The New York herald., 1922-01-24
Turn to the Right
a Hit in Films
as on the Stage
Winchell Smith and John E.
Hazards Play Delightfully."-
Presented in Pictures.

Evidently Rex Ingram. after produc-
ing 1.-THE Four Horsemen OF the
Apocalypse" and THE C,nquering
Power" for Metro. began to believe the
public was looking TO him always for
something to harrow its emotions with
pleasurable anguish. 1t is a trait of
the Irish to do what is not expected of
them. So the genial young director did
an about face and Turn to the Right.
Last night In his new film version of
Winchei Smith and John L. Hazards
stage play, presented at the Lyric, he
showed that nothing could stop him,
not even comedy.
The picture Is so exceptionally good
that it does not need much description.
The best review can ne made OF 1t In
four words: Go and see it.
One regrets the overworked use or
shat noble phrase, 'heart interest" for
it simply exudes that But the scenes
Of sentiment are never so long drawn
out as is the habit of many directors.
that one wants 70 exclaim. Throw that
hero out--he's breaking my heart" The
quartet behind the scenes in the pro-
logue prolonged their harmonies so long
that the audience was finally Soaded
into applause-at sight of the photoplay
title on the screen. But Ingram afforded
relief by only allowing a scant footage
to the handkerchief brigade. His pic
ture probably achieved a record In hav-
ing all tears short and snappy. For
that reason the moments are all tho
more effective when you are called upon
to blink your eyes.
When Mrs. BaSoo1s greets the re-
turned son she has been looking for. un-
aware he was in prison for a crime he
didn't commit, there is exactly enough
of it, for Ingram doesn't believe in a
saturated solution of emotion. And
when Joe BaScont tells his sweetheart
that he is jailbird it's so brief you
don't feel he's going TO snivel in self
pity. Sugar goes into the making Of
peach jam in the comedy. but little OF 1t
gets into the play.
Naturally when the authors formu-
:ated a story OF n country youth who re-
turns penniless and disgraced from his
efforts TO win a fortune in the city. lifts
the mortgage from the old farm out
wits the village skinflint and clears his
own name they We're using stock model
of play.
But adding two city crooks and plac-
ing them in the incongruous atmosphere
of the country was the stroke of genius
that made the public overlook at such
length the moral they preached. In
gram chose two happy players for the
roles of Giliy and Mu0gs in Harry Myers
and George Cooper and made them so
human they were funny.
He showed the same artistic care In
choosing his other types. and the splen-
did photography, with its silvery. modu
lated scenes. bears eloquent testimony
that Yale wasn't wrong in granting him
a degree for his graphic accomplish
ments. Moreover, he has directed sew
eral scenes so astutely that one can fol-
low the mute conversations of the play
ors-the highest form of mimetic art,
where subtitles would be n sacrilege.
Miss Alice Terry looks charming with
out having her powers very deeply
stirred, and Jack Mulhall fits the role
OF Joe so well he even needs a hair cut.
Ingram wisely stuck close to his
guiding ropes in the original, introduc-
Ing the exciting horse race that started
the trouble as his only departure, and
Withholding the usual movie punch
which means having the villain knocked
down. John Golden and Marcus Ixoew
in presenting this wholesome rural COM
edy give the director another chance TO
show the Midas touch, by which every
thing he handles. even peach jam, turns
TO gold.