Variety (December 1922)

r-w ,V.' :,''' "''. •"' Friday, December 1,1928 PICTURES SINGED WINGS ^rftinoant« preaentM by Adolph Kukor. ■Urrlnc Bebe D&nlela and Conrad Nagel. «et«d by PMiryn BUnlawa. Btory by therlne N«wlln Bart, adapted by Edflrd A Btngham. Fiva ra«l», ibown at tha Sivoli N. T., weak Nov. M. feonlU della Querda Hebe Danleli Peter (lordon.i Conrad NaMi B IM tlordon Adoluha* Menjou Don Joae delta Guerda Robrrt Drawer jC|,i|io Brneat Torrance Bva Gordon Mabel Trunelle % This production appears to be % real novelty in screen entertain- iront. It Isn't a picture, however, that will break box oltlco records, tout it will attract a nice even busi- ness and please. It is especially suited for children's matinees dur- ing the coming holiday period. From the latter, however, it mustn't be Judged a kid picture, because it Un't. It is simply a corking story w.'Lh a short costume prolog ns part of a dream of the heroine. The co- acpc phony. Any audience would feel imposed upon by the patent hoax. The ethics of the play are all wrong, anyway. The heroine is an intensified Becky Bharpe without any of the graces or wit of the Thackeray heroine. She spends half her life in the play in making other people miserable and then the rest of her fruitless existence in achiev- ing her own happiness. To be sure she regrets some of her misdeeds mildly, but it doesnt bring her any special unhuppiness, and ul ogether she presents a queer study in lit- erary moralities. The whole thing is just a makeshift and was never worth the doing eiUier on stage or screen, the reputation of Walter's for doing worthwhile th ngs to the contrary notwithstanding. Peggy is a parasitic daughter of luxury living in the home of her sister and wheedling her brother-in- law for cost y cloihea and Jewels. She takes advantage of the bus "th« revenuers** killed her father. The brothers' rival claims upon the girl are put to the crude mountain tfcular objects colorings. Which causes to accentuate 'The Toll of the the I set of characten they disappear and a new set comes on. One episode starts and flnishes independently, and then the story takes a new bold code—if Tommy is to have the girl, gea" to be gauged as strictly a week- ^ ^ ^ , u ^. . «,««i-. he must be man enough to lick his I ly release plus what novelty tho- ^^^^ begins again. Here s a sample: elder brother, and this leads to one • coloring may contain, aided as it of the moHt disgusting exhibitions may be by advance publicity. There of violence the screen has ever are those who will continue to pre- shown. The boy is no match for /er the plain black and white, for, the stronger brother, and is pounded 1 with a good strong tale, nothing to helplessness in a one-sided light more is required for the sheet, that makes the flesh of the spec- j But this picture will gather to tator crawl. I itself advocates among those who By the issue of this flght the girls fate la decided. She is to be forced to marry the elder brother at the next visit of the parson. Meanwhile the mother and Tommy strive for some escape. Money to get away from the mountains is Tommy's hopeless goal. The day t like the romantic, the drear of love, and may wish to engulf themselves Robeft Is a college student. He marries secretly, fearing his father's wrath. HIa wife dies; her baby dies; the wife's sister gets some- body else's baby and schemes to blackmail Robert. All this Is set forth in two scenes and three titles. Then they wa.ste 100 feet or more In picturing the agonies of con« science that the blackmailing sister with hatred for Allen Carver, that 1 suffers for her crimes. And the Jest American who could not but be hated in his despicable role, and was played In a matter-of-fact way by Kenneth Harlan. As a matter of record, on the Rial- starring of Bebe Daniels and Con-, . »- -- — rad Nagel should have some box- ! ^and s feeling that he is neglected or"-0 value. j ^y J»'S wi.e, who is preoccupied by Tiie story is of the granddaugh-' J)^'; ";J?^^''^ ""^^\- ^**^" ^« ^''® ter of a famou.s old Spanish grandee ^"^^^ ^^^' "^^^P.y has a v.ardrobe full whose family was once a power in Californ.a. The girl s grandfather and she are the sole surviving mem- bers. They are in poverty and the firl is dancing in a water front cafe in San Francisco. She has at- ,tracted the attention of a society I of expensive clothes paid for by tlie huiband, and learns from a scandal society paper the two are seen In company sufTl .rntly to cause gos- sip, she taxes husband with being In love and goes off to Reno, ^„ _. _ ^ , The husband insists upon marry- manrwhVtrles to wln^her for his *"« ''es?y when his w.fe wins her ini3trtK.>4. j decree, but Pe-gy turns him off In ■ At the opening is a dream m S^.^Th'^Viri??."-^^'' ^"^ richer man. which the girl is a princess and the n^^^^^^T.Jr ' ",7^'' •'"^P^^*"^ hero of the tale a devoted knight, ^^^'^'i^^'y^'^^^^^" ""s« «^Ph's They love, but she is elain by the ' ^L»j"^!^;^"^«-/Vben old man Dem- Jealous court Jester. Her grand- J^^^^ ^«'»~«-'«^^o support the young father informs her. when she tells f^^^' ^^eggy has no compunction in him of the dream, that that has been f'^'^'"*^ ^ ^^^^^ «/ $25,000 to discard the fate of the entire family, their Jri" ^!)l^fi"^^^I?f Vi.^^^ 'J^V^^ °f •nd is always foretold In visions of that naturi'. A half-witted clown before the expected arrival of the , to'a program this week is a short parson and the marriage the mother reel named "The Mirror." It gives In desperation steals away to a dis- ' the history of aviation from the days tant cabin where a revenue officer of 1908. when the Wrights. Curtiss, is located, and in return for $100 j Parman and Bleriot did theit^ mis- discloses the hiding place of the Tolllver moonshine still. The reve- nue men close in on the whiskey plant while the father and three sons are at work and a fine dra- matic battle is staged here, while fiionary work at the risk of their lives. It is set down plctorlally and statistically In a way to the present day. As an Interesting picture less than one-third the length of "The Toll of the Sea" (a misnomer in its who secured the position In the cafe ifor her is her protector frem the atventions of the rougher element and the society men who try to flirt jwlth her. Of all of the latter the ;one who makes the greatest impres- ;*lon is Bliss Gordon, played by ^Adolf'h Je'.n Menjou. He makes it *ia corking heavy. Securing engage- ^inents at social functions for the girl as part of his campaign, when his wife calls In her nephew, to asy sist her In breaking up the infat- his father. She takes the money and agrees to divorce him. being supported by her companion of many flirtations. Olga. her ma'd until they trod the pr mrose path together. The monev *ls paid, the agreement rigned and Peggy is on her way back to the carefree life of the cabaret lounger when she sud- denly reverses hers'f for no visible reason except that it made a better commercial movie. So she spends the last reel In bringing her f Ister and her divorced husband together again In a passage nation, the dancing girl recognises meant to be prettily sentimental, re him as the knight who appeared In turning to her owe Faphead hu-band her dreams. Although she loves i and receiving the blesslntrs of the him she bids him go. In fear he will jrlch father, who came In Ju.st In ti-ne mean her death. for the sugary fin>h with his benc- '^jrdon's wife In an effort to re- I <l;Ctlon. Apparently she lived a lif<» gain her husband's waning affection ' ^^ content thereafter. An old age of tal:ea up dancing, and at a social Poverty and toll would scarcely have the mother at the cabin is arranging i title, by the way). It Is vastly more for the departure of the girl and boy interesting to children or adults, for happiness beyond the mountains. But "The Tolf of the Sea" will do The fath<y: e.«i<'apes from the reve- , on the regular programs If too much nue men, and in a series of short \ is not looked for from It. fiime. scenes is shown hastening toward the cabin, working up suspense for a final clash, the previous action having disposed of the three brothers at the hands of the armed revenue men. The climax is not effective. The father reaches the cabin after the young people have departed, but Is prevented from in- terfering with them by the mother's threat to shoot. Husband and wife meet In a clash of wills after she confesses It was she who sold out to the revenue men. The only logical ending would be the death of either one, but the scenario writer's nerve must have deserted him at the last moment. He has the husband giving way and agree- ing that henceforth they shall live In mutual partnership. A hopelessly unconvincing ^c^ution and a feeble anti-climax. Emily Fitzroy's performance as the backwoodi mother is a remark- ably strong bit of dramatic acting. : Burr Mcintosh contributes fi:\owork \ as the father. The scenic features ' are excellent and the photography j first-rate, but the story almost pre- cludes any substantial record at the I box ofiSce. Rush. ! affair substitutes for the oanring girl. The half-crazed clown, believ- ing the glr] has fallen In love with Gordon, trails her to the affair. As she is finishing her dance he fires a shot through a window and appa- rently kills her. It was the wife of Gordon who was the victim. At the finish the girl and nephew are cl'nrhed for the final fadeout. The picture is well handled in di- rection, especla'ly the trick stuff In the dream episode, where Stanlaws has employed the fairies and witches as aids to his story, which part will please the children. Fred, been too severe a penalty for her acts of reel one to four, spmething li'e Becky Sha'-pe's. say. Even so fre'-h and dainty a young actress as Falre Binney can't save the character from vulgarity. An excellent cast of p!ayer8 Is wasted. ' including Joseph Smker ss the I young husband. Huntley Cordon, J. Barney Sherry. Forence B ll'ngg and Temnler Saxe. Tho production was in the best style of the up-to- date studio and the photography first-class. Rush. ARE THE CHILDREN TO BLAME The moral values of this picture are perfect, but In all other particu- lars it is as bad a production as ever gets within walking distance of Times square. The story Is a crude transcript of "Silas Mamer," with such variations as making tho weaver a blacksmith named David something, placing the action In a nondescript place and in a time when people wore clothes of about KO') nnd rode in autos of about 1916 model. The continuity is disordered, the story void and without form. As soon as one gets acquainted with a of it Is that these agonies don't lead anywhere unless It Is to the sage moral In a title copied in full and here preserved to posterity: "Un- easy In mind and heart is the wom- an who would deceive." The moral is plain—It Is all wrong to blackmail timid husbands, If you get the point. The acting and direction are on a par with the rest of the Junk. In one scene—It was where the blackmailing sister dies In the blacksmith's home, if a stunned and staggering memory serves—one of the characters starts to exit regis- tering sorrow. When he takes three steps he observes that his course is going to lead him between the hero, also In an appropriate attitude of dejection, and the camera. Bo he starts, retraces hla way and de- corously walks off behind the hero. The passage was worthy of Mack Sennett. The featured player is a child, "Bim Horman, who was poorly coached. Of course, the little one had a dog, but the chance was lost. It wasn*t a movie dog at all, Jnst a natural brlndle pup, and it was obviously unnerved by all the fuss and noise of a movie lot. The blackmailing sister threw it out of a window along about reel two and the pup's value was out (or the rest of the production. Joseph Marquis played Rol>ert, and besides resembling y^aliy Reid gave evidence of acting ability. V . HusK THE TOLL OF THE SEA Technicolor production, released throutrh M-tro. Story by Francea Marion. Chewier M. Franklin, director. Photocraiihlc direc- tion by J. A. Ball. At Rlalto. New York, we«k Nov. 28. Lotus Flower Anna May Wong Allen Carver Kenneth Harlan Barbara Carver Ccatrice Kcntley WHAT FOOLS MEN ARE! ■. Production by Pyramid Pictures. Inc., from Kugene Walters' stage play, "The Fleppor," adapted by Peter Milne and di- rected by George Terwilllger. Fair Binney (uatured. Dintiibuted by American Releas- ing. At the Cameo, New York. Nov. 20. Peggy Kendricks Fa4re B.nney DRIVEN Feature length drama by Charles Brabln. Story by Alfred Raboch; aoenarlo by Mr. Urabin, who also directed. Principal parts by Charles Emmett Mack, Emily Fltzroy, Burr Mcintosh and BUnora Fair. Invitation •crsening Nov. 23. An admirable bit of dramatie stag- i-eggy KenuricK. raire B.nney ^"6 a"? «^'-^^" story te...nj,'. but tne Ralph Demarost Joseph Striker [ story is gloomy and depressing to Bartiey ciayboume Huntley Gordon ' an extreme degree. There are pow- Kate Claybourne Florence Billings , ©rful p i saqes Of alnio.sl iragic im- ilor*acef^mar;rt.\\\*:V;.: J.' Barney" tfher?^PO^^^ but the tragedy has a sordid 'Dayard Thomas Tempter Saxe Btovc O'Mallcy liarry Clay lilaney Kugene Walter built up a play ol quality that leaves an ugly impres- sion. It deals with brutal people of the Tennessee mountains. creatures bitter pessimism and unadulterated J without a redeeming grace or a ugliness, and then the pollyanna movies took it up and suRar-coated it. The result Isn't satlsfwctory. "The Flapper" was a d sagreeable treatise on the selflsh, unscrupu'ous female of tho younijer generation. Walter's may have been a distorted view, but at least it was a real attitude and It went to a reasonably logical conclusion. The film version is nothing at all. The Indictment of the unprincipled younj? person of the feminine per- suasion is presented with painstak- ing care and in its exposition is con- vincing. Then tho play take»^ it all back and wc arc treated to a coun- terfe t "happy ending" that simply won't po down. Peggy wrecks a couple of homes as f\:o poos her self-lndugent way, and Is about to deliberate y wreck the life of the young man who mar- ries her, when she suddenly expe- riences a change of heart, and In a twinkllntr Ip as anpeMc as before she was vixenish. They took limitless care in btiildinp up the wlcl-ed char- art^'r, but tho paraxon was the make- shift task of one short .''cene and a couple of titles. The net result was the Llft!e Mi'S Hyde stuck nnd the Little Miss Jpkyll was dismissed as saving touch of humor or pic turesqueness, a sordid, dingy lot, whose ugly lives form the back- ground of the play, which has not an enlightening contrast. Violence It was chancing It to place a Chi- i nese "Butterfly" on the screen at < this date for that kind of tale wher- ' ever set. It hardly called for Miss Marlon to write it. Thousands of them must have been thrown in the basket ever since there were pic- tures. Though, colncldentally, "East : Is West" Is released about this time as well. The sad and tragic romance of i Mme. Butterfly passed through made It once, and enough. There are others sadder and more tragic near- I er home. Let the scenario writers open up their imaginations, If pos- sessing them, not to water the stock of others. Here it Is no different, other than In the locale, the nationality and a I baby boy, with the Chinese glrl-wlfe I rescuing her husband from the sea as he floated in at the opening of the picture, to win and lose him as he I forgflt his chink wife, the baby to I come and the sea. And she, after ! vainly waiting, in Hong Kong, to j again have the husband and his lat- | est American wife return, to give him and the boy up for her, the American, and the Chinese girl, ) alone with her sea, walked Into it 22 BigTime Pictures To start tlie New Year . :■■■■•„ •• ,-i. ...-'. First National has contracted for 23 of the biggest Box-Oftice attractions ever offered exhibitors, to be released the first period of 1923. Arrangements also are being made for other big features. Just look over this list: and blood and hate enter Into the i ^nd to her death, for the finish, tale as Its only motif, and the whole Someone recognized this storv thing makes an unlovely picture. | needed something else, even beyond Why Is it that dramatic realism . the extraordinarily fine playing of plays constantly upon the nasty side ^n^a May Wong, who is an exqul- >■'• '^-^^^ im/kMM [InsureJour Screen of life? It Is doubtful If this kind of material has any appeal for the picture fans. Indeed, it does not seem to prosper, especially beyond the limited audiences of the so- called "new theatre," and its possi- bilities for the screen are negligible. The picture Is well enough done, but the question is one of choice of material with which to address a special public, and Mr. Brabin is at fault in attempting to present a heavy, gloomy tragedy through the screen medium that lends Itself to romantlO treatment pretty exclu- sively. The story centers in the Tolllver family of moonshiners, a brutal father and three equally bruial. snarling, drunken sons, the quartet seemingly being In a conspiracy against a younger brother, favorite of tho brow-beaten, toil-worn . notlceatjle defect mother, a pathetic slave of poverty scheme. and wretchedness. A pretty little love affair develops between the boy Tommy and tho sweet daughter of the neighboring Hardin family, little Rose. The elder r.r\(\ wors: of tho three older brothers loolcs upon the child with eyes of desire wliilo the silent mother.vainly trie: to aid her favorite's Bu'.t. Rose's fa'her opposes tho older brother's surly courtship, and l.s shot down In the back In revenge while the daughter Is taken Into the Tolllver houiehold believing that site crier without glycerine, or Baby Moran, as darling a boy (if not a girl) as the screen owns. So it was a color process Techni- color gave to the filming that seemed to run quite short of the regulation . I five reels. Nothing In a moving pic. ' ture story can rise superior to the story. Coloring never will, never ' has, and doesn't here. The coloring , runs without streaks, the camera catching the natural colors aparent- I ly, althoup^h what seemed something I of a freak in this process Is that the pallid color given to the complexion I of the Chinese extended to the faces ' of the Americans as well. Perhaps I white cannot be taken by this cam- ' era with Its pallid shade envelop- ' Ing all faces, white being open to I question as a color or for coloring ! In specific connection. But It was a In the colorinpT "THE DANGEROUS AGE" A John M. Stahl production ' RICHARD BARTHELMESS in "Fury" NORMA TALMADGE In "A Voice from the ^inaret" "WHAT A WIFE LEARNED" A Thomas H. Ince Special "BELL BOY 13" A Thomas H. Ince production with Dougius MacLean "A MAN OP ACTION" A Thomas H. Ince produ<?tlon with Douglna MacLean KATHERINE MacDONALD in "Money, Money, Moneys JACKIE COOOAN . in "Daddy" AN EDWIN CAREWB PRO- DUCTION Title to be announced later -SCARS OF JEALOUSY" A Thomaa H. Ince production KATHERINE MacDONALD in "The Lonely Road' "THE SUNSHINE TRAIL" A Thomas H. Ince production with Douglas MacLean "THE GIRL FROM THE GOLDEN WEST" An Edwin Carewe production taken from the famous Belasco play KATHERINE MacDONALD in "The Scarlet Lily' "TRILBY" A Richard Walton Tully produc- tion "THE SIGN" A Laurence Trimble-Jane Murfln production (Not a Strongheart picture) "THE WHITE FRONTIER" An Allen Holubar production with Dorothy Phillipa RICHARD BARTHELMESS in "The Bright Shawl," Joseph Hergesheimer'a famous story NORMA TALMADGB in "Within the Law" "MONEY LOVB AND THE WOMAN" A John M. Stahl production '■\ _____ ' ■ * [-, 'THE ISLE OF DEAD SHIPS" A Maurice Tourneur production taken from Capt Marrlot's famous sea atory A JAMES YOUNG PRODUC- TION Title to be announced '•■««»»«*««4««»t>> Still, though, the natural colors or the coloring In this Torhnicolor prodttct if attractive, as it hrlngH out the foliage or strikes the colnrful dress of thp rhinosc. but, as with ail dovlres tried for in pictures as .s mf- thing now. other than story, direc- tion or HOttinRS, the newness bcromos part of the pirturo almost Imnudl- atoly, and thoroaftrr Is accepted, with the story remaining as the main thread or holding power, If there Is a story such as here, and not a display of flowers or some par- ;^ 3ir6t national "Picturt -• ■i |W »<ii»«»<IWMWil«<iW >i<i>iii»il|ip | »i» <i«>j|' '^h