The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1916-10-27
ENACTING= A
PICTURE PLAY
By RUTH GRAHAM


picture plays. How in the world do
you make people out of nothing? And
having created them, how do you make
them do things that are Interestingly"
"It's all built up. just as you would
construct a house. First you must
get your motif; that's the basement
Next, you find certain complications;
sthats the framework. Finally you
make your characters do it all in &C.
cordance with your scheme; that's
putting in the body Of your house.
Then, when it's all laid out, you put
on the finishing touches: that's deco
rating"
"But where does the romance come
INF"
"I can't tell you. but can show you.
Let us enact picture play. Well
make 1t very simple, only two charac-
ters-the man and the girl. Rosalind,
the girl, leaves her house with letter.
She meets the fellow. Jenkins. He
sees the letter and the address and
surrnises that she Is going to the Office
to post an acceptance to rival. He
leaves her very sad. The next day he
goes to foreign country and doesn't
return for two years. He meets Rosa
lind, and she tells him that the letter
she posted was a rejection of his rival
instead of an acceptance"
"What a stupid man.
IF plays didn't make lovers do stu
pid things they wouldn't be true to
life. Furthermore, there wouldn't be
any plays. Let us play this one"
But / don't see how we can enact
that. There isn't anything for us
to do
"It's a two reel play. Suppose we
leave out the first reel and enact the
second"
There's not much in either of them"
There's a lot in the last half. You
go down there by the stream and sit
on one Of those rocks. That will make
a pretty picture. You see. we must
look out for the artistic features:s You
will be thinking of jenkins"
Cant you find a better name for
him2''
"Oh, his name doesn't matter. Be-
sides. you have said he's very stupid"
She did as he directed. While she
was sitting pensively on the rock he
passed ON the path above, saw her and
hurried down to her. On reaching her
he uncovered, bowed and moved his
lips as If talking to her with a distant
manner.
"What does that mean?" she asked.
"Im telling you what might be ex-
pected at finding you after long alb
sence. There's no use saying 1t, for
photographs can make no sound"
ooh, forgot that"
"You ask me why went away so
suddenly. l reply that saw the letter
of acceptance of my rival Then you
inform me that it was letter of rejec-
tion."
"Well, Wen consider all that said"
He raised his eyes to heaven. as If
giving thanks. Then he beat his breast
dramatically.
whats that?' she asked.
Satisfaction at learning that my RI
val was turned down and self reproach
at the loss of two years of happiness"
Happiness! How do you know that
Rosalind will have your
True enough"
II shouldn't think you would be
much of a picture play writer to make
such mistakes as that"
"The theme doesn't work out right.
Having failed to put in anything about
Rosalind loving jenkins, shall have
to go back to the beginning and do 1t
all over"
81 don't see any reason for that"
How shall supply the deficiency
"Why, let him ask her. of course"
Fright you are"
He sat down very near her. so near
that his cheek almost touched hers,
and began to make his lips move in
dumb show.
Don't you think" she said, that
you would enact the part better If
you spoke the words2 How can a
man show feeling while making his
lips move without saying anything?"
Right again. Characters in picture
plays really speak their parts" Then
hespoke aloud.
How happy l am to find you in
this beautiful spot. Rosalind. l have
do you need to keep the name of
the character in the play?"
'Effie, have known you now
year, and"-
"Why. you've been away two years,
and you knew me before you left"
''Tell me, Effie," he went on. chang
ing his tone, was that letter to Cart
right saw on your table when I call
ed yesterday an acceptance"
Yesterday? Why. 1t was two years
agor'
Never mind the COMPOUNDED picture
play. Tell me, is 1t or CartrightY'
At this juncture she played her part
beautifully. She turned away her
head and left her hand in a position
very advantageous for being grnsped.
Then she bent forward SO that his 9th
er hand could not very well help en-
circling her waist.
Plays are like lovers; they put the
best foot forward. In the real thing
there is usually lot behind the scenes.
In this case the leading lady, who had
been angling for the leading gentle