New-York tribune., 1921-07-31
On the Screen
William Fox Plays His Little
Joke, i'm 'Thunderclap,' Laugh
able Burlesgue Melodrama
By Harriette Underhill

BY Harriette Underhill
William Fox will have his little
joke, and at present it is at the Cen
trail Theater--a picture called "Thun-
derclap." 1t is a burlesque melo-
drama and it is also as entertaining
as anything of the sort we ever saw
Done rather in the style Of "The
Tavern" OILY more broadly, the audi
ence seemed bit mystifed. In fact,
it took them the whole first act to
realize that they were not to take
"Ihunderclap" seriously Then they
entered into the spirit of the thing
and Missed the villains. applauded the
nero and shouted the race horse on to
victory. Yes "Thunderclap" has all of
these things and more, many more be-
sides.
What we are afraid of is that when
this picture is shown on the road
the audiences will miss the satire
and thereby miss all of the fun. and
we want everyone to enjoy it as much
as we did. Perhaps we underestimate
the sense OF humor of those audi
ences "on the road" All we know is
That producers are constantly referring
10 them as though it was necessary
TO make a special brand of entertain
ment for them with everything care
fully labelled.
Ihunderclap" is the name of a race
horse. Oh, yes, indeed there is race
horse and he lifts the cup and the
mortgage and saves the sweet Young
girl and the paralytic mother. who is
mlraculously revived when detective
shoots down her perfectly fiendish
gambler of husband. The story is.
On once there was a little orphan boy.
ne owned race horse. No, we can't
tell you about that; you'll have to go
after he left the orphan asylum he
went to work for the perfectly fiendish
gambler who had the wife who was
paraiyzed. She wouldn' have been
paralyzed only he struck her down and
ground her beneath his heel one dav
when she was begging him to stop
playing toddle top and do a mans
work IN the world. You see he wasn't
loaded. wy was
Now, he was his wlfe's second hus-
paha, ana the wife had sweet daugn-
Ter who was in convent, So what
does he do but send for the daughter
ana tell the paralyzed wife that he is
gong to make her the decoy in his
gambling den. When she arrives he
turns her loose in the drawing room
with a drunken patron, who ATTEMPTS
10 steal his arm about her. She be-
comes starry-eyed, strikes a stained
glass attitude and says, 81 shall pray
for you" He says, 81 didn't know there
were girls in the world like you," or
words to that effect. Violet Mersereal
is, is wonderfully clever in the role of
The Girl. She is merely an exag-
geration Of all the ingenues that have
gone before. She plays the part broad
ly and we never suspected Miss Mer-
sereau before of being a farceuse. She
ought never to play anything save
comedy roles again. She is perfect.
The Boy, too, is we'll in the picture,
playing his part with never the twinkle
OF an eye to show that he knows it is
funny. Paul Willis does this little
"Orphant Tommy" and never before
was orphan so put upon. The villain
attempts to blow up his race horse
when they are taking it to the track.
and the bridge really is blown up. Then
you see the hero floating madly down
the stream toward the falls. 1t is most
exciting, almost like Cast Lynne" and
Tommy is finally drawn out of the
water just as he is going over Niagara.
"Where is my horse?" he shouts, and
then sets out on a ten-mile run for
the racetrack. Of course, "Thunder-
clap" wasn't drowned at all. The stable
man had heard the villains plotting and
had led the horse out of the van when
no one was looking. Never mind about
Tommy so long as the horse was safe.
He was only an orphan.
However, he had 5000, and he got
odds of 100 to l because no one ever
had heard of Thunderclap, so you can
figure out how much money he had
when he got through.
11, II
drunken millionaire, got the gambler
with long shot just as he was about |
to shoot his paralytic wife in close
up. Then wife jumps out of the chair,
Miss Mersereau makes a few more
faces and cries "Mamma! mammal"
Tommy embraces them both and that is
the end. Mary Carr plays the mamma"
Som etimes her work is funny and some
times it is narrowing. 1t was too warm
a day to watch paralytic trying to
scream, with the drops flowing down
her face, and truly enjoy the spectacle.
1t is more cold weather entertainment.
Barney Sherry is the wicked gambler.
John Murphy was Wah Leong. You
wears a kimono and smokes opium.
Thomas McCann is the best actor in
the cast. He is a little black boy
called Gunga Din. There are two big
thrills in the picture-one where the
little orphan seems about to be swept
over the falls, and the other when he
seems about to lose the race. Of course,
you know that he won't do either If
hadn't run true to form,
neither would the picture. Both are
winners. The scenario is by Paul
Sloane. Richard Stanton directed the
picture.