Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-10-07
The Evening Star Weekly Review Of Books
One of the Best Things in Rex Beach, Latest Novel, "The
Ne er-Do-Wel," Is a Dissertation on the Panama Canal.

There is no doubt at all that the
managers are just as eager for new and
good material as are the publishers for
books magazines. The difference
between the manager and the pub
Usher is that the publisher is very apt
to read everything and the manager is
apt to read nothing.
A writer in the September Bookman
gives it as his opinion that there is not
one chance in 300 that a play submitted
in the ordinary way, through the mail
or by leaving at a managers Office,
will ever be read. The chances thai 1t
will ever be considered are still more
remote. The reason for this, evidently,
Is that managers have not yet adopted
the fine-tooth comb system which pre-
walls In many publishing houses. In
fact this writer says the only way now
adays to sell a play Is to force 1t on
the manager just as you would compel
a housewife to buy a box Of Sunset
soap.
&C
However. the fiction writer's ma
terial, from the fact that 1t reaches
print. either In a magazine or in book
form, Is likely to attract the attention
"a RAR Ahbh "a O AtAphAabSs
Alias Jimmy Valentine was based
upon a very short story-about two
thousand words in length-of O..
Henry's. one probably written early in
his career. The whole germ of the
play is contained IN that short story.
The gist of 1t is this: A bank burglar,
trying to lead an homes life out West.
ecure a position as the teller OF a
bank. As a burglar. he is able to open
safes without knowing the combina-
ton. A little girl Is by accident shut
up in the new bank vault, No one
can open is, owing to the fact that the
combination has not yet been set. A
detective happens to be present. He
suspects Valentine to be the burglar
that he ooks for. Valentine must a
choice of going to jail and saving
a life by showing his skill in the pres
ence Of the officer-or doing the other
Out of that incident q well-known
made one of the most Sue
plays of the season. He prob
ably unearthed the story from some
which he casually picked up,
thai the fiction writer always has a
of somebody seeing his wares
and wanting them. This nance may
come soon or late.
It is some years since "The Trail OF
the Lonesome Pine" was published, n
yet it is now just being dramatized.
Ten Thousand Dollars a Year" Is
one of the old standard English clas-
sizes, and yet was the subject of a re-
cent play produced under the title OF
Hopkinson."
GO
Once a manager besides to obtain the
rights of a novel or story for dramatic
purposes, the question 10 then what
happens?
As a rule a good story writer makes
a pool dramatist. He works frequently
in quite the opposite direction. There
are rules such as that the audience
must be in possession of all the facts
at the end of the first act and other
rules of a kindred nature, which, of
course, reverses the noveliSt's method.
He is not often asked to, nor In fact
allowed to dramatic his own story.
The manager sometimes will simply buy
the rights outright and tuck them away
for future reference and use 1t If he is
keen about the production of the novel
as a play, but will at once proceed to
make terms both with the novelist n
with the playwright selected to write
the play.
ITO be c~ontinued.)