Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-01-28
|MOV7EGRAMS
OF THE WEEK
Stanley Celebrates Anniuer,
sary--Reid in Film-Beach
Picture at AIdine

"A without having to attend morning shows
or go more than twice daily.
The Stanley Theatre. for its ami
veeary program, has n Wallace Reid
4 comedy, and, as a musical cntrec, Via
tor Herbert, who returns to conduct
their orchestra for another week.
The Aldine has Giuseppi Creatorc as
guest conductor, and new Rex
Beach film entitled THE Iron Trail. +"
nNHOSE who objected TO Mr.. Reid S
\. Il marcellcd hair in Peter Ibbetson' y
and, by the way. did you notice that,
despite the gloomy prophesying. the
4 Dn Maurier film classic stayed four
weeks at the Karlton. feat no other
film has yet achieved will be glad TO
know that in Rent Free. at the
Stanley next week. he is back to what
they could term normally.
Without wishing to disturb any
Z sleeping dogsN it should he registered
right here that Wallace Reid has shown
as great an improvement in given
time as any film actor | know of. male
or female.
When | first ran into perhaps it
would be better to say saw him on the
screen this handsome young leading
man, he was just that. Handsome,
but characterless His Don Jose, Op-
posite Geraldine Farrar, was about as
colorless as it could be made. and he
was only slightly better in that mag
nifcent De Mile masterpiece, Joan
the Woman"
Always pleasant young chap and
never actually of the "StiCk' variety
that many of the earlier screen leading
men were, Reid then appeared. with
punctual regularity in a number ot
films with Cleo Ridgley. with kathlyn
Williams, and in few in which he
held the spotlight Cpardon. khegltght
alone.
Then came the change. His vehicles
from unaduiterated romance veered TO
comedy. exemplifcd in the pictured YER
sion of q. Henry's "Halberdier of the
Little RheinsChloSS. Believe Me.
Xantippe" and, later. The DanCin'
Fool and the auto series.
Reid, almost imperCeptibly slipped
into the niche vacated by Jack Bar
rymore when he became serious, and
Sidney Drew when he was claimed by
death. Wally has proved cOnclusively
that he has the fGrreurs instinct and
he seems to realize the correct nuanceS
of high comedy more than any of the
younger screen set. Otherwise. it takes
n stage veteran like Arliss to bring the
true sense Of comedy values to a slap
stick- tossed screen.
1t Is true that Reid has some things
still to learn-yes. despite his many
years before the screen in heroic postur-
ing-but he seems to have the right at
l.. fv.f
perfect himself in legitimate fun
making His ''mugging to use an old
term-and his ability to create a comic
moment by the slightest movement of
the eyes or mouth. are all things that
stamp him as proficient in his art.
~ wally has just finished The Cham
y pion" (renamed "The Worlds ChanfE-
pion" for the SCREEN. which you may
or may not have seen on the legitimate
Z stage here last year. He is soon to
start Richard Harding Davis THE
Dictator" and both of these comedies
are just the sort that will bring out
the best side of the actor.
realize that to some feminine va
riety of fans especially this is heresy.
They place Wally's Valley of the
Giants" and that recent oil-wcll or
gold mine thing that played Mt the
+, Stanley ("The He'll Diggcrs" | be-
lieve) at the top of his list, and the
more comedy and less herOizing he
does, the more they condemn him. Or.
on the other hand, if he becomes the
really romantic figure-minus the usual
movie trappings-that he was in Peter
Ibbetson,' they belabOr him on that
score, too. All of which puts Mr..
Reid in precariOus position.
"Rent Free from all accounts, is
light and frothy, but has a clever com,
edy germ and never becomes tlresome.
Lila Lee is Wally's leading lady. and
a number of the studios dependable
character men appear. It's all about
an impecunious young artist who takes
to the rooftops to gain n lodging. and
has many strange adventures in SO
doing.
All of which might be pifhe in the
hands of average film people, and may
be very attractive, even though tinsel,
with Mr.. Reid leading the way.
PEX BEACH is a real pioneer Of
~ the movies. If / remember cor
rectly, his first story in film form was
something called The Vengeance Of
Durand," " Of which Vitagraph was very
proud for many years. II was in
Two or three or maybe even four tim.
mense in those days. reels.
Then Colonel Selig. who had very
talented director named Colin Camp
dell, conceived the idea Of making a
big, multiple reel American feature,
and he chose Mr.. Beach's "The Spoil .
ers" as the ideal story, and secured
William Farnum to play the brawny
nero. IL was a remarkable picture for
tnose days. and a mighty good one
Judged by any standard.
since then Rex Beach has alwavs
peen popular screen material. Colonel
Sehgs production of The Ne'pr-Do-
Well was marked by fine acting. hDt
was not otherwise so impressive tIoHgb
1t was shown at Legitimate houses rs
an all.evening entertainment. The
Barrier was chiefly notable for tho
acting of Mitchell Lewis. Some Of tbC
Others degenerated into nothing but
ordinary program pictures, but that was
que, largely, TO the methods Of prOduc
ton, direction and photography.
NOW MT, 'Beach Is, so 10 speak. ION
ms own, and this picture is another
with an Alaskan setting like that of
The Spoilers" ! read the earlier
cnapters of "The Iron Trail" in a
magazine number of years ago. and
remember very vivid and impressive
steamboat wreck on Northern river.
out the story as whole concerns itself
with railroad building up in the Yukon
region.
Wyndham Standing and Alma Tell
nave the leading roles, and there are
any number of unpleasant villains who
do not stop at dynamite or murder TO
interfere with the laying of the ties.
"A