The Mischief Maker (1916) User Reviews

The Mischief Maker

[mrb1980 · 25 October 2020]

It seems that the only excuse for this picture is that it gives opportunity to show a statue of a nude woman several times during the action. The feature is a five-reeler starring June Caprice, turned out by the Fox Film Corporation under the direction of John G. Adolfi from a scenario written by Alfred Solman. It is evident the Fox people have gotten to the realization that in June Caprice they haven't got he star that they counted on and they are going to resort to slight suggestion of the salacious to put her over in all of her pictures. The story is one of those light weight things that carries the suggestion that no great amount of thought has been expended on its writing. The plot is one that has served time and time again both in pictures and on the stage. The mother of a girl and the father of a boy decide that the families should be united. Neither of the younger folks has seen the other, the girl is at a boarding school and the boy at college. When they are informed by their parents of the decision regarding their futures, both rebel. Later they meet through accident and elope and are forgiven by the parents. Of course there must be a villain to make the story complete and in this case it is the art instructor at the school, who is fond of chickens. He manages to persuade on of the youngsters to pose for a nude figure which he models, and then finally gets Effie Marchand (June Caprice) to pose for the head. Of course that isn't all that he wants her to do, but she repulses his advances, and the girl who originally posed for the nude, being jealous, the two tip off the heads of the school that Effie posed for the entire figure. Result Effie is expelled and runs off and marries the hero who rescued her from the arms of the artist. Miss Caprice does better in this role than in the majority of features in which she appears, but she still has a long way to go before she actually establishes herself in the ranks of the stars. Variety, 1 December 1916.