The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1916-01-13
TONICHT'S FEAT
URE AT THE NIXON

Very seldom is so powerful a story
so ably produced and with such a re-
markable cast as the recent William
1 Fox photo-dramtaic success, Lady
Audley's Secret" which will be the
/ big feature film offering at the Nixon
opera house tonight The story is, of
course, very well known. the legitimate
production having had one of the
| longest runs of the season when it was
offered on Broadway. 1t is especially
/ noteworthy, also, that in this play
Theda Bara, of the Theater Antoine.
/ famous the world over for her re-
markably artistic Interpretation of the
Vampire woman in "A Fool There
Was" and The DEVILS Daughter" is
seen in part that exceeds in dramatic
possibilities anything that Miss Bara
has ever done before.
George Talboys, a wealthy young
man, has married Helen Devennant
(Theda Bara), the daughter of a dis
reputable, halfpay. lieutenant, on the
retired list of the English army. His
father disinherits him for marrying
against his wishes. forcing the young
couple to curtail their expensive hon
eymoon.
IN q snort ttoTBe iliiuS 0lHl-
self penniless, and living on the scant
bounty of his father-in-law. Daily
their situation grows worse. A child
is born to Helen. and the family ply
sician tells her that maternity has
always caused insanity among the
women of the Devennant family.
Rendered desperate by their situ-
alton, George goes to the Australian
g.. Ill
left alone with her child to fight off
the dread curse of insanity, finds her
position intolerable. She goes to Lon
don and obtains a position as secre-
tary to a physician, under an assumed
name. There Sir Michael Audley
meets and falls in love with her. Not
knowing whether George is alive or
dead, she marries him, without telling
him that she has been married before.
She also causes a death notice of her
self to be inserted in the papers.
In the meanwhile, after many disap-
pointments. George and the Australian
have struck IL rich" Joyfully an
ticipating his homecoming, George
sets out FOR England. He arrives al
his father-in-law's home, only TO be
greeted with the news that the wo-
man he had sacrificed all for is dead.
Heartbroken. he goes to London. where
he meets an old friend, Robert Aud
ley, nephew of Sir Michael. Wishing
TO distract Georges attention from
his grief, Robert invites him down to
his uncle's estate for some shooting.
| lie teIegraphs his uncle that he is
coming with George. and Helen. now
Lady Audley sees the telegram. She
sees the result of her deceit. the break
| ing up of her home with Sir Michael.
whom she has learned to love devoted
| ly Desperately. she casts about for
some excuse to prevent their coming.
She feigns illness, but the friends ar
rive and stop at the inn in the village.
The next morning, in taking a walk,
George comes upon his wife. She at
tempts to run away, but he has recog-
nized her and catches her at the brink
Of well. He demands an eXplana-
tion and she tells him all. Outraged,
he insists that she return with him at
once. She refuses and he attempts to
force her to accompany him. At that
moment something seems to snap in
her brain. She becomes a wild woman.
and with q more than human strength.
hurls him from her into the we'll. She
believes that no one has witnessed the
deed. but one Of the villagers was
present and soon after her departure
he drags George from the well.
Arthur. of course, soon misses his
friend and institutes an unsuccessful
search for him. Lady Audley, with
the weight of this crime on her mind.
becomes unbalanced. She imagines
that everybody suspects her and finally
arouses Arthur's suspicious. He ac-
cuses of her knowing something about
his friends disappearance. In her
madness she confesses all.
During her wild outburst to Arthur.
Sir Michael enters unobserved and
hears all. AS she finished her confess
sion. she turns and perceives him
With a wild shrek she drops uncon-
scious.
From this point on. the story is
without let up in its dramatic in
tensity. The role of Helen. with its
big scenes where she goes insane
and throws George down the well, and
when she wildly confesses to Robert
IS tremendous in its throbbing drama
Probably not another artist could have
portrayed the part of the mady Lady
Audley with such thrilling effect as
does Theda Bara. This photo-drama
win undoubtedly be hailed as the
crowning achievement of that remark
able French actress.