-reol feature In which Ken- neth Harlan and Helen Bddy are starred. - It hi a society drama of the usual type and the whole thins could havo been told In half the footage. The story is weak and there Is not. a situ- ation which hag not been worked to death dosens of times In the same class of feature, MIm Bddy, tho heroine, acta with Intelligence} the same can be said of Mr. Harlan, It Is a pity a more suitable vehicle could not have been found for the r~Jr.' . Clever photography'with some handsome mterlor* and timely close-ups helps, the pic- ture along, but even with the'so advantages It falls to hold the Attention, and long before tho laat reel everyone knows how- it ia all going to end. The story ia about a man who served a term for stealing someone's family Jewels. Attar leaving prison ha Sets Into tho army, secures a commission and Is cited. As a re- ward for bis bravery the govertuitent lienda over to him all papers, fingerprints and photo- graphs connected with bis case against the people. Then about the third reol someone murders someone else and tho murdorer Is confronted with the twin brother of the man ho killed and the hero Is exonerated of a crime he thinks, he committed while under the Influ- ence of the after effects of trench fever. ' * . It ill tnds With the usual clinch. •■■"A ; 7 'M i: x" rX.:',: - ■:',., . . ..'.- ,.-: - ... , •,;.. „,.■• .....'...;■ /'■.•;;, : ■;'.--/,,/ ' . MM l $m I