THE CINEMA.
JACKIE COOGAN IN "MY BOY."—PATtlg PRODUCTION. JAMIE COOGAN, the "Wonder Boy" of the films, appears to be an exception to the usual infant prodigy. It is his childish- ness that appeals rather than his art. He never seems to be looking at the camera, never for a moment to be aware that he is acting. When he runs along a street and just fails to steal an apple from a neighbouring barrow his hesitation is infinitesimal, but it is the hesitation of an ordinary child.
My Boy, the story of a child immigrant whose mother dies on board ship and who escapes deportation by attaching himself to an old sailor in whose garret he is eventually found
by his millionairess grandmother, is an efficient film without too much sent:mentality, and should have a great success.
Jackie Coogan by his simplicity and lack of facial contortion is an example to all cinema players who still tend to overact. One wonders if he has great talent or if he is just an ordinary child whose natural dramatic instincts have been developed by really clever teachers. It is possible perhaps that any naturally intelligent child could act just as well if he were equally well trained.
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