Williamstown Chronicle (Vic. : 1856 - 1954), Saturday 4 March 1911, page 3


DARK & TINSDALE'S PICTURES. KING OF THE ROAD. PATRONS of Dark. and Tindale's pic-tures Thursday ýnight had something thrilling to witness as a centrepiece in the first of the series of Captain Jack Gavin's picture plays, designated "King of the Road." It essays to pourtray various stirring incidents in the career of an Australian desperado, Frank Gardiner, held up to the ignorant mind as an example of dashing devilment tipped, with deeds of heroism. The best points about it is Gardiner's re-scue of Annie Brown from drowning, the delivery from a convict's assault of the gaol governor's little daughter, and the finale where the ex-bushranger, exiled to America, at length (after a bitter goal experience) realizes the fact that," Honesty is the best Policy," which he seeks to inculcate apparently into his daughter and his daughter's sweetheart. That it is a thrilling con-tinnation of desperate scenes that should never have occurred in Australia, goes without saying, but it has the extremely bad tendency of holding up to the juvenile portion of the audience (who applauded most vociferously whenever law and order was trampled upon) an utter contempt for one of the most useful, respectable and reputable body of men in the Government service—the police. To-night's programme will include— In the Shadow of Mt. Shasta, Western drama; The Greenhorn and the Girl, cowboy; Under Western Skies, cow-boy; Gold Prospectors, Western drama; Cowboy Mother-in-law ; Treachery of the Pequois (this film is the most sensational Indian drama ever shown) ; Betty's ;Baby Brother ; the Engineer's Sweetheart, sensational, and a host of others.