Variety (October 1921)

PICTURES .«tf» ■ frJ Vridfty, October 28,188\ NEWS OF THE FILMS Mrs. I-yiliK llt)yt, famoun beauty and hocuMy woman, will conllnuo her scrrru career, but not with Norma Talmailgc, with whom Hhc mado )\ov dobut In "The Wonderful Thlnpr." is the fflst of newspaper storioH biiitinp at trouble between the yoiinij hostess and the star. Pegrgy Hyland is beinc; featured In a new feature, probably to be called "AlonRT the Santa Fe Trail." -which will bo a picturizatlon of an auto trip from the- Golden Ciate to the Statue of Liberty. Fred I^. Granville iu directinflr it. Pathe Kxchani;e has brought an action in the courts to determine the ownership of certain partitions used on the two floors of their of- Hcea in the building at 25 West 45th street. The Pathc people claims the fixtures, valued at about $10,000, be- long to them, and the corporation owning the building allege similar ownership. - — • Joseph P. Sheridan, warehouse owner, has brought suit against Gerhard 4k Hey, Inc., for storage. Defendants have filed a counter- claim for $30,000, charging that 26 ' cases out of 240 cases of Alms stored with Sheridan are missing. Woman." 4l was made under the direction of Chester Hennett and is vno of a series of Ave with the star. Ralph Graves has been engaged by Goldwyn to play the leading male role in the next Rupert Hughes picture, tentatively called "Sent for Out," in which Colleen Moore will be the leading woman. Graves played the young prixe flghter in Griffith's "Dream Street." In Aiming Owen Moore's nf'xt comedy, Mrs. Moore (Kathryn I'erry) will not be her husband's kading woman in the new Henry Lehrman piece. Pauline CJaron will have the part, and she is now divid- ing her time between Selznick'a Fort Lee studio and the Klaw the- atre, where she is playing in "Lilies of the Field." A. Ti. Felnman haa removed his film advertising and publicity to 117 West 46th street. Felnman will continue to represent the Inter- Ocean Film CQrp-. at whose offices he had formerly hung his shingle. Preparations are finder way by the Pioneer Film Corp. for the re- lease in November of "In Society," a slz-reel photodrama, with Edith Roberts In the leading role. It is a melodramatic story. • Robert .T. Mills, who staged the prolog for the "Way Down Kist" engagement at the 44th Street the- atre last season, is putting on a series of prologs for the pictures to be played over the Keith Circuit. Suit has been started against the U. S. Pictures Corp. of Edgewater, N. J., by Garry Thompson, scenar- ist, who seeks judgment to the amount of $2,950. Thompson alleges it was agreed the company pay him $5,000 for a "'^'•ipt, but that only $2«100 was paid. The company claimed it had not cpted the scenario, but Thompson alleges some money was paid after he de- livered the script. Herman L. Roth and Samuel Altman represent the writer. , Zena Keef.- is returning to active studio duty with Selznick after her vaudevilh? and "personal appear- ance" trip in the bigger picture houses of the middle west. Miss Keefe. herself a Selsnick star, last appeared in support of Conway Ttarle as leading woman, under di- rection of Ralph Ince. in "After Midnight." June Ma this has been signed as scenarist and continuity writer for Nazimova'8 next production for United Artists. Harry Myers, who played Gilly, one of the crooks in Metro's fllm- izatlon of "Turn to the Right." has been engaged to play in a second Metro picture. ••Kisses." Maxwell Karger will direct "Kisses," which was written by May Tully and adopted for the screen by June Mathis. The lumber of the stage floor of the old Union Square, now being demolished, ht« l.een bought by D. W. (Jriftith and will be used in building th< last of the studio sets for his produwiuii of "The Two Or- phans." The piece was flrst acted in America with Kate Claxton at the Union Square Dec. 21, 1875. NOBODY'S FOOL Polly Oonlon Marie Provost Mary Hardy H*ten Hiirrlf Dr. Hardy H. Henry (Irey Artf'muK Aljf.r Harry Myers Huufwkueper Lydia Tit|f8 A rather pleasing comedy of no great pretentions, starring Mari^ Prevost—a Ui sal production. The principal merit is the charac- terization of a "woman hater" by I Harry Myers. | Miss I'revost is a bespectacled | boarding school pupil, whose tuition and maintenance are paid by a close- flstcd aunt. The aunt dies, leaving the girl $400,000. whereupon she blossoms forth as a society bud; courted by fortune hunters. Artemus Alger (Mr. Myers) writes a book called "The Unnece.ss.iry Sex." de-signed to prove the non- j necessity of the fair sex—the two meet; he makes a flght for hier against another suitor, who tries to compromise her, believing she is the wife of his friend. There Is a very humorous clinch where he wades through a pond to take her in his arms. Both are projected into the water and they embrace as the water^ engulfs them. Thf^' magnifiLi HI comedy pnnto- BerL Lylell tore several ligaments miming of Myers has much to do In a tennis match in Los Angeles and is carrying his arm in a cast. He will have to lay off for a fort- night or so. He was not engaged in a picture. Charlie Chaplin paid a social call to Sing Sing prison last week and was shown through, edifying the ;>rls<>ner.s with an exhibition of the lamous shuffle walk. with the pictufe's success. A good feature for popular price houses. Jolo. KAZAN This If a Sellg productioa of the Canadian Northwest that U released through tha Blxport and Import Corp. The picture, whila not a re- cent release, has not been generally played and there Is no record of It iiaving been given any review In the trade press. Jane Novak is the. star, and the supporting cast has Ben Deeley as the lead. The title of "Kazan" Is obtained from the James Oliver Curwood story, on which the picture is based. Kasan was a dog which reverted to a state of wildness. mated with the wolves and led the pack, but which always was Johnny on the Job whenever the sister of his former master was in need of help. The tale, as far as it goes. Is rather a disconnected one, with some three or four theme threads to follow all through the story. Old IMerre liaddison Is a trapper; his elder son is in the Canadian Northwest Mounted Police. A younger son and daughter live In the more sheltered regions. They, howeve;-, come north, and the* boy turns out to be a weakling, spend- ing his time drinking and gambling. The girl is left practically alone, and when the summons comes from the father that he is in his cabin in the hills and about to die. after the elder l>rother has been slain, the girl has tJ trust herself to the hands of a stranger to ma!:o the journey tv her father. The stranger is played by l>eeloy, who believes that the elder brother of the girl was responsible for the betrayal of his sister. His motive in helping her on the Journt^y is to get the opportunity to wreak ven- geance on the woman of the Raddl- aon clan for the wrong done his sister. When they arrive at tiie cahin. after having been chased by the wolf pack led by •Kazan, the wild dog having recognlzt-d the woman's voice in time to dritc off his follow- ers and save her, th^ discover that the father is dead. The heavy of the picture cast having preceded them ozi the trail and' stolen the evi- dence that would have marked him as the slayer of the girl's brother. This same heavy at the same time would have slain the father, but having found him about to die any- way. h«-.siinply.opened the door and windows and permitted him to freeze to death. • This much ac- complished, the heavy doubles in his tracks and slips the Mounte^I Police the office that the man who accompanied the girl is the slayer. The hero of the story is then ar- rested and the girl and her brother start on a journey. During tho trip th«j father's watch opens and reveals a note which tells the real storj', and the hero is save from further imprisonment. but the heavy escapes. He flnds the girl in camp alone and is about to attack her when Kazan leaps on him, bears him to the ground and kills him. In story forni Kazan and his life wore played up and the ^ uman ele- ment made secondary. On the screen the animal stuff is placed in >the background, but stiil ^ero is sufficient of it to lead a DbtIII to the Aim version, Fhlcfi will got by In the cheaper neighborhood houses. I'rcd. THE CUP OF LIFE ■»«•••• Hobait Palm* ••••••••••••..MftdfT* BelUi Chaa Ckaav.** • ••.Tuny Marsik Roy Bra4l«y «..Nilaa Wel ti 99^m Into tb% moTlea and dnm him la tho aiost approTed acroon oowboy otylo. With this rogftUa ho makM hla apposr- aaco at tho Ooldwya atudlo, whoro ho has a hard time getting paat tho door until tho child otar that la sup- porting all of hio family in luxury, comoa alons and takoo him iB. Rogers is glron a Joh of ^oubllnc for the villain and tho horo, both In a serial, and this stuff Is AHod with laughs. But ho flops and goes book to the old homo town. In the meantime tho girl has road "Romeo and Juliet," and decided that Shakespeare's horo had it on Doug on loving. Rogers digs up a volume of the work from the parson and reads it in his room, i^ing to sleep over tho book and dreaming tho ensuing action, which is the story of "Romeo and Juliet,'* with "Rogers as the hero and the folk of his every-day life playing tho other characters. It is a burlesque in the broadest sense, with Rogers enacting the role much after the dashing manner that Doug would have given it. When the awakening comes Rogors has learned his lesson and he dashes off, grabs the girl by force and rushes her to the parson. The picture is a laugh from start to Anisli. and is tho boat out-and-out full length feature comedy that has been turned out in a couple of years as a regular program picture. It stacks up with any of the late Fnir- banks pictures, with the possible exception of the "Three Musketeers," and should be a whale of a bnsineas get ter for any house anywhere. The expose of the "inside of *^ movies'* will get audiences no matter vkhere it is shown. -_. _. , . ^... The cast is all that any one could Chan Chang, rir i Chinese d^-aler ask for. and their doubling from tho 1 ana iather protector to a nttle straight rotes they were playing to i t>ri»haned white girl now reaching the character r Hh;ikes ■ - . - niatuiity. Tho fostt-r father wishes storv proves that thoy are troupiMs. ^^'^ to marry a. Chinese. On-.- pearl Fred. more is needed for her brid.il gift, —_ - but it must bo iMu^niflceiii n> match the othei-M. One Ihnl would match TWn MINIITFS Tfl CO *' ^« Brand's, but the captain refuses 1 yVKJ inin\J l CO 1\/ OVr ^^^^ ^^^^, ^^^^^ ,^ j^ ^^^ ^ woman. ...charli'R Rny I The son, knjwn as Roy Hradley. Mary And.>m.n nieet.s little Fain and ovea her. She ;;;;.;i-liSorn' .slSm ^'^r" ^^'' innocently, th. , o.rl siring. From his father, wlumi he does not know i.<< hi.n father, he bogs the pearl and adds it to the string, and old Chun, finding it, suspects Hrand. su^^pectn the worst, all un- wittingly conttrmed by' Pain, who keeps silent to protect her boy lover. Now tliihi^s move fast to a climax A first-class picture, one of i^ hoot If not tho host program fsat«^ In many a moon, offered by Ass(h oiated Producors on the lioew clrt« cutL Hobart Bosworth staro^ roalTr stars—and Thomas R. Iqq^ supenrised, while a nearly porfsQ( scenario is credited to Josepi^ Frankljm Poland. Capable support rounds out an altogether satlafyio* screen contribution. Tho story is plausible, full of tho unexpected and not an inch la wasted In telling it. Captain Brand in a he-man and i>oachea pearls for the un of it, not tho money. He la in a hurry for home on the trip be- cause his son. in Ignorance Captain Hrand is really his father, is on his way to Singapore. Hut a »hi\rk, in the water delays the diver. In goe« Hrand himself and cuts tho tish'^s throat. Coming out, he flnds his diver about to swallow, as sure keeping for his the!t. a magniticcnt pearl. Brand rescues it. announ?ing ft i-^ not for sale, but for a beautiful woman who canno"* be bought in any other way. Conies Lit«:it a destroyer, and there Is an amusing fake burial at kvo. to head off suspicion of poachitr^. The naval vessel looked American, but the officer wore a Hritisii u.ilforin. Back in Singapore, Hrand hunts ^ l'h<«str • I'.urnott Kuth TuiTU-r .... H»r Fath-I .... "Pntty' ■ 'Ansi'T' Tiui'man Van I>yki' Fo'tb«il» Coach Tom WlUion l>«Hri i)t llakcr llnlvorsiiy•-Krascol? Dumau Viittnuor of ."^iMinlsh l'hlll:> nunham Here at least is intelligent diclri- bution. "Two MinuteH to C.o*" is ;i football picture relea.sed for its ttrsi run In Uu- height of the football sei- Lin a darkened room, where the two HIGH HEELS T>. W. Griffith got $25,000 Inanr- nncc last week guaranteeing )vv before Nov. 20, when his contracts with stars in "The Three Orphans' expires. Douglas Fairbanks refused $23,000 to include a billboard advertisement of merchandise in his next picture. Clara Kimball Young is being sued fur $13,000 alleged to be due P.. A. Powers as a resi^lt of money lent her and Harry CJarson on notes. CliriKlinp Trover... l>r. I'nul Dcntun.., JoHhun Itarton Cortland Van Nens. Laurie Trever... .*. Daffy Trevor r>llly Trover Jt>hn Trevor RdlM-rt (jravea..-.. Armuiid . !••«•■< Gla(ly.<; Walton .. .Vredfrick Voptvling , .WiUiam WorthinKton Fre^m^n vvv.od . ...Gcori?e Hai^kthorn Charles Dobrlac Raymond l>ebrtac , ....DwiKht Crittenden .. Robert T)unbar Jean Dcbrlac Booth Tarklngton'.s famous char- acterM of "Herman" and "Vermap" In "Fenrod"' were facers fo. Marshall Nellan, now producing this popular book and play for the screen. Mr. Nellan Anally appealed to Hal Roach for the use of Frederick Brnest Mor- rison, otherwise known as "runshine tiatiiiiis.' who.se antics with Snub ]*oIlaril have made him widely known. Announcrment wm^ made this week by Cosmopolitan Pntductlons that a new contrn(*t had been signed with Famous PI lyers-I.asky by which the latter orKani^aiion wlil continue to distribute all of tho pro- ducing company's feafures. First of the Cosmopolitan Produc- tions to be released liv Paraniouiit will be "lUnchantment,*" stjnrinv: Marion D.ivios, which will have its premier at the Hivoli Oct. 30. Th. film is taken from the original story. "Manhandling Ktlul." written by Frank K. Adams, which appeared in Iho Cosmopolitan Magazine. IjUtln-r Heed is resi>onsIble for the scenario, while Kobitrt 1<. \'ignola directed. Jane Xovak has comploitd liei first starring picture for AMsoci^t>»d iK'brlac" kidflles added a^i .niusf I'hotoplays, Inc., title,! "Ho^T Vi^ n"tftd(»n Td th<» ■pl<**^if''. * ' r<7v7 Hero is an almost impossible story, lightwaisted and shallow, possible only through fairly good diret.tion, "just another of those things"" good enough for the cheaper houses or on a double feature pro- gram in the bigger neighborhood Iheatresi It's a Universal product, with Gladys tv iton as tho star, by Louise I\. Clancy, adapted by Wal- lace Clifton. Lee Kohlmar handled the direction, and his manner of workinpr Miss W.ilton in close-ups for a Kreater i>art of the picture is effective. Tho story is that of a petted dar- ling of a wealthy father who has been indulged with everything that her heart ci»ul<l desire. Then at the father's de:«»h «ho dKco^'-vra <*\^* t?e has been on tho vergo of bank- .ruptcy for some time. There are also a brother and. two young chil- dren, and while a young millionaire is anxious to marry her she feels it her duty to remain with the family. In time she discovers tho young man of money was far from being the person she should mnrry. and incidentally the family phy.sU Ian is the man she Anally accepts. The story Is told on tho screen In a manner <IraKRy at times, but on the whole the production is far and awa> ahead ol the usual run of 17. featurts i.f this lyi»e. The sets ti\u\ the llKhtiiiMM.>^ have a certain qual- ity th.it glos.se.s the usual I', cheap- iieM.*<. The cast supporting the j?tar held l-'rederick V'«)Keding, who Kavc an interest iiiK performance, but Frci - man Wood us tho juvenile lead jather (»verplaye«l in the later .Kcenes of the picture The two sfng DOUBLING FOR ROMEO Ri>meo (Slim) Will RdKora JuH*-t (T,ulu) Sylvia Rr'*amor St«>v* Woods (I^arii) Raymond Hattnn Pendleton (Mercutlo)... ..Sydney AliiHworth HiK Alec (Tybalt) Al Hart FoRtor (Capulrt).,* , John i.'ossar l>uffy Saundera (Renvoiio). .C. E. Ttiuraton MaRRlc (M.iid) Cordelia <^illahan Minister (Friar La«rrence)..Ro1:ind Rushton Jimmie Jone8 JInnniiti Rogers "Movie" Director William Orlaraund At last something new In pictures! With "Doubling for Romeo," a Gold- wyn production. Will Rogers has ar- rived with a satirical burlesque of the screen that is a howl from start to finish. It. is a production that has all the more appeal if one knows anything about pictures at all. The more you know the funnier it is, and if you don't know a thing about ♦hem, it is funny anyway. It is Rogers' last picttne ff>r <'!f''H\vvn for the time being, at any rate, but it is far md away the best of the entire series that he has turned out under that contract. Credit for the story is given to KImcr Rice, Will Rogers nnd Will Shakespeare. The two Wills .«?hare thc,Kreater part of the glory. Clsr- ence IJadger directed the production, and he managed to keep the action swinging along at a great rate of speed from the moment that the initial scene was flashed. The sub-titles are a howl. Rogers is given credit for the modern titles and Shakespeare for the ancient ones. In some cases Rogers has im- proved on the Hard of Avon, but for another laugh Bacon and Shake- speare are asked to divide credit for tho original "Romeo and Jidiet" titles. Rogers r\i the opening Is diselOM<*d a real, sure-enough cowboy herding cattle. When tho boss d<(ide.M to chanK^ over to sheep raising Kokcis. with the rest of the boys, is let oiii. Just about this stage the girl of his heart has decided if he would win her he would have to lenrn to make love like they do in tho movies, and she shows him a picture of ]>oiik. whom she claims is the greatest lover on the screeh. The boys froni tho i'''»»ieli 1,'ft together wlirn Itnffor.i son. Looks like finally some one has arrived in the picture busi.nes:; who thinks as to "time, place ami picture" and links the three up. The production is one of 'the Charles Ray-First National scries, presented by Arthur S. Kane. In presenting It at tho Strand, Joe Plunkett has prefaced the picture with a brief touch of college atmos- phere. He has an "eleven*' accom- panied by tlic . oach march through the audience onto the stage and run through a series of college numbers. "Two Minutes to Go'" was written by Charles Andres, produced and directed by Charles Ray, who Is also the star. The story is somewhat along the "College Widow" lines^ as any foot- bail yarn must be. Ray naturally is the hero. The picture opens with a football game and closes with an- other. In the first Ray i" shown in the stand. For several years he has been tho backbcno ot the team, but this season be isn't playing and the team has been going down in defeat at one game after another. This has caused the star to lose his pop- ularity with the boys, but there is one girl who sticks by him. His ica.,. a for quitting the jame is kept secret by him about the college, but the audience is in on the fact his father has met with reverses and Ray is "running a milk route" to work his final year through college. Thnt milk route calls for his being on tho Job at 3.30 a. m. and there- fore he can't hit the field with the boys for practice each day. Just before the big game of the season a rival for the favor of tho girl accidentally stumbles onto the fact that Ray is a milkman in the wee sma' hours and faces him with the fact at a party. Ray denies it, but the next morning he is cauglit with the goods. Then tho girl gives him the cold shoulder. The appeal of the team for him to get into the final game has its effect, and at the end oi the first half the score is 3 to 0 in favor of tho opponents. Between halves Ray receives a noto from the girl w^ich gives him some added pep. and in the rest .period Ijefore the final ouAr.-. ter a wire from his dad brings the news that he has rehabilitated his lortunes. Then with "two minutes to go" in the final quarter Ray makoH'a touchdown nnd wins tho game. It may not 1>o the best foot- ball, but it sure is goo<l picture material. The feature will prove mighty in- teresting at this timo and should pull business In the better houses. There are any number of littlo pic- (ure.si^ue touches and college pranks Hint liKliton tho drama of tho story, an»l in all it is a good littlo conu'dy drama. Mary Anderson plays opposite Hay and gives a corking little i)er- lortn 1 Lincoln Steadman is tho tat roommate of the star and gets ;. ft'u laughs. A .:oupIe of profes- sors, played by Francois Dumas and Philip Dunham, were a comedy re- lief to the tenseness of the game. Tnieiu.i!. A'an Dyke was the cheer lending, jhe/tvy of the p^gture and Innded. , Fyrd' iT.en, unknown to each other, cuiv ningly set in conflict by Chan, ll^ht while I'ain w^atches. afraid to cry because Chan will shoot the boy if she does. P.ut In the end they break through a wall into the liglit. the boy falling unconscious. never knowing his father, wh« fights his way out, leaving a threat for Chan to take him to sea as a cook if be prevents the girl and boy marrying. All this is played by Mr. Bosworth in stellar style, while Tully Marshall made .a d^tinct and effective crea- tion of the Chinaman. Madge Bellamy, with her lovely girlish features and her pantomime while the flght was going on. stepped for- ward as a picture possibility of no mean stature. Tho technical accomplishment was good, though at times the n- dllng of the lights produced more than the usual flatness. In resist- ing the plea for a happy ending. Mr. Ince staged something mightily efPeetlve with Brand sailing away in a churning sea leaxmi, every- thing set for the lad he loved and never told. Lcrd. TO A FINISH Jim Blakft Ruilf Jonei E>oria Lane Helt'n Ferguwn mil Terry U. Raymond Nya Wolf Oarry Norman Selby Joa BlAke Uorscliel Ma^'&ll 1 Fox presents "To a Finish." a Western five-reel thriller based upon the story by Jack Strumwas- scr. Buck Jones is the star, with Bernard Durning the director. While Slrumwasser has turned out noth* ing particular In the way of a story the director has mapped out a corking Western feature based al- most entirely upon his star's ability as a melodramatic hero. Fight af- ter fight crowd tho flvo reels, with Jones displaying himself as a nim- ble athlete and contender for the crown lield by Douglas Fairbanks for this typo of work. The ston' *s practically forgotten with the abun- 'i:irKv> of ;i»^Ilun nupp-^pd by the ?♦••'' in tho role of a typic^il Western hero. As a fighter of tho rough and tumble variety he stands out promi- nently, with his horseback riding displaying years of training. The theme is simple, having as its cen- tral figures a bad man. a cowboy hero and the girl. After tho series of flght.s, mad dashes across the country on horseback and other in- cidental bits of melodrama, tho hero rescues tho girl in tho bad mans home. All in all "To a Finish"" ifl :i fast running daredevil piiture. Us cast is short, with the .'^tar and Norman Selby tho only players of any prominence. Th<! latter i»^ given littlo opportunltv to dl.«^pia> any of tho llstlc ability whi«'h n'' gained aa Kid McCoy. As wlU' tlio majority of Western plrturc^ the production cost i.-' sH«ht. /^ great portion of the action taKf|^ placo in the open. For riudUn«'<^ that like tha Wild West f^rurc tin ] shoMid bo ,T.knockout. Hart.