Wid's Filmdom (1920)

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Sunday, March 21, 1920 Wid? DAILYW ‘ se ER OTSA ELE TELE 220 9.08 eye First Half Poor, But Last Half Picks Up and Registers Good Comedy Owen Moore in “SOONER OR LATER?” Selznick—Select Bee GR) Dee rs CEE ire... Wesley Ruggles ty (OUR LS 4 SAR SS Lewis Allen Browne RUN PRL CIMES YW, eh, bos aie ee R. Cecil Smith Ree REPRE We so. as Sees os George Peters AS A WHOLE...... Good comedy idea that will get the laughs in good style after half-way mark is passed. CUR Wass « Rather slight plot and not enough complications to keep up the interest at first. PASO) Oot YO a Average Tse kh? BTCA W EES! 0) Se ae a Good DLC EEL TINGS) creamer eee. hs ELS: Satisfactory CP es BEW OR ee ee ca ees dle ee ens Good STAR ®..:.: Gets more over this time particularly in final sequence. SUPE O Rai. Gams Seena Owen makes pretty figure as opposite. PPh Pate OSS Cee ee ts Pr ds. ee se Sufficient DNS LO IN) eines Sede cue. Answer the purpose DETAIL E...: Faked moon and back-drop in final scene doesn’t matter a lot but real stuff on this order is easy to get. CHARACTER OF STORY...... Hero kidnaps wrong girl believing her wife of client who planned the act. LENGTH OF PRODUCTION...... About 4,850 feet “Sooner or Later” develops into a good comedy in its later reels—not soon enough to receive the full sized stamp of merit. After considerable introductory business which reveal small plot action and following a prolonged sequence showing hero and heroine motoring along a boulevard, they finally get down to some comedy horse-play that puts the last two reels over very well and serves to leave a good impression. The plot hinges on the mistaken identity trick and introduces a lawyer, Pat Murphy, commissioned by his client, Ellis, to kidnap his (Ellis’) wife, inasmuch as he believes her carrying on an affair with a theatrical producer. A lot of rather listless business is introduced to plant the fact that the heroine, Edith Ellis, has the same name as the client’s wife and lives in a town of the same name. So Pat kidnaps Edith and after the long motor journey lands her in his client’s home. At this point the comedy starts registering in good style and even though they employ a lot of slapstick gags to get it over it counts in the picture’s favor. Pat and Edith are alone in the house. Two burglars enter and a regular old Sennett chase through the rooms ensues. Eventually friends of both Edith’s arrive and the complications grow thicker when Pat, having torn his trousers, appears with his legs uncovered. The situations are of a pronounced burlesque character in this sequence but they are handled well and follow one another rapidly and register the scenes as really laughable. The only trouble is that the first half of the picture drags along without showing much of consequence or comedy. The long motor trip sequence is inexcusable and was evidently only used to fill up space. The star gets considerable business over in the last half when the situations and complications are there to help him out. His support includes Seena Owen as the girl and Clifford Gray as his client. The remaining players render average support. The direction is of average calibre. There are places where more comedy could have been introduced, it seems, but in general the work seems acceptable. Why they used the fake moon and backdrop for the final closeup is, however, not understandable for real stuff on this order is very easy to get. This One Ought to Get Over and Give Average Satisfaction Box Office Analysis for the Exhibitor It is to be regretted that the whole of this picture isn’t as good as its last two reels but as long as there had to be a weak half it is just as well that it is the first one. In this way, with the good stuff coming along at the end, the final impression on the audience is a good one. A short reel comedy and other light features should be used along with it and with this bolstering the feature could be made the center of a very attractive bill. Catch lines could read on the following order, “All men capitulate to women sooner or later—that’s something Pat Murphy didn’t know until—,” “He prided himself on never having fallen in love and then when the crash came it had to be a married woman—an unfaithful wife at that!” Use the star’s name and also state that Seena Owen is his leading lady for she is favorably known from her appearances with various male stars.