ARCADIA PICTURES.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume XXIII, 20 November 1923, Page 7

ARCADIA PICTURES.

TO-NIGHT! TO-NIGHT! If there is anything to be told by titles, “Who Are My Parents?” should be filled with heart interest. This William Fox Corporation feature picture conies to the Arcadia Theatre next Monday and Tuesday. Here is monster screen drama which presents a problem of the ages, lb is a splendid photoplay that should appear to those who care for good clean dramatic material. The author of the story, “Mr X has worked with the single idea of holding the interest of the spectator from start to finish. To accom plish this he has diversified the action by the introduction of a number of appealing kiddie characters and given the many charming revelations of child nature. J. Searle Dawley who directed the picture, has brought in an amusing episode in which the kidnapping of the mother of a litter of puppies by the dog-catcher figures in a pathetically humorou? way. The picture also contains a pointed rebuke to the class of society women who refuse to present their husbands with a family of little ones, but have plenty of time to devote to a pet dog. Peggy Shaw, who was a former favourite with “Ziegfeld Follies,” has one of the leading roles. She appears as the true hearted daughter of a stern father who attempts to, stop her when she accepts the lave of a fine young ehap Florence Billings plays the elder sister who is devoted to her pet poodle, and Roger Lytton is the Colonel Lewis, the selfish, hard hearted parent. Other important parts were entrusted to Ernest Hilliard, Robert Agnew, Adelaide Prince, Niles Welch and Marie Rich ardt.

WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY: DOUGLAS MACLEAN IN “BELL BOY 13.” Douglas Mac Lean had to prove his nerve as well as his skill as h comedian during the filming of “Bell Boy 13.” Thomas 11. Ince’s latest comedy farce, which will be ■shown at the Arcadia theatre on Wednesday and Thursday. In the role of a young bond broker who tiirns bell hop when his uncle disinherits him, Mac Lean pulled several novel stunts that lend thrills as well as laughs to this original farce.

When the young ehap in the story is locked up by his uncle to prevent him from eloping, he calls out the fire department, borrows the chief’s car and drives at breakneck speed through the city, trying to catch the train on which his sweetheart is leav ing. A fire run actually was staged, with the co-operation of the fire department of Los Angeles, which is said to have broken all speed records Mac Lean needed all his skill as a driver and plenty of nerve besides to make his way through the troffic of the crowded streets of Los Angeles without killing someone or wrecking the ear of the fire chief, which he was driving. In another scene he had to climb out 011 a window ledge of one of San Francisco’s big hotels, where a number of the scenes were made. With tram ears clanging and autos honking on the street twelve stories below, “Bell Boy 13” makes his way along the ledge of bis sweetheart’s room, trying to locate suspicious souds of endearment that have emerged from the keyhole. Mac Lean’s courage was tried to the limit before the scene was finished and he afterwards .admitted that only the sight of the two photographers, who were standing on a painter’s scaffolding and grinding away as unconcernedly as if they were on the ground, kept him from backing out and demanding a double for the scene. “Bell Boy 13,” with its original story of modern hotel life told from the perspective of a bell hop, and its thrills interspersed with romance, is said to be one of the funniest farces yet produced.