Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1924-04-10
Marshall Tulley and Friendly Indi-
an in a scene from ''The Covered
Wagon"

UdSOu.
Since the days of Walthall, the
Little Colonel" of "The Birth of
the Nation" and the lovely lassiies
embodied by the Misses Gish, Marsh
and Cooper, the public have craved
big historical drama with action as
vital and characters as fascinating.
Unfortunately the movie directors
have not turned their energies that
way, but now, thanks to Famous
Players-L asky Corporation, one man
received carte blanche and achieved
for the story of the winning of the
west the same or similar big epical
efforts that were achieved by Crit
fifth in his Civil War story based on
'aThe Clansman."
The name of the picture is "The
Covered Wagon" and James Cruz's
work will be shown at the Grand
Theatre, Philippi, w. Va, Friday,
April 18th, matinee and night.
Certainly the era of 1848-49 is
just as picturesque, with its buck
skin clad heroes, its poke-bonneted
heroines, and it's dash for Pacific
gold and wheat lands, as the times
of reconstruction, when the gallant
Colonel" sustained his first and on
" defeat by losing his heart to the
fair northerner, Elsie Stoneman.
Far, in 184S-49, regular fever of
pioneering spread over the east and
middle west, and the urge drove the
returning heroes of the Mexican
War to take part in the great Amer
lean migration over the historic
trek known as the Oregon Trail.
Indeed, perhaps they hated and low
ed, fought and quarreled, had hair
breadth escapes, and lived life to the
fullest as in no other period of our
history.
Furthermore indeed is j. Warren
Kerrigan to make his comeback to
the screen in a southern cavalier role
in this Covered Wagon" and fortu-
nate for everybody was the choice Of
Lois Wilson to play opposite him in
the role of the fair driver of the
Wingate prairie schooner.
Kerrigan's part is just as manly
and yirile as that of Walthall in the
older historic epic, and Miss Wilson's
role of Mollie Wingate, yields Little,
if anything, in interest and attrac-
tiveness to the Elsie Stoneman made
famous by Lillian Gish.
In the old schooner or covered wa
CONS, Cupid was kept just as busy as
he is today in hotel bathrooms or 60
mile hour parlor OARS. Though
the oxen but IL miles day, they
had some banjo drumming and
some songs Of real swing adm Tilt to
fan romance.
Most of these is ooh! Susannah,"
which is the central theme of pro-
duction. Hearts beat quickly at the
witchery of music Riddles an dban-
jos emerged out of the schooner with
the players at the evening stop
pages.
Then Virginia reels, round dances
and breakdowns set a merry pace.
Swain fought swain for the smiles
of the fair ones. 1t was fists, guns,
kicking feet, ambush, even to the
horrible mayhem gouging out the
antagonists eyes if both parties
made the combat Gree"
Titanic struggle between man and
man is portrayed in 1.-THE Covered
Wagon" attacks by Indians, prairie
fire, buffalo hunt, desert privation
crossing of swollen streams, blizzard
other picturesque perils and events
experience and thousand and one
that seem so dramatically enjoyable
in the retrospect albeit so horrible II
the enduring.
Through it all, the covered wager
lovers win out. Finally, "Oh! Sus
annah" is sung with still more tri.
umphant note on "dat Oregon Shore
as the oft-parted ones are reunited
and a new sovereign state of Ameri
can is admitted to the Union.
One of the first touring orchestra:
ever heard here will play the won
derful score arranged specially fol
this production by Hugo Reisenfeld.
| Seats on 2ala Of Davis Drug Store