Wid's Filmdom (1920)

Some Short Reels “Movie Madness”—Hall Rocm Boys Photoplays Utilizing the scheme of having a film burlesqued within this two reeler, they have turned out a corking production, one that ranks with the best turned out by this organization. It has a continuous ‘story and instead of the theme being incidental to the bits of business, the gags are made subordinate to the plot. This time the residents of the hall room become motion picture producers, enlisting the a’d of the wealthy father ofa girl struck with the craze of becoming a screen star. Of course the example of the cinema art that they turn out is atrocious and the result is the ejection of the perpetrators of the work from the girl’s home. They have inserted several funny incidents of which the one where the woman’s dress is caught on a nail and she assumes that the boys are holding it, stands out. Concluding it, there is also a clever bit of hokum and a prohibition gag bas also been put in. The laughs are numerous and the offering worth while. “Rubes and Romance”—Reelcraft Rubes appear frequently in this two reeler in which Alice Howell plays the stellar role, but romance is not one of its essentials. For the greater part, it consists of little more than an assortment of slapstick bits, a few of which are funny but most of which are not enough above the ordinary to enable this to score very solidly. Opening, the principal comedienne appears in a trick bed device, which scheme, while not new, for the start of a comedy is ludicrous. Thereafter this goes along at a fair pace. Fred J. Ireland and Dick Smith directed, the latter playing a featured role also. “Eard Cider’—Reelcraft Several fairly clever bits of business are included in this single reel knockabout comedy, starring Billy Franey. George Jeske directed and George Richter is responsible for the photography, but a good story was neglected, the finish especially being decidedly abrupt. Most of the comedy centers about some home brew Franey is manufacturing. The opening scene finds him, sleeping on a park bench, after which the action shifts to a rural store. There is one excellent scene—that in which Franey substitutes some moth balls for small crackers which one of the visitors is continuaily appropriating. It is certain to get a laugh and will help this. “Monkey Business”—Fox-Sunshine A very good concluding sequence puts this comedy over. Toy balloons are thought to have carried away a baby and deposited it on the rock out in the ocean. After various of the characters have made frantic efforts to effect a rescue it 1s discovered that the “baby” is a monkey. The rest of the picture contains a variety of gags but they don’t come along in the rapid style that has become the standard in this type of comedy. Director Eddie Cline has concentrated his camera more often on the limbs of the Sunshine bathing girls. A pretty sight, but there’s nothing funny about it “The Hasher”’—Reelcraft This Billy Franey single reeler is a continuation of laughs and as a result the comedy is likely to get over in great style in many houses. After going along smoothly for some time, however, it shows distinct signs of slowing up towards the conclusion. With some judicious cutting, the latter portion can be speeded up. Of course, burlesquing the west is nothing new in pictures, but here they have inserted several new scenes. The graveyard stuff, in. which Franey passes the burial places of various previous waiters, on his way to accept such a position, the manner in which he is propelled into the employment agency and other bits are up to the mark. “Barber Shop Gossip”’—Reelcraft In construction, this Milburn Moranti comedy is similar to some of the others in this series. In character it is also similar, the leading comedian putting over what is more or less the same type of stuff. Al Moranti directed and made a good piece of work of it. Most of the action represents the story being told by a barber to one ot his patrons, and the big laugh comes when the patron turns out to be the principal in the narrative. In a few places this needs editing, but as a whole is a commendable two reeler. . _“A Son of the North’—Universal Leonard Clapham, who essayed one of the heavy roles in a recently released Universal serial, is starred in this two reeler of the Canadian Northwest. The story employed is rather complicated for a production of this length, but is brimful of action and is featured by a fistic battle between Clapham and a mustached Canuck, who sports the customary name of Pierre. With the aid of heroine Virginia Faire’s father, who runs a tavern, the aforesaid Pierre attempts some cave-man stuff which ultimately leads up to a big scrap in the gin mill. They wind up just as they begin, with a pretty trailer, tinted unus ually well and showing a sunset scene. As a whole, a highly commendable little drama. “Twin Lizzies’—Universal Genuine hearty laughs of the sort needed to put a single reel comedy over are lacking in this production which fails to rise above the ordinary. A burlesqued villainous character is funny and presents a ludicrous spectacle perched high up in a number of telegraph wires, but otherwise there is little to recommend it. A number of flivvers are seen in the offering and some of the comedy is centered about the manner in which they are confused, and in that portion there is also some unintentional confusion caused among the spectators. This has no theme of real merit and situations of quality are also scarce. “Hesitatin’ ”—Universal Fewer thrills and more romantic material is to be found in Hoot Gibson’s western. Gibson is rather unhappy most of the time in this. He loves a fair lass and knows that he loves her as well as what to say and do, but is too self conscious to make a direct proposal. After several false starts, he decides that discretion is the better part of valor, writes a letter which results in a mix-up and after rounding up some horse thieves captures her affections. Some of it is distinctly “stagey,” especially the scene in which the letters are exchanged. As for Hoot, he may be no Lew Cody with the women, but that closing scene in which he woos and wins on horseback will satisfy his followers. Otherwise, this is just ordinary. Bray Pictograph, No. 440—Goldwyn A recently-born buffalo, camel, honey bear and deer occupy the opening section of this Bray reel. Seldom do animals on the screen fail to make a favorable impression and since these have been photographed nicely and the stuff is titled in interesting style, there is no reason why it should not score solidly. The following part is devoted to eulogizing Arthur Powell Davis, under the head “Master Minds of America.” Davis is a noted hydraulic engineer and is shown together with some of the structures for which he is responsible. The Travellers’ Aid Society’s work in assisting girls lured to the city is dealt with in the next-to-closing bit and a Jerry on the Job cartoon, wel animated and amusing although thoroughly foolish, concludes. “The Blind Man of Copperhead”—Universal Just what motive they had for turning out this two reeler is not very evident. It lacks love interest, has little appeal and for plausibility certainly does not rank very high. J. Farrel McDonald is the leading character—a man with a piercing glance that has made him hated by everyone in town. Ethel Ritchie, the good girl in the sleepy town, is the only one who shows him sympathy, but McDonald is peeved anyhow and decides to have his little revenge on the community. He surrounds himself with a group of villains and by force becomes the village's new mayor. That’s a new one! Holding up the mayor and deposing him certainly is original. McDonald does not rule long. A real bad man, his deputy, becomes too ardent in pressing his attentions in the direction of Miss Ritchie and is discharged. In return for being discharged the wicked man blinds McDonald and becomes the mayor himself. The people apparently are used to that sort of stuff for they don’t mind it very much. He of the piercing glance is taken in by the heroine and feels better after a while, although his vision is gone. Soon the town bad man enters the house and McDonald gets a strangle hold on him. In the struggle both lose their shirts. The villain is choked and everyone cheers the victor. Some melange of drama, that!