The Washington times., 1926-12-11

inasmuch as no spot IN the Wor
able tor will want to be a
comment
speak OF the unusually high
number of war pictures being re-
leased.
over at the Astor the battles Of
the Argonne are being refought
in 1.-THE Big Parade. Down the
street at the Harris another
sector of France is exploding
under the name OF What Price
Glory?" At the Rialto two dub
sailors. Wally Berry and Ray.
mond Hatton are embarking on
a naval career in Were in the
Navy Now" At the Criterion.
desert battles between the French
Legionaires and Arabs are being
waged in Beau Geste." And at
the Rivoli. the pirates of Tripoli
are being blasted from their
stronghold by "Old IronsIdes.
An that is not all. Wings" is
on the way And advance word
from the San Antonio. Texas,
frontier. where the war scenes
were filmed. have 1t that the
Texans have been treated to some
realism the like Of which Is
difficult to realize.
Let US hope fervently that
there Is to be no more warm
real life. But should there be, 1t
can assume, but one form, war
from the air. And Wings" is a
story of war from the aIr-the
part that aircraft played In
France. Aces from many coun
tries were gathered together TO
be assured Of accuracy in detaill
But back to the warfare as 1t
is raging on Broadway. The
pictures of which I speak are
not one-week films. They are
booked in their theaters for long
runs. Four of them are 1920 top
pictures. And all are playing to
standing room only. Combine all
these facts and you have very
interesting situation. Some might
say that it means that, after all,
our talk Of peace Is applesauce;
that really peoples of the earth
love to see bloody fights between
nations. / don't think such a view
point will stand daylight. The
number and magnitude OF our
present war films is a Natural re-
action from 4 point in the
worlds history we still are too
close. to get a proper perspective.
don't think anything like this
was in the minds Of the pro-
ducers CT these pictures. but
nevertheless do think that these
films will do more than anything
else ever can to lerInir ma ions to
view, in a calm mGmeEt. their
CHASTITY hatchery.
In tho neat OF war. one doesn't
stop to think how useless 1t
might all be. But. view the same
conflicts from the comfortable
chair In an orchestra or balcony
and their futility sinks into you.
War is bad. Of course, but Wa:.
filnis-proper.y staged and strip.
ped Of bunk-are something else
again. You cant get hurt by
them
'Old, Ironsides" Is the most re.
cent Broadway opening, coming to
the Rivoli. which now becomes a
hng-run house. This is the long
promised film made by the III
rector Of THE Covered Wagon
It has Esther Ralston, Wallace
Berry, Charles Farrell and George
Bancroft in its cast. This James
Cruze film will come to your ity
as a road show.
Something unheard OF in motion
pictures has just been successfully
attempted by Harold Lloyd. Thsre
aren't half a dozen people in the
entire world who could have done
the same thing. Some few months
ago Lloyd began work on a comedy
which told the troubles of a noun
tain lad who came into contact
with medicine show. No one
could think Of good title for II.
Days dragged into weeks. weeks
into months and the cameras
ground on. The picture kept ga.
ting funnier and funnier, but still
no title was forthcoming. Usually
a pictures value depends a GOOD
deal on how widely known the title
is before release. But that didn't
worry the young man with the
spectacles. Now, just few weeks