New-York tribune., 1918-07-01
On the Screen
Charlie Ray and Mary Pick.
ford Seen in New
Film Plays
By Haywood Broun

Snaille nay Is one OF the best young
actors on the screen. He Is interest
ing, In comedy and more serious roles
as we'll. 1t is rather pity that he
mas the ability to do stunts on ton Of
al this, for he la gradually being
forced into competition with Douglas
FAIRBANKS. Now, young Mr.. Ray can
act rings around Fairbanks, but he
can't climb houses, jump gates or fight
gangsters half so we'll. We like him
pest IN straight parts, without any Of
the overfeverish action which is not
uncommon in the pictures.
=, The Claws Of the Hun" at the Rialto
this week gives Ray an opportunity to
act and also provides an ambitious pro
gramme of stunts. In one scene, for
instance, the hero, John Stanton, was
called upon to lick eight German plot
ters with one hand. This seemed fair
enough as a normal ratio for any good
two handed hero Is generally accepte d
at sixteen to one. The film is exciting.
although preposterous. We have sell
dom seen moving picture audience so
much worked up over the outcome of a
i1lm play as that in the Rialto yester-
day There were frequent shrill
whistles of encouragement, as we'll as
applause.
The film deals with n German plot to
blow up munitions plant. Young
John Stanton is suspected of being a
Stacker. because he has been thwarted
in his desire to enlist, by the illness
of his mother, who tells him that his
departure for war would kill her. How
ever, he soon has an opportunity of
proving his courage, for he discovers a
German plot by chance, and he i'm
mediately undertakes to foil it. There
is some little difficulty in this, for first
lie falls into the power of the Germans,
and they nearly mash one of his hand
off with letter press in an effort to
make him tell the combination of a
safe in which secret documents are
hidden.
Of course, he gets loose eventually,
and then the Germans begin to fall
Just before the happy ending he is
shot, but when he RECEIVERS conscious
ness, propped up in his bed, his father
brings him a letter which is marked
at the top "The White House." The
letter goes on to say that the President
has directed that letter be written
commencing him for his gallantry.
In spite of the "White House" We
knew right away that the letter was
not from the President himself. The
"May | not" was missing.
The realm of world happenings is
represented by pictures of the fighting
along the Piave. These are interest
ing and there are some particularly
brilliant ones of big guns in action.
Those Of infantry activity seemed
somewhat impaired by rather obvious
posing Tor the camera man. There are
also pictures of the game between the
navy and the army mines in England.
Admiral Sims is shown throwing out
the first ball. He is not good pitcher.
In spite of Il running start he was un-
able to do better than bounce the ball
across the plata. The new draft lot
tory IS shown, with Secretary Baker
drawing the first number
Mary Pickford is at the Strand, in
a pleasant rural comedy in which she
pretends to bo a cook and isn't. A
young fellow who pretends to be a
hired man and isn't falls in love with
her and they marry. That is about all
there is to the plot, although fire and
runaway Ford are introduced. The
comedy is pleasant and easy While it
is true that Miss Pickford plays COM
edy according to formula, her plan is
good one. She has genuine sense
OF humorous values and possesses a
more definite screen technique than
any other moving picture performer.
She knows so we'll how to get her ef-
fects that it is never necessary for
her to strain after them. She is we'll
supported by Casson Ferguson.
The programme also includes "Out-
whiting the Hum" a film from the
story of Carlotta Murillo, and "A Dam
CatastropheI' which is the seventh in
the series of Outing Chester Travel
Scenics.
The films at the Rivoli and the
Broadway will be reviewed in Tues