The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-11-27
4 PICTURE PLAY.
Success Of Alexander Blacks
Miss Jerry as Read and
Photographed.

The picture play of Alexander Black,
presented by the author and illustrator
at the First Presbyterian Church last
night possesses all the merit of original
ity. Nothing like it has ever been at
tempted before. Mr.. Black, who is liter
airy editor of the Brooklyn Times" is
also an expert photographer. Some time
ago he conceived the idea of writing a
story, to be fully Illustrated by a series
of dissolving views. The result of his
labors is Miss jerry" the first picture
play to be produced, and the one which
delighted a large audience at the First
Presbyterian Church last night. From
the time the lecturer took the platform
until the lights were turned on again
there was not an uninteresting minute
The audience was completely wrapt up in
the action of the play and save for a few
manifestations of approval in the form OF
applause not a sound could be heard.
The play was illustrated as it's author
read it, by $50 scenes taken from life. The
poses were nfe-like and natural; there
was none of the stiffness that usually
characterizes photographs.
Miss Jerry is the daughter. of a miner
who has been lucky in his Colorado
mining ventures and has settled down in
New York to enjoy his income. Miss
Jerry, or Geraldine Holbrooke. who has
mining project on hand. She goes to Mr..
camp, becomes a prominent figure in
New York society. Her father meets with
reverses, and although he tries to keep
them from his daughters knowledge, she
divines the true state of things and de-
tarnnipac tn pjOa nm har p1V SOCletV life
and earn her living by reporting. She
applies for a position on the Dynamo"
a daily paper, and succeeds in p%ersuad-
ing the city editor, Walter Hamilton,
who is a young man n is susceptible
to her charms, to give her a trial. She
tells him that she is familiar with mining
life and he assigns her to interview j;
Sylvester Ward, who has lately arrived
in New York and who has some great
mining proect on hand. She goes to Mr..
Wards hotel, the Fifth Avenue, only to
find that he is out of town. she meets
him at a ball that night, however, n
gains much of the she mas
been instructed to procure. The next day
Ward calls to make a business propo-
sition to Mr.. Holbrooke, and while he is
waiting for her father Miss Jerry gets the
interview she wants. She goes to the
Dynamo" office and writes her copy.
1t is rather late at night before she gets
through and Hamilton, who stays over
hours to edit her story sees her home.
After that he is a frequent visitor at her
house. She receives a position on the
paper and enters on the regular routine
of a reporters life.
Among other things she is sent to
interview Mr.. Dunn in his tower on the
Equitable Building; inspects the Brook
Ign Bridge in the company OF ENGINEER
Martin, and ak railroad with Mr.. De-
pew in his Office at the Grand Central
station. These scenes are all Illustrated
with pictures from life, Mr.. Depew and
the other celebrities having posed for Mr..
Black in company with Miss Constance
Arthur, who portrays the character Oh
Miss Jerry" Among the scenes OF New
York which are produced are Broadway,
Fifth Avenue Hotel, Washington Square,
old Fifth avenue and Central Park.
Ward, the Spectator, and Hamilton, the
young newspaper man, botn make love
rejected and Hamilton is put off, He
is offered a position as London CORE
spondent of the Dynamo" He puts
off accepting it in the hope of winning
Miss Jerry as his wife. He learns that
Ward is a fraud and is about to ruin
Mr.. Rolbrooke. He warns the latter,
and saves him from being ruined com
pIeteiy. A woman who is dying in a
Cherry street howell sends for a reporter,
and Miss Jerry is sent to see her. she
hears the story of a woman VINO was
deserted by her husband, and learns that
that husband is Ward, who had accom-
her to that very house and was
even then waiting outside for her. While
the woman is telling her story, ara,
who has grown impatient, enters and
an affecting death scene ensues. Ham
ilton in the meantime, seeing Geraldine
in the of Ward, determines
TO accent the London position. Even as
he is deciding to do so Miss Jerry finds
Ward out in his true character. When
Hamilton calls to make a last appeal
10 her before leaving she accepts him,
and they decide to go to London to-
gether and take Mr.. Holbrooke, who
cleared himself of his connection
with Ward and whose fortunes nave
revived with them.
The play throughout is realistic, and it
is hard to believe that it is not being
really acted instead of pictured. The
opinion of the audience, as expressed on
ali sides. was that it was by far the
best thing that has ever been produced
in Jersey City.