New-York tribune., 1919-09-01
On the Screen
Sense of Humor Is Lacking in
"Ihe Right to Happiness"
at the Park Theatre

man without a sense of humor OF
course the subject is not a humorous
one' but, as our favorite dramatic critic
ana oook reviewer says, "a mans sense
OF humor is apparent not so much in
what he does as in what it prevents
him from doing"
Dorothy Phillips, charming young
actress with beauty and talent. was
seen In dual role-two sisters. No.
one Of them was not good and one
oad-0oth were mistaken. along en-
tlrely different lines, however. and
both lived to see the light and die in
each others arms-or, rather, Sonia
died in Vivian's arms, incredible as it
may sound. And we hope this double
exposure isn't going to il the plot
for those who see it. From the frst
though, Sonia had no chance. She had
to die, because she was a Red.
The story has to convince you that
the classes are all wrong and that the
masses are all right, but it has also to
convince the masses that their cause
may be won by love-that they are to
forgive the classes, "for they know not
what they do"
So, after this, if your jantor leaves
your ice in the basement all day instead
OF putting it in the icebox. don't tel!
him that you'll cut off his s. month,
but go and call on his wife and tell her
the new baby is beauty.
A certain Mr. Hardcastle is residing
in Russia. In an uprising in 1898 his
home is burned and he believes one Of
! his twin daughters, Sonia, has ber.
ished in the flames. With the other,
Vivian, he leaves for America, and he
rears his child in luxury. She is de-
cldedly spoiled and has selected for
her hancea young man named Monte
who is one reason why the reds wanted
to wipe out the classes.
Sonia is rescued by a family Of peas
ants and lives in Russia until the great
war, when she comes to America to
spread her doctrine here. She leads
the strikes to her own fathers door
and in defending her sister she re-
ceives bullet in her heart, or near
enough her heart to end her life after
she has been carried into the house
and everything cleared up.
And after that Vivian married Will
lam Stowel, her fathers foreman in
the mill, and Robert Anderson, Sonia S
slave, was left to wander on the face
! VI lUc cdItN unCOHl OTleU. | MS was
too bad, as he did much the best WORK
in the picture
Nothing has been spared in the pres
cntation. s. L. Rothapfel put the pic
ture on, with John Nengcr to furnish
the stage settings. There are a Russ ian
quartet and a Russian orchestra and
prologue. which is also strictly Rus
sian and which served to put one in
a proper and melancholy frame of mind
for the picture. Only the picture dir
not maintain the illusion 1t was too
apparently the hammerine, home of an
idea, and not once did the laborer prove
unworthy Of his hire.
Billie Burke is at the Ralto in d
screen version of "Billeted," which
Frances Marion has called The Mis-
leading Widow"
The play we did not see, but it would
be difficult to find a misleading widow
with whom one would SO gladly be bill
leted. The part is not unlike that Of
Annabelle in Good Gracious Anna
! BELLE" for all OF the misleading wild
ow's trouble comes because she does
I not know how to keep her bank account
straight. 1t is an amusing little come
dy, with Miss Burke doing all OF her
/ pretty, nim table tricks.
James l.. Crane is the truant hus-
band, though Frank Mills runs him a
friend Of the familv. This part is
nicely played by Madeline Claire. Fred
Hearn makes the Reverend Ambrose
Liptrott appealiHgly bucolic. J. s.
Robertson directed the picture
Come Watch With Me the Passing
Night is Post Nature Picture, with
special vocal accompaniment. There
are the Riato Magazine and Il "Happy
Hooligan" cartoon. Marie Osborne is
seen in Baby Marie's Round up"
Marguerite No.avy is heard render
ing the First Movement Concerto in \
minor on the Ampico reproducing
piano. The overture is Liszt's Ideals,
ard the light opera number is Victor
Her5ert's weetheart,' with a solo by
Gertrude Early.
"The Valley of the Giants has
nothing to do with baseball, as we sup
po ;ed We went to the Rivoli yester-
day all prepared to see Wallie Reid
in the role of a popular southpaw, who
finally won the baseball magnate's
daughter for his bride,
valley out in California. and the giants
are the redwood trees of that state.
Wallace Reid as Bryce Cardigan, in
herits the valley from his father, but
he certainly has the devils own time
holding it against marauders.
Mr.. Reid had the good sense, how
ever, to select Grace Darmond for his
leading woman, and she is not only
beautiful but she is brainy; SO when
you weren't enjoying her good looks
you were marvelling at her resource
fulness.
Buck Ogilvy is nice press agent
(oh, yes. there areD who appears at
the psych hological moment ana helps
Bryce build a rival railroad the orig
inal one being owned by the girl )
uncle, who is incidentally trying to
cheat Bryce out of his valley Of the
giants.
There are plenty OF comedy scenes,
with Ogden Crane, the pompous Mayor,
and Speed Hanson, his foolish son,
and some wonderful night scenes where
the rival gang is laying a railroad
across the original road
Others in the cast are Charles Ogle,
Ralph Lewis, Kay Laurel, Hart Hoxie,