The New York herald., 1922-05-29
Thrilling Scenes in
Film of the Sea by
GOuperneur Morris
Miss Helene Chadwick Charm
ing as Heroine i'm yellow !
Men and Gold

CAPITOI--'Yellow Men and Gold," a
Goldwyn production with Miss Helene
Chadwick and Richard Dix, written
by Gouverneur Morris and directed by
Irwin Willat.
In no uncertain terms there is here
made plain an answer to the question.
Whore do all the bad stories go?" The
solution r. Into the movies"
Not that Gouverneur Norris has fash
ioned a bad story OF the sea, though 1t
is about bad seamen. Several leagues
from It, 1t is obviously inspired by
Robert Louis stevenson's Treasure
Island" bat then one can always stand
plenty OF pirates and buried treasure.
especially from the vantage point OF a
comfortable divan seat.
But the yarn begins with scene OF
4 struggling young author receiving back
another of his rejected manuscripts-he
must have rare collection OF rejection
slips. He looks at the package and, then
things begin to happen, virtually falling
out OF the sky upon him. He finds a
dying man in storm and Is drawn into
a struggle for possession Of a chart
showing the whereabouts of more ofathat
buried treasure which the Spanish ad-
venturers of three centuries ago seem
losing.
The consistent reader of Hollywood
exposes" knows Immediately that all
this happens near Los Angeles without
requiring the screen notification to that
effect. for young Parrish is introduced
into circle of dissolute looking men
with vamp who smokes cigarettes
When they wrest the map from him he
pursues them to their South Sea Island
goal in another ship, and then tie e<n
and shooting begin The spectator sus-
poets all along that this is really only
the authors rejected manuScrtps tha.
he is passing through. But TIE story
within story carries the beholder along
so quickly he forgets the trick--so
swiftly. indeed, that the sailing vessels
seem to reach the far off island in one
day. They could hardly radio to it
faster
1t is bIithely romantic tale, for all
it moves jerkily at times and leaves sew
era points unexplained, and therefore
* Is hardly remarkable that Miss Helene
Chadwick seems to be smiling all the
time through it. 1t makes one wish
that life were such that a man who had
been dosed with knockout drops anI
thrown overheard would be promptly
rescued by white girl In Chinese cos
victim des >rved the knockout drops.
Who wouk =. be saved by such pretty
rescuer? Most men would jump over
board voluntarily.
There is a vigorous. messy fight on
the island--all over 1t in fact-an1
Richard Dix is a very busy young man,
either jumping or being Jumped upon
Trick scenes Of a volcanic eruption also
are effective, and of a fire in which the
hero rescues the heroine thrillingly from
innumerable smoke pots. The author has
ingenicusly disarmed criticism of the
melod amatic finish by calling 1t that
himself, and when the whole production
is regarded In int semi-satirical light
by the writer himself the critic can
only surrender to It. 1t is. indeed.
triumph for the pen all around. since
on the strength of having his first story
accepted the young author can marry
millionaire's daughter.
Miss Chadwick is so charming one
can almost believe that she actually wins
such a pronounced vampire as Miss
Rosemary Theby to give up the young
man Of her heart simply by placing
her hand In the sirens. Miss Chadwick
meets the pugilstic and biceps require
ments of the role we'll but Miss Theby
had better stick to vamping instead OF
rowing a boat. The yellow men appear
also to be worthy of the adjective
gold" since II is the Chinese crew who
save everything against the rascally
whites-regardless OF the fact that the
picture was made in anti-Oriental Cali
fornia.