New Pictures

Rough Riders. A Cuban maid pursued by a sinister Spaniard, menacing, evil-minded. . . Another Spaniard in a rowboat, a lighted cigaret waved three times in the night blackness. . . Someone throws a switch and the Maine is blown up. Thus the film records the outbreak of the Spanish-American war. Paramount discovered one Frank Hopper, book-agent, who looks like Theodore Roosevelt. He is shown ordering the mobilization of the fleet during the absence of his superior, Secretary of the Navy Long.

But the Navy, majestic, ponderous, congeals the fiery blood of a natural cavalryman. Theodore Roosevelt resigns to organize a volunteer corps. The Rough Riders gather in San Antonio--cowboys, jailbreakers, sheriffs, wealthy young clubmen from Manhattan. Ladies in long skirts, with trim shirt-waists that betray an underpinning of steel corsets, straw-hatted, ride to the scene of mobilization on tandem bicycles. Among them is Mary, "San Antonio belle and sweetheart of the regiment" (Mary Astor). For her love, poor timid, countryboy, Bert Henley (Charles Emmett Mack), and wealthy Manhattan clubman, Stewart Van Brunt (Charles Farrell), rival, quarrel, then fight. Their private scrap is too puny, decrees Colonel Roosevelt. Let them bunk, ride, drill, march together through the entire campaign, and make the best of it.

At the fierce battle of San Juan Hill, Van Brunt carries his wounded comrade safely to the hospital tent, where Bert surrenders Mary's U. S. flag to his more fortunate rival before he dies. But it was Bert whose hysteria in rushing upon the enemy without orders, precipitated the charge that drove the Spaniards from the hill.

Historical material was furnished by Hermann Hagedorn, biographer of Theodore Roosevelt. Much of his research is incorporated into the film ably directed by Victor Fleming. Primarily, however, the object was a tingling war melodrama, not a historical epic.

A Kiss in a Taxi (Bebe Daniels). With typical Hollywood depiction of Montmartre, Bebe Daniels, virtuous and pure young Parisian waitress, is discovered smashing chinaware every time a man tries to kiss her. There is in the picture, oddly, a poor young artist. He overcomes, strangely, the animadversions of the young waitress. During the seven reels that it takes him to do it, five million dishes are shown to break.

The Show (John Gilbert, Renee Adoree, Lionel Barrymore). The plot is from Molnar's play Liliom. The Austrian hero lived on the largesse of women, stole their greatest treasures, beat them with sticks and fists. But they still loved him with ardor. His mistress (Gertrude Short) deserted him for the villain, buc decided she had made a bad second choice. Jealous the villain tries to kill the hero with a nasty gila monster but fails. Good cast, poor acting, fair entertainment.

Sensation Seekers (Billie Dove). This plot is from Ernest Pascal's Egypt. Billie Dove as Egypt Hagen, society type girl, smokes, drinks and goes bad with six times the diligence of any possible society girl, determined to go to hell just as fast as she can get there. Reverend Norman Lodge (Raymond Bloomer) sidetracks her into his parish house. Preacher Lodge is convincing and that is all which can be said for the picture.