Local Movie Pleases Big Audiences

 The Marietta Daily Times, July 24, 1928

Marietta had a real Hollywood setting for its first local comedy movie that was shown at the Hippodrome theatre on Monday afternoon and evening. Large crowds attended the showing of "Marietta's Hero," with Tom Battin, Alice Yost, Frank Buckley, Orien Hiett, Howard Clark and Roma Morgenstern as the principal characters in the United Photoplay Producers picture, the scenario acted and filmed under the direction of Corey Cook last week.

All of the local people, including scores of citizens who were incidental actors in the picture, played their parts well. Tom Battin, the hero, as Jimmy Ryan, the policeman, was exceptionally good, his action in the plot bringing him into many scenes, one of which was the thrilling capture of a bandit who robbed Wittlig's jewelry store.

The Times had a part in the picture, the newspaper a medium for the broadcasting of events, as they were acted. The scenes in the picture were followed up closely by the reporter-actor, Howard Clark, who landed the scoop for the paper in reporting the robbery that was important enough to require an "extra." The film early in the scenes showed him loafing on the job in the news room when he was virtually "kicked out" by Editor Tom O'Donnell, who started him out on his beat.

There was plenty of comedy and romance. The scenes were laid in different parts of Marietta, the "Anchorage," the home of Edward McTaggart, entering largely into the setting. The plot was thrilling. The acting centered about Mr. and Mrs. Henry Jones, played by Frank Buckley and Miss Orien Hiett, the first scene the rear dooryard of the McTaggart home, the home of Jones the hen-pecked husband, and wife. He has a letter from a cousin who is leaving for South America, stating that she is sending "Baby Mary" to him on the next train. Difficulties begin when he goes to the Pennsylvania railroad station for the baby.

Arriving on the same train with the "baby" (who is a grown-up flapper acted by Alice Yost) is "Lizzie Wiggins" (Roma Morgenstern), a cousin of Mrs. Jones. In the meantime Jones, after meeting Jimmy Ryan and the reporter in front of Beagle's drug store, goes down Putnam Street with the policeman and in front of the Corner drug store he is introduced to John Boyle, who gives the policeman a nice fat cigar which he pockets. The trio are seen going down Front Street to the Marietta Furniture store where Jones buys a baby buggy for "Baby Mary's" transportation home.

The scene at the Pennsylvania station was climaxed when "Baby Mary" makes herself known to Jones and the pair walk off for a look over the city. Lizzie Wiggins, with her roller skates in hand, was amazed to see Mary walking away with her cousin's husband, and hastens to tell Mrs. Jones of her "chicken chasing" husband. 

The hen-pecking wife and her cousin on roller skates go after the pair whom they spy on Front Street, below the railroad track. Jones and "Baby Mary" run up Greene Street to Seventh, dodging up by the Chair Company plant and "Goebel Place," where they are followed by the irate wife.

Jones and "Baby Mary" finally get down on Greene Street, where in order to get away from Mrs. Jones, he buys an automobile in which he starts up Front Street. Mrs. Jones and Lizzie get Raymond Lane, of the Lorentz garage, to drive them after the fleeing Jones. The chase leads along City Park, up Sacra Via and down Third. A rube in overalls (Francis Seeley), who is standing in Sacra Via park, is scraped by Mrs. Jones' car and he loses his overalls. 

The chase ends at Second and Putnam streets, where the new car of Jones is smashed in a collision with the bandit car. There the climax of the picture takes place. Jimmy, the policeman, and the reporter are on the job and, with the arrest of the bandit, the reporter writes his story, a second scene in The Times editorial rooms.

The bandit, "Deck" Davis, is seen coming out of the Wittlig store covering everyone with his "gat." He holds up John Boyle and commandeers his automobile. John takes a passing car and gives chase, along with the policeman, and everything and everybody is rounded up at the wreck scene.

Following the family reconciliations, the scenes shift to the stage of the Hippodrome. Mrs. Jones sends "Lizzie" to be cleaned up at the St. Clair beauty parlor. The scenes then shift to The Anchorage, where Clark calls on "Baby Mary." The loaded cigar that had been given by the policeman to the reporter is innocently handed to Jones, as is also The Times, with the glaring headlines about the robbery. While Clark is courting Mary, the cigar explodes, and the reporter is kicked out, and seen tumbling end over end down the terrace of the McTaggart premises. The policeman slips in and courts Mary while Lizzie lets Clark know that "she might let him pay her board."