New-York tribune., 1920-12-28
On the Screen
Douglas MacLean in Delightful
Comedy, ''T'he Rockies
Return." at Rialto
By Harriette Underhill

By Harriette Underhill
"The Rockies Return" marks the
return of Douglas MacLcan to the
Rialto, and We have come to look for
ward to his visits as we do to those
of Charlie Ray. --acLean is one OF
those personality persons who can
make any story entertaining. The
new picture has many amusing incl
dents and, fortunately, the thread Of
IT,. story is of silken floss and not Of
pack thread. Successful screen
comedies are made up Of trfes light
as air. 1t is a Thomas Ince produc-
ticn--director name not on the pro-
gram-but, whoever he is, he has made
delightful picture. We wish to
speak especially of the work of Frank
Currier as Dad, a financier with
tn heart of detective. He gives a
delightful performance. Doris May is
also charming as Alicia. Douglas Mac
Lean is the rookie. He returns with
enough money to fit himself out with
cts and $40 left over. An enter
prising book agent manages to sell him
eight books, called "Twenty Thousand
Things You Ought to Know" for the
retail for 50 each. At the end of a
hard day Rookie Lee returns to the
agent and says "There is one more
thing you ought to know, and that is
tlat | can't sell these books"
That is only the beginning of the
story, but you know from there on
you're going to like it because the peo-
pie in it are so human that Won don't
care what the plot is The continuity
and the titles are excellent. The
story, and we IS; ume the titles also
are done by Arthur McMackin.
,.,,i Inc comedy is Sunshine called
THE Slicker." There are also on the
picture program Post nature scenic
sailed sails ottauquechee Valley and the
Rlalto Magazine. The overture is
"The Merry Wives of Windsor"
Emanuel List sings 81 Want What I
Want When I Want It." by Victor Her
bert, and Mary Fabrian is heard in the
Jewel Song" from Faust"
lhere IS also fantasy called "Christ-
mas Eve in Toy Shop" Lack Of stage
room makes it impossible to do such
things at the Rialto as elaborstelv as
at the Rivoli. but it is very effective
,Thalia zanou and Vera Myers are seen
in it.
Very little remains to be told of the
picture at the Strand, after cne learns
that it is called "Nineteen and Phvllis"
and that the star is Charles Ray.
Even in his funniest moments, or
perhaps then more than at any othe
time, Charlie Ray is pathetic That is
why every one loves him. He is one
~ those heroes who always get the
worst of it right up to the last and
then good fortune smiles on him. So
natural and lovaDle is Ray that we are
always ashamed to laugh when he
spoiis his new silk hat that he has
gone in debt for so deeply that he
avs, with some trepidation, at will be
-94o before I'm all square, While we
think that we liked "Pea .eful Valley"
better than the present vehicle, still
nineteen and Phyllis" is good fun.
and it doesn't lag at ali until right
near the end, after Andrew Jackson
Cavanaugh has caught his burglar.
Personally we couldn't see what
there was about Phyllis TO cause such
hearth and tnroes of jealousy.
But then first loves never do amount
to much anyway. We find this out.
however, only when we meet them
twenty years after. Andrew Jackson
and Phyllis typify youth and, of
course, there is always rival.
In this case he was the fat and pam
oered son of old man Long, who kept
the feed store. Jimmy owned the only
roadster and the only dress suit in
town. Andrew was the bookkeeper in
in old man Longs FEED store at a
weekly stipend Of SIS.
But there was a reward Of 81 900 out
for the capture of band t. 50 An
drew gave up his dancing and his
stroll.ng and set out to catch the ban
dit. He never did catch up with him,
but one night the bandit inadvertently
caught up with Andrew and so the
81 000 was his.
The picture is remarkably we'll acted
and we'll directed and the titles are
good. The plot seemed just about tc
run out when the end came But it
was a good tn ng that it didn't call fol
another reel, for, even as it was, the
end appeared to be a bit diluted.
Lincoln Slidman was very good as
the fat boy; Clara Horton was seen as
PLY His.
There is Al elaborate Christmas pro
gram beginning with "Yuletide Tone
| Poem" by the Symphony Orchestra
with Carl Edouarde conducting. Thcl
comes "a Yuletide Fro'ic" in foul
scenes, presented by Estelle Carey
Joseph Martel and the male quartet.
Redferne Hollinshead sings For 70,
Alone" On the picture program il
one of those wonderful Booth Tarking
ton comedies. This one is EDGAR
Little Saw" There also is a SEMI
called 81 ost a Yodal"