Variety (March 1922)

42 PICTURES Friday, March 17, 192{i ) QUESTION OF HONOR Anne Wilmnt vi^C .Anita Stewart Bill Shaiin)!) ...K<l\var<l licitri Licon M"r(t<.- Arthur Stunt Hull Khel» \\!»lt \\ liUiniUi CharI''.H liurktliaUr l{<it SpK.tti- titeiihrn 1>ouk!:i'! I'rnnk lUul Jkfr». Kullu'ilne VVilmot (Aiiiu'"« aunti, Ad^A*. Farrlngton Mrs. Elton, >forse'fl slstrr Mary l.aiul John Hrfltou Kil. ISra.ly I'arsoiis L)(.'c l!.\t«il jJuinstakinKly curried out in Iho sur- luuiuliiiff (Utail. His jiftliiK nictlioda are natural and l.'^iiiniatc. In the prt-sent insiamt' .somelhiriK of this a:ssi't is lost ihrouiih the clioico of an Amer- ican actress lie.swie Love, to play oi»i)osiie. Her presence gives the play its only touch of unreality. The make-believe stares one in the face and comes near to Kpoilins an olher- j wise e.xcellent bit of convincing A Fir^t National r<^\'ise. it stacks \ story lolling. Tlie locale of the lale up as average ah)ni;sidc yome of Anita Stewart's previous produo- lions. Louis B. Mayer, as p.r usual, presents the star in a feature pro- duced by her own company, the Anita Stewart Productions, Inc. PMwin Carewe directed Josephine Quirk's adaptation of the Ruth Cross novel of the eamo name from the •'People's Home Journal." To com- plete the credits, Kobert B. Kurrle cranked the camera (and shot some nifty outdoor stuff). Wallace Fox was a.ssistant mcKaphone wielder and William Darling art directed, whatever tiiat means. The picture didn't dent Mayer's bankroll to speak of. Plenty of out- door stuff, laid in the Sierras with a dam building; engineering feat a.«^ the central theme, nature has pro- vided some beautiful but Inexpen- Bive locations. In fact, a hunting lodge interior and dance hall and a Bhanty ditto comprise the only in- door stuff recallable. Anne Wilmot (Miss Stewart) is a flirtatious flapper who accepts Morse's invitation to accompany him in the chaperonage of Mrs. Katherine Wilmot, our heroine's aunt, to the Sierras. Morse is build- ing a railroad through the moun- tains and desires the right of way to a tract of land owned by Bill Shannon (Edward Ilearn), our hero, who has erected a water dam thereon as part of a fertilization project for the arid territory be- yond. Shannon has ideals about this dam and is thinking of the fu- ture And what It might mean to the coming generations when they can reclaim the arid regions. Morse visits him, offering the engineer any price demanded. Shannon idealis- tically spurns the mundane offer, and from then on Morse is not above resorting to questionable means to obtain his ends. He has wired the ground to dynamite the dam, but Anne saves it by breaking the connection a second before the circuit is closed. It need not be re- counted that Anne has become fond of Bill Shannon, although she had promised his rival, Morse, that she would give him an answer to his •uit after they reach the Sierras. The footage totals 6,065 feet and was screened in 73 minutes. While nothing spectacular in effects and situations it interested fairly throughout, a fight scene or some- thing as forcible being interpolated at proper moments when there was danger of flagging interest. The casting is adequate. Mi.ss Stewart doing her flapi)er role faith- fully and with duo moderation. She presents a winning figure in her hunter's togs and puttees. Kdward Hearn is a re.il he-man hero, Walt Whitman as "Shcb," his pal, lending Lho comedy contrast. Arthur Stuart Hull did not overdo his role of "heavy." although it could have been easily exaggerated in spots. Hull, while not exactly'a newcomer, ought to be developed into a new type of screen villain, the semi- Bympathetic kind, perfect for cap- tain of industry roles and the like. Bert Sprotte also stood out with a character bit. The title is a pip for the exhibitor to do stunts with. It's worth half of tlie picture. Release is due about March L'5.' Abel. IS China and the obvious Western peryonaliiy of the actress stands ana> from the backjjromxl like a w idow'.H \vi\ at u lawn party. Hayakawa is called upon to play a double role, although one of the identities (that of an old man) is very fogpy and unreal. The story deals v.'ith "the vermilion pencil," a red cylinder which a Chinese ruler lifts from a table as the ceremonial sign that a prisoner on trial is sentenced to death by tor- ture. Tso Chan, a Chinese ruler (Sessue) pronoinices this sentence on his wife whom he believes to be unfaithful. After sh^ is dead he learns'that his belief was unjust and he renounces his throne, sends his ron to America in care of a tutor and goes into solitude to expiate his error. Years after the ron (also Sessue) returns as an engineer and while building a dam falls in love with the daughrer of a humble basket weaver. The girl is abducted by a powerful mandarin and the young engineer goes to her rescue. He carries her off to a remote fastne.ss near an active volcano where the pair are recaptured and are about to be executed under the doom of "the vermilion pencil," when the volcano bursts forth in eruption. All flee and the victims are set at liberty to complete their romance, the volcano destroying the former king as he prays that the evils that beset the soii may descend upon his head. The spouting volcano Is trickily done with inserts probably from some scenic or news weekly in- serted occasionally to give it verity and the picturesque Oriental back- grounds are exceptionally well executed. Rush. and Martinj Join force?, force the road otllciai's daughter into .he cab of the engine and start off with her. Another locomotive goes in pursuit and a race between the two engines follows. Tills is the thrill, the two running on patallel tracks. As they c me abreast Fiynn leaps to the car with the crooks and bests them in a fight. Ora Carew, who plays the leau op- posite Flynn. lias little to do, but shows? up well. Norman Hammond as the second heavy looked the character, but somewhat ov racted. Klrke Lucas as a boy registered nicely. Fred. THE FIRE BRIDE I.ois Markhain Ruth Roneck .Steve Maltland Edward llrarn ('apt. Markham Walt Whitman Capt. Blackton Fred Stanton Atfl I'aki Kalom Taura SMILES ARE TRUMPS Jimmy Carnon Maurioe Flynn Marjorie Manning Ora Carcw John Slevin Myics McCarthy James ^fannins Ilerschnl Mayall Knriro Klrke Lucas Martino Norman Hammond VERMILION PENCIL Tie Chnn (later caMed the unknown).. Sessue IIayal;uMra Hia wife Aim M»y Pai \N aiig Misac S<'ki The Unknown Srssue Tfayakawa I.i Chan SesHUe Hayakawa Hyacinth Roasie I.ovo Fu Wone Sidney Franklin Ho Kinpr Thomas Jefffrnon I'he Jai;i;al Tote Du Trow iU Shue Omar Whit'head A typical Oriental story in the rein of previous vehicles for Sessue llayawaka, capably done by R-C Pictui OS. Story by Homer Lea. scenario by Edwin Warren Ouyol and Alice Catlin and directed by Norman Dawn. Bessie Love heads the supporting company. The production holds to the average of the slant eyed actor. It has fair romantic quality an»l the usual impressive background of Oriental color characteristic of Hayakawa and his work, in short a feature altogether satisfving to the star's parti.«»ang of whom there are a very considerable number. There is a certain genuiness about Hayakawa that attaches to no Oc- cidental player in Chinese stories. He Is probably the only actor who can create a complete illusion be- fore the Oriental background, lor the obvious reason that he is working in his native atmosphere. The film ■under discussion has numerous pass- ages Of crude theatrical material such as would go into a wild and unrestrained serial, but somehow the picturesque personality of the star colors the whole affair and gives it a certain plausibility. What would be childish fiction under the hands ctf a Western nctor becomes some- how plausible by reason of Haya- Ivawa's ability to build , realistic atmosphere, an illusion' that Looks as though William Fox had dug up a real bet in the line of a male star in Maurice ( 'Lefty") Flynn. Flynn made his name on the gridiron as a member of several of the Yale elevens, and in pictures looks as though he is going through for a goal. He i« a husk)' individual with a corking personality and a winnin,j smile, who can act and do ttutUs. In ".Smiles Are Trumps," a Frank L. Packard railroad adventure story, Flynn walks away with all the hon- trs as the hero. Delbert Davenport, who prepared the script, gave him all the rough and tumble work pos- sible for a star to handle and come up smiling, and the direction of George K. Marshall was such Flynn showed to full advantage. There were touches of detail the director overlooked, such as having the star totally unmutsed in a closeup after a big fight in a loco- motive cab. but outside of that and a few otlier like minor touches, Marshall has delivered a program picture full of pep. During the week the feature shared a double program bill with Buster Keaton in "The I'layhouse" at the Loew's New York, ' ut it won't be long before "Lefty" I'lynn will be able to stand on his own. providing the Fox scrii)t de- partment provides him with story material of the right sort. Flynn has the role of an assi. tant payma.ster on a new branch line of an important railroad. The pay- master, i)layed by Myles McCarthy (who incidentally makes a corking heavy), has had things prett. much his own way. Working with Mar- tino, one of the section bosses, he has been getting a mint of graft by padding the payroll. Flynn dis- covers the crooked work, .<nd the payniastf'r decides he should be put (ut of the way. Martino's gang is ('elegated to do the job, ut the y( ung a.ssi.stant besLs them and re- turns to clean up for the paymaster. In the fracas that follows the pay- master is knocked unconscicur and Flynn, believing he has killed the man, starts for the sheriff's otTlce to Ki\c liitnbcT^" tip. The paytna.ster re- covers and ilecides to put the a.ssist- ant In dutch by taking $r>.OoO from the safe and acctising the young mm of the robbery. The train the assistant takes is flie Kpeiial on whi<"h tlie vice-i)resi- derjt of the r^rul »« traveling. It i.s flagged by Martino and his section forco.s. They protest against being lirod by the assistant paymaster. When th^\v fail to receive satisfac- (i>.i they attack the oHlcial with I'lxnn coming to the rescue. He is taken into the ollieial'.^ car atul, ar- riving ut thrir destination, discov- ers the road's detectives are looking for him. so he st.irts back to make Si 'Vin. the payma.'Jter. tell t'.t> truth about the robbery. Ueturning on a hanrlcai, he is derail«'d by Martino. and when the vice-president and his daughter, with the train crew, re- turn by locomotive, he isn't on the .vcene. As things lock blackest Flynn This production is one of the so- called Plntertalnment Series that Wid (;unning. Inc., is releasing. It is the first feature that lias been made in the South Seas, and, while pretty in spots, holdfs enough story and punch, together with a corking box office title, to put the produc- tion over in the average houses. W. F. Alder and S. M. Unander are the producers of the picture, whicli was directed by Arthur Rosson. The scenes art' aid on a tropic island and aboard a small sailing vessel. Capt. Markham has been shipwrecked on a small island and some years after charters a schooner to return there with his dfughter to recover treasure that he has buried. The chartered boat is in command of Capt. Blackton, the heavy, and his first mate is Steve Malt land, a yourig man who is cruising the South Seas in search of the man that cau.sed his sister'.'- death. When the schooner reaches th^ island where the treasure is buried Blackton has the elder sea captain slain and immediately after he kills the islander who did his bidding. He then tries to capture the affec- tion of the girl, but prior to that he has wandered into the interior of the island and violated a holy cave of the islanj'.ers. This finally brings about his death at the hartdV- of the tribesmen. In this much at least the hero is cheated of hio re- venge, for it was Blackton who caused his sister's death. The photography through the picture is very good, while the di- rection carries sufficient punch to make the picture interesting, al- though there are a few details where the director has let things happen as they best might. A tropic storm and a shipwreck are very well handled. Ruth Reneck and Edward Hearn. playing the leads, handled them- selves nicely, whil? the heavy in the hands of Fred Stanton was tre- mendously well played. Fred. SENSATIONAL LOEfS BOSTON OPENING DRAWS MM VISITORS Opening Night Tickets Bring $5 Each to Specs Papers Made Opening Lead Story—New State SeaU 4,D00—S5c Top BE REASONABLE A Mack Sennett twin reeler re- leased through First National. Al- though Sennett has turned out some better stuff, this slapstick effusion should satisfy as the comedy spice for any film program. Some of the lesser known recruits from the di- rector's stock company are seen in this film, a particularly luscious peacherino standing out in the lead- ing feminine role. With such a heroine it is only natural that Sennett should open proceedings on the bathing beach. He eschews the bathing girl atmos- phere which one alwaj's expects as soon as a beach scene was flashed. The same fast tempo that per- vades all slapstick comedy reels is maintained and of course the usual Sennett distinction of some sem- blance of story sequence, which concerns itself with the theft of a string of pearls. A chase by two score of coppers after the fleeing and long-suffering boob is nicely played up. The discerning film fan has been educated to find new comedy bits and business in Sennett's stuff, for goodness knows they are all on the same rough and tumble order, and that is why this reel may not match up to par because of the familiarity of much of the business. Abel. SHADOWS OF CONSCIENCE Jim Logran Kusscll bimp."! n Winifred L'uburn Stieiman. CJcrfru'l'' Olm.stoa'l William Coburn Nolson Mor>o\vcll AlK'e I/OiTHn Harbnra Tonnant Wade Curry Landers Stf»venH ''•••Iro J. Hra<Jloy Wanl Wlnfrod (at bix years).. Ida Mao .McKcniile A real <»ld-fashioned western melodrama of the ten. twent' type, evidently designed for the cheapei* houses. It was the weak sister on a Loew's New York theatre doubl.- feature program, .sharing the bill with Irene Castle in "French Heels." The story was written bv Francis Powers and J. P. McCarthy, the lat- ter responsible for direction. The latter is also oUl-fashioned, being slow and draggy througlii»L«,. The first two ri»'ls are emploved In planting the story. This is semi- ingly a waste of footage, for th<- story amounts to but little in th»« aggregate. A girl lured into a fake marriage is takm to a small west- ern town. Her brother follow-, and on his way runs across a slain miner with his lii.il.> daughter. Hr takes the girl with him into the miningr town. There he discovers Boston, March 13. The opening of Loew's State, a 4,000-capacity. first-run house Mon- d£^y> again proved that Boston is soft picking for film exploitations, a fact that was first conclusively demonstrated when Fairbanks and Pickford caused genuine riot calls on the police department blotters laiit fall. Marcus Loew gave Nils CJranlund his usual free hand for the opening and a couple of carloads of screen favorites were brought over, with street -parades, band.4, banquets, etc., for a three-day inv;ision oi: the city, even the mayor and the go\ - ernor taking active parts. The papers in several instances made it the lead story and con- servative estimates place the crowd at 15,000 that stormed the house Monday night, the overflow fatten- within for the ing every movie hou.se radius of two miles. Tickets were reserved opening, with "specs" getting as high as S5 per. Tuesday night the house went to its regular 55-cent top, rush-seat policy, and the film folk were shunted around to the Globe and the Orpheum, resulting in a heavy turnaway. Loew was knocked off his feet by the results, although he had ex- pected a whale of a resjmnse based on previous film favorite invasionJ5, even Ben Turpin having cleaned up a young fortune last October during a week's exploitation. Carl Levy handled th? advertis- ing campaign. working niuiniy through Jthe Bo:^-ton "Post." and running a special Sunday section billing the film folk for commercial appearances In department stores, etc., in return for the advertised cuts of various star.s v.'earing Some- body's Hat and Somebody F.lse*a Wonderful $35 Gowns, etc. It was estimated Tuesday that 100.000 had si>ccincally come into the city from the residential section Monday to view the parades and to catch close-ups of tke favori'cs, Theda Bara being the biggest drawing name through the "guest list." The heavy tries to win her, and almost I night show was £. whale, including succeeds when he discovers who the « p^ed Stone. Duncan Sisters. London girl is killed. The betrayer then accuses the brother of the crime, and he is compelled to leave the country. Years later in another part of the country the two men again meet and clash. The little girl who was picked up on the trail has grown to young womanhood by this time. The man is that Is posing as her father He charges him with the murder of years ago, but in the end the truth of the killing is revealed by the con- science of the real murderer. The picture is badly handled, the detail frightful and the mistake of tinting written titles makes it im- possible to read them. In the cheaper hotise.s the produc- tion may get by, but it is hardly worthy of booking in the bigger daily change houses unles.s there is a strong picture to hold it up on a double feature bill. Fred. that hit sister his been tricked, and is arrives via horseback. Then ;::evin in the ng^it with her betrayer the TAKING CHANCES A Rfchard Talmadge production, with Richard Talmadge the star, and called Richard Talmadge in his picture character. Not a bad .scheme, this plugrglng the Richard Talmadge name steadily during all of the running, but it is hardly necessary with "Ta'madge" on the screen, since there are other Tal- madges on it mucl\ better known. As the others are girls, there's no possibility of an error in name. This ia a Phil Gildstone produc- tion, with no distributor mentioned. It was the daily feature at Loew's New York. "Taking Chances" is strictly a stunt picture, with some comedy, some exaggerations arid some non- senslcalltie.s. Tho stunt stuff is carried to extreme.s, overshadowing a love Interest in the story by Grover Jones that should have equalized the acrobatics of Tal- madge's, I! it did not predominate. For the class who will greatly pre- fer this good-looking young athlete win also want to see him in love scenes; the more the better they will like his athletics. But he can't fight a whole ship's crew and make an audience believe it; nor can he do a run-around with Mexicans chasing without causing it to ap- pear silly, if carried as far as it was in this film. The story Is ordinary, young Tal- madge starting as a book agent, and through one of his stunts im- pressing a traction magnate who on the spot engages him as his pri- vate secretary. The magnate has a daughter; some schemers are after his road; the trail leads out to sea; then to Mex; o; and it won't be hard for you to fill In or guess the rest. The simplicity of the tale may be laid against the desire to exploit Talmadge by the stunt p ?ess, a la Fairbanks. Tlio^ie two t-hould have a stunt contest, with the odds most likely favoring Talmadge. But Fairbanks landed first and solidly. A good stunt picture is this; an ordinary one otherwise, with the set a obatics and athletics not well blended, although it may be .«aid fur Talmadge he did i)ut up a couple of dandy fist fights, two-handed. They were superior to cleaning ui> mobs single-handt^d. If Talmadge is given a romantic story that brings in bin athUtic energies harmoniotis'y, lie will do more than he ever can d«» in the haphazard style "Taking Chances' or\ly offers. There scents to bo a good deal to Talmadge in the pict- iM'<^ way. Ho has many of the requisite.s. Now he needs to have some judgment used In addition. <•*. iSinw. Palace Girls. Nora Bayes. Ted Lewis and liis band, Cecil Cunningham, Heleoe Davies, Bernard Granville and Frank Fay and Johnny Hine^?. Included in the screon and stage players that appeared were: Mae Murray. Mary Anderson, Lillian -Billie" Dove, Theda Bara, Charles Brabin. Al Bedell. Nora Bayes, Betty Browne, Loretta Mc- Dermott, Willie Collier, Jr., Johnny Hines, Miriam Cooper, Anna Held, Jr., Mrs. Willie Hoppe, A'lola Dana, Mrs. Flagrapth, Joseph Dannerberg, Helene Davies, Zena Keefe, Joe Engle, Edward Earle, Dudley Wil- kinson, Hilda Ferguson, Ann Forest, Frank Fay, Lee Buchanon, Edward Golden, Bernard Granville, Rosinl Timponl, Florence Avery, Craufurd Kent, Creighton Hale, Sheldon Lewis, Virginia Pearson, Montagu* Love, Bert Lytell, M. E. Murray, Robert Z. Leonard, Loretta Mc- Dermott, Mr. and Mrs. Billie Ma.soin Belle McEwan, Mrs. Marshall Nei- lan, "Teddy" Sampson, Harry Pilcer^ Edith Stockton, Betty Woodmere, Howard Strickling, Hermine Shone, Grace Valentine, Nina Whitmore, Dudley Wilkenson, Ruth White and Audrey Maple. Also in the party were Mrs. Marcus Loew, her two sons, David and Arthur, with their wives, and a number of the prominent theatri- cal producers. Marcus Loew, Introduced by Misi Bara, spoke about the perils of censorship and the lofty ethical standards of the players. Among other things he said, "Let the people censor their own productions; they are the only ones who pay to see the pictures, anyway." The opening bill had for pic- tures, "The Champion" and 'The Cradle/' and an educational release, "The Rainmaker." Another short film was "But Women Must Weep." It was about 2 o'clock in the morning before the show was over and the people started to leave the house. Loew's State is the only pi<turo house of its exact policy in the city. QUICK DEVELOPER Los Angeles, March !'». What iMomlses to be the most elaborate ball the picture colony has staged in several seasons takes place this evening at the Ar.ib.issa- dor Hotel under the t tispii es of the Western Motion Picture Adver- tisers' Association, bette.- known on the coast as the "Wamixis." There are thirteen ".'-Jtars of TornitiiDw" featured as the drawitig ;i?(i ;ution for fans. TI.e card for the pieiiirr f*'!'^ comes in a new devrlo|>;n:; (|.\ice to l>e introduced early i th e\on- ing. when picttn-es wi'l l-e s'lappCf" of the guests and developed and .screened for their entei lainmoni two hours later