New-York tribune., 1919-12-08
On the Screen
s'Blind Husbands" at Capitol,
Is Effective Picture; Will
Rogers at the Strand

Aho AuSLlldH 11IoI WIN us rugged
crags and snow-capped mountains
makes a picturesque setting for the
story Of love and intrigue presented
at the Capitol Thester this week
"Blind Husbands" is an effective pic
ture. Scenically it is ARTISTIC and in
theme is reasonably true to life. Eric
Stroheim, who played the villain in
"The Heart of Humanity" wrote the
story, adapted it, directed it and plays
the part of the Austrian lieutenant
who tries to separate husband and
wife. Sam de Grasse does fine work
as DR.. Robert Armstrong, the Ameri-
can surgeon holidaying in the Alps,
who is 80 engrossed in his work that
he forgets his wife's craving for love
and attention. Francelia Ellington
makes satisfactory wife. While she
displays no great depth of feeling or
character in her acting, she is attrac-
tive and graceful and even wins some
sympathy although the odds are all
on her handsome husbands side.
Eric Stroheim does singularly
clever characterization Of the brutal,
overbearing but inwardly "yellow''
Austrian lieutenant.
The title Of the picture was orig
lnally "The Pinnacle" and it seems a
pity that this was changed, as it ad-
mirably suggests the broad sweep of
the story and its scenic and emotional
elevations. The most dramatic scene
IN the whole picture is staged on top
of pinnacle when the girls husband
and would-be lover hang between life
and death. In the end the villain
Won Steuben is dashed to death from
the mountain top which he swore he
would master. The husband returns
to the quaint little Alpine village with
a full realization that he has starved
his wife's affections and that he must
make it up to her when he returns
to America. The picture is dedicated
to Sepp lnnerkofler who died on Monte
Cristallo. 1t is production that will
delight the heart of the mountain
climber, the traveller and the seeker
after adventure
John Wenger, art director of the
Capitol, has arranged an effective and
colorful prologue that breathes the
spirit of the mountains and is more
or less of a requiem for the lives that
have been sacrificed in scaling them.
In picture entitled Toms Little
Star" prepared in aid of the Women's
Stage Relief. the following we'll known
broadwayites take part: Henry Miller,
Daniel Frohman, Otis Skinner, Florenz
Zlegfeld jr., Henry Hull, John W. Cope,
William Jefferson, Blanche Bates and
Constance Binney.
Will Rogers in a few short months
ho ,odn For
in the heart of film fans, but it will
take many, many long moons before the
dlftident Will can become even the most
commonplace of love makers. The de-
sire of directors, based they say, upon
popular demand for "heart interest,"
and the usual happy "close-upr ending,
usually forces Rogers and other film
stars as inadequately equipped in the
finesse and art of love making to Law
siege to the heart of some fair damsel
Why they always succeed is answered
only by the words popular demand"
This love interest" is the only
weak point in "Jubilo," the feature
this week at the Strand The film YER
by Ben Ames Williams, is thoroughly
interesting and consistent throughout
1t makes no histrionic demands upor
Rogers or the others in the cast, but
the story is unraveled gradually and
always with sufficient suspense to keer
attention riveted upon the story rather
than the actors.
Jubilo,. happy go-lucky tramp with
an excellent appetite, but an aversion
to work, stumbles upon train hold-up
and then upon a job on a ranch-ac-
cepting the latter mainly because of
the presence of "the girl" Jubilo's
gradual redemption and the clearing up
of the train robbery mystery furnish
the theme of the story. A couple of
rough and tumble fights, introduced
directly from the original story and
not merely to exploit Rogers, add bit
to the excitement when the story seems 8
to lag.
"Jubilo" teaches the lesson that hard
work and good appetite are boon com
panions.
Rogers is given excellent support bv
Josie Sedgwick, Bert Rocker and
Charles French.
"a Days Pleasure" is Charlie
Chaplin picture, full of laughs and ac-
ton.
A tabloid Of "Mlle Modiste," one of
the most tuneful of Victor Herbert's s
earlier efforts, gives Eldora Stanford a
chance to be heard in "If We're on the