The Washington times., 1915-01-08
PHOTOPLAYS AND
PHOTOPLAYERS
BY GARDNER MACK
Film Drama Must
Have Something
More Than
Title
By GARDNER MACK.

In their desire to get the big
plays that have been presented on
the stage done over for the screen
1t would seem that some Of the pro-
ducers are displaying more enter
prise than discretion-more desire
for the fleeting advertisement the
name of the play gives them than
the permanent advertising the quail
fty of the play as a screen produc-
ton provides. The fact of q play
being a great success on the stage
does not mean that it will also be
success on the screen. Dramas
such as Lady Windermere's Fam,
would fail on the screen because
they were written for the spoken
stage, and the action and word Is SO
impossible to separate them. There
Is no doubt that clever scenario
writer could construct very sue
cessful photoplay with a plot along
the general lines of Lady Winder-
mere's Fan" but the play would
snxthss e The stage nd Pro oa tSe
fame of the stage play to get peo-
pie into the theater to see the screen
play would be. in sense. decep-
ton that would not reflect credit
on the person practicing it.
This outhurst has been inspired
Of the film who was induced by the
announcement in this column to see
a production of Mrs. Wigs of the
Cabbage Patch" This photoplay
was made by one Of the vest known
producers, it starred Beatriz Michel
ena. who was not a member of the
stage company producing the play.
but 10 an accomplished actress who
would doubtless have filled the part
of Lovey Mary quite as acceptably
as any of the people who have play
ed it. In the cast was Blanch Chap
man, who succeeded the creator of
the stage Mrs. wiggs.. and made
self as the original had done. These
facts are the facts the exhibitor
had before him when he engaged 1t
for his theater. He was given no
further information by the produc
CT. Yet this is what our friend, the
ter:
Having read the book and wit
messed the production Of Mrs.
Wigs on the stage. | selected it as
a desirable film to which to take a
young girl Of my acquaintance. But
to my establishment. instead Of wit
Messing the sweet, simple story Of
were served up one of the most re-
markable connections of false-whis-
kered villains. bolted dungeons. and
hairbreadth escapes which it has
ever been my lot to gaze upon. Poor
old Mrs. Wigs, who Is the whole
soul Of the story as it appeared in
book form. is seen but a few times
throughout the play, and then in a
very minor part. The plot Uf plot
il can properly be called) is abso-
lutely unrccognizable as that Of
Mrs VICES and the widest flight
of the imagination could not recon-
cle the two.
Has the standard Of the moving
picture stage not been sufficiently
lowered Dv the present food of Ge-
grading 'thrillers' without their be-
ing foisted upon the public under
the names Of plays Of real merit?
] am very much puzzled to UNDER
stand how such deception as this
can be openly practiced. Can you
offer. any cxplanation?''
There Is no other explanation than
the one we have given-thc producer
has utilized the name of a very sue
cessful book and play to bolster UP
what appears to be something EN-
tircly bolster up what appears to be
something entirely different from
either. There are enough books and
enough plays to supply the screen
with good photoplays, and there
doesn't seem to be the slightest ex-
cuse for wasting good literary values
and acting in this manner. G. NJ.