Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-09-09

THE GALLoPER-From the farce by Rich
ard Harding Davis Scenario by George Seitz.
Produced by Donald Mackenzie Five-part
Pathe Gold Rooster film. Released Sep
Copeland Schuyler, millionaire malefaetor Of
Kirke Warren. sailoper and war cor correspond
Blanche Bailey. Red Cross nurse,
Grace Whitney, in pursuit of wealth,
syb Schwartz brewery Queen hhyS Jessis Raph
Captain o'Malley, Of the Foreign Legion,
The Mysterious Unknown. .... David Burton
In Clifton Crawford the films have won
a valuable recruit. He brings over in
The Galloper" large part of that very
original sense of humor which has al
ways distinguished him in the theatre.
With his cocky little hat and his perky
little manner, he jerks through this new
Pathe film leaving a wake of laughter.
His sudden turns of mind, his naive self
possession and a dozen quirks and details
of expressive action make his career as a
fake war correspondent quite as funny as
his adventures in THE Peasant Girr last
winter. 1t is good clean, intelligent
clowning, thing the films can't get too
much Of
With Mr.. Crawford as the principal butt
of fate, THE Gallopper" might have loped
along easily. In addition, 1t has charming
Rhys Alexander and piquant Fania Mar
inof, Melville Stewart and Jessie Ralph
at their best, and a very skilful new
conner, David Burton.
The plot of Richard Harding Davis
farce comes out much better on the screen
than it did on the stage when Raymond
Hitchcock played Mr.. Crawford's part. A
dozen short scenes, all entertaining in
themselves, replace the exposition which
/ f1r lot. rf,lyo UYar
war correspondent. ran away from the
journalistic front in the Balkans. Pretty
Miss Alexander, as an army nurse in
search of buried treasure, is reason
enough why Cope" Schuyler (Clifton
Crawford) should take his place. The
cued as well as difficulties over Warren's
sweethearts, past and to come, keep
things going merrily till a lucky acct
dent discloses the buried treasure.
Mr.. Crawford does his best work in the
scene depicting the preparations for his
execution. He stages score of amusing
whimsicalities to delay thSe firing squad.
He argues. He objects. He shakes hands
with the sergeant. He declares that the
grave of a fellow victim is too short and
insists on its enlargement. He demands
a salute, and argues with a trooper who
doesn't do 1t to his satisfaction. He
takes half a dozen unsoldierly attitudes
in which no self-respecting firing squad
could possibly execute a man. 1t Is a
safe bet that half this amusing business"
is Mr.. Crawford's own invention.
THE Galloper" will be shown at the
Arcadia Friday and Saturday.
Charles Chaplin has received word from
England that in the photoplay popularity
contest recently held there he was first in
the list receiving almost 800 900 more
aria
also is paying munitions wages to see the
American comedian.
While there may be nothing new under
the sun, the old saying goes, Vitagraph
Director Harry Davenport demonstrated
conclusively the fact that there was some
thing new in motion pictures in his pro-
duction of the Blue Ribbon feature. 1.-THE
Making over of Godfrey Manning" The
manuscript called for factory fire scene,
and stated it would be a good idea to
show the way the fire started Director
Davenport In his search for realism in a
picture replete with sensational scenes
conceived the idea of having the fire
originate by rats gnawing matches
Aware of the fact. 1t would be next to i'm
possible to train ordinary rodents to do
his bidding in daylight and especially in
front of the few persons necessary for the
filming of such a scene Mr.. Davenport
was stumped for time. A friend sug-
gested the use of tame white rats, but
white rats will not register as the ordi-
nary kind. Why not dye them gray?
The problem was solved.
A shelf, with a number of cans filled
with gasoline. pierced with small holes,
a pile of waste under them and a box
OF matches carelessly dropped over the
waste, a little cheese rubbed over the
heads OF the matches and the scene was
set At a word from Mr.. Davenport, the
rats were released and. true to their in
stinct, made directly for the cheese. A
crunch on the head OF a match and the
fire was started.
There have been newspaper reports of
fires originating in this manner, but their
descriptions have been tame compared TO
the vivid realism as depicted in the Wis
ualization on this film. AS far as can be
ascertained, 1t is the first time a similar
scene has ever been attempted in motion
pictures.