WHAT THE MOVIES ARE DOING

Free Lance, Volume XVI, Issue 847, 29 September 1916, Page 9

WHAT THE MOVIES ARE DOING

MOVING PICTUBE ATTRACTIONS. Everybody's—" The Secret Orchard !' The King's— " The Bugle Gail " I Empress—" The Fireman " Crown—*' The Plunderer " "The Plunderer.!' OF - special interest to Wellington movie patrons, is the announcement that the fine Fox feature films will make their first appearance on. a local screen at the Crown Theatre, Moleswortb-street,' on Monday evening .next. The Crown Theatre Management have secured the exclusive right for the first ' screening of . these Fox films in Wellington. William Fox, the .producer, owns and controls no less than twenty-seven picture theatres in New York alone, and he guarantees that every film he turns out is a "winner" And has been tested in his own theatres before screened elsewhere. Any picture not a. success in 'his .own .theatres is "shelved." He only produces features -of the first quality. ✓. The following are some of the Fox' photo-plays' that have been secured for the Grown Theatre: — "Carmen" (featuring Theda Bara), "Fedora," (in which Nance O'Neill plays the title role), "The Walls of , Jericho." "The Plunderer," etc. * .. ■ '* . . ■ * ' *" . • The first screening ; Avill .be' "The. "Plunderer." A member of the Free liANCB .staff saw tliis film screened in Sydney, and he speaks of it in high terms. He states that it is a picture not to be, missed. "The" Plunderer", features David Farnum, a prominent American actor, whose name is almost a household word in Uncle- Sam's land. He is known to the insurance- companies as being one of the most . heavily-in-sured men in' the whole of the States. He is the idol of matinee-goers, and played the original role of Ben Hur, and drew audiences up to 15,000 people at the. famous Knickerbocker Theatre,. Strand, New York., His popularity will. extend to New Zealand after picturegoers have seen a number of his films produced under the William Fox management Don't forget "The PlundeVer" Crown Theatre next week! * * . . # * King's Theatre. The usual high standard of pictures screened at the King's Theare is well maintained this week. The feature film is entitled "At Bay," a fine Pathe drama, and supporting it are some of the most interesting war pictures shown to date. MAt Bay" features Florence Reed and Charles Waldron, the clever American actor, who visited New Zealand sOme years ago the head of ' a JV C Williamson Dramatic Company in "The Squaw Man" and other plays. Both he and. Miss Reed are seen to great advantage in "At Bay." The : war topicals are- an exceptionally interesting lot. some views in the French firing-line being taken as recently as 'last July. One particularly interesting view shows German prisoners with hands above their heads running into the French lines delivering themselves up. Then the "Pathe Gazette," also as interesting as ever, shows French ironclads "in heavy weather in. the Mediterranean. Altogether a fine programme. . "He acted like a' man, looked like a real boy, and after it was over wanted to know if he could have that bugle to keep and- also the soldier's suit," said Thomas H; Ince of\ William Collier, juri., the 15-year-old boy who takes the star part in "The Bugle Call," a breezy story of.,.the open that opens at

The King's Theatre, to-m'orrow (Saturday) afternoon, and which will he repeated again at night and all next week, with a special matinee on Wednesday. As the hoy whose mother had dieel three years before, he objects to his father marrying again, and refuses to have anything to do with the new mother. But' life on a milita'ry post in the early days of American history was not all make-believe, and . when his father was called away to quell the Indian rising -the new mother was left" in his charge. There is no sign of nery- ' onsness about his work. He is just the ordinary wholesome boy,- who is very indignant with the old sergeant for telling him that he cannot blow his bugle, and for revenge turns the whole post out on a false alarm. .'On the night of the, wedding he leaves the crowd and goes away down to the stable to confide his worries to his pony and his pup. . Despite the fact that he is taking a star part, lie is still only a boy, and is. the pet of the studio. Likewise, he is a. son of Willie Collier, the famous American comedian, who has lately joined the Triangle studios. " . ■ ' < '.•-■■"■ -*, : * -* * Everybody's. "The White Hope"-'' has proved a strong attraction at Everybody's this week. Adapted from the book of the same name, it relates the love-affairs in most interesting fashion of Jack Delane, who becomes, the .middle-weight boxing champion-of the world, defeating George Gunther, the coloured holder of the championship. The actual views of the fight are probably "the clearest and most vivid fight pictures yet screened in Wellington. Stewart Rome, the popular English actor, makes a fine hero. ' The supplementary series of pictures are also well worth seeing. * * * •*• Blanche Sweet at Everybody's. The popular Blanche Sweet . is starred in - "The Secret Orchaiyl," a very successful Lasky feature- film to be screened at Everybody's for the week commencing to-morrow (Saturday) at noon. 'The story is a novel one, abounding in dramatic incidents. A girl is brought up in a convent, and is left an orphan. A duchess adopts her, and everything in the orchard is couleur de rose until a little piece, of the past crops up and causes trouhle for the girl who, by the way, is and always has been, the soul of innocence. There are (credible complications by the bushel, and about as much trouble comes along . as any good girl can afford to be bothered with. It.cheers you to-know that the girl (Blanche Sweet} wins out and snatches a taste of happiness after the hubbub. The usual choice assortment of supporting pictures will also be screened. , - - ' -..■-...*• •» * «■ Chaplin at the Empress. • "The Fireman," with Charles Chaplin in" the lead,, will be the star attraction i at the Empress this week, and up till Friday, the 29th inst. It is the latest farce-comedy "from the Mutual ComCritics agree that "The. Fireman" is the- cleverest and funniest tiling that the inimitable comedian has --. ever done, and it is without the slightest trace of vulgarity. The laughing begins as soon as Charlie joints the fire brigade,, which is soon after the picture/starts, and it grows into a hurricane of laughs till the great climax, wheer Charles steals the first chief's girl and marries her' against all opposition. « » '• « On the same programme will be shown "Chimmie Fadden," a Para-

mount Company's star comedy-drama-—a story of smiles and tears. Ghimmie Fad- 1 den is the son of an Irishwoman. She has another son, who is led away by a French- burglar. How Chinrmie rises to affluence and. saves his brother from imprisonment and keeps the knowledge of his brother's crime from'. his mother forms the plot.

'Fitting Shakespeare's "Macbeth" for v .the cinema cost a'solid £25.000. Now the'operators are afraid they won't get' ' their money back. ■» * •»■ . * • The Ideal Film Company, of London, \ has secured Ellen Terry for a picture play. Sarah Bernhardt is now being filmed in Paris in a- patriotic piece. '..'■,-. •* * * — N The Wednesday matinees at TheKing's &re becoming very popular, es--1 pecially with mothers of young children and with elderly folk who find it dimcult to get out at night. There, is , plenty of room for go-carts, and before now Manager Latham has been seen ' nursing a tempestuous baby while the mother enjoys the show. ■ •'.;*. * *, . »■•'■* ■ Edison has made a single reed film play which.is to be used in ,a crusade against impure milk. The name of the lacteal drama is "The Trump Card," ■'""..and. its purpose is to call attention to the danger of msing milk, in' which the animal, life has not been stilled. •■■■.*-.• •» • • •- '~..■" Criticising a filnivwhich he regarded as common-place:, a Chicago writer put : . the query, "Why waste so much celluloid when there's such a demand for washing collars?" •» ,* ■ * * On" the 20th June Donald Rayburn, ;. scenario editor of the American Film 1 Co., and George L. Sargent, a director at the same studios, motored from Santa [Barbara to Los Angeles to see the pre- '. miere of ''The Fall of a Nation," for which Sargent had directed the battle scenes. As they .were journeying home . again tdong the State highway, Sargent turned the" wheel over to Rayburn ■ while he reached tG the rear for some sandwiches., The machine swerved, and; ; •";■' struck a telegraph pole, throwing Rayburn against it. He was killed instantly , and Sargent was severely cut and bruised. ' • .A IP,OOO mile jaunt to Hawaii and,.■ Japan' is to be taken by Director J. P. M'Gowan, Helen Holmes, and a number of other members-of the cast, in ■' order to obtain realistic exterior. scenes for "The Diamond Runners," a forthcoming Signal-Mutual five-part feature. film, in which Miss Holmes will star. Here's a hint for local rjicture-producers. ," ' * . .'; * ■ * '"; * A prominent American theatrical says that a few years ago there were over 12,000 chorus girls employed throughout the U.S.A.; but this number has rapidly diminished,' many having been tempt-" - •'" ed by the regular and permanent 'positions, at the ' motion-picture studios. Some of them have become ' 'leads," and others are also drawing good salaries in stock companies, and enjoy ,the comfort of bungalow homes. .';,'■. ■'"'■■,'..,•'«, * •» ■'. © : Despite the fact that William Desmond and Bessie Barriscale have become one *of; the most popular of Tri- . anglefs photo-playing teams, they will go to different companies . after they -■ have finished their next production."The Sorrows of Love." Arthur Shir-' /ley, the'- Australian actor, who has broken into the film game in America, ; has been engaged as Miss Barris'eale's pleading man for future" productions, but there has not been any announcement so far concerning Desmond's new lead^-

ing lady. He will, however, remain with Triangle.

. Enter the motion' picture news weekly as/,the finder of soldiers reported : missing.. The . Pathe Gazette recently was the means of restoring to his family a soldier who was on the missing list foxmonths and who was believed to be dead. The Gazette showed some pictures; of wounded soldiers, and the lost man was identified, on the screen by one of his friends. He was traced to the hospital, where it was learned that a wound in the head hai deprived him of his memory so that he had even forgotten his name and was known only by a nxxmher. •" ' '•. .