Variety (November 1921)

42 PICTURES Friday, November 18, 1921 sc PEACOCK ALLEY Ctos of Paris Mae Murray Blaw Harmon Monte Blue Fall Oarriaon Edmund Lowe Alas Smith W. J. Ferguson Hip Fen ton Andors Randotf fosaph Carlcton William Tooker Aboar Harmon Howard Lang Mayor of Harmontown...William Frederick Moat. Dubois M. Durant Itoto Jeff rye Lewis ''Napoleon" By Himself It may be safely ventured "Pea- cock Alley" la the best picture Mae Murray has ever done. In doing it the chances are that Miss Murray ha* also indulged in a wider scope of screen playing than hitherto has fallen to her share in fllmdom. And on top of that "Peacock Alley" is a good picture, a very good picture, a picture that will do something for exhibitors, for Its producers and, most of all, for Mae Murray's pic- ture standing. It's a Tiffany Productions, Inc., film, understood to be the first of Miss Murray's own production com- pany's output. That "Tiffany" in the name stands up well In this pro- duction, that has class throughout, from some of the gorgeous mount- ings given the restaurant and home scenes to the magnificent ward- robe display by the star. In playing and action the picture runs easily, holds and has a c^jple of twists as unexpected as they arc nicely worked in and out. For in- stance, where the husband of the re- tired restaurant vamp is arrested for forgery, through patronizing his wife's expensive whims; that came with almost a shock, but it fitted in view of his distress at the accumula- tion of bills Just previously shown. Then there was his distress again, before they were married, and the country boy (possibly from Indiana) had walked out on his first love, the rage of the Parisian restaurants, believing it unbelievable she could lead her life and be on the level— the girl went to Normandy to the quiet of her family homestead, to pine and regret. He went there, too, unable to remain away, and because she had used her influence to secure bis Indiana firm a French govern- ment contract. He saw her there, thanked her, told her how far apart they were, he was going home, and she said she was good, swore it on the cross of the church behind them, because she was and loved him. There has been some fine manip- ulation of material in this scenario by Edmund Ooulding, based on ter that has been done in pictures, made so through Miss Murray's nifty dancing in it and the sur- rounding "business.** The picture was privately shown at the Hotel Commodore's ballroom one evening last week. A promis- cuous manner of issuing Invitations brought an overflow of friendly watchers. The Aim ran about the usual feature length, maybe a bit longer, but it held even that crowd until its end. Mae Murray will be measured hereafter by her performance of Cleo of Paris until she excels It, and that is going to be some job—for Mac Murray or any one else. Sime. OLBL FROM GOD'S COUNTRY Neeka LeMort \ Mark n Carllu'e 5 Nell Shlpman Owen Olend^n Edward Burns J. Randall Curlls c Al. W. Fllson Plorre LicMort t>'>rge Berrell Old Inventor Walt Whitman Otto Kruua t\ K. Van Auker N olix \va Dili n Lelghton fled Central Park riding habit and immaculate blouse; there is a pal- pably posed scene at an up-to-date mining camp, with modern machin- ery; a landslide Is unconvincing, and at the finish the wholesale slaughter of the villains borders closely upon burlesque. Obviously a machine- made program feature. /©To. - THE SILENT CALL Flash Strongheart Clark Moran John Bowers Betty Houston Kathryn McOuire Ash Brent William Dyer Luther Nash •• James Mason Dad Kinney Nelson McDowell Jimmy the Dude K. J. Brady James Houston • • • • e ■ e i ...Robert Bolder Ouida Bergere tale. It may have been made strong in sentiment in the original. It is stronger in the picture. The principals leap from the Pea- cock Alley of Paris to the Peacock Alley of New York, then to the home town of the late vamp. In that home, town things commence to happen. Though the kid has made his com- pany and the town through the con- tract, they leave him flat when, flashing his smart-looking wife, the company buys his stock and his uncle turns him out. Back in the city the bank account runs low, the young husband forges his uncle's name, is taken away to prison, and the misunderstood and misunder- standing wife, seeking for her hus- band's release, goes back to the res- taurant in New York against her promise to him not to do so, but in order to make money and meet some one who can help her mate. She meets blm, a lawyer, who In- vites her to his home after the res- taurant performance, to assure him- self she is right ard not wrong. He Is assured and promises his assist- ance, as the husband bursts in through a window. He was released when the uncle withdrew the charge, the uncle first informing the nephew his wife had gone back to the stage and was playing around with the restaurant's hangers-on. After the compromising sight he saw in the lawyer's parlor the hus- band returned to Indiana and the girl to Normandy, but that didn't stop them from again getting to- gether there at the finish. Miss Murray played this girl of the restaurant as finely as it could have been done. She had the aban- don and demureness shaded to a nicety. But will some one please explain how It was possible at mo- ments for Miss Murray to look a bit elderly (unless It were the drop ear- rings) and at all other times to bo about the prettiest looking girl a film could show. Monte Blue as the husband mny have played the role in a mannor to leave a personal opinion. He didn't make it anything it was not, that's certain. It's too bad so many film (onritni? men noqnlre s scropn strut. It yells acting every time employed, and they all do it the same. The types of Paris and Indiana drew Itfughs. W. J. Ferguson was the comedy hit in pantomimic ex- pression. The cast is an excellent \>ne. Frederic and Fanny Hat ton, who wrote the sub-titles, have done hot- ter, but still there were smiles for several. A special orchestration by Louis Silvers has a Jazzy arrange- ment or two that will keep any house orchestra on Its toes during the running of this film. That music was lively and appropriate all the while. The direction by Robert Z. Leon- ard makes the film, with Miss Mur- ray. There isn't a flaw in it nor has any one tried to save a dollar without throwing, either, a dollar away. The Paris restaurant scene is probably the best of that charac- "The Girl from God's Country," a seven-part feature presented by W. H. Clune and released by the F. B. Warren Corp. proves one thing, and that is that Nell Shlpman, the au- thoress and star of the production, should stick to acting in the fu- ture and leave the writing of her stories to some one better qualified. In direction Miss Shlpman might also have had some on* on the sal- ary list qualified for that position instead of taking it on herself to do everything to be done. She not only has written and di- rected, but played three parts in the story. Two of the parts were mighty Important and the third was a bit in a single shot. In reality "The Girl from, God's County" is a serial that has been done as a feature. It has all the im- possible thrill producing stunts that one would expect in a serial that is destined for the entertainment of the veriest lowbrows, but which ceem entirely out of place in a feature. The titling is also unworthy of boasting about and the picture might have been improved to considerable extent had intelligent brains been exercised in this particular regard. It Is a northwest yarn to a certain extent, but the threads of plot are so mixed up that one cannot figure Just what it is all about. The hero- ine is supposedly an illegitimate child, who lives with her grand- father at a Canadian trading post. The hero is a French flying ace who has been blinded in action. This gives the impression the war Js past and through with, but in the Anal reel the blinded ace with the aid of the girl makes a tranB-faoiflc flight in order to capture a Boche who is escaping with the plans of a new plane. With continuity of that sort no great Imagination is needed to figure how loose Jointed the story Is. At the opening a party of tourist* I come to the little post where N^eka ' is living, father, daughter and pro- spective son-in-law. Miss Shlpman is playing Neeka as well as that of the daughter of the tourist. The grandfather of Neeka recognizes the name of the elder of the two men tourists as the same as the betrayer of his daughter and plans to re- venge himself. Neeka saves his life, and she is taken back to California with the family. Here through a series of Impos- sible events she comes in contact with her real father, who is the de- mented brother of the tourist whom she saved. Her dad regains his sanity through a recurrence of the big quake In which he originally lost it, and all ends well, for after Neeka jumps out of a plane In the middle of the Pacific Ocean and kills a man to recover the stolen plans of the plane, Is picked up again from the sea by the machine which is manip- ulated by a blind man, there Is nothing left for them except to fly to Japan and be clinched In each other's arms for the fadeout. Incidentally, that "quake" stuff won't be so forte to California au- diences, especially If they are na- tive sons. As a picture "The Girl from God's County" Is a laugh, and if it is to be taken as a sample of what the F. B. Warren Corp. is going to release that concern should first think it over. In the smaller houses on double bills it will get over, but there isn't any chance of it hitting in the first run league anywhere at any time. Fred. Made originally for the Associated Producers, "The Silent Call" is re- leased by First National In the open market. It is labeled a Laurence Trimble-Jane Murfln production, presented by H. O. Davis. Larry Trimble directed the production and Miss Murfln adapted "The Cross Pull," a Satevepost story by Hal Evarts for the screen under the present title. The real star is the shepherd dog Strongheart, a trained police dog which Trimble purchased in New York, It having been imported from Germany by a kennel owner. The work this animal does is not ex- traordinary to those aware of the capabilities of these dogs and know what they have done in field trials. But from an audience standpoint this dog will be a wonder. It is a good looking, upstanding animal and training has made him worthy of the starring honors. Mr. Trimble Is to be congratulated on the work that he has done with Strongheart. The picture is In seven reels at this time. Rather too long and can easily stand cutting In the early sec- tion. There is a little too much scenic and title footage in the first reel in an effort to create atmos- phere. The story Is a Western, somewhat different from the usual run. In it Strongheart Is supposed to repre- reasserts itself and he returns to seek out his master. It is the dog that is the main theme of the tale at all times, but Interwoven there Is a love story, a touch of the wild lite of the range, with its cattle rustlers, etc., that makes possible the use of the dog in bringing the lovers together and the defeat of the outlaws trying to part them. If the exhibitor Is looking for something different this picture cer- tainly fills the bill, and for one thing the star of the production Is not the type of actor that is always trying to hog the camera lena Seems as dogs have too much sense for that. John Bowers plays the lead, with Kathryn McGuIre opposite him. Mr. Ejwerj is convincing and handles the dog nicely. Miss McGuire was a pleasing picture and supplied a few thrills here and there In her bat- tl : with the outlaws. It is to Wil- liam Dyer the majority of audiences will hand the palm. He plays the heavy and Is forced into a couple of battles with Strongheart. These not knowing shepherds will figure he must have been a mighty brave man to take a chance with the dog. Fred. THE MILLIONAIRE Juck Ncrman Herbert flawtlnaon Itobo Harmsworth Bert Bosch Simon Fisher Win. Oourtwrlght Jimmy Verne Winter Kate Blair Lillian Rich Grandmother Margaret Mann iv»lmnr Fred Vroom Mrs. Clever Mary Huntress Marlon Culbreth Doris Pawn kvers •.•••.■•..•••«...••••.K. a* Warren IW looks like the author of the story of this feature, Hulbert Foot- ner, must liave been bitten by the regular motion picture bug, for he has his hero, who Is a clerk in a sash and door factory, fall heir to $80,000,000. That sounds just like motion picture money, doesn't It? The picture is a ^Universal thriller directed by Jack Conway, who man- , ra _^—» ._ „_.,,,„..„- ,_ ,^ r .~ aged to put a lot of life into a a cross between dog and wolf, couple of fights in the story. The the 1 tter of a type that was exter- ! feature, however, is one that will minated by a campaign of the cat tlemen in an effort to protect their stock. He is taken as a pup and reared by a naturalist-author, and as he grows from puppyhood into maturity the call of the wild as- serts itself when he Is parted from his master. The silent call for the companionship of humans always get by in the nickel and dime houses where they wouldn't know how much $80,000,000 was anyway. If Universal ever expects to get the full value out of Mr. Rawlinson from a star sales point they had better see that he is provided with better story material than this is. Rawlinson is a good actor, and he has proven himself worth w playing leads opposite some of biggest of the screen stars, but i a picture "The Millionaire" Is aboui the oheapest millionaire that has ever stepped forth. The manner of that money com* ing along Is funny in Itself, aged recluse is bumped off by band of crooks because he refused to pay them tribute to the extent $1,000 a week. He leaves his money to the son of the only woman ever loved and the crooks in tun go after the heir. There Is a house with secret pas. sages and all the other necessary adjuncts to the old-fashioned screen mystery meller. and they art used to a fare thee well in this case. In the end the hero roundi up all the crooks with the aid of the police, and marries the little bookkeeper who worked in the sash and door factory with him. There isn't a bit of class to the picture outside of the star and Doris Pawn, who plays the heavy The rest is just cheap U. melodram-, Fred. SERVING TWO MASTEBS Lree and Bradford present "Serv- ing Two Masters." a screen version of the play, "Break Down the Walls," written by Mrs. Alexander {Grossman. The Capitol Film Co. Is distributing the feature, with no , mention of this being made in the billing, the distributers In all prob- ability preferring to remain In oblivion. Josephlce Earle is the star of the production. From general appear- ances it was made in England, or if not it Is an antiquated American I picture that has long remained en the shelf. The story is a simple one and not especially plausible. A man of wealth refuses to allow his wife to Interest herself in his business | affairs. He becomes entangled and Is on the verge of financial collapse when his wife comes to his rescue with money made In a dressmaking establishment which she had started unknown to her husband and made a success of. The cast supporting the star In- clude Da las Anderson. Pat Somer- set and Zoe Palmer. No special merit is displayed in any ins' .nee. With the production end of the cheanest order. This feature must be offered at a price to have a look- in with any house manager. Hart. STEELHEART Frnnlt Worthing William Duncan Kthil K.Midall K«ll(h Johnson "Hutch" Durban Jack t'urtia Stove Walter JtodRers Mrs. Freeman Euna I.uckpy Vera ArJotu Malino Dick Coll-r Karl Train "Old Tom" Shelly Charlca Dudley A typical "frontier" program fea- ture, laid in another "Lost Valley." What the makers of "westerns" would do without these carelessly mislaid valleys it Is hard to imag- ine. It is a Vitagraph release, scen- ario by Bradley Smollett, directed by William Duncan, who is also starred in the production. Despite Its length of six full reels, the story is cumu- lative, piling up feats of courage for the hero that smack of the mirac- ulous in the matter of luck. Pho- tography and lighting are excellent for so unpretentious an offering— too much of the hero who stays days and days on the trail with a clean shirt and a stiff collar; the heroine goes with him, attired in an unruf- Exhibitors Join the Chorus // Praising AMANS HOME The Bodkingjs Tell the Story NEW YORK—Capitol CHICAGO—Roosevelt BOSTON—Boston CINCINNATI—Capitol LOUISVILLE—Alamo OKLAHOMA CITY—Criterion FORT WORTH—Rialto LOS ANGELES—Lois ATLANTA—Metropolitan JACKSON (Mich.)—Rex ROCHESTER—Regent PUEBLO—Palm . RENO—Wigwam SIOUX CITY—Rialto TROY—American PHILADELPHIA—Stanley WASHINGTON—Metropolitan MILWAUKEE—Merrill SAN FRANCISCO—Granada INDIANAPOLIS—Colonial TOLEDO—Temple BUFFALO—Strand TOPEKA—Orpheum WORCESTER—Plaza AKRON—Orpheum LYNN—Waldorf TULSA—Majestic MADISON (Wis.)— Sirand MUNCIE—Grand And still they come /