New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-09-14
STAR REPORTER
HARD PRESSED
Interesting
Shown in Beatrice
Fairfax"
HARRY FOX IN
STELLAR FILM ROLE
Fourth Estate Laid Bare
to the Eyes of the
Curious.
By HAYWOOD BR0UN.


As soon as we saw Harry Fox
rervously arranging his pompadour
with his left hand and hastily hammer
ing out weather story with his right
forehnger we knew that the movie con-
cerned life in a great newspaper Office
Indeed the picture is called Beatrice
Fairfax" and It develops later on IN the
story that Miss Fairfax is an employe
Of ar evening publication.
Il seems she conducts a column. II
is not one Of these Consult re-
liable otolaryngologist" columns nor
vet a there is no premium on the coin
you mention department. Instead
Miss Fairfax is called upon 20 answer
the most intimate and perpleXing
problems concerning love and marriage.
The idea sounds like a good one, and
il might be well for some New YORK
newspaper 10 try Il.
However. we 20 too fast. The picture
begins with Harry Fox and the weather
story. He has hardly progressed as
far a. thousands hocked 20 the near
by beaches" when an office boy runs
Icketv-split across the room and says
the chief" wants TO see Harry, or
rather Jimmy Barton. as he Is called IN
the picture. The chief IS Just one
~ hose Dolite terms they call the city
editor when he's within hearing dis
lance. He informs his star reporter
thai no wants him 10 60 out and start
a campaign against the Black hand
gangs. OF course, he must disguise.
"%aturallv." SAYS Jimmy, and ne
PUSHES away 20 make up. lie nnds ms
own supply Of grease paint is low but
borrows a bit from neigh0orlng, re
porter. His disguise is competed IN
the wig room. which Is Just aDaft lne
sporting department After the Ora
matte critic has passed upon MS dla-
lect. he goes out 20 begin the campaign.
Disguise or no disguise, LIE goes on
pretty much the same for Jimmy. IN
search of material or local color or
something he goes 20 saloon ana
-akes two drinks. Still lacking a story
he horns into poker game IN we
backroom. But for his false mustache
and his false Italian tan he might nave
been a City Hall reporter.
4 good spaperman Is Jimmy ana
a came one He refuses 20 drop JACKS
and Fights when raised and the pot
nroves 10 be his. Then he makes
mistake. He reaches out for the chips.
That is customary enough, OF course.
but unfortunately he has made himself
mn only as far as the elbows and the
biackhsnders don't like u. A tight en-
sues. We've got this all mixed up now.
We forgot 20 say anything about the
secret panel or the room where tne
bombs are made or the letter Beatrice
Fairfax received from the VIE or the
Italian musician or the blind man OF
any OF that But as matter OF TACT
We lost the thread Of things Just aiter
the explosion. However, II comes out
all right. We knew It would. worry
lever nripped US for a moment The
poshblamed thing is q serial and there
isn't a chance in the world that any
bodv will kill either Harry Fox or
Grace Darling in the second episode.
The film folk who have framed the
inguirv as Anv Girl Safe are not
in search OF information. They know
very well that she isn't Il the director
amounts 70 anything and white slave
wave is on in town.
Hypocrisy as a rule IS not listed
among the attractive qualities Out we
have vet 10 observe any sH4"s 49,
amusing as the singular Impertlnence
which has presented the picture al the
Maxine Elliott Theatre in the form OIL
"a great moral lesson
Il seems that Paganini had soul
after all. at interested and amused
me TO read in your column THIS morn
ing the paragraph in which you quote
the objection courteous Of CORE
spondent who does not share IN your
opinion Of Paganini,' writes /. L.
your critic evidently does not know
that there seems 10 have been enough
soul in Paganinis music 20 inspire
such men "a Schumann and List 70
translate il into the piano idiom. The
very Kreisler whom your correspondent
extols found so much soul IN the
Caprice No. % by Paganinl that ne
plastered and primped It with empty
technical fireworks every time he per
formed il in public, and through that
d performance he gained MS chief
J triumphs as a virtuoso.
speaking BY the book, Il IS an es-
tablished fact that Paganlnl was the
creator Of modern violin playing. HIS
influence on the art - Incalcuiaole-
Without Paganini there would have
been no such players at lsaye ana
Krcisler"