Variety (November 1922)

^^ ' ,,,-^' Friday, November 24, 1022 PICTURES w =r= I RIDIN* WILD Vnlrtntil weatcrn coin«dy-draniA f«atur- i tat Charles (Hoot) Qlbson. Story by Hoy ^ llyen. dli^iton by Nat Rom. Jork, Nov. 21. At tbe Now "Rldln' Wild" departs somewhat from the typical western pictures with which Qibson has been identl- ' fled. It has a rather neat character angle. Instead of the hero being a rough-and-ready cowboy who fights by choice, he is a Qualter lad in a cattle town who is peaceable by na- ture, but is forced to fight by force of circumstanceB, and goes into the melee unwillingly. But, once in. he sticks to the finish and, of course, wins his battles and the girl. '^ The story has some rather strained I. situations, but the whole production ^ serves as one of those commercial I products that have no special virtue ^ but fill the modest purpose of amus- ing the unsophisticated fans in the neighborhood houses-^audiences whose demands are moderate, except ^ that they must have action at any cost. At least the picture has some scenic beauty and is sufRciently ; clear and simple to be intelligible. The Henderson family is in .the hands pf mortgage sharpers, but the father raises money to take up the obligation through a friend. He goes for pay his note and becomes involved in a Tiolent argument with the lender. They have a harmless tussle, but old man Henderson is a : Quaker and peaceable on principle. He pays his debt and departs. Scarcely has he gone when the schemer's partner in doubtful enter- ^, prises, a crook named Jordan, en ters the oflflce and an argument ^ia, and the butler proposes to the arises. They clinch, and in the hdusekeepeit i rv. I- I: struggle a revolver > is discharged and the sharper is kll'od. Old man Honderson is blamed. He is arrested protesting his innocence and lodged in Jail, while Jordan busies him.«olf in working up the town's prejudice against Henderson. Carl Henderson, the son. played by Gibson, is a mild youth and the butt of the town for his unwillingness to quarrel. He runs afoul of Jordan and in a fist fight bests him. Then Jordan stirs the citizens up against the Henderson family. Fearing his father will fall to get Justice. Carl kidnaps the sheriff's daughter and carries her off to a lonely shack to be held as hostage. The girl puts him to shame and he turns hor free, but hoforr she ran get back to the protection of the set- tlement she falls into the hands of Jordan and his hirelings, and then It (s a struggle between Carl and Jordan for the girl, thn hero finally winning the contest and in the end the hand of ^he heroine. There Is a neat little comedy finish, with a committee of citizens presenting the Quaker lad with a pearl-handlod revolver and his mild old mother protesting that he is not promising to be much of a Quaker, but he Is a first-rate son. Jordan, of course, is forced to confess the killing of the loan schemer earlier in the story, and Justice la satisfied all"arouftd. The picture is made of the fa- miliar materials, but furnishes a fairly interesting feature. RusJu Joe Laird has been a clerk in the traffic department of a big railroad system. He is married and there are two children. His wife is a slov- enly type of woman, one who pre- fers novel reading to housewifely duties. Suddt^nly the husband is elevated to the position of secre- tary to the president of the road, and with his family he moves to a cottage on the .grounds of the presi- dent's estate. At the same time he sends for his mother to join his household and discovers that she has lost the old home, and mother is then to remain with him forever. She is the one_^that is thQ. Scientist, and it is her faith that cures the crippled limb of her grandson. This cure is brought about 'through prayer after the daughter of the president has had her back injured in a fall. When her father hears of the cure of his secretary's son he visits the mother and asks her to pray for his daughter, whom the biggest special.'sts in the country have said would never walk again. Needless to say her cure is effected. There is comedy clement in the pictgre furnished by Frank Hayes as a patent medicine fiend, who Is also converted when he witnesses the cure wrought on the young mis- tress of the house. All x>f this is strong stuff in favor of the Christian Scientist faith, but with it there is an element of love that carries the story along. The wife of the secretary deserts him and he falls in love with and. final- ly captures the president's daugh- ter. The president himself proposes to the boy's mother, who. it turns out,' was a boyhood sweetheart of The picture Is well cast, with the honors for clever work going to Betty Brice, who handled the r»le Of the slovenly wife and walked away with it. From the first flash on the screen she established her charac- ter and registered Just what ^gihe was going to do before the finish of the story. Hayes, as the butler with a yen for pills and pain killers, also contributed a clever piece of work. Gantvoort as the lead failed to impress, particularly as he held to the background In a large meas- ure. Robert McKim gave his usual sterling performance. Claire Adams played the ingenue lead as the president's daughter and Claire Mc- Dowell scored heavily as the faith healer. Fred. THE OIBL FBOM PORCUPINE Melodrama with romantic Interest pro- duced by pine Tree Plcturaa, Inc., and dU- trlbuted by Arrow. Jamea Oliver (^urwuud wrote Action etory from which film waa adapted and also (urnlabed bin own Boenarlo. Vaire Blnney starred and Dell Henderson direcAed. JOCELYN "The Girl from Porcupine" Is an average program picture with very little action In the first two reels, but melodramatic incidai^s in the last three reels which more than compensate for the slowness of the first section. Faire Binncy, one of the prettiest ingenues on the screen, has a sort of Cinderella-like role that fits/her perfectly. Buster Col- lier in the opposite boy jole also gives a thoroughly satisfying per- formance. The atmosphere is divided be- tween t,he Klondike mining region along the Yukon and a girls' board- ing school. Tliere's a tale of two old miners who have acted as foster fathers for Miss Binney (Oirl^from Porcupine) and Collier, their" own t)afents having been killed in a mining s.aloon brawl. The Yukon portion offers oppor- tunity^ for mountainous scenic ef- fects which the camera man made the best possible use of. Scenically the film is excellent. The story itself is C( nvention. but carries more than enough interest to please the neighborhood fans. Photographically the film is of an average. A stage coach he Id-up and con- siderable shooting of fire arms in the film are ^ell staged effects. Usual happy ending with the hero and heroine in fade-out clinch. Strictly a neighborhood house pic- ture. Bell. Paris, Nov. 14. j The poem of Lamartine has been produced for Gaumont by L. Poirier and now released as % Gaumont- Pax film. The photo is praise- worthy, as usual, for this French company, but the text is somewhat frequent, the only criticism to bo made. i When Jocelyn was a youth he en- ■ tered a seoainai-y kept by monks. ' abandoning his portion of the fam- ily estate for the benefit of his sis- ter, that she could marry with a suitable dowry. The French revol- ution broke out and the seminary was Invaded by a crowd, the young priests and older monks being mur- dered. Jocelyn managed to escape, iind, guided by a shepherd, he found a safe shelter in th^ mountain grotto. Some days later he found a youth in distress, whose father had been killed by the revolution- ary troops. His name was Laurence, and after a time an affectionate friendship was established between them. I>.iurence had an accident in the mountains and was carried un- conscious to the grotto, where Joce- lyn opened his Jacket to dress a wound. The breast of a young girl was revealed, and Jocelyn realized the situation, a tender love now fill- ing their hearts. One evening the shepherd, whose nephew was working In the Gren- oble prison, brought a letter to Joce- lyn. It was from his former bishop, now condemned tfO death by the revolutionary tribunal. The priest beirged him to come before he died, and Jocelyn. leaving a note to ex- plain his absence, stole away while I.*aurenc« was asleep. The bishop was anxious to see Jocelyn in order to ordain him as priest ao that the people of the dis- trict would not be left without a qualified religious leader. Jocelyn confoijsed his love for I..uurcnce and his desire to marry her, but the pre- late impressed the former seminar^ ist of th« necessity of sacrifice, so the latter fell on his knees to be or- dained. The bishop was executed, being the last victim. ^ y. Laurence, after remaining alone, some days, journeyed to Paris, and it wfts there Jocelyn met her. Due to misfortune and temptation the poor girl had been leading a dissi- pated life in the capital. Bowed down with grief, Jocelyn returned to the mountain village where he had been appointed priest. Weeks passed, until one day Jocelyn in his religious capacity was called to the village inn to give absolution to a dying traveler. There he found the unhappy Lau- rence, who before passing to another world wished to see again the scene of her Xormer love. I^aurence died with her hand clasping that of the young priest. Long years after when he also closed his transitory existence they buried him near the grave where the only girl he loved (but as a priest could not marry) had been laid to rest. Such is the story told by Lamar- tine in his famous poem and form- ing the scenario of a good Gau- mont picture. Arraand Tallier plays the title rde, with Mile. Myrga as Laurence and Roger Karl as the bishop. Xendrew, Charles Ver Halen joined the Lichtman forces this week as direc- tor of advertiainf. Maurice Kann will continue with the company a* director of publicity. LOVE IN THE DARK Metro nrrren classic from the macaslne story, "I'liBe 'Um CBrlen." by John Moroso, miide into flim form by Jack Hawktw. i:>lrecJed by Harry l^aumont. and dt-slirnatcd a "Marry Hraumont pro- duction." Viola Dana starred, with Cullcn Landis heading the supporting company. A-t the State. Nov. 20. HEARTS HAVEN B. B. Hampton production, released by HmlklnFon. A atralRht out and out Chris- tian Science feature. fitory by Clara l>oul«e Bnrnham. directed by William H. Clifford. Kllot Howe and Jean Hersholt Shown at Loew'a Circle on double feature bill. '- Joo Laird <^arl (Tantvoort May Caroline I,alrd., Claire McDowell "Vivian Breed Claire Adams >d«m B'«>ed \ IJobert MrKtm OlndvB Laird Botty Brice Bobbie Ijilrd Frankle I.ee Rlla B.Tlnl* Mary Jane Irvine Henry Baird Jean Hersholt Pynch ; Frank Hayes Mrs. Horohan Argle Herring This picture Is designed purely and simply ns a tremendous piece of propaiT.inda for the Christian Science faith. "The Miracle Man" was not a bit stronger than this picture in that particular direction. Yet it is a simple story that is well told on the screen in an inter- esting fashion that holds attention and entertains. It is a fair little feature that will answer the pur- pose In most houses of larger capa- city where there is a dally change without carrying an a^ led feature with it. The story is semi-society and a picture of mlddle-?lass lifj^as well. 100% ;V OF THE Exhibitors of Michigan Read our magazine published every Tuesday. If you want to reach this ientclo there is no~ better medium. r Rates very low [ MICHIGAN FILM REVIEW I JACOB SMITH, PubltMher - 415 Free Press Bldg. I DETROIT, MICH. Viola Dana Is here provided with one of the best sympathetic roles that has fallen to her lot In a long. long time. The orphan girl, Mary, is rich in humor, but a gentle, tender sort of fun. It has a healthy laugh, but the suspicion of a tear isn't far away from the giggle. As a co- worker she haa one of the cutest baby actors, a two-year-old boy, who doesn't get on the program, but ought to. The story doesn't amount to much, but a story isn't especially neces- sary to a character sketch like this. It is sufficient without the help of anything like a dramatic support. Mary is a scrappy kid in an orphan- age. A well-dreSsed woman applies for a girl who can lake care of a child, and she looks over the candi- dates for the Job. Mary doesn't wait to be chosen, but audaciously maneuvres the situation for herself. It turns out that the woman is Tim O'Brien's wife, and is too indo- lent to care for her youngster. She urges her hu.sband to go after easy money since he Is the victim of a rare affliction called "tyctalopia," which makes him ^lind in the sun- light, although his vision is keen in the dark. She practically demands that he take up a career of crime to provide her with luxuries, and in the meanwhile she has an affair with a crook. Mary falls in love with the O'Hrien youngster (who wouldn't with this chubby babe?), and when Tim's occupation gets him into trouble with the police and ho has to disappear, she assumes re- sponsibility for him, getting a Job as companion to a wife of a kindly old minister. Mary has taken little "Red," as the baljy is called, to the movies, and she goes movie mad and handl her commonplace, every-day experiences as though they were great climaxes of a drama. The minister's son has gol into the clutches of gamblers, and in a desperate effort to recoup his losses has taken money from the old man's trust funds. At this Juncture Mary sends for Tim. and together they conspire to rob the gamblers and restore tke stolen money to the girl's bcnjjfactor without anybody knowing. In this they are successful; Tim reforms; his cx-wlfe is killed in an auto acci- dent, and the way is paved for a happy threesome of Tim, Mary and the kid on a farm. The picture is a fine, human com- edy, bound to amuse any typo of audience, as it did that at the State Monday evening, when the end of the picture brought a demonstration that seldom greets a screen comedy in a house of that sort. Altogether. It is one of the best things of the kind Metro has turned out this I year. RttMh, The Best South Sea Film Ever Made! "One of the very best of Melford's pictures.. >.;. Colorful, exciting melodrama of the South ; : Seas. A rare achievement for any director," ; . . ;., — N. Y. Sun r^ ,, '■'^^' '■'';> "If there ever was a better South Sea. story. /, shown on a Broadway screen we didn't see it.'* ^^ —N. Y. Globe Prom the novel, by Robert Louis 8teven«on and Lloyd .Osbourne. Scenario by W4J.- demar Young. <=■ This U the three-ccl" umn press ad* Mats and electros at your exchange* ft' JESSE L.LASKY PRESENTS A GEORGE M^LFORDI PRO D U C TION w "EBB TIDE CC Cparatnount Q>icture II ;i2St FAMOUS PLAYERS - lASKY CORPORATION ■ ■ AOOI.9H ZUMM). «W».^.t . , ^rw VDKA CTV t- Sii^E?