New-York tribune., 1921-05-30
On the Screer,
Action Fills ''Black Panfher's
Cub" at Capitol; Res,ful
"A Wise Fool'' at RivoIi
BY Harriette Underhill

tial presentation Of w. X. Zegfeld, and
we couldn't help wondering if Mr.. zieg-
field expected never to make another
picssi.e, because he has used everything
that ever has been seen on the screen
in this first picture Of his. There are
enough plot and enough incidents in
it to make 15-epIsode serial, and when
f. you come to packing it all into fea-
ture-length picture it becomes neces-
sary to sacrifice everything else to the
authors mad plan for action-action on
action. ''The Black Panther's Cub" is
the widest melodrama, with countless
scenes flashed on the screen for few
seconds at IA time until ones head be-
comes dizzy from this being yanked
from Paris to London and from the
slums to the palace, to say nothing of
being asked to live with two genera
lions of black panthers.
Florence Reed is the star. She plays
both parts of the title role, but it is not
until the last reel that she faces her
self on the screen. This proves to be a
double exposure from every point of
view. The Black Panther runs gam
bling house in Paris, SO hcartless is
she when 1T comes to advancing carfare
to her victims, etc, that one of the
men who frequents the place writes an
extract from Swinburnes "Faustine"
and tells the Black Panther that she is
a rencarnation. The idea pleases her
and she continues to be more blood
thirty than ever. And then some one
commits suicide and she is forced to
close up her place. Before she goes
away, however, she trusts her "cub" to
Give, Earl of Maudsley. She carefully
explains that she has been legally mar
ried to the child's father, thereby foil
ing the new censors, who are on the
lookout for just such reprehensible
persons.
Henry Stephenson plays the Earl.
Norman Trevor is seen as Sir Marling
Grayham, another habitue of the
gambling palace. The Earl believes
that it is environment which forms
character. Sir Marling, believes that
blood will tell; in other words, that
the panther Cannot change her spots"
When little Mary grows up she looks
just like mother, but is a sweet young
things, and Sir Marling falls in love
with her without ever knowing who
she is.
Tyrone Power is cast as very bad
man who tries to ruiria the daughter,
DuN 10 piOFCHISu ny JHe DlaCR ran
ther, herself, who has drunk the dregs
OF life. 1t only remained for her to
tell this wretch that he was really the
girls father, but this was spared us.
SO far as we know he had nothing to
do with the child.
The picture is really quite astound-
ing. The characters do the most i'm
possible thing in the most naive way
For instance, when the Earl dies and
it is learned that $4,000 has been
appropriated from a charity fund
some one suggests that the daughter
go back to Paris and open the old
gambling house and make money like
mother used to make it. She does so,
and no one knows the difference. They
all think she is the Black Panther.
IN the final scene, of course, mother
is shot defending the daughter and
she asks to be taken back to the old
place.
Then, staggering under a fatal bull
let wound, she rises to remark, "I am
the Imperial Faustine who once de-
scended those stairs to meet the
adoring throng gathered to acclaim
selzes the crown from her daughters
head and puts it on her own. If daugh
ter had only sold that tarara it wouldn't
nave been necessary for her to reopen
the den of vice which her mother had
abandoned twenty years before But in
mat case there would have been no
picture. There wouldn't have been
anyway If any one connected with it
had had sense of humor.
The cast is excellent Miss Reed
does, splendid work in triple roll
Stephenson and Norman Trevor 1s strmc,
gle manfully to make Sir Marling and
the Earl seem like regular peonle
and Earle Fox is quite wasted as the
prodlgal son. Emile Chautard directed
the picture. 1t was adapted by
"Faustine"
Parker Coombs was seen but not heard
We wondered if he knew that not
word he spoke was intelligible to the
audience. The overture is Hosmer's
Northern Rhapsody" with the CanitoI
Quartet. Miss Helena Marsh and the
Metropolitan Opera Company sang an
iMemorlam", ard the light opera num-
Der was favorite airs from "Hipb
Jlnks," with Gambarelli Oumansky and
the ballet corps.
= There is a pretty good picture at the
Rivoli called "a Wise Fool" which has
been adapted from Sir Gilbert Parker's
novel THE Money Master. 1t starts off
IN rather nice way and it is chiefly
interesting, we. think, because of the
excellent direction. 1t has long, restful
scenes which give the actors chance
to get over an idea, and there is none
OF this flashing back and forth which
IS so tirss-n.g to the nerves. Also, we
felt positively grateful for sone SEN
slole Titles where the writer forgot to
emote. One in particular wa lid
when the unlawful lover says to the
VIE who would run away with him.
'Iye had enough for one day. Your
husband just spared my life" when he
might have said "Yon heavens would
haply send forth lightning to DESTROY
me did so far forget my manhood as
tc betray the savior of my life. Nav
his nobility i'll deserves" etc. Oh. we
could write movie titles if we wanted
to you see.
James Kirkwood is cast as lean
Jacques Barbille. n French ConoJ;ar.