The New York herald., 1921-05-30
Charles Ray in
"Scrap Iron" Has
Knockout Mystery
Comedians First Play Under
Own Direction Is PuzZling
to Spectators.

Though prize hghts are generally sup
| posed TO be very obvious affairs. SCRAP
Iron." Charles Rays latest bout with
the Aims. which is at the Strand this
week. is In reality a mystery picture,
Just as mystifying to the spectator as
1t is to the ordinary prize fighter who
comes up out OF Sunderland and wants
to know what floored him. For that Is
just what happens in this photoplay,
adapted from the late Charles Il. Van
Loans story-Ray's opponent Is knocked
out. and. for all the onlooker can tell,
1t might have been caused by one OF
the kids shown picking the shingles OH
the roof TO get into the hall. who may
possibly have dropped upon Battling
Burke
For three rounds Ray. as. John Steel
young mechanic who has boxing PROV
ess. tut promises his invalid mother not
to fight is shown reeling about the ring
when he breaks his pronhse and meets
the champion middleweight In order to
gain a losers purse of $200 and send
his mother TO Florida, where, as is well
known In the movies. all ailing mothers
get well. For three rounds Steel as a
boxer is a good wrestler. Then sud-
denly one sees Burke stretched on the
canvas taking the count, without his op-
ponent apparently having done anything
harsh except look fierce. No wonder
Burke nearly died--the, shock of being
hoored without seeing anything coming
must have been well nigh fatal.
Fear of Eastern Cenaors.
Managing Directol~Joseph Plunkett OF
the Strand explained that the fourth
round had originally been a very terrific
and sanguinary affair, but that 1t had
presumably been cut out in the far west
for fear the censor might feel that fight
fans of the effete, East weren't constitu-
tionally strong enough to stand such
bloodshed. That same power Of deletion
might have been exercised over some of
the other scenes. for they hammer home
the sentiment until they almost knock
out the spectator.
In the first picture directed by him
self Ray suffers from a fault common
to so many stars when they begin turn
ing the meganhone on themselves. They
overelaborate, utterly trivial incidents,
and after alA one can't feel profoundly
moved at watching for three minutes
Rays virtubsity in breaking eggs
This story Of the youth who loses his
sweetheart, at a clamhake for keeping
his promise to his mother and not
thrashing a drunk VINO insults the girl
is straight drama rather than the COM
edy one has come to expect from Ray.
and perhaps that is why the mere lift
Of an eyebrow is deemed 80 tremend-
ously important. There are scenes with
his mother that are quite touching. and
the realistic prize fight keys up the ex-
citemert to high pitch. especially
among the women, who aren't supposed
to take an interest In such things and
therefore do. Skilful closeups are shown
Of the, expressions on various fans dur
ing the fight. and Ray is a better and
more sincere boxer than the ordinary
Aim punching bag who is sent into a
ring by a director and instructed to
knock out real pug
Reporters Like PugiIfsts.
Aside from that abrupt hiatus the
only fault one has 10 find with the
climacteric fight lis the portrayal OF
| the newsCapermen present as a species
! OF retired pugilist. Most of the sporting
\ writers OF one observers acquaintance
are the handsomest men in the repor-
| rorial field. possibly because they're SC
much out in the open air.
| Tom Wilson contributed a genuine bill
4 as Steel's fellow-worker. and trainer
obviously because he had once been a
| sparring partner for Jeffries and Cor
DelL anu HAu dCludlly let punCf1et
! bounce off his face. Vera Stedman was
fairly effective as the girl who switched
| sweethearts SO easily and in the end
| one was glad to see. got the pugilistic
mitten from the victorious Steel
Clyde Cook appears In his latest FoS
comedy. '"The Guide" which isn't as
funny as his usual pictures. possibly
because it's hard to put the Alps into a
studio Wagners "Rienzi' overture
another of Mr.. Plunketts vivid and
admirable stage prologues. and South
| Sea scenic put girdle around the
| feature.
a Wise Fool on Screen.
"A Wise FOOL" at the Rivoli pro-
duced by George Melford and adapted
by Sir Gilbert Parker from his best SELL
| ing novel, "The Money Master" Is one
of those tales Of a wealthy French
| Canadian philosopher who loses the love
! of his wife and his daughter and all his
property and winds up by finding out
that life can be studied only by living
| 1t. which might have been better II W.
| j.. Locke had done It, Not even sir
Gilbert can equal him In bringing a
man to peace with the world by losing
1t. and consequently this story keeps an
ticipating itself, for no one but Mr..
Locke can wind mp a story with a burst
of speed that atones for frequent lag
| ging before.
James Kirkwood in his frst Para
| mount picture Is couple of Jumps
! ahead of his role in appeal. and Miss
Alice Hollister and Miss Ann Forrest
almost succeed in making the way OF the
| transgressor hard but interesting. CLYDE
| Cooks latest comedy. The Guide" "
LISTS "Ideale" BY the orchestra and
solos by Emanuel List and Willy Stah!
are pp tho gredff ufda ~ The iaiyar