Variety (March 1921)

■ ■■ iy, March 11, 1921 PICTURES = NAUGHTY HAUGHTY (Continued from page 10) -nL Audiences have been educated * look for something better even I the American Wheel. The afterpiece makes up for a lot in that tedious first part, however. Jnd when It's remembered how -Mich there is to make up for, It's surprising that the afterpiece man- .-ta to balance the scale. When the show started out this season Walter Brown was the featured comic Mr. Brown retired around Oct, 15. and from appearances there h>«* feeon much .ahlftlng... about o? ? the cast and material. The Olym- pic program has Maurice Le Vine and Sam Mitchell as the principal comics. Mr. Le Vine is not with the troupe, having left several weeks ago. Jimmy (Bevo) Barrett, although the program is mute on the subject, is now playing opposite gam Mitchell. Mr. Barrett Is one of those eccen- tric bomics that grow on you. With ' a voice like a sea lion, a facial make-up that looks as if some one had thrown a handful of soft grease paint at him, and marked him up t with a weird assortment of red and white slathers of color, and a man- ner and method oddly reminiscent of the late Pat Reilly (Reilly and Woods), his comedy is so boisterous it tirxt that it jars. Possibly it was the material Barrett used in 'the first part .that held him back. Few if Any comics could be funny w&th such ancient money changing bks as "1*11 bet 1 can make you say ZSb, I haven't.' " That about sixes up the comedy of the first part. Bar- ret with better material, shined as a real comic in the after piece. Sam Mitchell was the straight when the show started out. Now he's doing a comedy tramp, face slathered with grease paint, over- done the same as Barrett's, and likewise drifting through the open- ing skit, and finally finding himself in the afterpiece. Not that the 1 afterpiece Is much above the ordi- nary, but that first part is so bad that almost anything following, even slightly better, must stand out in bold contrast. Mr. Mitchell has evidently been a blackface comic in his day, using that dialect for his tramp. The innovation is pleas- ing. In May Hamilton and Louise Stewart "Naughty Naughty" ha B a" pair of lively little soubrets. Miss Hamilton Is blonde, carries her cos- tumes- attractively, d-anecj niStily, and is considerable of an acrobat, performing flip flops and the sim- pler ground tumbling with an ease and ability sugesting great possi- bilities of development. Miss Stew- art, brum;t and slender, like Miss Hamilton, leads numbers with pep, Hinging as well as the average. Betty Moore is the prima, with a light voice, tuneful but pleasant, and a smile that wins 'em before she starts, Tuesday night, however. Miss Moore seemed to have friends in the rear of the house who palp- ably boosted for encores, long after the rest of the audience was sat is- fled. The Four Kings of Harmony, a male quartet, put over a likeable singing specialty -in one of the scenes in one, three of the men handling bits during the show, and the other, fiddie Miller, doing straight and getting away with it handily. In the second section Mil- ler and Sam Mitchell have a talk- ing bit in one that landed laughs consistently. Tony De Luoea, an- other of the quartet, does an Italian in the second part in a single sing- ing specialty. For some reason or other Mr. De Lucca included an Irish song while in the wop make- up. The old "pan In the hat" thing was resurrected by Barrett and Mitchell aa ana of the big laughs of the afterpiece. Incidentally, it has never been done better, the Olymplo eating it up aa if they had never heard of It before. Another well worked bit waa a wedding scene in which Barrett and Vlnnie Phillips figured. Miss Phillips. when not performing the work of a woman principal, la a chorister. Her name does not appear on the list of principals, but It belongs there. Barrett and Mitchell have given the old table scene thing an odd twist or' rw6 triai make* 'the tsT' miliar business, with the soubret inviting one after the other of her friends to dine, appear new. The afterpiece is filled with laughs, and when the comics are not busy there are specialties to keep the action aliye. Scenlcally the show has been well provided for. A Chinese set at the closing of the first half and a caba- ret Interior for the table business making attractive stage pictures. The scene changes are frequent, the first half holding six and the second three sets. The choristers, 15, at the Olymplo are a lively bunch, fairly strong on appearance, but singing lustily, although with due regard for pitch. Some of the cos- tumes show signs of wear, although the wardrobe on the whole is taste- ful. The otosdng has the girls as mod- els, with the comic patting nifties -in Thyme. "Naughty Naughty" put 'em to aleep at that at the Olympic Tuesday night, gradually woke 'em up, and when the finish was reached had 'em wishing for more. On the whole, a fair- show, that could be whipped into a good show, and still I' may be before Xht season ends, aa the making over process is still going on. Bell. FRENCH FILM MAKERS URGE RESTRICTIONS OF IMPORTS Propose Bill to Assess Surtax Upon Exhibitors Who Show More Than 20 Per Cent of Foreign Pic- tures— Showmen Oppoae the Measure. **■ +%■.'*>* ■ **.- » .1 » >.... - Adolph ZuVor present*. A ROBERT Z. LEONARD PRODUCTION 'THE GILDED LI ly; With MAE MURRAY Better than On With the Dance' or 'Idols of Clay/ M — New York Tribune. One of the best pictures of the year.* Miss Murray is more charm- ing than ever. A signal victory."— Morning Telegraph. "Miss Murray surprisingly per- suasive in many emotional scenes. Lowell Sherman a finished hero. A story that has not been done to death."— Nerv York Times. Paris, Feb. 24. At a special meeting of the ex- hibitors' union last week, at which thj president of the manufacturers' syndicate was present to explain the steps taken recently to have a bill presented in the French Parlia- ment to relieve the picture trade of special taxation and, place it on the same footing as the theatres, the representatives of the ceproducers read the project measure, which is an interesting document particu- larly for foreign producers: "Article 1. The State tax (or taxe de guerre) instituted in paragraph 1 of article 92 at the Financial Law of Juno 26, IS2a, and fixing € per cent, of gross receipts (after deduc- tion of poor rates and any special municipal contributions on enter- tainments) for theatres, cafe con- certs, etc., shall be applicable to moving picture establishments. "Article 2. Exhibitors must sup- ply the tax collector with the quantity of films projected dally. "Article 3. With the object of en- couraging the use of French films and diminshing the importation of foreign films, exhibitors will pay a surtax of 3 per cent, when project- ing foreign films, which shall be increased to 6 per cent. If the quantity of foreign films exceeds 20 per cent of the program. "Article 4. Educational filtr.s shall be the object of a detaxatlon of the 8U.te tax in proportion to the quantity projected." The manufacturers want a meas- ure of this kind, while many of the exhibitor* are opposed to such a control of their programs. Pro- vincial managers on the whole, ob- ject to the clause raising- the tax de guerre 3 per cent., making It 6 per I cent., for those who present less than 80 per cent, of French reels. 'EXPERIENCE' GOING GOOD Fitzmaurice Back en Long (stand After Trip To Florida George Fitzmaurice, back with his company from St. Augustine, is forc- ing matters witb "Experience," at the F. P. Long Island studio, and now la engaged on some of the big Interior sets that are to be feaures of the Paramount special. Betty Carpenter, a blonde, has been selected for the role of "Hope" and Nita Naldi for that of "Pas- sion." John Milturn will play "Ex- perience." Kate Bruce, the mother in "Way Down East." is working in the picture as the mother of "Youth," Richard BattheJmeas. Boy Born to Bathing Beauty. San Francisco. March 9. A son was born to Mrs. Ernest Dyson, a Mack Sennett bathing girl, at her San Francisco beach home last week. It is planned to ,'hristen the child Douglas, a name used by Mrs. Dyson on the screen. BESSIE LOVE WITH SESSUE Independent 8t«r to Play Lead With Hayakawa in Next Fsatura. "Lying Lips" Scores. Cincinnati, March 0. This is the fourth consecutive week of Thomas If. Ince's "Lying Lips" at Gift's Theatre. Sixty thousand persons saw the picture during the first three weeks, break- ing all house records. • FILM REVIEW COLORADO. Frank Austin Frank Mayo Tom Doyle Charles *»«wton Kitty Doyle „°'?. rU 2°55 Mrs. Doyle Lillian West James Klncald Charles JL* Moync David Collins Leonard Clapnan» _•_■ \ BERANQER Ct QammountQidure (Three column pre»9 ad — mat* at your exchange) FAMOUS PLAYER£-D\S*y CORPORATION, *S9« ^iTsTT-Kai When Augustus Thomas wrote "Arizona" he gave the stage an en- during American drama. When he wrote "Colorado," he gave the screen author a trapeze on which to practice tricks, for thia Universal feature is the second attempt the same company has made to put it over. In 1916 it was put out with a version different from the one used in the present instance, and it cannot be said the Universal has succeeded in making a good enter- tainment. The Thomas slory dealt with the old V. S. Army, and here the scenario writer has brought it "up to date" by having the army action occur after the A. B. F. re- turns from France. While ho was at*ftf« it. hvvxhooli! JtsJbttfll brought the speeches tip 'o date, as the old lines strike harnhly in their new dress. What 0eems to have be^n done is, that the scenarist has taken the high light of "Arizona," were the hero suffers disgrace to shield the Colonel's wife, and transplanted it a hit north, over the Colorado line. The acting and business through- out the picture are about as crude as have been seen in recent years, but Frank Maya a.id Le Moyne, the only players who seem to know what acting is. are not to be blamed. They're victims of elementary methods of direction, made to work artificially and "stagey" all the way. There is a big scone wh*re the water floods a mine, but th»-re Is nothing new or sensational m this, having been »ione so often before and - so much better an ■nmiird audience is more likely to laugh lhan to l brill over It. Los Angeles, March t. Bessie Lovo ia to be the loading lady for Sessue Hayakawa In the next feature that the Japanese star will make for Robertson-Cole. Miss Love has been starring un- der the management of.^Andrew Callaghan. Colin Campbell will direct the production and Harland Tucker wiil play the juvenile lead. The only Ori- ental character will be that played by Hayakawa, who ia the author of the story. CRUELTY TO ANIMALS. < A German picturizatlon of "Car- men" has been prohlbitied by the Argentine authorities on account of a new regulation which haa banned the showing in pictures of bull fights, cock fights, or any acts of cruelty to animals. FEIST REPRESENTS SCHENCK. Felix Feist affixed his signature on Monday to a contract whereby he assumes the post of general repre- sentative for the Joseph M. Sehenck film enterprises. Pioneer in Western Canada Peerless Film, Ltd., which haa lta main office in Winnipeg and also op- erates in Calgary and Vancouver, will represent the Pioneer Film Corp. for the handling of Its pro- ductions In western Canada. Pioneer is now represent el ia six offices In the Dominion of Can- ada. BILLON DIRECTING RUSSELL. Los Angeles, March 9. Jules, Furthman, who completed the direction of William Russell's last picture after director Hogan hat? been taken ill, la no longer wits the Fox company. Jack Dillon has been engaged to direct Russell. The Miners' Temple, Rellaire, O.. has been taken over from Max Schafer by the Soragg Amusement Co. The local NUTOBia, managed by Kay Banter, i* paasfn ' to a eooa- i i my «»r foreigners. METRO'S "LILLI0N." Metro haa bought the picture rights of "Lilllon" prior to ita stage presentation, which la duo next month when the Theatre Guild will put it on at the Garrick with Jos- eph Shildkraut starred. /The scenario la being written by June Mathis. The piece la a comedy-drama adapted by Benjamin F. Glazier. It was presented in (ho principal Eu- ropean cities several aeasona ago. . PEARSON-LEWIS IN ITALY At the conclusion of their Lon- don engagement in vaudeville, Violet Pearson and Sheldon Lewla will go to Italy, under contract to the Italian Film Trust, there to make pictures, supported by an Italian company, specially designed for the American market. ♦^