The Washington times., 1914-09-21
The BEST
'rI4,e,,RsS AesNa'tr.e-,t ,n
WASHINGTON
en& Play Written
for the Screen
Adapted 10
Stage

NT''=frk rs'5ase producers are
"ras -TF.Z s~sz7 e,,cs;s few inches
~NSss tfS=se .$Ns, steps are being
s.k=z - rasko stage play from
r-',Fr,s T5c,:;ve irams.
cQ-=s o5,4:l5 seem TO be the very
IS. &gsr:sg,ent necessary 10 prove
.Na Interchangeable character Of the
we H-7tns OF amusement /; MAS
.SS-.. - Il matter e COURSE IhSi
r-eSras picture plays $H:a.& S>e
Easpsations of SIaEC c-HG@c::,:fS-
Al - the best d-&-,z< .1&- "SSla
stand transpositio@ e: re screen
Nave been so ai&-Es.- SO = many
instances the Ss-s,e a--crS who
piayed them II 80 -t'ea,=- hANe &P-
peIred before EGs c&c.t-sE&. Within
the last year q C0G -eS quality OF
the moving picture pLSS has been
steadily improving. anu now some Of
the very best writers IN the country
are busying themselves with scena-
rios. Many of the weil-known play
~rights are also preparing screen
plays. II only remained for some
man with brains to take good NOV
ING picture play and adapt it to the
stage The man with the brains
seems to have arrived. He is Ray
nond Hitchcock. the comedian.
Hitchcock wants TO take the play
tha; Lawrence Mccloskey wrote TOT u
ann as a photodrama snd produce II
- the stage.
William Lord Wright tells the
<-o-y in an appreciative manner In a
-~cent issue OF the Dramatic Mir
rc-.
--Reep;nS in to the crystal glass Of
re future there is unfolded before
x-.--1ai cfanra the fact that
al ohotcplay authors will sooner
9 lsIsr he furnishing successful
-ehicles for the spoken drama. We
-acollect-it was not so very long ago
.hSt everything OF the movie" per-
s-azsion was greeted with the de-
-iS.ve chuckle by walters and actors
= the legitimate drama But Things
nave changed. Lucinda. things have
changed The scramble of the note
worthy TheSpians for front seats In
Plcrureville is too well known to
-ecessitate mention in these columns;
ne showing and pushing of the All
E-stUs Thomases, the George AIDES,
ne Richard Harding Davises and
7thers. to grab off their share of the
monuments coincident with the pop
u-arity OF the silent drama, is an
sctiou fresh in the minds Of the stu
dents OF motion picture turns and
twists: but the fact that photopiay
.ght and airy stuff necessary to
Stsgeland is a situation beyond the
Tildest imaginations of the necro-
-ancers and the soothsayers- As
proof. let US consider the story of
the "Ring-Tailed Rhinoceros.' THE
nessed by Lawrence McCloskey.
Lubin editor, to entice Raymond
Hitchcock into Filmland. Raymond
Ead contracted with the Lubin Com
pany to appear in motion pictures.
One Of the mainstays of the concern
endeavored to coax Hitchcock and
his charming wife to appear in an
original drama of the films. Ray
mond. on the other hand. wished
20 appear in a filmed version Of one
of his wellknown successes.
Nothing original in the movies"
-sseverated Hitchcock 10 Editor Nc
'loskey. Il know you movie writers,
md that me cheild' stun; nothing
doing Larry, nothing doing"
Gimme q week. Hitchie" said Nc
Closkey. and I'll show you some
thing
Now Hitchcock is a good sport.
and he reluctantly agreed to be
any original photoplay would have
10 be good enough in itself to Offset
the advertising value that would go
with one of the known successes.
'McCloskey hustled back to Lubin-
ille and he wrote the ''RIng-Tajled
Rhinoceros" The following Sun
lay he returned to Hitchcock's Long
Island home and read the plot to the
star. Before McCIoskey was half
through. Hitchcock was acting the
9art The 'Rhino' has been filmed
five parts: it's a photophansey
hat contains refined comedy-such
IS everybody Itkes-it contains the
smile and the tear, and an unobtru-
sIve lesson. Score another for Nc
"loskey and Filmland!
And now Raymond Hitchcock
wishes the 'RhinO" adapted to the
comic opera stage. II is the entering
wedge. Pretty soon We'll have other
Thespians sitting up and taking no.
tice Of the meritorious comedy and
dramatic plots in Filmland, and won
dering II these self-same plots
uouIdn't " make hit in spoken drama
nd musical comedy. And then there
"ilI come a new deal all round; roy
alties for the photOplay author. de-
served credit, everybody satisfied;
stageland and the screen bound to-
Eether in more affectionate bonds;
mutual advertising. A pleasant
fream? Not at all, The Ring
Jailed Rhinoceros" promises TO start
something!"