New-York tribune., 1921-09-05
On the Screen
'sSerenade" Presented at the
Strand; s'Ihe Lifted Veil'
Seen at the Riyoli
By Fiarriette Undcrhill

velously colorful play, Spanish Love-"
But what difference, If one had not
seen the play he would probably pass
"Serenade" over as being quite another
not-very- good picture; but, with the
play in mind, one feels sense of re-
sentiment all the time as though he
were being deprived Of something
which he had perfect right to expect.
r. A. Walsh directed this picture for
First National and he has his wife,
Miriam Cooper, and his brother, George
Walsh, in the roles of the two lovers
who preferred death to separation. Mrs.
Cooper has dark hair and fine dark
eyes. In no other particular is she
Spanish. George Walsh locks Spanish,
but alas, he acts about as Spanish as
the bull in an arenai He seemed rather
stolid and dependable, though, frankly,
the faults of all the people seemed to
US to be traceable to the director. If
they couldn't act he should have made
them act
Miriam Cooper was also as full of.
fire as stained glass Madonna on
church window. The villain who was
SO splendidly and weidly played by
William Powell on the stage was done
by Bertram Grassby in the picture.
sleek and healthy person who was as
far away from the real Ramon rs it
was possible to get. And where was
the w. X, Spanish sunshine?
The picture was so dark that it was
ifficult in some of the scenes to dis
tinguish people. Why the gloom?
One thing may be said for "Serenade,
version of Spanish Love" 1t gives
play called maria del Carmen" the
credit for it's being. After the story
is tinished--when Pancho takes Maria
in his arms and, hurling defiance to
the high heavens, runs away with her
there is lot more Of anticlimatic
stuff and finally nice quite wedding
at high noon. What we can't under
stand is how they happened to leave
Maria and all the little Panchitos.
(Panchito means little Frank. We
learned that in Mexico). wonder
iul story gone to waste.
The surrounding program was good.
Judson House sang proluogue called
"Serenade." There is beautiful
Prizma called "Marimba Land" with
the Imperial Marimba Band. A piano
solo by Clarence Fuhrman. Estelle
Cary sang "May Morning" delightfully."-.
Henri Scott sang con the Road to
Mandalay." The comedy is Monty
Banks in Fresh Air"
Henry Arthur Jones wrote story
and called it "The Lifted Veil" Julia
Crawford 1vers made photoplay out
of it and called it Beyond" William
Taylor directed it for Ethel Clayton
and it was shown at the Rivoli yester
day. "Beyond" is 8. pretcntious story
which brings up the question "Do you
believe in ghosts ?" If you don't you
went care much for this picture, be-
cause it is all about mother who eX-
tracted promise from her daughter on
her dying bed and then kept appearing
to her and reproducing her if she was
inclined to backslide. 1t really thinks
it is problem play, and the playwright
has solved all of the problem by the
simple expedient of killing any one
when he was in the way. 1t is a
strange picture, too, for there are no
interludes excepting in the form of
titles. Big scenes follow each other
rapidly with the title explaining that
five years have passed and uncle has
died or Avis has married and brother
has gone to New Zealand. Finally the
hero finds him. with two wives. He
doesn't know it, and wife No. (Viva(
! like Enoch Arden from the sea and,
WITNESSING ChSAL hdPpiiCOo3 SiASASAS
steals away.
Now, of course, you know that one
of these helpmeets has to pass out
and you know it won't be the star, so
it has to be Viva and, as matter of
fact, if the author had cried "vive la
Viva" he should have had us to deal
with, for Viva is one of those annoy
ing persons whose demise carries no
great shock with it. She fell down
three or four stairs, tripping over her
peignoir when she was flirting with
husband over the balustrade, but 1T
was enough to remove her forever
from the scene of activities. Avis kept
walking in on people after they thought
she was dead and they never seemed
very much surprised.
The people who were in the theater
Yesterday afternoon received the pic
| ture in a spirit of levity Miss Clay
ton. as Avis, did good work, as did,
also, Charles Meredith, as the husband.
The rest of the cast ranged from fair
to terrible. j.
The tuneful and popular martha
was offered as the overture by q half
Fred agel sang Last Rose OF
Summer"
The Pavlowa Gavotte was danced by
Vera Myers and Paul Oscaid. with
Carlo Encisso and the chorus singing
"Glowworm," Edvardo Albano sings
40 Monumento," from "La Giaconda.'
There are. also Kineto Review. called
bridges of New York" and Century
comedy, brownies Little Venus.
Tom Moore's picture at the Capitol
this week is called Beating the Came .
Now, if any one has learned how to
beat the game it is Tom Moore, fo1
sure it's himself as never makes q
poor picture any more. Beating the
Game" isn't as good as Hold Your
Horses" but, then, few pictures are
1t is story of bad man, Fancy
Charlie, who went to a small town to
do the people and fell in love and
learned to be honest and also to like
it.
The idea is not at all new, but there
are some original twists to it, and even
a hardened veteran will be surprised
at the finish. We guarantee that. Vic
tor Schertzinger directed the picture
and he is one director who may always
be depended upon to use the magma
tion his Maker gave him in the making
of his pictures.
Hazel DAILY is the heroine, Nellie
Brown. Dick Rosson is the villain anc
Nick Cogley, another bad man gone
right" He was the former partner
OF "FAncy Charlie known as Sl,pnerv