Wid's Filmdom (1920)

Sunday, August 22, 1920 Very Good Farce Comedy Interpreted by Strong Cast Tom Moore in SoLOP*THIE Re Goldwyn PUIG RO beteeniati ee... ss aes Harry Beaumont ELE 1S) lee terres Fy vs od ee Carlyle Moore SGN ai Oe Yor sa... oso. ae Charles Kenyon AEH NUA IN Bie 2025.5. eee Norbert Brodin PA SAE VVIELCY IS Histamine, cm sates Good farce-comedy ul Oe van oe Most of action takes place in one setting; complications may become slightly tiring at end aie BCD LONG ng Considering material excellent gd RC) Cy Te AN ba Vege eset cnc ee Se ‘Very good Br te N C35 meee gee. rg ace ee Satisfactory AS VETS ts POV ©) de Kaa a eee ae Very good SDA Seeman ia cc. ek Handles crook role satisfactorily Botte ta) rele oe Includes Raymond Hatton in good comedy role Beil ©. Smear ae i, eee eee Hardly any TNE RLO RS gee an Few besides one setting which is most satisfactory DD TEEN Ue eee ET EI hema rc sin, deen PR wee re ts Good CHAKAGR EKO HES LORY. 2... Complicated farce based on the “button, button who’s got the button” idea LENGTH OF PRODUCTION .... About 5,000 feet SsOpeeliiclsasea very. 200d jarce comedy. Its action is rapid, its complications profuse and well timed. It lacks variety, true enough, as each succes sive complication is merely a slightly different version of the one which preceded it, but all things considered, it hits a high pace at the start and keeps it up till the finish. The similarity of the action may cause some to tire toward the end but certainly it provides plenty of laughs for most of the way. Considering the fact that practically all the main action takes place in one setting, Director Beaumont has done an exceedingly fine job. He has had more than this difficulty to contend with too. There are many characters, all important, and introducing them and keeping them straight in the spectator’s mind was no small task. He has also employed good judgment in the timing and introducing of the many complications. The action gets away to a brisk and very funny start showing Jack Gougan and his pal, Snatcher Nell, plying their trade in a restaurant in order to get enough cash to pay the bill. After these few preliminaries the action shifts to the living room of the Carr mansion where a rehearsal for a wedding is in progress. Nell has entered the house as maid, while Jack comes later to see how she is getting on in securing the layout of the wedding presents. The crooks are about to make their getaway with the loot when first one principal of the wedding and then another surprises them. Detectives and police also enter the action and before a search is made Jack and Nell succeed in placing all the stolen loot on the wedding principals. In the end they are discovered but are let off on the plea that they were to be married and try the straight and narrow path. For a finale there is a triple wedding. Tom Moore appears as Jack and gives a good account of himself. There are others just as prominent as he including Hazel Daly as Nell, Raymond Hatton as the bridgegroom and Edward McWade as the absent minded father. Irene Rich, Molly Malone. Kate Lester, Harris Gordon, James O'Neil, John Lince and Lefty Flynn all do creditable work. Should Amuse All Audiences Box Office Analysis for the Exhibitor “Stop Thief,” several years ago, was a tremendously successiul stage farce and certainly it has been dimmed little during its transfer to the screen. It makes a picture that will register in a very satisfactory way before all audiences. Only at the end does it seem to tire but it keeps up a fine pace for most of the way and gets the laughs in fine fashion. In advertising this treat the subject lightly and endeavor to use lines that will suggest the farcical character of the plot. Tom Moore does some very good work here and it is also to be said that they have not played him up to the detriment of the various complications. There are many others who contribute just as much to the success of the picture and these should be mentioned, especially Raymond Hatton.