Wid's Filmdom (1921)

~ Some Short Reels The Jungle Goddess—Selig—Export & Import—State Rights Type of production. De t's sss 5s ed Oe eapter) serial Selig has made an animal serial which, judging from the start, has enough thrills produced from animal sequences to make even the hardest boiled fan admit it’s “there.” Selig has taken his zoo and hurled it right at the camera. The result is a profusion of lions, leopards, elephants, plus the trained apes, and other animals that will make the serial fan happy. There are several sequences that furnish a real thrill where the lions and leopards get into action, The first is where the lions are turned loose to see if they will destroy the little white child who drifts into the kingdom of wild Africans in a balloon, and the second is where a full grown leopard leaps on a jungle woman and hurls her to the ground. The first thrill in a way resembles that in ‘'Theodora,” where the lions prowl around the body of the prostrated hero. Only the little girl in her white dress seems a more compelling picture, and gets a lot more sympathy than with the animals after a grown man. The trained apes also appear to advantage and offer several good laughs, and the way in which an elephant guardian of the bathing pool hurls a huge rock upon the lions preventing the destruction of the hero will also make them sit up and take notice. The story is unusually good. It tells of what happens when a scientist, anxious to obtain a fortune, has the child who stands between him and the fortune kidnapped. She is thrown into an army balloon which drifts into the savage kingdom. There she is taken up as the White Goddess and remains so for 15 years, after which her childhood playmate comes to her rescue. What happens on the way back to civilization furnishes many of the thrills, not the least of which is where she is about to be smashed on the rocks of a whirlpool when she is saved by the trained ape swinging from a tree, This one looks like a money getter. “Fur Coat and Pants’—Star—Universal Type of production ...... SB ors oe et Oe ae ee 1 reel comedy The revolving wheel of the bookkeeper’s chair makes a very good put-and-take top, but the boss enters and cleans up the board. Bert Roach plays the boss and Ethel Teare is the girl in this mildiy amusing comedy. After the put-and-take introduction the business centers around a fur coat. Wirst, a blind man, mistakes the wearer of the coat for his dog and then the frankfurters on the stand become alive when the coat passes. In the end the dollar-a-week man comes to take the coat, but the girls in the office give him so many orders that he decides to let the girl keep it. The action is not very brisk and the gags only mildly entertaining. “The Wayward Dog”—Aesop’s Fables—Pathe bP VW REVOLE Or OGCtO 1). wir Sod Sataty ys 5. os ones 1 reel animated fable The cartoonist takes advantage of recent events and satires the Klu Klux Klan in his latest animated fable “The Wayward Dog.” The actors are all dogs and members of the canine branch of the Klan. A little lap dog is ignorant of this and is induced to help in a daring safe robbery. The robbers escape, but the little lap dog is caught which leads up to the well kncrwn moral that a man is known by the company he keeps. The animation work is amusing and humorous, and some of the action is very funny. Should do well as a program filler and will certainly get a laugh from the average audience. “Day’s Fun at Blackpool’—Kineto Review SERDE? Ole PLOMUeliGi mies AeA Se. . eat Meee oe te he 5G 1 reel novelty Four English comedians dressed in circus fashion visit Blackpool, which is the Coney Island of England, situated in Lancashire. not far from Liverpool. <A _ birds-eye view of the pleasure resort is shot from the tall tower. After the comedians. descend the fun begins. First they try to ride the donkeys, then they make a spectacle of themselves in a roller skating rink. On the scenic railway they become hilarious and engage in a little rough house. The comedy work is mild and simple, This number of Kineto Review would do well for special showings before children and for non-theatrical exhibition. “The Capture of the Canadian Lynx”’—Biil and Bob—Pathe Ge.) Ole DEOUUCTIONL cen Onn te os hate 1 reel adventure “The Capture of the Canadian Lynx” differs a little from the average Bill and Bob adventure reel, in that more attention has been paid to comedy work and not so much to the actual preparation of the trap for the animal. But the animal is captured just as in former productions, this time with the aid of a net into which he drops. The Lynx is then delivered to the zoo and the boys reap their money reward. The comedy work is supplied by the lady next door who has a pretty face but is terribly fat. The boys promise to take her to the beach, but when they see her dressed in her bathing suit they discover what they have let themselves in for. The last sub-title reads: “Are you sure she can swim?” The adventure and animal trapping is well done, and will hold the attention of the average audience. The comedy work will please for it is well done and contains some nice quiet humour, and offers a relief from the slap-stick variety. Movie Chat No. 72—Kineto TV PSs Ove rT ORNCTIONT ? Sete Oh, ters BOs 1 reel magazine Chemistry, biology and botany are the subjects featured in this educational number of the Movie Chat. The chemistry is simple though instructive, and the experiments are neatly executed. Carbon dioxide gas is produced from hydrochloric acid and washing soda. In another experiment the breaking up of water into hydrogen and oxygen by electricity is shown. Other experiments show the affinity of sodium for water and how magnesium, a metal, burns with a bright light. The biological section illustrates how the lamprey, an eel-like fish, preys upon its victims by attaching himself with his sucker shaped lips. The botanical section includes some pretty shots of the rapid budding of many varieties of flowers, The mava zine as a Whole is interesting and will hold the attention when run as a program filler. A splendid reel for non-theatrical showings,