The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-22
Roscoe ArbuckLe
Makes Comedy Hit
Without One Pie
Comedian Makes Rapid Adj
vance in Screen Art in Life
of the Party

The advance which Roscoe Arbuckle's
screen abilities are making as his art
and his person-expand is graphically
illustrated this week ut the Rivoli in
his sneezing Back in the old days
when he used to be held in open
mouthed awe by thousands as Fatty"
mis- sneeZe would blow out all the win
dows and bowl over a couple Of cops
But in The Life of the Party" as the
result of a cold contracted while he is
also contracting the Mayoralty of his
town. his nasal convusion does nothing
more violent than blow away his news
paper, and it is just sucn touches as
this which make this a deft picture
that's not to be sneezed at.
Perhaps this refinement in the meth
DDS of Fatty--beg pardon, Roscoe-is
due 10 the fact that he plays a
lawyer. and no one could be further
from custard pie singing than an
attorney-he knows it might bring a
law suit. Mix being a subject now
lying close to the average heart. Ar
buckle is pitted against a band of milk
profteers for the sake OF n high per-
ccntage of returns in pretty girls
smiles
Part Of the tale formed the substance
Of Irwin S. Cobb's original story. but
walter Woods elaborated Il in writing
the scenario for Paramount. as the idea
was too slight, even with Fatty In il.
The result is an expertly entertaining
picture, with capital captions, such as
that in which the crow ded court room
nCminates the lawyer because we've
never had fat Mayor in this town"
Fatty. assisted by Misses Julia Faye and
Viora Daniels, gives such excellent pan
tomime that re deserves "A vote Of
thanks from the Bar Association
Another trust Is shown at the Strand
IN "Dinty" though this time the hero
Is hand in glove with It. buying police
protection with cigars. He is Wesley
Barry, the youngster who scored with
Mary Pick1ord in Daddy !oag Legs"
and who is now elevated To stardom BY
Marshall Neilan and set on the way TO
acquiring a temperament. AS q San
Francisco newsboy who organizes an
amusing rewsboys' trust Barry proves
mat while this corporation may rot have
aDy SOUL Il has plenty of frecSies.
The scenario written by Miss Marion
Fairfax for this First National picture
relates DintYs fight against his rivals
and the manner in which he defeats a
band OF Chinese highbinders who steal
the assistant district attorneys sweet
heart with secret passageways In
Chinatown, a swinging knife that drops
ever closer to the body OF pretty Miss
Marjorie Daw az the heroine. and with
darling sea planes. thrills and Juvenile
comedy are well blended here, though
there are some improbabilties, while
too many stories are kept going
Simultaneously and the pathos stop Is
pulled out till IL squealSs Barry, how
ever, weeps as earnestly as he plays
everything else:
The Capitol has "The Great Lover" q
Goldwyn version OF the stage success
by Frederic and Fanny Hatton: which
VIII be especially enjoyable for those
whom n nice Thanksgiving dinner has
made comfortably sentimental. John
Salnpolls does such remarkably effective
work he makes one think Of Leo Dltrich-
stein I'm the film flesh with the latter's
role OF the famous tenor who made love
10 all women by divine right of opera
singers. and who encounters futility and
crustra lion when genuine love seizes him
bv the throat and makes his voice crack
Miss Claire Adams as a young singer
and Nine Rose Dion as temperamentai
prima donna lend verisimilitude 70
picture OF life behind the operate scenes
which come as an appropriate SHADOW
Of tic new Metropolitan season.
william y. Taylor's production or
"The Furnace" from the book OF the
same name by the anonymous English
author. Pan" peoples the Rialto with
figures OF the British aristocracy who
are wrought up when a marriage un-
dertaken by young man TO save his
chorus grille from going TO the trouble
OF suing him for damages goes into
matrimonial bankruptcy. Miss Agnes
Ayres, Milton Stills and Theodore
Roberts make this Realart picture
fairly interesting. supported by brilliant
costumes and settings a Sunshine
comedy: selections from Verdfs La
Traviata" and solos by Antonio Rocca
and Miss Grace Hoffman are also on
the list OF supplies