Variety (February 1921)

T 3 CI M 'i I tf PICTURES Friday, February 2$, 1921 #■ , -■ . ■ ■ ■ '-^g i THE GREATEST LOVE. Mr*. I*ntlnl Vera Gordon Mr. Lantlnl Bertram Mar-burgh FrRncesca T,antlnl Yvonne Shelton I^orenzu Lantinl Hugh Huntley Mr. Manton William H. Tooker Dorothy Manton Ray I Van Richard Howell.. lsonaid Hall Mrs. Bewell Sally Crute lira. Murphy • Jeaaia Himpaon As a delineator of maternal emo- tion Vera* Gordon iKWfc ftm -amf- nent. Having convinced the public of this In "Humoresque," Mrs. Gor- don undertakes to duplicate the suc- cess with "The Greatest Love." a Selsnick production, scenario by Ed- ward J. Montague, directed by Henry Kolker. Its principal fault. if such it can be called, is the length —six reels—which piles on the har- rowing "emoting" of the star to un- necessary footage. It is also possible the photoplay was "shot'* for a Jewish characteri- sation, and later the sub-titles were changed to make the star's role that of an Italian woman. This Impres- sion is gleaned from the absence of anything resembling a crucifix, the Tirgln Mary or chromo of Garibaldi on the walls of the rooms in which she and her family reside on the east side. The atmospheric detail Qf a dance in the steerage on the boat in which (be family come* to America is palpably Russian, which is one more basis for the impression. All of which is of little conse- quence. The story Is commercially artistic; that is to say, it has the elements that go to make for suc- cess in photoplay presentation. The star will live up to exploitation of ! the proper sort. She has the gift of bubbling over with maternial emo- tion and is given ample opportunity to do so in this picture. There is situation after situation of elemental melodrama, all calculated to indi- cate the torrential mother-love well- i ing within the star's ample bosom. • A rather brilliant cast of players ! was recruited to support Mrs. Gor- don, with an especial individual ut- ; terance of praise for Yvonne Shelton :'. as the daughter who has been be- trayed by the villain and indicates it without resorting to vulgar and un- necessary details. To the public in general there is suspense, and the denouement comes to them as an unlooked-for surprise. : "The Greatest Love" looks like a sure bet. Jolo. OLD SWIMMIN' HOLE. Kara Charles Ray His Pa , James Gordon His Ma Blanche Roae Myrtle I .aura La Plante Esther Marjorie Prevoat I Skinny Lincoln Stedman School Maater Lon Poff BLACK BEAUTY. Jeealo Gordon , Jean palge Harry Dlom«rtaM James Morrisi-r. Jack Beckett ............Oeorjre Webb Derby (Jhost %i , Bobby Muck Kquire Gordon....... 4 John Steppllns I-nrty Wynwaring;....,.,. .Adele Farrlngton John Manly Charles Morrison Black Beauty Himself Mrs. Gordon...., Mollis McConnell Vltagraph has done a novel and hon est Job with this story book cia«<!SPI"*£rid 11 the SUvrw- audience may be taken as a criterion every kid in the country will see the pro- duction before it has run its course. It deserves returns because the company spared no expense in making this a spectacular and thrilling attraction. Stating frankly in its opening title the story of "31ack Beauty," the autobiography of a horse, was insufficient, a romance has been skillfully fitted to the original and more skillfully presented on the screen. The production is two stories in one. Whenever the human element Is introduced a cur- tain is lifted showing what is hap- pening within walls while Black said the proprietors were In league with the best burglars of the world. "Straight Is the Way," called in flidom a crook story, was adapted from the book, "The Manifestations of Henry Orth" by Ethel Watts Mumford. Robert G. Vignola gave it an attractive direction, calling for no intricate manipulation, with most of tho scenes laid in a rural district. The bucolic style of gowning was becoming to Gladys Leslie. She lodked - yUl ^aWlft v lt C WBa i / lnJpln# her grandmother to defeat a rapacious holder of the mortgage on the old homestead. It sounded a bit wabbly when this mortgage thing started in, but Mr. Moore and George Parsons as the crooks, with the aid of the Ouija board, went to the rescue in a series of scenes that gave the spiritual board quite a little panning in a subtle way. Mabel Bert is the lovable aged grandmother, who turns to the su- pernatural to learn what "Uncle Henry" did with his money, before he died. In these days a straight film re- lease that can garner legitimate lajghs should be worth going after audience in a frame of mind. pleasurable Simc. *%*?** J: "wIX ^Ho^.JJfn "Straight Is the Way.i no matter afield^ The effect of the curjaln wh ^ « t , d |n t , ^ separating the two narratives is a t ^ : clever thought, and craftmanshlp of high degree is displayed in the perfect blending of action In the two stories. David Smith, brother of the Vita- graph company's president, directed the production and has done one of the finest things of his career. He is a man who seems to measure 1 Mr* ^i 01 "^ P"KKy up to big pictures, though in lesser! Malt Wurphy Johnny For years the film psychologists •—principally those abroad—have claimed the day would come when it was possible to project a full- length feature upon the screen without the aid of subtitles. The forthcoming Charles Ray release by First National, a film adaptation of James Whitcomb Riley's poem, "The Old Swlmmin* Hole," is mak- ing the experiment, and the out- come should be watched with great interest. In some respects it is hardly a fair test, inasmuch as there is little or no story to the picture, merely a series of incidents in the life of a bucolic youth. Ray plays a healthy, mischevious country boy, who is not much of a student at the local school house, and makes sheep's eyes at Myrtle, who is in the same school room and is an Instinctive "vamp." He, in turn, is loved by Esther, but doesn't give her a tumble until he loses out with Myrtle, when he realizes Es- ther is a nice girl—especially as she shares her picnic basket with him, which aids materially in healing the heart wound left by the defection. That's about all there is of plot— the remainder occupied with the pranks of a bunch of school boys and school girls. It isn't necessary to employ sub- titles to show a boy smoking his father's pipe and the ill result therefrom. Half a dozen still pho- tographs would accomplish this. The proposition, therefore, is pro- . during pictures and showing them without the assistance of subtitles, remains unsolved, and if we never arrive at- such a point in motion photography, we are at least mov- ing closer and closer to it. In most respects Ray is an ideal type of country bumpkin, depicting to a nicety the sincerity of youth and unsophisticatedness. His prin- cipal foil once more is Lincoln Sted- man, the "fat boy" called "Skinny," and the remainder of the cast are carefully selected for character de- lineation. Joseph de Grasse employed care and intelligence in the direction, and the production is mostly out- door and relatively inexpensive. Jolo. ones his results are negligible. Also, where animals are involved as in this and some older ones like "God's Country and the Woman" and "The Son of Kazan," he is al- ways at his best. Here, he not only has handled his animals with ex- ceeding intelligence, but maintained a smoothness in lighting, photog- raphy and continuity of action that is commendable. The tempo slows up in spots, perhaps due to the orig- inal story, which necessarily lags In the telling. Jean Paige is pretty and appeal- ing in a role that seems to have been inspired for her and, while Albert E. Smith gained a lovely wife by marrying her, Vitagraph is going to lose one of its potential assets if she retires. Miss Paige Is only a young girl, and she has not had any the best of it during her brief screen career because she is an ethereal being who does not fit, temperamentally or physically, into harsh roles. Presenting her hi characters similar to the one she portrays here, with stories suited to her, would be beneficial to the screen as a whele and profitable to Vitagraph as a company. James Morrison, George Webb and Bobby Mack stand out in the cast supporting Miss Paige, and a refined and convincing portrayal was given by Mollie McConnell, who died shortly after finishing her work In it. Mollie, who was the widow of Will McConnell, was a beautiful woman in her youth and made probably the most beautiful grande dame on the screen. While the story of "Black Beauty" is known to everyone who reads—and probably Is fresher in the minds of the juvenile picture- goers than those of their elders— the treatment given it here is one that will appeal to all classes. Smith, in addition to telling his stories well, has given the picture some highlights, such as the big fox chase and the race between the villain and the hero (mounted on Black Beauty) that will compare with the big things of the screen. "Black Beauty" will stand up with the best as an attraction. RED FOAM. Mrs. Andy Freeman Zen* Keofe Arnold Drlscoll Huntley Gordon Andy Freeman Harry Tighe Sheriff Daniel Hays Worth Butler All of us are gocd for something, some of, us for many things, but it remained for Harry Tighe, erst- while piano player, vaudevillian and musical comedy comedian, to regis- ter one of the genuinely "true-to- life" characterizations of the season on the film/ It is that of a bluster- ing, back-slapping traveling sales- man, the kind who tells suggestive jokes, buys the >st round of drinks ostentatiously, prates about how happy "the little wife" is at home, popular with "the boys," and usu- ally a hit with the cheaper class of women—In short, a- four-flusher, always making a grand stand play and without an ounce of sincerity. Such is the role of the "heavy" in the Ralph Ince production present- ed by Lewis J. Selznick, entitled "Red Foam," from a story by Wil* 11am H. Hamby, ploturized by Ed> ward J. Montagne. AH of the types are well selected for the story, an unconventional one about ordi- nary people—or at least people who would be normal bumaji beings un- der ordinary circumstances. Through a curious chain of hap- penings a young man and woman are facing death by lynching at the hands of a mob of infuriated inhab- itants of a small town, believing they committed a murder. How they got into the mess and finally escaped being strung up through the aid of a "surprise" twist, makes for a very interesting plot. It is a fast moving rural tale. The picture is brilliantly cut as well as directed. But of all things see the Tighe performance; it is well worth while. Jolo. In the main, Sloman has done well from a technical standpoint, but ho gives the star some very bad lighting in many places, the rays being so strong in some spots as to make her actually ugly, while in others it is o fiat as to give her a vacuous look. Ills interiors are very good and so are most of his exteriors, though the Venetian canal shots are uneven. Miss Allison Is convincing as Lady Kitty and makes a gorgeous, if sensational, picture where she rid.o«c a# Lady Qodlva* And, for the benefit of the ultramarine filberts who regard feminine flesh as a horrible and disgraceful mistake which must be hidden, let it be said the graceful limbs of the star are a work'of art, presented in a way that precludes censorial indictment Next to Mias Allison, the best con- tribution is by the veteran, Lydla Yeamans Titus. She is the most convincing member of the cast. Standing's English reserve fits well here. THE SNOB. Kathryn Haynea Wanda Hawley Jim Haynea Edwtn Steventt Pud Welland Walter Hlem Mra Haynea Sylvia Ann ton Capt. Hill Putnam . ...Wm. E. Lawrence Betty WellHnd Julia Fayo 4 'Pep" Kennedy Richard Wayne ful story telling. Woods has oh* tained attractive locations and fin* lightings, has dressed his sets and his people with tastefulness, but ho falters where he keeps his star in motionless clo.*-ups for period* which seem almost interminable. The picture will please, but it also will tiro audiences In its present form. SHE COULDN'T HELP IT. Nance Olden Debe Daniel* William *,*iifu*f..«v.. ^.wEtaN-ay.Jo&n^prv Tom Dor«an * Wade Boteler Mother Hogan Vera, Lewla Bishop Van Wagenen Herbert Standing Mr. Ramsey Z. Walt Covington, Hia Wlfa Helen Raymond SelUe Ham wey •».....Ruth Renlck ag Monahan Gertrude Short Elimination of a few hundred feet of needless bromidic sub-titles and extended still close-ups of the star would ha^ made this Realart com- edy drama one of real merit. The story is good, the star attractive, the direction acceptable and the acting generally fair, but too many titles take the edge off the produc- tion and slow it down. Tho best work in the picture, not found excluding that of the star, is done by Walter Hiers. and what little is permitted to Edwin Stevens, ster- ling actor that he is, is well done. Why a man like Stevens should be wasted In "bits" is beyond compre- hension. Sam Woods, who directed, brings his story out consecutively and has made a really sparkling <5omedy of the college type, but those Inane titles, explaining and spoiling ac- tion which is perfectly clear to the audience, rob him of credit for skill- This Realart is presented as "a new version" of "In the Bishop's Carriage," which In book form and on the stage scored as a neat com- edy drama. As dene on the screen it is piffle and a horrible example of what producers expect the public to stand for. The production, if such it can be called, is cheaply done, with the direction of a style which prevailed before the five-reel feature days. That "new version" confession giv*es the producers an alibi for get- ting as far away from the original story as possible, but it does not ex- cuse the antiquated, stereotyped structure that was permitted to find Its way to a house of the standing of the Rialto. Nor is it fair to put a young star like Bebe Daniels into such a rickety vehicle at this stage of her bid for a place at the top. She may or may not have star qual- ities, but the answer will never be In this picture, and unless Realart takes tho trouble to find better stories and a real director for her a weary public will not wait. There is nothing, technically or otherwise, to Justify this film's pres- entation in a theatre charging 85 cents admission. With the exceo- tlon of Herbert Standing and a lit- tle girl. Gertrude Short, who only has a bit. the work of the star and her support is stilted and unconvinc- ing Many of the sets are tawdry and there Is no attempt at lighting or photographic excellence. THE FIRE CAT. Dulce Edith Roberts (Irlngo Burke Walter Long Cholo Pete William Eagle Eye Mother Alvarez Olga D. Mo jean Margarita .... ........Beatrix Domingueg 1'ancho , Arthur Jasmine Moss Wallace McDonald STRAIGHT IS THE WAY. "Cat" Carter, a young: crook.. .Matt Moore Aunt Mehltabel, a widow Mabel Burt Dorcas, bar nl«ce Gladys Leslie "IxmH" Follett, a crook... .George Parsona Johnathun S<|UOKg« Henry Sedley t'oiiatahln Whipple Van Dyke T? rooks Mis Crabtree ...Emily Fitaroy Hubby i't'KSy l'arr Featuring Matt Moore and Gladys Leslie, "Straight Is the Way" (Cosmopolitan-Paramount), though erected on a slim and light story. conns out at the finish as a rather valuable laugh maker for a regular program release, unbilled as to its comedy angle. The snow-bound Sunday afternoon audience at the Rlvoli, a small attendance through the sudden blizzard, was quickly thawed by some of the situations. with the biggest laugh centering around the use of an Ouija board. The titling forced lt3elf into the laugh*. Captions were of a flippant variety and timed exactly to send the luugh along. Perhaps Prances Marion, who wrote the scenario, added the titles, though the pro- gram doesn't say «0. One caption showed conclusively someone of ex- perience had written them, though that particular caption sailed over the Rivoli's heads. It was about an antique store, very nicely set, and ; worth :? <>•• 10 ff/~ . p^rm^ DO YOU EVF3RTHINK OF Mri '.'"- Shermanidav &• Co. *' nr "* Universal five-part production, direction and story by Norman Dawn. Designed as a "romantic" tale of the Incas, it develops into a hidge-podge of bewildering zoologi- cal exhibits calculated to give the spectator delirium tremens without the aid of "hootch." Dulce's mother has been mur- dered by a couple of bandits, and she, being a "fire cat," with a mas- querade costume, swears vengeance. She goes to work as a dancer in a "dive" until she unearths tho vil- lain—and incidentally finds a lover —and then volcanic eruptions on the "cloud-kissed Andean plateaus." Th^re is an abundance of "cloud- kissed" subtitles intermixed with atmospheric scenes in tho Andes Mountains, a number of exteriors "shot" in the night, and for good measure there is thrown in pic- tures of lizards, ant eaters, etc. The whole thing, story, photog- raphy, action, animal exhibit, vol- cano eruptions, etc., are all jumbled into a heterogeneous mass of noth- ingness that would be annoying if it were not so ludicrous. Jolo. A Real Box-Office Picture ASSOCIATED EXHIBITORS, Inc: PRESENTS WHAT WOMEN WILL DO AN EDWARD JOSE PRODUCTION MARRIAGE OF WM. ASHE. Metro has done the best it could with "The Marriage of William Ashe," but the story which added lustre to the reputation of Mrs. Humphrey Ward as a novelist has not enough body to it to make it stand up on the screen. Edward Sloman, the director, has made up in production for a great deal that is lacking in the narrative, and this, with the fetching work of Miss Allison and a capable supporting company, will make It a pleasing program picture. Kut it is not a classic, and here Metro's brand is a misnomer. It will fit well into better class houses, but the bill will have to contain strong comedy or other features to support it. STORY BY CHARLES A. LOGUE EDWARD JOSE, Sole Director "It lias box office value. Will hold the attention of any audience. Good solid entertainment."—£.i7n&t7ors Trade Revieiv. "Starts of! like a million dollars with good incident, excellent suspense. . . . Has the same uplift idea as "The Miracle Man. — Motion Picture News, »» "The of your sort of a picture you can run and feel that the majority patrons arc being entertained."—-IP/d'.* Da/7 v. PATHE DISTRIBUTOR