Variety (April 1920)

nmv CHAHGE YOUE WIEET S«th Gordon !!.......-Bebe Daniels gilly Clark •— ' ;;;;....Theo. KoBloff 3«»^'?,''".;; • * ........ . , .Clarence Oeldart ,Uie Doctor V,.......r..Sylvia Ashton AW»t Kiiw Maym Kelso BwHett '•■•........Luclen LlttlefleW Batlw ;■ .......Edna Maa Cooper JwoiiiicUtnt....^ •.•'W9 Wolf ThlB Paramount fcattire ty Cecil n m Mlllo isn't a great feature, f-.^aa good market Droduct. Lots 5f advertising dodges can be hon- -.nTused in connection with it to ■;i.M^ MOVING PICf URES '« NEW PICTURES REVIEWED Hianiina coax patronage, ^.^.^.-^^...j-^jj^-^^ of ' ' I I obvious a wtjrkman to Si eet their, share of enjoyment JSL%. but Mr. De Mlllo la too Sua a workman to touch the wJh points of the imagination good Slit ho has done is to preach '"- everyday sermon In story form. 'usl"S the "Wanderer" and VrfViTr i-eligious trick dramas as a SSdiDg star, he has also worked in SS sex stuff camouflaged carefully Sthe benefit of the censor. His »«ir^l may be chocolate coated with ^^i iSfdresslng, but it will get by ^°The'best"bet in connection with this elaborately mounted feature is the acting of ThomasMelghan. He Ig there as always, but Gloria^wan- Jon is responding less and less weil to Mr. De Mille's direr Hon or else -Ig being denied her chances. She rives a good performance, but one tacking the finesse expected of her. Bebe Daniels has a punch when it ^es to the fight scenes, but makes In a picture less luscious a vampire than the more baby doll type. Be- tween this type and the blooming flower version of vampire it is hard rtJlDg for even the cleverest trooper. Excellent titling, however, helped out tbe screen portrayals where minor pirts by Theo. KosUft and Sylvia Aahton were excellently taken. William De Mllle's story from which Olga Printalau and Sada Cowan made their scenario is the product of safe betting on the plc- tnre market. It seems so like the previous "Why Change Your Hus- band" as to make those who haven t ' seen the older picture recently won- der just where the difference lies. It lies, of course, m the reversal of roles, but in twth cases the woman did the complaining. The former picture was more true to the possi- bilities and registered better because 6t the elaboration of society stuff, but this one is well enough, partic- nlarly in a waiting market. The photography in this super- ipeclal was for the most part ex- cellent and up to the high Para- mount standard. At times, however. It seemed hazy. This may have been Intentional. If bo. It indlcateB tie care necessary to the ban^ng 9t out-of-focu8 stuff. Leea. i TEBBOB I6LANP. fern Haroer ..Houdlnl Beverly Wett ^'tSLifS BteUa Mordaant *^»?f,VJf^ .2?,?^^ JobMortaunt ^.•^'"""t^?,^ ?! OipJaln Black ^^^^J^^^ ChTef Bakaiaa Frank Bonner ■ Sm Officer Murphy. .Capt Ted B. Duncan ' 3U Weat Fred Turner ' This Artcraft picture is less gnie- liome than its title might convey. In the main it is only an excuse for bringing Houdini back to pictures to IJamillarizo picture fans with the ■ame accomplishments he has made •qually familiar to vaudeville. , Consequently do not be surprised to see the reputed handcuff king, self-liberator of steel safes sub- Aerged in water and other Inimita- ble feats, perform in the same in the same capacity in "Tenor Is- land." Tills time be Is the hero, an ac- wmplifihed inventor of a submarine tlevice better than anything thus far achieved in under-sea craft, which will help salvage the countless for- tunes gone down through the In- numerable sinkings in the war. He ■* is importuned to rescue the heroine's father held in bondage by (typl«l picture) cannibals, his life, further, dependent only upon the return of an esteemed pearl in the possession •f his daughter. Despite the scenario by Arthur B. Reeve and John W. Gray, the di- rection by James Cruze. there is little in this picture apart from the Interest in Houdini tliat offers any substance in the way of a rational story. As a matter of interest the Introduction olTers an apology for melodramatic flavoring. In this re- spect the authors do well to dictate their opinion beforehand that pres- ent-day audiences may have an aversion to it. But that scarcely absolves them from an almost in- • credible incompetency in providing i [A vehicle for Houdini which might prove less exasperating. The rnn- tinulty is poor and titling inade- quate. On the other hand, what Is sub- ordinated lo Houdijji's skill Is, as Jnentloned beforehand, competently depicted. Ho is shown gagged and chained tightly to a chair in a wood- en shack. The place is set on Are, *nd with the flames caressing his 'eet. releases himself and escapes. ^Again he is nailed tightly Into a box . and thrown into the sea. In a fow seconds he appears out of the water »nd climbs aboard his enemies' ves- «!• In another instance he is tossed 26 feet in the air on bamboo sticks, his hands bound. With agila foroe he loosens tbo ropes suspending him from the tree nutying the knot with his feet. Another stunt Is that of shooting him from the submarine Into the water, and remaining sub- merged for an unusual length of time. The production is not inexpcnsivo. It has a very able cast, among them being the beautiful Lila Leo and Wilton Taylor as a deep, dyed-in- the-wool villain. But their abilities cannot here be taken into considera- tion for criticism, for»ln that event it would mean indorsing their efforts in a vehicle which does neither the first nor the second party any good. Step. SINNERS. Marr Horton Alice Brady Mrs. Horton Aencs Everett Hilda ^Ve8t AuguHta Anderson' Polly Gary..... Liorralne Frost Saidee Nora Reed Bob Merrick James I>. Crane Horace Worth W. P. Carleton William Morgan Frank I.oseo Doctor Simpson Craufurd^ Kent Joe Garfield Itobert Schablo The Realart production of "Sin- ners," a screen version of^a highly successful play, with Alice Brady starred, leaves much to be desired. The picture was given a Broadway presentatioii at the Capitol this week. To those that saw the play the picture failed entirely to deliver the punches that it might have put over. It looks as though there was an attempt made to retltle the pic- ture lately and the Job must have been done by someone who had wit- nessed a performance of "The Gold Diggers." The language of the titles more than suggests this, they are almost identical with the lines of the play. It Is hard to say who was re- sponsible for the failure to. make "Sinners" a really worth .while pic- ture. Surely there was- enough in the original story to have furnished sufllclcnt material for a picture that would have been f r and away su- perior to ordinary program mate- riJtl. From this it may be gleaned that the Eve Unsell. who adapted the play for the screen, failed to ■use her imagination sufficiently, and consequently turned out a script that was really a hack job. Who- ever bad the casting in hand should be raked over the coals for the heavy failed entirely to score, and his role was a most essential one to the success of the piece. There v^sre other faults in ♦he cast, and not the least of ihese was the selection of James L. Crane as the lead opposite Kiss Brady. He did not rise to the role at any time. As a matter of fact Miss Brady and Frank Losee were really the only two members of the cast that scored. Augusta Anderson' and Lorraine Frost were acceptable as the two detained ladles. As a matter of fact, had Miss Frost been given the oifportunity that her role really called for, she might have walked away with the major portion of the hit honors. Agnes Everett played the character mother rather well, but it was only a bit. In handling the direction of the story Kenneth Webb, who directed, failed to get over a number of touches that would have^ helped along his picture. One of these was the poker game in Hilda West's flat. That could have been made a worth-whilo scene even though the star wasn't in It The assembling and cutting are rather bad. There is one scene shot in the afternoon -where Mary Hor- ton and Hilda West meet on the street. Mary goes directly home, walks into her room and out again, and returns to the West flat, but by that time night has arrived. This Is faulty. The photography Is fair tln-ough- out, and there are some exterior shots that are worth while. Fred. uatlons were more than readily an- tleS^ated. Perhaps it was the screen adaptation which Is wrong. For instance, in the original tales, Babs* f&ther vwas a most sympa- thetic and understanding man, while the plcturlzed version shows an Individual far too old. much overacted and given to constant an- tagonism to her and her youthful romantic ideals. An original idea was well worked out in depicting the various charac- ters when they blushed. Their faces were tinted to rush the rise and fading away of the rush of blood to their features in a most ingenious manner. Jolo. DOWN ON THE PABH. Tioutse Fazenda ..Tbe Olrl Bert Roach , Her Father Harry Gibbon Rustic Sweetheart Marie Provost Faithful Wife Ren Turptn Her Husband James FInlayson ...Hportlve Banker Billy Arin.'itrons ..«.. Uan of Mystery John Henry, Jr The Baby T«ddy .Qallant Friend Pepper ....Bis Playmate Too long. Too far a jump so far as the public is concerned from two to five reels. As for Mack Scnnett, it is only fair to aay he is probably not yet sure of himself in the longer apace, and so hasn't quite adjusted his scheme. What we find In this first live-reeler of his is a tendency to let his comedy scenes run not occasionally but often as much as 40 or 60 feet, and sometimes 75 feet. This la too much. Then, too, there are a series of climaxes. These cli- maxes are the funny scenes that used to whoop' up the crowd. To the watching public the spaces Ih between seem bo much padding used to fill out till the next whoop of laughter. Well, to the public this seems wrong. The slapstick humor ia just as sure a^it was, but what comes in between Isn't always enlivening and too often is just tiresome preparation for the next laugh. What Mr. Sennett probably should do Is to make up his mind to get a real story that carries the interest along more surely and give up the jaez. Into this story comedy should come with a bang, but in be- tween tbe story should be good enough to hold tbe attention. A cro&s between the old Sennett side- crackers and Marshall Noilan's "Don't Ever Marry" is the right idea. What's more, this director needs a title writer who has more than a sense of humoi\ This one uses "wasn't" and "shouldn't" and other such combinations, and puts the apostrophe in the wrong place, making the words read "was'nt" and "should'nt." But several of the titles carried fine humbr right home to all types of intelligence. "Make your reservations for the poor house," says the heartless landlord to the tenant about to be evicted. This was one of the sure-fire in- serts. Another excellent point was the rush of movement toward the end. A well- trained dog helped out the interest and a child playing on a plank above a water-fall provided a thrill. If this was faked (and It probably wag), the fake was per- fect. The photography was any- thing but even. In a few places It was as bad as the reprint of "Tillle's Nightmare," but the difficult work of catching fast action and tbe tech- nical rearrangements were cleverly carried out This comedy feature was shown at the Broadway this week and the fact that the showing was combined with that of another feature seems to indicate B. S, Moss did not think it strong enough to fill his house alone. Leeti. Spottlswood, our heroine is imme- diately disillusioned and comes face to face with the truth her husband- in-namo-only prefers the club with Its modernities to his home with his antique wife. Soon he leaves for a trip to Europe and it Is dur- ing this period of liberty Justine gels "wise" to herself; clirs her hair, affects a Greenwich Village circle of cronies and goes to the opposite extreme of becoming known-as a "fast" stepper. Hubby returns, is surprised, and wonders still moro when it is the wife who leaves him home alone each night in preference to her club or friends. An appropriate finish, however, is lacking. There's no real "punch" to the piece. The kiss-and-make-up final "clinch" fade-out comes when she reads of her husband's impend- ing financial diaster and Immediate- ly returns-10 his hearth and home, feeling ho needs her comfort now. Very average, that finish and de- tracts a good deal from the pro- duction. Jane Murfln at'.apled the scenario from Nalbro Bartley's story, "Miss Antique." Edward Dillon directed. The cast capably handles the var- ious roles In excellent fashion lend- ing worthy support to the star. tho belief they are placed In, it Is propaganda of the right flort for peaceful, decent people. The Interior of tho church Is a study In itself, an antique, really, and taken on the spot, in Santo Domingo or near there. The picture ran 85 minutes when seen at a private showing. The ac- tion at times is lively, but through- out it is the story that the most de- pepdcnce has been placed upon. That might stand some cutting in the South Amcrlcnn country, where It centers around one locale con-' tlnuously without bringing in but few of .the characters. As a tale It is quite a plain tale, but well told and bettor presented, with Mr. Campbell as tho director displaying superflno judgment at- tlmes in getting everything possible out of it. There is a certain charm of af« traction about the blind girl in thla feature that should create enough talk when exhibited to cauae those who see It to suggest that others go. BitMi :^y3 WEES SAWN CAME L. O. Shumway ...James O. BnrroweB Colleen Moore ...Calhleen Kiriiham Wm. ConkUn Uaster Isadora Cohen ..."Peaches" Jackion Dr. John Brandon.... Fr. Michael FarRll.. Mary Harrison Norma Aahley Dr. Tliurstos ....... The "Kid" Crippled Child THEIOVEEXPEBT. Bftbs Conalanco Talmadge Her Father. Mr. HardcasUe...Arnold Lucy Jim Winthrop of Hoaton John Uolliday Dorcas wmthrop, J Mathilda Wlnthrop ihla Blstem _ . „-„ < Natalia Talmadge (Fannie Bourke Aunt Cornell* ...Mrs. Nellie P. Spauldlne Aunt Kmlly Marion Sltgreave Mr. Thompson Jaines .Spatlcswood Mr. Smlthers David KlrUland Professor Sleeker Edward Kapler Constance Talmadge is having a whirl at the Mary Roberts Klnehart sub-deb stories that appeared in the "Saturday Evening Post' some time ago. This picturlzation of one is called "The Love Expert." Didn't Mai-guerlte Clarke try one or more of these tales with indif- ferent success? Young Miss Tal- madge will not add to he. fame with "The Love Expert." It makes for a good comedy photoplay, but tho story lacks class In tone. It should have a good general appeal for the average program house, and wnai- ever class It possesses is in the reputation of the star, her suPPort ing organization, the good direction "^"ll r'peclmar that thcse..3rary Rinehart "Bab" talcs do not seem to assimilate with the camera. They certainly were most interesting and entertaining reading, but somehow they seem to have been more de- scriptive than dramatic in action The laughs were inspired by the titles rather than the action. Miss Talmadge, as Babs. is not at her best. Shtf did not have one se- lilufl Boment and the comedy sit- TH£ AlIATEUB WIPK Justine Spencer Irene Casl)'> Cosmo Spottlswood W. P. Carlolon Billy Ferris Arthur Rankin n&ndolph FerKUSon S. J. Warrlnston Oliver Ferris A. Saskin Dodo Spencer AtlgastA Anderson LotI, » Uald Ura. Cbarlea Dewey Sara .•• Ellen Olson This Irene Castle starring veh- icle is about the best she has made for the Famous Players-La.sky. Tho theme while not exactly trite, has seen considerable service In various forms. It recommends itself as sure fire stuff for any program. The Idea of tbe little old fashioned or "Miss Antique" type of girl metamorphosing into a regu- lar modern type of "wise" female is familiar but the dftcctor's and continuity writer's treatment ele- vates it to a very acceptable plane. One has difll«ulty in forgetting the wig Miss Castle sports through- out half the footage, having so long become accustomed to tho now- famous -Castle clip," but tho lux- urious raven tresses become her so, and tho picture of chastity she pre- sents is that likeable, one forgets for the nonce Miss Castle of the bobbed hair and Irene Castle in the picture are one and tho same. But for the nonce—that's all. This from tho male angle of course. The feminine contingent In the audi- ence may not for a moment forget The star as Justine Spencer, daughter of Dodo Spencer who Is just what her name suprgcsts—a musical show lead — arrives from the French convent. A sort of wo- man-hating friend of Dodo's, Cos- mo Spottlfwood, by name (W. P. Carleton), meets the girl and as he terms it later, through his "chival- rous fool' notion marries the girl when her mother is shot by a youthful but too ardent swain, Billy FeiTis (excellently portrayed by Arthur Rankin), and is left rela- tlveless in this world. As Mrs. This picture in over six reels ap- pears to have been the product of a new film producer, the Hugh DIerker Productions. It also appeal? to have been screened with tbe intent of putting forth wholesome prop-. aganda for the good of the souh Therefore It becomes desirable for the picture man who wants his film clean all the way. whether it holds a slum story or a sex tale. "When Dawn Came" starts in the slums, but doesn't remain there. On the reverse side, however, there is nothing repulsive nor repellant and no attempt has been made to attract by sensationalism. The scenario ia from an original story by Mrs. Hugh E. DIerker. with Colin Campbell directing. It is of the degeneration and re- generation of a man, a surgeon, a story told in another way, with a love interest maintained until toward the finale. It Bien altogether occu- pies the picture. A well-balanced cast of excel- lency is dominated by tho perform- ance of Mary Harrison (Colleen Moore) as a blind girl. She carries out tho Illusion so perfectly, in a simple manner without undue play for sympathy that her acting of tho role cannot but bo remarked. An- other strong player Is James O. Bar- rowea as Father Michael Farrell. The principals havo striking per- sonalities on the screen, nearly all of them, and tho personnel could be noted for that. L. C. Shumway as John Brandon is one. Dr. Thurston (William Conklln) another, while Uttlo Isador Cohen as "The Kid." a youngster, Just protrudes his face right out of the sheet. The story runs smoothly along, amidst some sightly scenes, with first-class photography. It tells of Dr. Brandon, young and ambitious, devoting his knowledge of the sci- ence of surgery to charity patients In tho slums, until meeting Norma Ashley (Cathlecn Kirkham). She is in the slums for atmospheric maga- zine material. Her machine strik- ing a boy Dr. Brandon cares for, the two older people ate thrown to- gether. The newspapers reporting Dr. Brandon's successful operations, 5Il8« Ashley induces Dr. Thurston to take him in as a partner. The firm of physicians brings disaster to Dr. Brandon, Prosperity gets to him; he takes to drink, learns Miss Ashley and Dr. Thurston are hav ng an affair, and after brutally beating up the girl, first knocking out Dr. Thurston when catching them to- gether, Brandon slips down tho lad- der, landing "on the road' as a Father Farrell, the father con- fessor to all of the slums and who had taken a paternal interest in Brandon, meantime was transferred to a South American parish. Under his charge there was Mary Harri- sin. blind but hfPo'f, ,thro"Bh Father Farrell having told her if Bho found faith she would find her 'ight. There In time drifted Bran- don, besides a bum. an atheist, damning everything and flBhtlng a Mexican saloon crowd for thelf rc- Iglous belief. The Father rescues the blaspliemer, takes him to the narish house, and though Brandon still persists in his disbelief, he s brought to ^e the "Bht through h^ love for Mary, that dor<=nd« ^^l™ against the wiles of Miss Ashley, who found him away down there, and It also restored him as Dr. John Brandon, for he performed the op- emtlon which gave to the g rl her vision. Slic had said the principal reason she wanted to «eo was to "Sec John," and John stood before her as she tote the bandage from There arc a few oxccptional Hoenes. as they might b<! called, in- terpolated, such as the Saviour and the Cross, whilst the interior of a Catholic Cliurch is shown, also an early morning Mass Inside the same church. The Introduction of these scerCB is made manifest as a ^rt c»f the propaganda that is for belief. Regardless of the denomination of THE SAGXED TLAME. ^ A picture that attempts in the I main to sound a truthful note in action and finale, is "The Sacred Flame." sponsored by the Schohmer-' ■ Ross Interests and released in New Tork State through the Commdn- wealth. Nevertheless, the feature ' in the main is slow in action vnA, ' too much titling, where editing Is. > superfluous has expanoea it un-.- V necessarily. Its interests from a..;. cumulative standpobit has also ' been marred by miscasting one OC the principal roles and, albeit it's a sincere effort on the part of Abra- ham Schohmer as author and direc- . tor, he fails to bring out its mul- ' tiple climaxes with more deftness. '-. Especially noticeable is the lack of' . force in the scenes between the twoi. ■ principals, wherein little is left to ^ gestdre and tbe finer points In ■* mimicry, and where such talent may have been used to an intel- ligent advantage Is Infrequently marred by the punctuating it with an explanatton of what it's all about. What Mr. Schohmer does attain in his pictures despite the men- tioned lack of «fl1ciency is this: his people are Intensely human, more so, In fact, than in a good number of features on the present market. In "The Sacred Flame" they move about with the same charactcrtstics that people do in every-day life en- acting their respective dramas. In :. short, they are not puppets as com-' pared to other principals in dffer- ings of the silent drama. The story is the trust of a woman invested at first in the listless, wan- ■ dering, youth, expender of his father's patrimony and, with that gone, shifts along aimlessly, ambi- tlonless and dead to himself and the world. She, a school teacherr Instills in him this great faltll».^ finances his studies in a university from which he comes out a lawyer, and with the faith kindled in bis heart aind her image in his watch, he rises to success. From that point on he discards "the architect of his . fate," marries wealth, while then cast-off sweetheart is reconciled to' a former love In tho physician who saved her after the climax and col- lapses. Its conclusion offers a scene In a restaurant. And in this the author attains his purpose with convincing finality. On the theory that the "flame," never totally ex- tinguished but always is bound to flare with human contact when wo havo abandoned those who first kindled It, the principal who forced the tragedy through a false illusion rises, and forgetful of all else, seem- ingly utters her name for the last time and expires. The miscasting caused a number of scenes to flop, where a greater capacity of expression would have enhanced them. The artist in this instance is Earl SchencR. Led to believe by the explanatory sub- stance that his affection for the woman who gave him his great op- portunity is "the architect of his fate," and other endearing terms of a poetio flavoring. It is difficult to reconcile his lack of both feeling and expression with that of the in- spired, if not tho great lover. His acting la altogether too placid, un- emotional, offsetting at times the greater capacity of Emily Slovens, whom he plays opposite to. As for her, she is and jcrahlns oven in tho silent drama an actress of distin- guished ability. To anyone know- ing her work "on and off," as the oxproflsion goes, her temperament In this silent chapter cannot pass without well deserved praise. How- over, a succession of full face close- ups reveals too much make-up, and should a close-up be necessary then the % left prolUe Is the most ad- vantageous. In photography and production value both are highly Batisfactory. The small cast is ably assisted by Maud Hill, Frederic Clayton, Muriel Ostrlche. who has only a bit, and the others, whose names unfortunately could not be recorded with the too-quick fiasb- ^M Wm V ■