New-York tribune., 1919-12-29
On the Screen
New Fairbanks Film at Rivoli
of Monumental Achievement
in Nonsense
By Harriette Underhill

Douglas Fairbanks's new picture at
the Rivoli is monumental achieve
ment in nonsense. 1t refuses to be
classified. 1t has something to offer to
every one. Those who like slapstick,
those who like farce, those who love
suspense, those who revel in stunts
and even those who insist on romance
will like when the Clouds Roll By"
On yes, we must not forget to include
those who think you won't be married
this year if you fall upstairs and break
your neck, or that it is bad luck to
have a motorhearse run over you, for
the new picture is founded on the art
of superstition.
The story is by Douglas himself, in
person, and perhaps that is why it
really is entirely different from any
other story that ever has been done
on the screen. At least the cause is
different, even if the effect is the same
The motive matters not so much if it
makes Douglas smile and smile and be
an athlete.
There is a Doctor Metz in the story
In fact he opens the thing by appear
ing at lecture and stating that for
many years guinea pigs and rabbits
have been used for experimental pur-
poses and that he has decided to sacri-
flee a human for the sake of science
He Will prove, he says, that a man may
be persuaded by the power of sugges-
tion to believe anything and that he
may even be induced to kill himself.
The man he has selected is Daniel
Boone Brown, In other words Douglas
Fairbanks. The hero is introduced at
a midnight repast, at which his valet
feeds him raw onions, broiled lobster
Welsh rarebit, mince pie and coffee.
Strange to say his dreams are per-
turbed ones and yet the stuff his
dreams are made of is familiar stuff.
There is the one about floating in the
air and the one about walking on the
ceiling, and of course the one about
attending party and then discovering
that you have forgotten to put on your
clothes.
Doug Fairbanks can do most any
thing, but he can't walk on the ceiling,
and we should like to know how this
one is done. Perhaps it is possible to
turn the picture upside down or some
thing.
Ali of this is a part of the plot of
the villainous DR.. Metz to weaken the
resistance Of his victim. He has a
chart with Daniel Boone Browns brain
marked off into little sections, and he
puts cross on the chart as he intro
duces new elements in the plot to drive
his victim mad.
The author himself seems to have
taken this part of it seriously, al
though no one believed it was going
20 be anything more than a chance to
do some more stunts. But he really
does 60 mad when the doctor finally
introduces jealousy. And this brings
US to the girl She is Lucette Bancroft
attractively played by Kathleen Cliff
FORD. Humor at last rushes in and puts
Reason back on her throne, and then
Daniel pursues the villain and the
roof of a house floating around in a
food. The minister has taken refuge
on the roof Of his church.
The couple have wedding supper on
a captured watermelon and say they'll
be happy when the clouds roll by.
The picture is the best that Fair
banks has done since the early days
when he used to have his picture in
the paper and get ''in again out
again" You feel like exclamng
you have come back to NE, Douglas
Douglas."
There is a Mack Sonnet comedy
The Speakeasy' the Rivol Pictorial
and a lovely Paramount Post picture
Memory Lane" There are also some
fascinating pictures Of the coral
garden taken underseas.
Emanuel List sang Down Deep
Within the Cellar" The music is
reminiscent of Long, Long Ago" and
as the scene showed the singer within
the cellar, seated in front of a kcg
and holding a large stein, the moment
was a tense one When. at the end
of the song he raised the stein and
drank deeply and with evident relish
there wasn't a dry eye in the theatcr
The overture is "il Guarnay,' aud
there is most effective dance called
Snowflurry.'