The sun., 1919-08-25
FOX HIS OWN RIVAL
IN BROADWAY FILMS
Puts On "Checkers" at Central
to Compete With ':Evange-
line" at 44th, Street.

line" at 44th, Street.
William Fox Is competing with him
self on Broadway, for yesterday he pre-
scented Checkers" at the Central Thea
tire in rivalry with his own "Evangeline"
and Kathleen Mavourneen" at the
Forty fourth Street. However, this film
version Of the famous stage play by
Henry NJ. Blossom has the distinction
over these other cinemas of being dubbed
Mr.. Fox's annual offering on the altar
of Broadway, in addition to the lure OF
its rapid fire thrills
For this Is a melodrama of the rush
ing type, so that the interest is kept
sprinting along with it constantly. Such
sizzling action is inevitable when a pic
ture has fights on the streets Of China
town and among the underground pas
sages of that domain of mystery; fights
on top Of freight car running wild that
10 eventually set burning and dumped
into river from a drawbridge; the res
cue OF the heroine and her race horse
from the IA 7,ing box car; the rescue OF
two men and a girl from a rowboat at
sea by a seaplane. and of course thrill
ing horse race to insure that Checkers
and his bride will have plenty OF money
on which to live happily ever afterward.
1t can readily be seen that the trap
drummer has busy time Of It with the
effects
Altogether it is a picture we'll worthy
of the lavish amount of money spent
on its production, and clearly carries out
its obvious moral that a race track tout
may be hero for a. that, since many a
noble heart beats quietly under loud
check suit. Thomas ]. Carrigan was
athletic and winning by turns as the
hero. and Jean Acker did wen by the
heroine-in fact arousing ones SYM
patty when sne was rescued by the sea-
plane, since she went aloft to the chilly
upper air clad only in a fiimsy kimono.
War Plot Peg Adjusted to Peace.
The Strand and the Rialto both
| demonstrate this week that peace has its
| stolen papers no less renowned than
war. Jack Pickford in a comedy by
Jack Dillon, Burglar by Proxy" at the
Strand, gets started into a whirl Of
trouble through being accused of the
theft OF valuable documents-wrong-
| fully. OF course, for how else would the
movie be started?
The deuce OF it is that the papers be-
| long to the only girls father. who sus-
poets the hero, though the papers actu-
| ally have been taken by a buccaneer in
diabolical moustache. has a craving for
the hand of the only girl. But tooth
ache and whiskey come to the rescue
of Jack Robin, and the young man,
despite prohibition scruples. is compelled
to take the one to cure the other-and
thereby out himself into the proper con-
dition to be used by a gang of profess
sional safe crackers as an amateur bur-
glar.
Not only lie he ordered at the point OF
| revolver to enter his sweetheart
home at nlght-which leads to con,
siderable embarrassment-but he I,
further embarrassed by one Of the crook,
who mistakes him for a second Jimm,
Vdle, tins and insists on following hin
| about among his society friends II
humble admiration. Eventually III,
young man has to try his hand at open
ing two safes and nearly blowing him
self up with nitro-glycerine before III
can rehabilitate himself with his honey
bunch and her Gather.
[ Jack Pickford, with the assistance o
a good cast, gave an amusing and per
suasive performance. particularly at tn
moment when he and his crook pal es
cape from the police without leavinl
; the room and '~'cr when he turns him
, self into a hero by describing how h
= vanquished a burglar and saved tn
Jewels which his sweetheart believes h
stole himself. Besides the usual topica
review. comedy and musical number
, there is an interesting educational pic
ture revealing how the Crow India
: warriors enjoy themselves doing nothin
tor living.
Young Composer Made A Hero.
At the Rialto 1t is the purloining @
a young composers opera in Hearts
l --A.G. M
Moore, with his engaging smile an
easy. offhand manner, plays attractivel
the part of the struggling musical geniu
| who must struggle through at least fou
). reels The daughter of a nohleman err
cages all his thoughts when they ar
r not distilling melodies for his uni1nishe
u opera, but she accepts the proposal {
J. another through one of those misundel
D. standings that sometimes happen in III
n movies as they do in real life.
It II is this rival who further disturb
the hero's equanimlty by making o
It with his operate score, but everythin
& is smoothed out In time for the gran
J. finale. The photodrama is based @
l. Charles Klein's play OF the same nam
J. and Helene Chadwick is among tho,
II who have done the directors biddir
n faithfully. Together with animate
cartoons and solo and orchestral one
ID inRS tnere is n sunshine COMEDY Wnlt
vibrates with Her First kiss
n Dorothy Gish skips into the Rive
n with Nobody Home" a comedy write
g by Lois Zellner around the fact that
80 belief in signs and omens still persis
.s among persons whose intelligence do
80 not otherwise seem at low ebb.
o Frances WGdsicorth MISS Gish is
le superstitious girl who is consulted
H. friend with regard to love ana
nc and upon discovering in the altman
r that Venus is In the ascendant, II
d. mediately decides that the heavens d
Is clare for an elopement. That's whe
everything goes wrong-except at I
finish.
Besides n Christie comedy, "Dangt
OF GUS Nan McGrew," and pictorial a
ne musical numbers there il n spec
40 Mutt and Jef" cartoon called sou
y Your A." for which the scenario W
u: written by Max Name. the drummer
Oh the Rivoli orchestra, after a lifetime
a study.