New-York tribune., 1921-12-11
On the Screen
Fools Paradise" at the Cri-
terion, Stars Dalton and
Conrad Nagel
By Harriette UnderhilI

Just why 1t was necessary to give
credit to Leonard Merrick and "The
Laurels and the Lady is more than
you will be able to understand when
you go to see Fools Paradise" at the
Criterion. Mr.. Merrick could never by
Cecil De Mile has made picture
which will be entirely satisfactory to
everyone who has liked Mr.. De Miles
pictures in the past, and you will like
this picture great deal better if you
never have read Mr.. Merrick's pathetic
story. Or if you have read it and do
not like it, it such thing is possible,
then you are sure to approve OF Fools
Paradise"
In both tories the blind hero falls
in love with woman who impersonates
similarity.
There has always been a heaviness
and q lack of huraor in Mr.. De Miles
pictures which interferes with our COM
plete enjoyment Of even his most
ravishing and expensive scenes. But
Fools Paradise" has not this quality.
Nothing is to be taken seriously, nov
even a broken heart. When the Texas
heroine is deserted for the French
heroine, she says to the Boston buls
who has been left behind: "You bet
ter run along OF he'll get French
poodle in your place" There are two
things which make a picture-the di--
rector and the title writer. A good
director can make any story interest.
ing-proof of this, D. w. Griffith. A
good title writer can make any pic
ture worth seeing-proof Of this,
Rupert Hughes. But as we were say
ing, Mr.. De Mile has handled Fools
Paradise" with an unusual lightness,
which makes it palatable. Probably
even those radicals who who say that
"bunk" will not object to "Fool's
Paradise" Dorothy Dalton has played
up to the lines which have been pro-
vided for her by the title writer and
she gives a charming performance. So
does Conrad Vogel, who never lapses
into the chest-heaving form OF ex..
preston in the two g.sat tragedies OF
his liSe-losjng his sight and gaining
it.
Mr.. De Mile has his second heroine
take trip to Siam SO that she can De
Prince Talaat Moi. The only way. tc
make it possible for her lover to fol-
low her is to discover oil on his land in
Mexico; and it was necessary or the
hero to be in Siam, also, that he might
climb into the den, or rather the. PIT
of ailigators. The Prince climbed in
too, for the heroine had thrown her
glove down to be rescued and the one
who rescued the glove might put il
on the hand and keep both. Only ii
didn't turn out that way. One man
rescued the other from the gators and
then they both told her to congo back
to France. Wouldn't you think after
that that the hero had only to go back
to Mexico and claim his other love
But it was not so simple. Theodore
Koslotf probably complained that he
hadn't big enough part. SO Mr.. De
Mile allowed him to throw one more
knife. This time it lodged in Poll her.
self, but fortunately it was on the
right side near the belt line so 1t was
not fatal, and then the hero said that
there were two kinds of blindness. the
other one being blindness OF the soul
and they lived happily ever after. .
The pic\re is staged with all the
grandeur thxt is De Mile and the cast
Is excellent. Besides Miss Dalton and
Mr. Nagsl there are the knife-thrcw.
ing Theodore Kesloff, who is almost
the best thing in the show as Roderi-
guez; John Davidson as the Prince and
Mildred Harris as the French dancer
The scenario is by Eeulah Dix ano
Sada Cowan.
Hugo Riesenteid has given it an elah-
crate presentation The first half 0
the program is taken up with an ex.,
travaganza called "In Doll shop
The entire ballet headed by Nine Vic
tnripa Epirbay ;c involved in this