THE STRAND

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 39, 9 May 1927, Page 13

THE STRAND

“THE DESERT'S TOLL" An exciting tale of the desert is told in “The Desert’s Toll.” the Metro-Goldwyn-Maver production, now being shown at the Strand Theatre. Frank Darwin, a young man of the West, makes his home with friendly Indians in an almost inaccessible part of the desert, in a cave hidden away in the hills. An outlaw, Martin, and two companions follow a weakened old miner who has discovered a gold mine into the desert, and in the locality of Frank’s cave shoot holes in his canteens and watch him die of weakness and thirst, to obtain maps to his mine

and what gold he possesses. Frank arrives in time to talk briefly with the old miner, who entrusts him with tin* map. Frank then, by his knowledge of the desert, eludes the three ruffians and outwits them in their efforts to shoot him. Meanwhile, Muriel Cooper, a niece of the deceased miner, comes west in search of her uncle. She falls iri with the three outlaws, who tell her the old miner has been murdered by Frank, and enlist her assistance, presumably to secure revenge, but really to obtain the map to the mine. The girl almost succeeds in bringing Frank into the hands of the outlaws, but, after a

number of thrilling incidents, she realises he is in the right and she throws in her lot with him. The story of “Steele, of the Royal Mounted." the supporing picture, follows the adventures of a lone trooper on the track of a criminal thrpugh the perils of the wildnerness. Bert Lytell takes the part of Steele and Charlotte Merriam appears opposite him. The production is adapted from the story by James Oliver Curwood. A Strand Magazine and an Aesop’s Fable, “Busted Romance,” are also being shown. A selection from Tschaikowski’s melodies form the musical interlude.