Variety (January 1924)

jjUOTday, JaniuiySl.1984 PICTURES FASHION ROW ,'lii, UmrtLT. Wrt<t«D br Bada _„'»iul How«r« HIn'n with Oliver tbiab th» pho«o»impher. Dlrectcil b7 Zrt l/toaui, Staowlu at the Capitol, ^Tofk. WMk o( Jan. ST. Ruanlng time. I i. \ tMutaora • \ k*r yooiwer (later (Ma;-Murray I MortOB Baria Faze tf^ Oorland Freeman Wuod \raa Corland Mathilda Brundace KiMmoA Bimo Lincoln SZiir^berltalor Sidney Franklin aSna Levltiky Madame Husauova Xpreai Afent.... Cralc Blddle A dual role for Mae Murr.iy In tbla. her latest, backed by the U3u.il •ugmented settings associated with IMT productions, a splendid sup- aortinK male detachment and ex- eelient photography. A rattier threadbare tale and an Impersona- tion of one of the roles by the star th.1t Is not overly convincliifr nboiif ■rounds out the other potentialities of th* picfbre which under pro- jection and as a unit screens n.<i an entertaining Interlude that should be found especially delectable to the Murray fans and satisfyin? to those not so highly prejudiced. The story allows much leeway for the eccentric mannerisms of the . star as a Russian actress but It ■Is In her conception of the younger inaoeent and Immigrant sister where Miss Murray secures h«r best results although the former role is the outstanding figure of the picture. A tendency to become ■omewhat theatric takes the edge off the stage performance .ind mak- ing It appear artlflcial while uii tlie other Hand the role of the retiring youngster is toned down and made to seem genuine by contraf^t whicli nuy, or may not. have been the purpose of the director. E^le Foxe, Freeman Wo'id .iiid Elmo Lincoln supply Invaluable .is- •listance with respective porfoim- ances that can rank with the best among the regular program ro- leases. It's a corking piece of work by Foxe in a somewhat secomlary part which he makes assume flrnt string Importance. Wood is a com- pliment to whoever did the CLstlng and Lincoln has turned in anotlier of his Russian "heavies" of stiptiior force. In fact the cast just about makes the picture In overc-nmins whiUever tendencies the stor.v may have to sideslip. Wliat might have been deemed an Unsatisfactory ending, by the aver- age picture goer. In the death of Olga, the actress, is' more or less offset, by the adoption of the si.ster and lier ultimate inarringc. It's not a bad twist at that to a tut and dried t.ile. It relates of two Russian si.sters, of the peasantry, whom .1 whip wielding father persecutes until the eldest runs away to this country where she becomes a famed .stage celebrity and the proverbial "tdast of New "Vork." Eventuall.v marry- ing into an aristocratic family and "squaring" It with the mother by an assertion of royalty parentage matters progress smoothly until the little sister comes up the bay on a ship which also carries a former Cossack who Is In quest of Olga, the now Mrs. Van Corland, for the purpose of revenge. Luring the star to an east .side dwelling on the pretense of her sister's Illness Kamlnoft (Mr. Lin- coln) reveals Ills identity f.irough a scar the girl previously Inflicted npon his face and attacks her but young Morton (Mr. Foxe). friend of the husband who has loUoWed breaks In the door and there ensues as sweet and realistic a battle as has been around for some time. It concludes In Kaminoit : !iooting Olg.v who is In turn shot by the police. Leonard has moved the action along at a fair pace In front of mas- sive Interior sets and the Insertion of a Russian lawn party. The con- struction of events workin? up to llie battle and climax of Olga is also a nice bit of staging. The title amounts to nothinp: more than h.ivlng been selected for Its' selling value although the Inference m.ide is to a promenade in a fash- ionable hotel where gather the social mighty. The picture Is edu.il to bending any film hoii.se program, should be }uitt about "pie" for the Murray entiiu.siasts and may Irtcrease that enro'.'ment. KV/;/- FLAMING BARRIERS P.^rnmouiit-fw-o. Melford producfiiMi pr*'- 'entra by Adolpli Zukor ami J'^n.'-,. I.i»ky. Jlory l)y lljroii Morffnn adiiple.1 b.v llervc-v Thew anil direrted by Ue»rgp Mt-iford ■'iliowii at the Itlalto, N. T , weeH Jan.. LT, ).)-'». Running time, 0." uiinutes. ■I<*rry MalDn«^ Jai-qupli'i'* I/inan Sam Bitrloi .,..\liloni(» M4>i*-ii'> lleniy Vhi, .WiiKle W.ill r Ilit- I'a'.riok M.itune < hnrlei OrIh ■Uttt-ftU Plokenj nobprt McKIm •'ill O'Haliiirar. t.uko ("ix^rovf Mayor si'.eeis Warren I'.oSTs TTere yon are. a fir-^t-'■lis-i runt iiieliidrama, with all tlif (■ uiiinrks "f an "KaRy Dawsor," stoiy th.it HItchy played years and v»ai^ a^n. i:ut it i.s the kind of ho.ik that the atulietice will go to see. and lilvC. although there Isn't an., great ehanoe that they will g.'t al>.so- Uitily erazy aljcu't it. Hut the pic- 'uro has got the punch In the niat- i'T of cxst, for Jaequellne Logan, Ai^l'P*! MoHmn, fuiil, gA'^ltet.llelrs, f'!;,f(alnt:ed, Tlie pirhir6 \V\s di-1 i-Kled liJ;\;^^fe« MHfftrd. • ■ The small-town stuff in all that t.i6i8 u to the picture. Jacqueline VARIETY 2S Logan slipped the audience a few thrills aa the driver of a motor Are truck and en aeroplane. She Is the daughter of the builder of the auto- truclc fire apparatus, and the heavy of the piece, played br Robert Mc- KIm, holds her father's notes on the factory and wants to win the girl. Associated with him In the E^ast Is a financing company th.it has dis- counted tho notes, and ho advises them that they had best protect their interests bjr sending on a rep- resentative. The president's son (Moreno) is assigned to the job, and he manages to fall in love with the Inventor's daughter, and from then on devotes all his time to foiling the villain and trying to get a show- ing for the motor truck for the visiting fire chiefs of the State. He almost succeeds by having a barn In the outskirts of the town set ablaze on the eventful day, but the fire truck is pinched for speeding to the fire. Later, when the chiefs are being entertained at the heavy's moun- tain camp, a forest fire starts, and It Is the truck that comes to the rescue.of them all through playing its streams on the only bridge that leads to safety and permitting them ito escape. Miss Logan certainly appeared to advantage In the feature, while Mo- reno was a forceful hero. Heirs, as an fIBclency expert, worked hard for laughs, and got a. great many of them. Fred. PIED PIPER MALONE Paramount preaentod by Ad.ilph Zukor and Jeasc Lsnlcy. Original etAry by liooth THrkington adapted by Tom Oeraghty. Directed by Alfred E. Green. Thoa. Wghun star. Shown at RIvoii, N. Y., week Jan. -7. 10"l. Running time 77 ininute«. Jack Malone Thoin*» Melghan Patty Tlirunaa L.Pi« Wllaon Mother Malone Emma Dunn Jajt. P. Malor.e ;.. .Cliarlea Stevenson iipt. Clarke Oeorso Faweelt I IKH. Crorliy. Jr <"yril Kins t.lla!'. t>oai>y. Sr Claude Brook Mr. Ttiomaa Joe Burke nelly Mnlont- Poachea Jackaon Ix>ule' the barber Cliarlea Wtnnlnger Photographer .-.Hugh Cameron Hou-^okeejitT Dorothy Walters Tl»* M^r.oiw SJNteis fPearl Sipdplnr Marie ycliaffer J Kllaabeth Henry I Jean Armour Itlanche Standir.g , iMollie r.iiiK Ti-.^ ^i ■ ■ :'.ui:.fM (Charles iluasptt 1 Walter Downinff I Harry Mayo t<awrenee Barnei" Davi.l Wall Kd. Williams Desi.ile .Siindav was nimn.st a zero day along Uroadway the Rivoli with Thomas Meighai> in his latest "I'ied Piper Malone" had cap.icity busi- ness and .'I corking line for tlie sup- per show. Tiiat ia a test as to a star's draw. • "Pied Piper Malone" Written directly for the screen by Booth Tatklngton and adapted '.ly Tom Geraglity, is one of the best of the most recent Meighan starring pro- ductions. It Is a decidedly human story with the love interest par- amount. While there Is n^ great big thrill that stands out other than the sinking of a steamer in a typhoon In the China Scaii. It Is a picture that will hold the interest. It has a cast that handles Its assignments in most workmanlike manner. Lois Wilson oppo.site Meighan was a delight, while Emma Dunn OS his mother was the true artist she nUvays Is. The kiddie element Is going to make it a particularly good card for afternoons for the smaller ex- hibitors when they get the picture. It is an angle that they can develop. The story is a small town tale. J.ick Malone (Meighan) Is the 13th child of the Malone family, he has six brothers and six sisters ail his senior. The l)oya have all settled down to staple buiiiness pursuits; thev seemed to have gobbled every- thiiig In town so it left Jack notli- ing else to do except go to sea. He has been on a two years' cruise and returns in time for the Golden Wedding Anniversary of his par- ents, but before going to sea again he wins the promise of Patty Tliomas tliat while he is away there will be no one el.se in her life. On this trip he Is the first olTlrer under Capt. Clarke (Geo. Fawcett) while his rival Charles Crosl>y Is .second officer. The ship is struck by a typhoon in tho China Sea and founders. Young Crosby getting home first tells tliat the captain and first officer were both drunk on the trip and tliat wiiile he did all that ho could to save the vessel, the> overruled liim. Then it is up to the captain and his young first officer to vindicate tliemselves which they eventually do. nnd Jack wins the girl. The picture Is ably directed and tliere is considerable unmount of coined V as well as re.iTdrami IrT the 'torv, "whicli is a 100 per ' p .t clean tale." no soxv stuff at .ill, but kIiII a iiietiire tint Is sure in gel 'be crowds. ^ '"''''• Pat Powers Is said tn have pur- cliii.'ed for $l,:;oO,OOU the Ilobertson- folti nfilre building on .Seveiuli ave- iitie, New York. tRI W]!.T.lB"':t«'wlt: »nke overt the rtianagemtno M the Orpheuiii and. Hippodrome, Tulsa, Okla., in ibe near future. PAINTED PEOPLE Firat National piotttre atarrliw Collaan Moore. Adaptaii from Riohard Comnell'a Trtie Swamp Angel" and diceotad by Clarence lu^ar. At atimad. N«« TortJ w<*k. Jan. «r. RaBnlnc Uma, tO mlaa. fjllla llym. Oo«e«n Moon I>on Lane n,- r,.on gi*^""* Rjwl* Char1»t«. Mart^ Preaton Duttoa Joaaph Btrlkar SS By™. Charte. Murmy JJ*' '•»"« Ruaaell Blmpmi m™ !i!;!r "^ *«" nra. LAM .a, MAnr tf^rr Bd. Decker BuU MonUrn Colleen Moore starred and billed as "The Flaming Youth Girl!" in this follow-up feature appears aa a "catch" title to setura the kickback on the impression "Youth" made. As a picture "Painted People" needs the billing and title. It is an In and out comedy-drama that must chiefly rely on the star and Ben Lyon to score. The story has gone up against screen audiences many times and Its treatment in this in- stance Is of Insufflcient substanoe to especially make It irtand out from Its predecessors. A liberal sprinkling of "names" throughout the cast will undoubted- ly help at the gate. It's a fair series of , performances the contributing meitibers have turned In but as a whole it's a lightweight release lit- tle more than mildly pleasing. The title remains something of an obscurity In that it is used to refer to both the social elite of a small town and those connected with the professional stage; more or less meaningless when connected with the story, hence the Inference that It was but employed to Impress as having some relation with the type of narrative "Youth" revealed. The production Is nilnus a n>uch needed punch in telling of a boy and g;rl of the laboring class who foster their adolescent affections upon I heir counterparts of the upper regime and are made to feel ludi- crous when invited to a birthday party,of the town leader's daughter. The youth leaves his birthplace to make good as a writer, and the girl, through circumstances, secures an opportunity on the stage which per- mits of a three-year lapse, denoting the boy as a failure and the girl, a siicce.'isful actress. They meet and collaborate on a new play which eventually receives its initial tryout In their home town. Both see their former idols again at which time the girl discovers her hero Is but looking for a meal ticket and refuses him. Retaliating, be casts a slur upon her name before a gathering. In comes the newborn playwright messing the guilded youth about until an apology is forthcoming with the finale having the two former social outcasts real- izing their love for each other. Mifs Moore gives a neat perform- ance of the tomboylsh girl who carves out a stage career for herself while Ben Lyon gathers strength as the story advaiKes, to mark him as a juvenile who should be consist- ently heard from. Needless of a lavish production outlay there is little included In set- tings to be of more than passing in- terest. Tho direction h» handled by Badger seems to have emphasized the comedy values to the detriment of the theme and to the extent that the film's main bid for approval will rest with the spirit in which the two leading characters are accepted and the laughs the situations are able to secure. Bkig. THE HEART BANDIT Metro production atarrlog VMa Dana and directed by Oaear ApfaL Praia the ■tocr, "Angel Fuca Mollr,'' k«r Frank Kannaay My^on. Adaptation and eaatlsnHr br torn I. Ilopkina. Photografihed br Jobn Arnold. Half the bill at tfe* Vm Tork, Jan. K. Runs r.T minutes. Moiiy O'Hara Viola Dana lohn Rand .'Milton SUIa Mrs. Hand Oertrudo Olalra ".Spike" Malone Wallaea McDooald nanmn Cordova Bertram Qraaaby i'ai O'CoaneU Do Witt Jennlnsa lenke Neiasn McOowall Monk .HInman Uatiiow Beita SiUa Wetherbee.. Bdirai^ Wsda The deterioration In Miss Dana's pictures goes on and on and the legions who once hailed her as the screen's best Ingenue comedienne are transferring their devotion to Colleen Moore and others of the newer school. The unfortunate part of it seems to be that Miss nana herself is as pert and piquant as ever, but the vehicles given her re- rently have been almost without exception wtiak enough to overbal- ante the charm of any star. In "The Heart Bandit" she has been provided with an exccllont supporting cast, adequate direction and mechanical efltectivenesa, but a trite and totally unimportant story. That her work redeems It and makes it a fairly entertaining pro- gram only goes to prove how quick- ly slin wmild recover her lost pres- tige with a story holding real heart Interest and appeal such as mlgtit he provided by Mary Roberta Rlne- liart. Marehall Nollan, Rupert Hughes, or even Scott Fitzgerald, who turned out some of her earilest and best scenarios. "The Heart Bandit" has Mtss Dana cist as a hard-boiled little gyp artist who suddenly flndn her- self adopted by a sweet little old lailv (|f th^kkid/only rouvfl I9 boojta. The ojd.ol^.gaept hjivlfij.thei JierO' |tM> reform, but then to crack one uK-rc safe in orditr to save tbe errlnc hero, Is utilized with all the other ancient bits. But to her credit let be said that Miss Dana affects the change from the little Bowery tough to the "per- fect young lady" gradually. Thl« makes her speedy ma.Tiago to the millionaire hero and her acceptance by hla family seem the more ludi- crous, but at least it is true to life. Those scenes in which she shoots crap with the eervants and ewag- gers around thd magnificent estate with a regular "Tenth avenoo" air ore g^ood for laughs and the chief assets of the picture. For the rest It is overfiowing with sentimentality that becomes sickening after a while. The story is helped by capable acting by all the caat, with Hilton Sills his usual strong self aa the Wall Street hero and Ger- trude Claire making the old lady a.1 convm'clng as possible. The others Include Wallace Mc Donald, Bertram Grassby and De Witt Jennlnge, the last again flash- ing his badge and cigar as the In- eritable "bull " Pretty good entertainment, for none of Miss Dana's Alms can be anj less. But no', what it should be, and neither has any of her other recent ones been, except, possibly, "il»l«ed Lipe" iast summer. JUDGMENT OF THE 8T0BH Pialmar Production written by Ktbei Mylaa MIddleton and directed by De* Andrews. Photographed by Henry Sharp and Mas Du Pont. At the New York, one day, Jan. It. Running time 77 minutes. Mr*. Haath Claire McDoweU Mary Heath Lucille RIckaon Bob Heath Oaorge Haekathotne Dava Heath Bruce Clordon John Trevor L.loyd Hughes Halitno Trevor Myrtle Rtedman Uartla Freeland Philo McCultough "Judgment of the Storm" It ex- ploited properly should have no trouble cashing ir. It Is a Palmer Production produced by the Palmer Photoplay Corp.. made up of for- mer newspaper men. evidently with plenty of money ani wlio threaten to be heard from It they keep up the same pace. The story is a first effort, written by Ethel Styles Middle- ton, described In the billing an a simple and domestic housewife of Pittsburgh. From the workman- like construction of the story and the many old but always effective and clever tricks of the trade util- ized. It seems likely that the "house- wife" business lit merely bait, or possibly that .'Oine experienced, crafty rewrite man fixed the plot up to suit himself. It is a story tiiat in spite of a few glaring ineonslstencios and a. tend- ency to become a bit too real- istically stark at tim..i, holds. The Heaths are a family living a happy but impoverished existence on the outskirts of a small upstate college town. The older son. Dave, sup- ports the widowed mother, baby twins, the pampered younger brolher and the daughter, Mary, who has come to love a student at the col- lege, John Trevor. The latter believes hi.-, mother to be in Europe but she Is in reality running an exclusive gambling house in order to give her son an education and ti'.e luxuries that go with It. It is In this gambling joint that Dave Heath, John'.s best friend In addition to being the brother of the girl, meets tragic death, when aa a sigrhtseer he Is struck by a bullet meant for another man. Here the first big dramatic moment occurs when John seeing his pal lifeless on the floor pours Invectives upon the "swine who run such places" only t > learn a second later the owner is his mother. Broken-heirted he leaves home and offers his life to the Heaths as recompense for the loss of Dave. Bob, the weakling younger brother, has had to run tlie farm since the death, much to his abhorrence, and be persuades his mother to take Jobn as the "hired man^Jiut at no wages and socially only a slave. But Mary remains true to her love and Trevor's chance to risk his life In return for Dave's finally come.-< when the baby twins are lost In a driving blizzard. He finds them be- ing warmed under tho coat of his mother who has come after her boy and, also lost In the snow, dis- covered the children. Jhere follows another big scene, possdbly unreal but extraordinarily gripping. John's mother, dying from exposure and realizing he cannot save all, commands him to take the twins and return them to the home so recently saddened because of her. He obeys but returns in time to rescue her too and the story ends In a halo of sunshine. The snow scenes are thd equal o( any winter stuff including the famous loe scenes In "Way Down Blast" The photography and direct- ing by Del Andrews ore also far above standard. . An excellent all-around cast Is an invaluable aid to the ftlm. No one should really be singled out for special honors unless It be Oeorge Hackathorne, giving one more of his splendid eharaoterisa- tiona of a weak-willed but not wholly bad Touth. The rest includ- ing Myrtle Stedman and Claire Mc- Dowell as the respective mothers of the boy and girl, Lucille RIckaon and l«loyd Hughes aa the couple, and Phtio MeCullough as the heavy,,' are all moro than adequate. The picture Is better than the ma- jority of those shown in first run houses. With a few changes in the titling and the matter of move comedy relief, it might hare been an outstanding fllm. As It is It should clean up in thtf program houses with a vengeance. TRAIL OF THE LAW . Prodoeed and diraotad by Oaoer ApfoL'' DlatniHited by Produoara* Sacurltr Coru. Half the bill at the New York, Jan. tt. Running time, ti mlnatea. Pictorial excellency, adequate di- ^ rection, good acting and a atory very thin, about sums up 'Trail of the Law," an Oscar Apfel feature, good enough for the minor halt of the average double bill. It features Norma Shearer, undoubtedly a comer, and Wilfred Lytell. an- nounced as due to arrive for some time, but who never seems to be able to overtake his older brother. The storr is set in the Maine woods, all the action centering around two cabins bordering on a pretty lake. Apfel heretofore has been known for his sea pictures, but here he demonstrates that, plc- torially at least, he can extract a great deal of beauty from the old New England state. The ch^rm in the exteriors In . their groat simplicity, with the ma- jestic mountains and peaceful lakes shot from the best possible vantage puinU. Miss Shearer Is cast as a girl who, because of the dangerous com- munity, masquerades as a boy dur- ing the day, only to become herself again when safely ensconced in her own home at night. Years before, her mother had been murdered by a renegade, and her father has sworn to get the villUtn. It develops that a nasty neighbor is the party want- ed. The father gives him what's coming to him and is only prevented from homicide by LytelC as the young man from the city who has fallen In love with the daughter while she was still a boy. That's all there is to the plot, and It can be seen that the brain is not seriously taxed keeping up with It. Miss Shearer is cute and appealing, even In trousers nnd cap, but the usual imagination is needed to con- ceive her palming herself off as a boy. Lytell Is O.K. except for <v little stiffness, and the rest are up to the mark. Apfel, who also was the director of the other picture at the house when "Trail of the I^aw" wa« re-, viewed, inserted a few touches here andl there that help to keep an audience interested In a tepid story. ''Ask the Man Who Owns One" The best man to aik about any motor car, even the fine one that'* advertised under the above slogan, is the man who owns one. The best man to ask about the value of the Pathe News is the Exhibitor who is a regular user. The majority of successful Ex- hibitors show the Pathe News be- cause they know it's the best . Play Both Numbers, Every Wee(^^ lllJ