The San Antonio Light (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 43, No. 324, Ed. 1 Sunday, December 9, 1923 Page: 23 of 76
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“This Freedom” Rather Dull
Hutchinson’s Story Faithfully Told But Viewpoint
Too English.
By MAURICE HENLE.
New York Dee. B.—A vehicle has
come to the ecreen that despite its
ability to afford two hours of fair
amusement belies actuality. It is
‘ This Freedom” taken from A. S. M.
Hutchinson’s book and featuring Fay
Compton.
If you aren't familiar with the
book here’s a brief summary Rosa-
lie (Miss Compton) grew up in one
of those families where mSh are mas-
ters. So completely docs she see the
women-folk dominated that she vows
by heck when she grows up she'll be
free. She takes a job in z a bank.
Then marriage enters her life but
she continues with her career and in
time occupies a high position with
her firm. Her husband apparently is
also successful so thpt their three
children are reared in luxury.
Years go on. and her dream tum-
bles. Her sou is sent to prison. Her
daughter dies from some mysterious
cause. I forget what happens to an-
other daughter. Then only then
does Rosulie^rcalize she is a failure
because she hits neglected her chil-
dren for her enreer.
HtAcbinson the author in a note
on tffe program compliments the pro-
duceue of the film for a faithful per-
formance. But he goes on: "Many
working women are also mothers and
in both capacities to be honored. The
point is that they work.* directly or
indirectly for their children. Rosalie
for herself alone.”
It's too bad this fine philosophy
wasn’t brought out in the picture.
Because the way the character was
drawn out the spectator is given
the impression that Rosalie represents
all working women.
Perhaps one explanaion of the
queer views on working women ex-
pressed -in “This Freedom” is th-it.
it is completely English. Miss Comp-
ton an English actress is supported
entirely by British players. They
didn't have the American viewpoint
on the delicate question of matri-
mony.
As far as the mechanics of the pic-
ture go all I can say is that it is
spotty. There are times your inter-
est is intrigued sych moments for in-
stance as in the court room scene
when Rosalie parts with her son.
But other moments are dull unin-
teresting and laborious due probably
to the director’s painstaking care of
getting the point of the author over.
Many repetitions of the same thought
occur and you feel like a third-grade
pupil receiving instruction.
The picture commences with Ro-
salie as a child. This part is played
by little Bunty Fosse as fine a child
actress as on the screen today. She’s
one of the bright spota of the
picture and we look to & some live
American producer make of her an-
other Baby Peggy.
In “The Rendezvous" a melodrama
of Siberia Marshall Neilan has takeu
into account that pagan passion which
eways picture audiences ever* more
than the nirvanic desire for a happy
ending—the stubborn lust to see the
wicked adequately punished.
It has been the growing custom of
mOvie makers to be lenient with the
transgressor. In cases of flagrant vil-
lainy the director usually has the
protagonist quickly dispatched in the
belief that thia will have the sensi-
bilities of the more squeamish More
often however in the drama of the
well-behaved the innocent victims of
iniquity turn the other cheek.
This may be good Christianity but
it leaves every audience more or less
riled. And with perfecNy sound
psychology. For through reel after
reel the director has charged the
beholder with growing hatred for a
vicious character without in the end
providing any compensating dis-
/charge. The happy ending it may
[be is hardly sufficient to mollify the
Teeling of outrage. Retribution the
axis of morals Ims been thwarted.
Not so with Neilau in “The <{en-
dezvous.” He gives his villain what
is coming to him with sturdy Mo-
saic justice. Thus he relieves taut
nerves to the extent ttffit he needs
only a quasi-happy finish. His hero-
ine achieving heart’s desire but go-
ing deaf through life from the beating
of a brute.
The picture soon to be released by
Goldwyn deals with the romance of a
Siberian maid (Lucille Ricksen) and
an American soldier (Conrad Negej)
agonized by the depravities of a Rus-
sian brigand (Elmo Lincoln) with the
drolleries of Sydney Chaplin as a coun-
ter-balance.
Elmo Lincoln frequently cast in
similar roles .is wholly vicious. His
sinister if theatric performance
builds- up a very positive hatred. He
treats the heroine most shamefully
after a nominal wedding based on his
broken. pledge to save her foster
father from death. He escapes from
the Bolshevik commisars who have
come to bring him to justice. Only
the vigilance of a British sergeant
(Syd Chaplin) pal of the American
lover who goes about with his pock-
ets filled with hand-grenades- enn
balk the brigand. And. of course the
sergeant can't be at his heels all the
time.
In the end “Godunoff” who had
better been dubbed . “Badenuff.” is
trapped in the stone vault enshrining
the girl’s parents while waiting to
cap his outrages with her death.
Unaware of his presence. “Vera”
locks him in. Deaf from his prior
beating she does not hear his cries
for mercy. Villagers hearing his
frantic calls move away affrightedly.
saying the vault is haunted. Doomed
to slow death by starvation “God-
unoff” is shown in a very mania of
terror —suffering as villains deserve
if one doesn’t believe in turning the
other cheek.
Lucille Ricksen until this picture
heralded as a “child actress” leaves
a haunting impression. Fifteen years
old she gives a performance which for
emotional expression is a singularly
agreeable combination of professional
maturity and youthful naivete. She
has the advantage of being not pretty.
She is Wistful. genuine beguiling. Lu-
cille Ricksen is a good bet as a future
star. Watch this stripling outdistance
many of her beautiful competitors if
she gets the proper roles! •
Anna May Wong alluring Celestial
of 'the screen is re-Chinafying herself.
Anna May—whose native name.
“Two Yellow Willows.” is appropri-
ate to her slim ivory graee. whose eyes
are brown bamboo butterflies glinting
orinetal mysteries but whose glib
American speech mannerisms and
smart attire have nil but obliterated
her nativity—nn American girl with
a Chinese epidermis.
Although full Chinese daughter of
»( respected Los Angeles laundryman.
4nd the belle of the local colony. Anna
May has spent half her 18 years as-
siduomdv trying to eliminate all racial
trace. She explains quite frankly
that there was a time wher she was
ashamed of her heritage. And when
SUNDAY.
FAY COMPTON
the picture studios accepted her with
flattering predictions for a career she
felt that all traditional bunds had been
severed.
But now something has happened
something profoundly astir in her
young life. She is trying to recapture
all she relinquished. Her one-time
shame is transformed to pride. "Wong
Lew Song” wants to be wholly Chi-
nese. It has to do with her private as
well as her public life.
Atv offer has come to Anna May
from a wealthy Chinese to go to Pekin
to star in a big native production to
be made for the American as well as
Celestial public. It lips fired nn ambi-
tion to reidentify herself with* her
people as the foremost Chinese actress.
It agitates her like strong wind in the
yellow willows.
“I wish I had been born in China.”
she said under the spell of the prof-
fere# opportunity. "I have learned
most highly to respect my people the
world’s oldest gentlefolk. It would
be fine to represent them worthily on
screen and stage. And what a silly-
thing I once was to be ashamed of
them! I. who then thought it the
peak of glory to pound a typewriter!”
The long fingernails of Celestial
aristocracy; an old lacquered vanity
case: “Shung Far.” the haunting per-
fume of orange blossom ; golden hair
ornaments; colorful attire of the
maids of Cathay; sandal wood ivory
and incense in her Hollywood apart-
ment—these are the token of Anna
May Wong's change of\ mind and
heart.
The deliberately acquired tongue
and togs of the American flapper have
given way to a new dignity and re-
serve.
“Of course T have thought of mar-
riage” she said. “It will be with a
man of.my own race.”
“But where” she queried earnestly
“am I to meet the men who might
wish to marry me from whom I could
gab i/T EDNA PARKE'S
' JACK EDWARDS M
ALL STAR CAST |g||
—in—.
Ji “To The Lafe” it
|— —
lli h
* J It’s bound to be good / ’
IB <&. WSn
Negro Says Force of
Habit Caused Him to
Get in Patrol Wagon
Dallas Tex. Dee. B.—Force of
habit is a terrible thing.
A negro arrested in a cleap-up
raid here explained his misfortune
as follows;
“It was like this. I was standin'
around on Deep Ellum when the
law came along and picked up two
niggers I was acquainted with.
Well. I was standin' around
watch in' then niggers and when
the patrol wagon rolled up I jes'
naturally got in from force of
habit."
A misplaced force of habit was
all officer's could get on him so he
was turned loose.
choose a mate with assurance of hap-
piness? I am tall and I have large eyes.
Both are considered defects in the
beauty standards of my race. I am in-
dependent and Chinese men do not
like that. Many ’zissible suitors seem
afraid of me because I seem too mod-
ern. Because of my position I must
be careful with whom I go about. So
I have very little social life—am very
lonely. "N
“With American men. who seem to
like me and whose ideals I like and
whose friendship I value —well what's
the'use to let one's heart go when
nothing can come of it?
"When I do marry I will have to
be very sure. There must be no mis-
take. for my professional life and in-
ner life both would tumble about my
head. —
"Divorce? No. I shall at least
want to keep one law of my people.
It will have to be for better or
worse.”
I suspect it is Anna May’s heart
even more than her head which has
prompted her re-Chinafication. A
wise gir|» as well as a talented—far
wiser than many have suepected who
have superficially estimated her the
flip Cino-Yankee flapper of the films.
Very brisk and very smart in )xt
American clothes she marched off to
do an important part in Douglas Fair-
bank's "Thief of Bagdad"—but the
orange blossom fragrance of "Chung
Far” lingered as a promise that An-
na May Wong wjll soon become once
more “Two Yellow WillowS”
Tutting some folks into pictures'
makes them perfectly wild to say-
nothing of the audience.
With.animals it’s usually the other
way 'round; the savage beast is
•soothed by the purring of cameras and
the dulcet wiles of directors.
Thus it is with "Casey.” black Mor-
gan stallion with a reputation as a
killer a powerful vicions brute of
the open range who has been gentled
by motion picture stardom.
The horse is the featured player in
Hal Roach's photoplay. “Monarcha.”
a story in which the life of "Casey”
is dramatized and which on the screen
may occupy the place "Black Beauty”
gained among books.
Public reaction to announcements
of fabulous sums paid or press agent-
ed as paid to screen starlets has prov-
elt so unfavorable that Sol Lesser
who recently signeel Baby Teggv
Montgomery announces. “The report
that Baby Peggy was h> get a yearly
salary exceeding ?IOOOiMNI is entirely
unfounded; no company could afford
to pay sneh an amount to any one
star and hope to remain in business
long.” And yet it wns Lesser’s own
organization which "founded” that
story or atdensr sought snmo time am
to give the million dollar jmpression.
Eugene O'Brien is resuming his role
as leading man to Norma Talmadge
in the picture. “Secrets.” O'Briens
former association with Miss Tni-
tnadge was terminated when he de-
serted films for the stage.
Wife (who has the foreign language
"spasm”)—John do you know I’m get-
ting on splendidly with my French? -
am really beginning to think In the lan-
guage. Husband (Interested In his pa-
per)—ls that so? Let me hear you think
a little while In French.—New York
Evening Post
THE SAN ANTONIO LIGHT.
Galli Carci Sings “Außevoir”
But Not “Good-bye Forever”
She Gets an Ovation But
Won’t Come Back With
Opera Company.
By MARGARET NORRIS.
Copyright by The San Antonio Light.
Chicago. Dec. 8 —Madame Amelita
Galli-Curci's farewell season with the
Chicago Opera Company is not "good-
bye forever” with all the finality of
Tosti’s mournful song.
Rather it is a farewell written dn
the sand with all the elasticity of a
Patti or a Bernhardt farewell tour.
This is the hope very definitely ex-
pressed by the capacity audiences who
attended her first two appearances
here this week and approved them
with an enthusiam seldom manifested
by the coolly dignified and white
gloved audiences of the Chicago Opera.
When Galli-Curei sang “Dinorah”
Friday night sedate dowagers and
bald-headed men rose in their seats
waving handkerchiefs and programs
and the lusty eheers of her even more
emotional countrymen iu the top gal-
lery were echoed by the socially elect
in the “diamond horseshoe.”
Insull Not Joyous.
But there was one person who did
not join in the demonstration. That
was Samuel Insull captain of indus-
try and manager of the Chicago Opera
Company who sat silently in his
front tier box and maintained a poker
face. Nor did he follow his custom of
former years and go behind 'the scenes
to congratulate the artist on her suc-
cess.
The ovation given Galli-Curei in
“Dinorah” vfas especially significant
in view of the fact that it was Mr.
Insult's refusal to permit her to debut
iu this opera which caused the breach
between her and the opera company
that discoverer? her. After n hectic
telegraphic correspondence between the
star’s manager and Sir. Insull Galli-
Curci finally agreed to make Iter debut
in “Lakine” and sing in “Dinorah"
later. "But” was her parting shot
"after this I wUI sing only with the
Metropolitan.” Her triumph in "Di-
ytorah” failed to shake her determina-
tion to sing no more in the Chicago
opera. »
Sorry for Chicago.
“There is discord here ami I can
only sing where everyone loves me."
said the diva still blushing from the
thrill of her ovation. “Even a little
bird cannot sing when it is unhappy
so how can I the great artist. smi|e
and sing gay notes at my audience
when all the time I must swallow
swallow sw-allow with unhappiness?
“It is not that I do not love my
Chicago public for they have always
been the pet of my heart and I am
very sorry for them now that they
must lose me and I them. Bnt I will
return to them in concert every year
that I continue my career. But in
opera—no.' that is settled."
Meanwhile “her public” enjoys the
great artist while it may and lets the
future take care of itself feeling con-
fident that she will exercise a wom-
an's prerogative and change her mind.
And Mr. Insull hasn't a word to say.
Fewer Ticky Cattle.
Alice Tex. Dec. B.—According to
the November dipping report of C. M.
McManus in charge of tick eradica-
tion work in this territory. 580 herds
consisting of 10.002 cattle wore dipped
in Jim Wells county. Of this number
only 321 head were found to be in-
fected with ticks. During October a
BANQUET—Turner Hall
Sunday Dec. 19
Benefit of Congregation Rodfoi
Sholom B'Nai Israel. Tickets 75c
per plate. Everjbody invited.
total of 15.595 head went through the
vats. Ticky cattle in this territory
are gradually on the decrease due to
rigid enforcement of the regulations
and the co-operative spirit shown by
the stockmen.
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| SPANISH
I ROMANCE
HOLBROOK I
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NJ PERSONALLY DIRECTED BY g
I ERNST LUBITSCH |
Now Showing .?•• '. g)
U YouVant A g/Rf !\ !
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| ™BIO-TIVAU DEvTILE J
THE STANDAM) OF ENTERTAINMENT*
5 DAYS BEGINNING MATINEE TODAY
MFC-GEORGE CHOOS OFFERS^.
STASIA. LEDOVA'
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W- WAN IS JIMMY LYONS
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( ®e Sight Sngusii RocßetSr
REDMOND & WELLS
'THE-OYP 7
STEVE
• SELBINI 61 ALBERT * MELROY SISTERS’
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MOODY® DUNCAN
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SAN ANTONIO’S FOREMOST AMUSEMENT INSTITUTION
Galveston liufjstrial Survey.
Galveston Tei. Dec. B.—Work has
begun on H survey of Galveston's in-
dustrial possibilities. The survey is
being carried on under the supervi-
sion of Burt C. Blanton former in-
dustrial director of the Texas Chamber
of Commerce now dissolved who has
been engaged by the Galveston Com-
mercial Association. It is expected
the survey will extend over a period
of two months or more. When fin-
ished it will be a complete resume
of Galveston's industries as well as
7ier industrial possibilities. •
You’ll go wild
over every bit
Tl-1 Don’t Miss It—
OI 11 • It Starts TODAY
The Meanest
Man in the
World
He Wouldn’t Smile—
no not even if Venus stopped to kiss him. He
was so rarin’ mean he just couldn't smile at
anything. But lil’ old Cupid shot a dart or two
and Jiminiy Crickets how love will change a
man.
The most delicious—enticing morse! of enter-
tainment that ever hit our Screen. q
A Delightful Picturizatjon of George M. Cohan’s Success
ful Stage Production with a dandy cast including
BERT LYTELL BLANCHE SWEET
BRYANT^ WASHBURN
r fl 1 H i V ■ I ■ WV fl
* r* - ■
Rt^PrlncesS
—HI A Wild Whirl oP P
vZ UscyetvLuxury and _
-4 Insane Lov’e a v -
Here’s a story of the reck- ~
less age. A swift reeling —
■Hr iIpVP down the primrose path _
J a intoxicated by the sparkl- _
SSg | | PgU- ’ n B champagne of sudden
—— riches. A vivid drama of —
— l° ve ’ laughter and luxur- —
10us Uving. —
A Great
Cast
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Vitwor 5 ■ • A B A
nCWTINCX^^sJ^
Lj \ BLOOD” SSHc-
KM j ANEW SERIE'S |
GRAND = RIVOLI™™;™
STARTS TODAY STARTS SCHRAT
Bob “Casey” qqugLAS
Gree r FAIRBANKS
!■ a Joarney to the Realm of Musle. ■ni won WMV
Comedy and Soar —
“ALL ABOARD” “THE scrap of his UFF-
HIRY CAREY 5( 20c
la "GOOD HEX AXD TKCE" ;
DECEMBER 9192 J.
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The San Antonio Light (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 43, No. 324, Ed. 1 Sunday, December 9, 1923, newspaper, December 9, 1923; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1628974/m1/23/: accessed June 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; .