4 JULY 1925, Page 11

A tiresome hoax was perpetrated upon us last week when

the pushing agent of an American motion picture film schemed to advertise his wares by having them escorted from Southampton and through London by British Territorial troops. The officer commanding the troops in question had presumably lived innocently outside the curious world of film production where even the language used is strange to most of us. He was engaged in a recruiting campaign and believed that his men would be photographed in various aspects which, when seen at moving picture theatres, would be attractive. The object of the cunning American, however, was to advertise his film ; pictures were apparently to be made showing its importance to be so immense that the British Army took care of it ! The War Office, however, seems to have given him a better sense of proportion and to have possession of the films of which no more will be seen.