The New York herald., 1921-04-11
Small Tom Idol
New Sennett Film
of Fun and Thrills
Ben Turpin, the Man With Re.
lnarkable Eyes, in Leading
ROIe-Other Pictures.

Mack Sennett is such master of the
film farce that in "A Small Town Idol"
he can make comedians even of owls
and fishes. This latest excursion Of the
producer into the six reel explosion,
which is the feature of Comedy Week"
at the Riaito. uses up every possible
variant of the burlesque on the rural
mellowdrammer In It's widest FORM so
that II becomes a film carouse that all
but shakes down the plaster of the
Rialto with laughter as the plaster in a
regular Sennett hotel fight !s shaken
The movies themselves are held up to
rib-wrecking satire. and one suspects
there is good naturcd takeoff in 1t on
D. w. Griffith, Sennott's old boss. for
besides other reminders of way Down
east" there Is a bloodcurdling scene at
the falls, from which the hero and
| heroine are rescued by---oh. sublime
fancy "a mackerei There is plot. OF
course-every Sennett picture has real
plot, and is. therefore, superior to the
ordinary slapstick affair--but 1t moves
so fast and obstreperously that no mere
typewriter could keep UP with II.
Suffice 1t that Ben Turpin, that fin
ished ragedian-alnost--wi the re-
markabe eyes that are constantly try
ing to make each others acquaintance,
plays heroic run Alo is driven from
his village falsely accused of theft. be-
comes hero in the movies by doing a
stunt leap when no is really trying to
commit suicide. and returns a typi-
cal William S. Hart two gun mar
Of the screen, only to be accused Of
shooting hihs prospective father-in-law
and practically wrecks the town because
he objects to being lynched.
All sorts OF really hair raising thrills
are mingled with comic scenes, and the
final impression Ia series OF snapshots
of man and q girl on a horse that
leaps off tall cliff into the sea. of a
girl who slides down a roof and just
misses being caught on the horns OF a
bull, of the hero who wants to break
jail being literally rammed out through
the wall of the prison, and of Ben Tur-
pins eyes. which are always steadfastly
trying to meet, no matter how serious
the situation. There is a really preten-
tious scene OF Babylonian ball, with
hundreds OF bathing beauties dancing in
an effect like Mecca turneI upside
down by Sennett. A hilarious view of
typical worshipping movie audience
shows them watching TLrpin az a cow
boy in a characteristic Westerner, with
Turpn leading the applause for himself
as the hero.
Titles that hit the funny bone a solid
whack are sprinkled through 1t, and
while the burlesdue isn't always so
wildly funny as in "Salonne VS.. Shenan-
doah," this Is Sennetts best picture. and
Miss Phyllis Haver. Charles Murray,
Miss Marie Provost, James Finlayson
and others of the Sennett crowd are
there to prove It.
"The oath. mt the strand.
For its seventh anniversary week the
Strand has in '"The Oath" d heroine who
ought to be awarded the huge birthday
cake at this house for disagreeableness.
It seems utterly impossible that any
woman would insist because OF insane
jealously that the oath to keep secret
her marriage with man should not be
broken when that would free her hus-
band of the charge of numbering her
father--but then, all things are possible
In the movies. And when the woman of
whom she was so foolishly Jealous
jumped up at the murder trial and told
the lie that the husband was with her
at the time of the killing 70 establish an
alibi for him the audience yesterday
snickered when 1t looked as though the
two womer were about to have q hair
pulling HfhtCn III court 10 ustibt WIrie
hubby was staying
Miss Miriam Cooper. who played the
secret bride. was totally miscast and
spoiled what chance the picture had by
over acting, particularly by clutchlng
her hair as though she feared It would
blow off. Judging by the sample or act
ing she did Miss Anna q. Nilsson. ms
the other woman. would have done much
better. while the most striking thing
Conway Tearle did as the accused h,s-
band was to wear a pair Of white flannel
trousers Immediately after his acguttal.
II. A. Walsh. the producer. has provided
some striking scenes ana handled the an
derlying theme OF religious prejudice
without offence. but this adaptation or
Idols" doesn't seem to have dealt very
gently with william ]. Locke's novel.
and stilted titles don't help materially.
especially with congratulations that
sound like sermons.
The remainder or the programme.
with musical bits by Miss Estelle Carey
and the Strand Male Quartette. pro-
Iogue and orchestral selections Is en-
tertaining. while Buster Keaton In
"Neighbors' is worth sitting through the
feature for.
other New Fiims.
wv nat happened 10 Rosa, tnc Gold
wyn picture ut the Capitol. Is Spanish
Love-" with comic twist, naturally.
since Miss Mabel Normand plays the
chief role, and anything to fit her saucy
nose must have a comic twist. The
piquant and vivacious Mabel In this
story by Pearl Leonore Curran plays a
shop girl who is a total stranger TO
romance uhtil a seeress gives TO her the
crystal globe treatment and assures her
she is the latest personihcation Of Rosa
Afrdra. beautiful Spanish dancer, who
caused many a masculine headache.
happ.e IL induced to bring out all the
Spanish in herself and from then on she
gets almost more romance than she oan
stand II is AZ times quite amusing and
Miss Nornand keeps her face well 10 the
fore, so that the audience can lap up
smiles and sniggles to It's hearts con-
tent.
A droll Booth Harrington comedy.
Edgar the Detective" with Johnny
Jones, the kid himself, appearing In per-
srn Prizma picture starring the swee.
tooth a prologue, "A Southern idyli"
Wagner's "Renzi," overture by the or
chestra, and Paderewski's "Minuet"
dances by the ballet are part OF the
game.
proxies" Paramount picture nj the
Rivoli. Is another one OF those distant
cousins OF "slias Jimmy Valentine" In
which a reformed cruok goes wrong
but walt. Judge him not too harshly. IL
IL 10 protect q benefactor. sir. and, Of
course, a girl manages TO get her lovely
...nx, t..4n tba etCrry gortnhnVv In stis In.