The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-08-15
LOEW'S PALACE
Conquest of Canaan"

Thomas Meighan is one Of those
emerging stars of the photoplay who.
having had his histronic mettie test
ed In such melting pots as THE Mir
acle Man." Male and Female" ano
THE Prince Chap" brought his art
to flower In an imposing array Of
screen successes Of various titles
which have been seen during the past
few months at Loew's Palace. here
In THE Conquest Of Canaan" the
perturbation of Booth Tarkington's
famous story, however, Mr.. Meighah
reaches his greatest screen achieve
ment SO far, as was amply demon
strated at Loew's Palace yesterday,
where he began a weeks engagement
In this. his latest vehicle. supported
by Doris Kenyon and a distinctly no
table cast of players.
THE Conquest of Canaan" will b,
remembered as one of the real big
literary successes achieved by Booth
Harrington as he was reaching the
zenith OF his career. II Is a story of a
small American town that carries a
moral to all who know this distinctly
American civic institution and at odd
moments, II smacks strongly of the
flavor Of Sinclair Lewis Main
Street"
IL 10 the genre essence. the at
mospheric magnetism and the sheer
allure of its characterizations, how.
ever, that constitutes the chief de.
lights Of THE Conquest Of Canaan"
which has been pictured with spleh
did fidelity to the spirit of the orig
inal Harrington work.
THE Conquest Of Canaan" Is very
largely the biograph Of Joe Louden.
who was placed, by an accident of
birth, on the other side" OF the little
town Of Canaan, and who started out
in life under the handicap of belong.
ing to the wrong people, the people
who were the precise opposite of the
respectable" element that was so
ably represented by Judge Martin
Pike. Judge Pixies daughter would
have been glad, indeed. to join in the
frolics Of Joe Louden and Ariel Tabor,
the village tomboy. but her cast re-
strictions forbade the contact.
With this Introduction, the story
depicts the rise of ambition in Joe
Louden, the determination to throw
off the handicap of his birth by the
acquisition. under frightful Difficult.
ties. Of a legal education. Part of
this ambition was born when Ariel
Tabor, Joe's tomboy friend, grew up
and Inherited a fortune, after which
she left for Paris when she had tolo
Joe to make good.
The climax of Joe's career is reach.
ed when Happy Farley, driven to des.
peration by a flirtatious wife. kills
man and Joe undertakes his de.
fense.i 1t Is here that Joe complete
ly vanquishes the prosecution led by
Judge Martin Pike, and II is Judge
Pike who not only admits his defeat,
but declares that Canaan must have
Joe Louden for mayor.
Fully arrived at last, Joe is not
insensible to the fact that the Judge 4
daughter, Mamie, had not lost hen
old admiration, but II has CHANGED that
Ariel Tabor, his old playmate, has
arrived in Canaan In time to witness
his triumph. With the social and pro-
fessional world of Canaan at his feet
It Ia to Ariel that Joe speaks of love
and the story Ia thus brought to an
unusually happy and romantic con
clusion.
The triumph Of this feature is pro
nounced, and white 1t occupies the
place Of honor on the program, It Is
backgrounded against a truly fascl.
mating collection OF short-length screen
subjects and musical numbers. amons
which In a diverting and fascinating
overture selection contributed by the
Palace Symphony Orchestra under the
divocti0U ~ Mr. (1anpop