Variety (August 1924)

E!W*--'j^[^i|ip^V; TjWt •-:;" •^<' -tv^^rr^. :K^z^rjm^f9Fjm!%,mfV9winso^! ■":^7iy(:^ VAHUCTY PiCtUttlESR ':?'<," * ' " ■ ■ ■ iwT^"" ^*"-' COAST FOjI NEWS Lm An««lM, Aus. 1(. CL O&rdlner Sullivan, who pro- dded Ui« acripta for Ui« Talmadge IwMluctlons, will make his debut as A produoer early In September, when he bertns the makinp ot four fea- tWM at the Thomas H. Ince studios for release through F. B. O. The first wUl be "Ckeap Kisses/" for which he wrote the original stery. Th« cast as yet has not been choMn. ' I $' -' finster Collier, Clarence Burton, Tnd Huntley and lAura Winston liav^ been added to the cast of "The nine with the Iron Door," a HaroM Bell Wright narrative, which Sam Wood is producing for Principal Pictures. The balance of the cast Inehtdea Dorothy MaekaUl, Pat 0>Malley, Raymond Hatton. Robert Fnwer. Charlie Hurray, ICary Ca^< Bert Woodruff, Mitchell-Lewis and Orelghton Hale. story by Kenneth Perkins, will direct the picture. Blackton Soott Sidney has completed the making of "Reckleas Romance," an AI. Christie feature, at the Christie studios. In the cast are Harry Myef*. Jack Duffy. T. Roy Barnes, Wanda Hawley, Syhrla Breamer, Tully Marshall, Morgan Wallace, I/ncoln Plumer, Mitchell LewiiT, Hugh Metcalf and Oeorge French. trean Riley, who Is wader a three- year eontract to J. J. McNamara. of the McNamara stikUos, Universal Cltjr. bas been loaned to Superior Pletm«s Corporation, who are to feature her In a eerles of outdoor AtMetle productions. Weday Runlee liaa ^een engaged byj^amer %othcnr to direct tbe •crMBlng of Bdlth Wharton's "The Age of Inaooenoe," a PoUtter vrtae wtaner. Rngg^ will also 'eoUab- oMite oa the aereen adaptation with CMga PrlntsUu. Victor McLaglen, aji KngHah actor, and Marguerite De la Motte have beta eagased by J. StiMtrt Blaokton t«;iAyciK #(fai(i>^»ti.vOlea la "TkH Beloved Brute." which ham. been adaiKed for the.aereea from the Tbelma Hill has graduated frotai the ranks of the Mack Sennett Bath- ing BeauUea to become the leading woman opposite Ralph Graves, who is a Sennett star. Dorothy Dwaa !«. now leading woman for Larry 0isapn a^nd wm initiated into the work thle week when the pUyed ^ppoelte him la the initial setaes ot "TiM Speed." an automobile story. Semon, besides actlngy Is directing. NellM Bljf, who wa» aeeretArz to Charlie Chaplia aatll ■hebegan n«r screea career la "A Wtaauui jf 9mm" i» now the head of her ttttn prodoelng organlmatloa, which ^^B make a sertM ot ooatedy dramas starring p^. The Urst win be "Nellie the HlrM. OW." The wp- poftlog east is bo,w betag ch<MMa. Productloa bMlaa this week oa ?rrhe Phantom Flyer" at Universal City ot Al. Wllioa'a HMt avUUoa plctt^ for Vaa Pelt-Wllsoa pro- dnotlons. In the cast are Virginia King. Frank Tommlo and Maurice Murphu^ The greatest X. can make right NOW '. •..It' •aj!^."-- IS A W' -. *. >, *. ^ . -^ ^ .. f '^ - r* FIRST . NATIONAL CONTRACT EMPTY HANDS ▼lelor VIcaUas prodncttsn foitnrlns Jack Belt aoS Norma 9»tt*nr. Adapted fr«ai th* aevtf kj Artknr Bt*tnc*r by Oaray Wll- ••e.., A ParaoiBWirt pktturt, i«Ttow«4 Um WtoU. Hi*« T«i1t, AgciMt », R< ■ias Uaaa, 80 alsutas. Jack SrtaMkaw ^ Jack Belt Clslra tedlMtt ft,,.....Nanoa gkeaHr Kobvt BDaMott ,.CHari«S Clary MUt BltMl Ward Craaa OaMe t Okerlaa glewasa •t '#' *••/ .'<':':«-. FOR ■J/i Next Season Nitmmwwii It was uore than Ave years ago Cecil B. DeMlUe produced' "Male and Female," in Hs day a sensa- tional artistic and commercial tri- umph. The old Barrle story, which was woven through his "Admirable Crichton" play before Iwlng taken into the moviefc again forms the backbone of this Hrm play—"Bmpty Hands." B«t "Bmpty Hands." being a lat- ter-day production, combines a por- tion of the Barrie scheme (desert Island stuff with a man and a woBian) and also works Into its first part a luxurlailcy of shots display- ing the itost-flapper perioid amuse- ments «ad escapa,dea, all to show h«w- Chtlra BndicOtt has deterfor- ateff trctn the glM her father wo^ld have her be. Claire kisses the gentlemen pub- licly, iri>« sn|ok«s, wears one-piece bathing «ults and is generally scan- dalous* *- . . , When with her father to visit eoaie CaaAdlan hoMttags -she la tbrowB 'Wttti Jils ohlef- engineer, played by Jaek,. Holt, ^nd this re- maa la riiUier contemptuous of her ways, But when she Is sjrept dowjgi the rapids la. a capoe he goes after her and, while he effects a rescue, they are leaded in unexplored cooa- trj»—fkr trtaa human help. And like the lady in "Male and Female," Claire can't do a thiag, so the atan does it all. He brings down game, builds a hut, makes cooking utensils, extracts flre from sticks and shows her that while she may be ace high on Broadway she' Is a deuoe in the wlids. - Her regeneration is here worked out and when the sex Impulse be- oomea great in both of them, the girl has become, snflloiently strong to resist lt*-«nd the same goc».for the man. A love is bom wfeere onoe was contempt ana when an aero- plane rescue is worked both are transplanted, to civilteation. . Here th^ second big part of the story comes. Because of her pre- vloos esciwades Claire la named In a divorce suit. The gossip idieets take it up and ^Inuate that by marrying the he-man engineer she will save her reputation. Because she lovee him. she is unwilling to hurt hi* ohaActe and so sends htm away. But he sees tteough it and, ataUrins her for hainng developed Into a thoroughbred, gives her a wow of a hug and a three-star-plus It's a oorkiag story, excellMitly directed, filled with OMtchless ex- terior shots and. deeplte the cen- tralised love Interest and the ex- elosion of every other theme. Inter- est of a high order is maintained. The fllnr Isn't expensive In the making and has Holt as its chief draw. Carefully planted details olarlty the dlsaigreeable sex air that might eaelly have hung ab4mt All tai all, "Empty Hands," while it has been mose' or less unheralded, caa take Its place as a first-rate first run and In addition it can al- most he guaranteed to suit ninety- nine out of one hundred average audiences. BUk. lIlE 40TH DOOR much for her, although tlM aeenarlo made it easy for her to fMOompUsh the Impossible. Pathe has a picture' her* Whl«h beaxs all the earmarks of one of the numerous sertal specie^ K ""VtUlir'; to one volume. i/ Little to recommend *'' bnt an audience with nothing on Its mind and nowhere to go may like trying to figure it out 'Varik ^ '' FOOLS IN THE DARK r. B. 6. KOd<Ktlon of a story by Bartraai Mtllhagaar. Dtraetad by Al Saatajl aad faatorlns Katt Uoor* aad Paiay Roth Millar. R«vl*w«e ait tba Caaao, Naw Tork. Ant. IT. Runnlnc tlnM, SS^mmtitea. Ruth Rand PtUy Rath llilUr Parcy Sehwarts.... • liatt Moor* Kouh.. , B*rt Oraabia Or. Raad Charlaa Belcbar Olplaina ...«.'.. Tom 'Wllaoo Corking mystery comedjr, ranking in entertainment value with Qrlf- flth's "One KxclUng N^ht." BMed on an uncle's desire to test the courage o* a suitor for the hand o^ his niece, the man is put through his .paces In a house apparently Daunted. It is all doughty stuff, well played and directed, having, moreover, the advantage of excellent continuity. Matt .Moore and Bert Orasby are the outstanding cast figure^ while Tom Wilson, in a portly nefro role,- contributes eoi(t<>dy relief that Is as KOod as it is old—based .<m a negro's i<eaotiona to a haunted house. Tbe flhn doesnH slxe op as having oost a great deal to make, but for all that It is first-rate entertain- ment. Wltlle It isn't one Of those things calculated to do much draw- ing'for tbe ejihibltor. It win tlve satisfaction all around. Sven with its lengthlness, there are ne Biiteared-over stretches where en- tertainment c^ase^ and boredom begins—it's okeh throughout. , > Bitk. mother'a Hfe. It Is during tbe rao*- < scenes tlntt'the biggest d^ppoiat*"' meat oomes. Thes* shots are ac* tually of a gentttoe auto raoe^ a«> Ralph IM Palaia Is shown haonc" t^a^oeatesuats. But th* oar of th« hero and hie spurt trMB^aat to first > with a wonderfVil last-lap flnish, aU ' though described in the Bub>tltles, cannot be Identified. The atruggla hetweea the eare, aever pariieuIarlF well 'flbned, is merely Impersonal, : and doae not introduoe that sctnee oC ' aatisfhotlon one should eap^ienc* i at seeing the hero's car shoot ahead .' of its rivals. Far better la the love Interest, i which is alcely sustained andu heightened by several comlo Mts. For instance, the girl .Uways cAaes upon the hero when his (*ce and hanoa. are grimy with car soot, and she nleUkamea him "Dirty Face." Bva Novak plays this part with an abundance of girlish freshneas and charm. William Fairbanks, who seems to have graduated, from the YTester.^^,, school and who has been getting a great break in tlte Broadway dail]^,,., •chaiige' houses' recently, gives ann ) other clean and manly portray»L , For this type of picture he's about «is good as they come. The rest at-^ the chst, holding three or four f%lr "names," is ale© effective. , Had tha. racing scefies heen reagl^.. thrillers, this would have been %,,' fialghty neat little program pictqre., As It is. It'lacks aVMi kick, but [ft ' satlstafM0ry IntermedUte Atan tt^*..,' ■iia OTHER KIND OF LOVE Phil OeMatooe prodvctlaa. diractad bcr Doha Wom«. PbotosraphM by Rolaaf , Price. fltaiT aii4 aoanarlo bgr JeffCTSon Ilof* taU. At tha Stanlay. Naw Tork, An*. A, A«am Bantaa..?. WtlUaja xralrbaBbs' !■ aosla BraMy Dorothy Reirlaf>.. Mary Bantoa SdHh Tarke,, OtOTt* Banton., Robert Xalth . Tha Cbarua<airl Rba» Mtohdt' JU5TW AbIT two ;.y- Grtat Waatara Piodnctlons ralaaaa eiAr- ■taie ArliM Pratty. Dbeetad by Jau Oa- brlal. At the Stanlay, Naw Tork. Ass. & Roiwlaa tlma, tl Bias. Fatha pletare with Alleoa Ray featured. Plrosi tba bMi byHarry Haatlnc Bradley. Fradaead by C. W. Pattoo. Diraetad by Oaarsa B. Baits. Beaa at tha Maw Tork Ans. !«. In "The 40th Door" the sands of the desert never have a chance to grow eold. Oeorge B. Selts, long aiteustomed to a kaleidoscopic change of scenes for any m;rlpt he happens to be working with and ■particularly one 'like "The 40th Door." which reminds of the days of the Pathe ser:als that had Pearl White escaping pitfalls. ' Once Selts unleashed some of his swarthy-faced type* of Oriental "sheiks" and had his villains dash- -ttag madly across deserts with the lives of both the hero and the hero- ine at stake, one forgot thr.t there was a story and awaited for the grand finale which seemed inter- minably long In the wlndup. There are long underground ave- nues, trick doors, trap doors and many ways of the unwlly villuns to torture the Innocent ones continual- ly nmnlng the gamut of danger. Allene Ray Is featured. She is tbe daughter of a desert merchant. It isn't so sweet and nice for an audience to watch a Christian make violent love to a Mohammedan girl on short notice, so the secret comes out that a young explorer and sci- entific research expert in his work . of opening King Tut's grave or one'' of the khig's huddles dlRcovers that the girl is French and'that under no consideration sl.ould she wed the ruler of a harem. Through thousands of celluloid feet,* 80 It seemed, viHainy appeared to have the upper hand, but Just as the desert villain mustered up his 'A commonplace effort taking Itself most seriously and concerning the country maid betrayed by the war- ward eoa and left stranded In the big city. The wayward's brother, % minister, marries the girl to give her child a name, while hi* vil- lainous twin stumbles downstairs and kills himself during an attempt to abdoct the Infant Very sparse as to iMuAground. Oabrlel, who directed, also takes the dual role of the twin brotheoL «nd colorlessly. Opposite him ArllM Pretty gives evidence of deservlag a better fate thui this conglomora- tlon of sob footage, bat could do little to help the deeceadaace to strlotly cheap screen eatertainment That the film la very nsach coa- eerned with lUelf Is witnessed through the subtitles which tag New Tork M the "flame around Which many nsotha are burned." succeeded by the inevitable flash at the city's diyline from the bay. Other word- ings are in a similar vein to register the picture as being embodied upon a ItOB chassis. None of the Interiors is Imposing, besides which there Isn't a "flash" Insert Included-at any time. The entire action Is given over to the star and Gabriel with the latter un- able to register as convincing. Every reason Is given to believe this a "shoestring" production that, ouUlde of Miss Pretty, contains no cast Ulentand Is too burdened with tear "hoke" to ever raise It above the moat Indifferent of the smaller houses. Bklg. RACING FOR LIFE PaWtetloa production, dlatrlbatad by Com- monwealth. DIreotad by Henry McRaa. Photosmphy by Allaa Thompaon. Pcatorlns Wllllaaa Falrbaaka and Bra Novak. At Loaw'a New Tork, Ans. S, aa half tba trill. Rons 00 Bina. Caat ia<4ndaa PhUo If oCnl- lonsh, Lydla Knott, Wllfrad L<ucaa and Bd- wln B. Tllton. Those who do not delve too deeply into the Inconsistencies and impoe- aibillties of their flhn features should like "Racing for Life" mod- erately well. An acid-penned critic would have no trouble pulling the picture apart foot by foot, as It Is Inexpertly thrown together. " However, the net result Is mildly entertaining. The subject carries a popular appeal and a flrst-rate cast to put It across. The plot suggests the auto racing films of Wallace Reld. There's the speed devil who is forced to promlae his mother he will never race again because any shock to her weak heart would kill her. And there's the father of the girl In the case, an auto manufacturer, who has wagered practically his business on the outcome of the big race. - The climactic twist is really a punchy one. The hero's brother, general manager for the automobile concern, has been gypping the firm and caught with the goods. The hero. Vealising that each a disclo- sure would be equally as disastrous to his mother, promises to drive his future fathcx-in-law's car on provi- Orlental sand marines the hero got^ slon they refrain from turning his the British army to stand them off. The Picture Jumps around like butterflies; the continuity does fancy hurdling and the actors swarm'In and out of camera focuH. >' 'Miss RavLdo^ hai' best ito mak^ Vktf pHtlOtpfcl femihlwR ' role < stAnd oat but the romaneei Is'a> Mtie toia brother over to the authorities. He is kidnapped by a rival -flrna. Just before the race and has all sorts of battles and chases before h(6 reaches the trfigk and starts the rate a rap'' lifter the Held. It is tifecdJ*s8't«rWhV>th!tt"e he Wilis, Alvlng I the iH»MifliMM-ei'« < dotigh <an« Hhi them%t; "The Other Kind of LoVe" up the old Cain and Abel yet it Is interesting. In 'this unpretentious but rathtwl-r neatly done little flim, Adam Ben* ton (WUIiam FaMrbanks) Is tha. rlghteoue brother and Oeorge (Rob^- €lrt Keith) is the other, who, la spite or college training. Is a ewr at heart. In their relations with the girl (Dorothy Revler) Is exem' pllfled the difference between the two kinds of love, evidently In* i tended to be (with apologlea to KSV^i sle Ferguson) sacred and profane^ ' Because- ot his p^lsb and ez«<<t terior educalton It la the weakllng)v brother who dasslee^ tbe heroine and succeeds In leading bar to tka i paxaon. But Just whep tbe hOnoKx < mooai Is oflldally to hegln ahe rtn<n allses her mistake and fights for . her virtue. Meanwhile no' less a person than the wicked brother's deserted wife comes looking for him. and after she convinces the hero he resolvea to save the girl he loves. He ar- rives at tht little hooeymoon re- ■ treat In tUae for a big battle with his passlon-eraxed youngef brother. It Is not ontll the latter has almost killed tbe hero that ha realises how ; Cain-like bfi :ias become. In a' frensy he Burle himself towards K cliff, but Is saved from a haxardomk ledge by his brother, who realixea that blood Is pretty thick after alL . Oeorge reforms and Is nursed back to life by bis real wife. whUa the same oAce Is performed tor hia big brother by the heroine. The acting Is a big aid, with nUrfcanks doMg exceptionally wen as the long-suffering older brother. Robert Keith is wise ta never totally losing- sight of .4he heavy'e better nature and Dorothy Rkvler, • whose name Is given precedenof, over Fairbanks' In the billing. Is aa,. 'appealing, heroine. Photogranhy and ..^ direction are satisfactory. '; While far from being a K. O., thf V picture Is sorrily O. K. for the ord^^ S nary run o* houses. , /^.^ .; :.;^^. •f-i^ TIGER THOMPSON Hany Carey ataired. ProdiMed by Rvnt- Btrambaiv. BaleaMd by Hodklnoon. Btoty . and seanarlor by Baehlalsh Frits Osfordl . ■dited by Hany Markar. Photasrapbei, by Heary Sharp. DIraeted t>y B. Reara^' ■ason. Playera Inelada Marnarita Clay- ton, John Dillon. Jack RIciiardsoa aae Oaorce- Klas. Harry Carey, after his long ynl-,v versal service, severed connectldnis'. with the U. "Then came a new Un^ \ of productions with Carey as tlie' star and Hunt Stromberg aa "per- '' sonal si>pervi8or." In . "Tiger Thompson" Carey Is again In his familiar western character. The story is of the plains, with bandits, hero and heroine and a little kitten that does some superb work In helping Carey work uif a number of comedy "bits" that are necessary in "westerns." There Is also a Chinaman who injects several AH Exhibitorg :■ in Michigan Read our magazine published every Tuesday , » -, If you wsnt to reach this clienteU'* there Is no t>etter medium, .r Rstes vsry lew . .;/ MICHIGAN FILM REVIEW J