Judge — June 25, 1921 — page 22: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

OST photoplay heroines come in through the front door. Usually a large door, with the great iron railings of the Movie Rich flanking it oncitherside. A wonderful Rich Man's butler, getting seven-fifty a day for doing “bits” when he is lucky, swings wide the massive portal to permit the little street-sweeper’s daugh- ter to enter to marry the son of the crusty old millionaire. A recent compilation of movie statistics gives us the following tabl Total photoplays produced dur- ing a given period Photoplays portraying the life « millionaires 1, Photoplays having millionaire’s sons 735,008 Photoplays having millionaire’s daughters 735,640 Photoplays having. millionaire’s butlers 1,471,256 Photoplays having millionaires without butler 1 Photoplays having no millionaire atall® 6 Which all being so, it is interesting to note that “Our Mary” comes in through the back door To be sure, the house into which she comes, of course unknown to her father and mother who live there on the point of divorce until the disclosure of her identity at the last possible psychological moment, scems to be the home of fairly well-to-do people. But not really wealthy. Why, even if her father is a millionaire, he’s probably a comparatively poor one. But that’s not the point. The point is that Mary gets in the back way, and plays slavey in the kitchen until she falls in love with the son of the millionaire next door, and manages to tell her mother who she is just in time to prevent the divorce and bring on a wedding instead. Very few movie Marysdaredo that. Very, The rest of ‘em have to They don’t dare not to, These 1 travelogues of Central Afric the poor uncivilized savages have not yet coms derstand the advantages of millionaire life. own very few indeed “wear clothes.” Through the Back By Myron M. Stearns Miss Elsie Ferguson, for instance. Does she come in through the back door? She not. Neither is she called “Our But she certainly can wear clothes, and does. Coming out gowns, and every- thing. Beautiful! Same way with therest All except “Our Mary.” She does a scullery maid, and doesn’t even try to look pretty. Why, look at ‘Suds’! Lawsy me, what a fright! ow, the wonder of it is some of the rest of ’em wouldn't get brave and try it, seeing how much Mary gets out of not being even beautiful. Not all the time of course, but just once in a while—being just acommon poor person all through a picture, raring that everlasting old wnat theend. Just once without even being a model in a dress making establishment—one — for millionaire. What? and not even w new evening ge every Pictures Worth Watching THE BIRTH OF A NATION Griffith's famous Civil War film reissued, and as well worth watching as ever THROUGH THE BACK DOOR “Our Mary” runs true to form in another pleasing comedy-drama of some charm but no depth GYPSY BLOOD The tragedy of Carmen filmed artistically and convincingly by our German com. petitors THE FOUR HORSEMEN One of the most sincerely ambitious photoplays ever made in America. A drama of incident in peace and war. DECEPTION ‘A masterly foreign version of the tragedy of Anne Boleyn, wife No. 2 of husky Henry VII. PASSION Another great foreign tragedy, por: traying historically jumbled phases of the French Revolution. WAY DOWN EAST Griffith's rendition of a famous barn. storming melodrama with some wonder. ful thrills A YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT ‘A photoplay based on Mark Twain's famous satire telling of modern American pep in ancient English armor. THE KID Full-length feature-picture of the one and only Charlie Chaplin. OVER THE HILL Homely and gripping near-tragedy, based on the indoor sport of doing nothing while mother goes to the poorhouse. DREAM STREET ‘A long and somewhat complicated story of Good and Evil, Youth and Love in Limehouse 4 fa Griffith. SENTIMENTAL TOMMY A quiet film of rather high artistic merit, creditably based on Barrie's novel. Well, to get back to Mary. She is about the most consistent per former that the American screen has yet No more consistently than Kid Charlie is foolishly funny or Doug. developed. good las athletic, yet easily among the top three performers of our motion picture sawdust- ring. An actress of unquestioned ability, at least within certain restrictions, she brings to the great Celluloid Arena em tion, charm, than a negligible quantity of intelligence, and something as well of that asset so rarely found even in our best m. p. circles—Faith. Faith in the pecpul. Faith in the ability of the American public to discriminate between punk and not quite so punk. She has learned the great formula of pathos and poverty. Even though she herself, has by now very likely sived up more money enough to buy herself an evening gown if she wants one, she has come by hook or crook to realize that quite a good many people haven't even got that much. and do not mind secing something even remotely resembling real life on the screen. Not that Mary’s s! Lorsaivus, no! The comedy is too often close to slapstick and the drama too close to pictorial convention for that; but the emotion is real. Quite a lot of it. And for that, in the dim light of lesser blessings, we may give thanks with some fervor Yessir, the American screen owes a lot to Mary Pickford. She has been one of those able to show the way to better pic tures, At least a little better. Not far enough along to combine screen intellec- tuality (there’s a wonderful conception of the future for you) with celluloid story- telling, yet able to evaluate correctly de cency, wistfulness, and something of the inescapability of things like poverty, or life itself. “Through the Back Door” may be world beater. Indeed, it isn’t. But it is another typical Mary Pickford perfor- mance that will give genuine entertainment to Mary Pickford followers. The Rest of the Fairbanks Family,” ries are true to life! Next weel comicbooks.com