The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1916-05-25
Who S the
Public?
BY F. A. Mitchell

was TO write scenario for NOV
ing picture, having received an order
from Forman. the editor Of large
film manufacturing company. who had
Esid TO me:
Il want something up to date. PEG.
pie in these days are very FESTIVE un
der the chains Of matrimony. Give me
play on this subject, and don't he
/ squeamiSh about it,"
l held a dialogue with nv char.
actcrs with a view to finding out their
feelings, utilizing fictitious audience
as sort Of Greek chorus. This is
what was evolved
Mrs. Trevelyan," | said to nv lead
ing lady, you are the mother of n bow
four years old, Reginald. Your hus-
band is a spendthrift and is using up
the family income, as you suspect, on
other women. John Guilford. an old
fame Of yours and a splendid fellow.
sympathizeS with you. He would sup
ply the deficiency caused by your huS-
bands extravaganza. but there is a
barrier to his doing so in your having
a husband"
Kill him" shouted n virago in the
audience. a yiragO is a masculine wo
MANI
THE husband!"
YES"
l ran my eye over the rows of filed
seats for approval or disapproval. but
got nothing definite.
us my boy Reginald to appear as one
of the characters" asked Mrs. Ire
velyan.
We'll, yes. He IS one of the ele-
mentS of the scheme. | would much
rather leave him out. for he will be the
hardest character of all 10 handle"
lie would be much better off" cried
the viraSO, with a good man for
stepfather than his real defective IA.
Their"
"Guilford," I said. how do you feel
about your part"
"Am | to be the villain OF the play?"
mo; you're TO be the hero-I mean
the leading gentleman"
Il like that! How the dickens do
you expect me to make hero Of my
self and at the same time make love
to another mans wifeY"
"Ill tell you what you do" said Mrs.
Trevelyan. Bring out in your play that
my husband repents or turns out to be
good man after all"
"In that case" bristled Guilford,
where do l come in?"
Advancing toward my audience, /
noticed a very ladylike woman with an
impressive face sitting in a proscenium
box. | asked her for a reply to Gull
fords question.
HE should never have come In at
ALL"
was not getting on. My heroine
was not satisfied to take a new hus-
band; my hero was unable to make a
hero of himself while making love to
another mans wife. and l had a child
to dispose OF too young to understand
what they were all doing.
Come; get to work." 1 said to the
players. and / began TO lay down the
scenario. | labored through three acts
and succeeded in reaching the fourth.
in which | proposed to dispose of the
husband and marry his wife to no.
BILE, good man.
l was relieved TO see in my hypOthet-
Ical audience that the wife held their
pretty well, but the whole |
scheme broke down under a scene that
FOrman had suggested as being worthy |
10 be handled by genius. The parties |
involved were Trevelyan, his wife and
GuilfOrd. The scene was the culminat- |
ne point of the break between the Ire |
Telyans. l had nerved myself up to |
he work with the help of ten cups Of |
strong tea and was moving on swim
ningly when little Reginald must |
needs come in and. seeing his mother |
delivering an address to his father /
hat had spent much time and pains !
IN, ran up to him, threw his little arms /
Ibout him and cried out:
Mamma, why do you scold papa? |
fou mustn't scold papa. won't let
TOu."
''Shoot the villain of the playr' cried
voice in the audience.
do you refer to me, sir?" asked
Iuilford holly. I'D have you under
tand, sir, that I'm the hero of this
lay"
Give Trev another chancer' cried
in the audience. HE
lidn't mean nOthin'! My ole woman
has lots more agin me than he's done
she only knOwed it,
Then you're a brutev' cried fem
nine voice.
what are you going to do with the
id?" called a voice loud above the
ubbub.
"Send him to an orphan asylum"
uggeSted a woman in the gallery.
That's better than father that isn't
is father. and hypOcrite at THAR
Better sink the whole lot of en-
7aS the last call heard above the din.
'hich now became confusing. Jump
lg up from my desk, l ran to the
elephone, called up Forman and said
D him:
"Who wants that kind of play you
ave given me an order fOr?"
THE public"
"Who's the public?"
why, the public is the-the public.