New-York tribune., 1917-12-23
Romanof Scored
BY Anita Loos
Scenario Writer Says He Is
a Brute and Much
Spoiled, Besides
By Iiarrictte Underhill

lNdL one 1ehsOH we were 30 oHAiVNs W
interview Miss Loos was because we
not unnaturslly supposed that dog was
hers and We wished TO see II at clos.
range.
SO, as soon as we had recovered from
being introduced TO the cleverest gee
rarioist in the world, We said: "Where
is that wonderful Russian wolf hound
and may we use picture o. hlm?' To
which Miss Loos replied: That Won
derful Russian wolf hound is brute.
lie is spoiled from being admired, and
every time his picture appears in the
papers he gets worse. His contem-
porares lead dogs lives. He eats up
the little ones and worries the big
ones, and the last time he posed with
ME was actually afraid that would
never come out Of the adventure alive.
Romanotf looked like the wolf that ate
Red Riding Hoods grandmother, and
was afraid he would ca: me. I'm going
to change his name to BolsheYik."
As a matter Of fact, Romsnoff is
doubtless quite as bloodthirsty as Miss
Loos pictured him, but We still believe
that little Anita would have been quite
safe, for she would not make decent
sized mouthful for any self.respecting
wolf hound.
Miss Loos it is who has been respon-
sible for the delightful, delicious, joy
Gus stories which Douglas Fairbanks
has been doing on the screen. There IS
something about the name Anita Loos
which sounds tall and blond. and 80 VIC
were rather surprised when some one
described its owner as "a little Jap
anese doll" But it is true. Miss Loos
does look like Japanese doll, or, bet
ter yet, small, brunette Buster Brown.
She has black hair, cunningly clipped,
and big black eyes, with long, thick,
black eyelashes, and there is only one
person in the screen world so small,
and she is Marguerite Clark. We have
just got 10 tell what she wore when she
came TO open the door for us. IL was
blue Jersey cloth dress. and around hcr
l8-inch waist was twisted. several
times, carelessly, as though she didn't
care how artistic it looked red sash.
That is how Anita Loos looks. And
now as to the way Anita Loos talks.
Well, it seems as though all of the ter
ribly funny things which she said and
which We determined to jot down as
soon as we got outside have gone
/ from us.
On one pad which is dedicated to
such purposes we find "Mary Me-
Lean, '"not enlisted, "philanthropists,"
grand opera" and "iions," none OF
which stirs any iaten. memories.
Suffice to say that Miss Loos talks as
cleverly as she writes and that We
spent a delightful hour with her, only
the trouble is that the things which We
can remember are the things which she
asked us not to print, and, anyway, dis
cretion is the better part of interview
ing and we were implicated as we'll
One thing which Miss Loos said
should be quite encouraging to young
scenario writers. She said that to write
as she wrote was the simplest thing in
the world She said that any one could
do il.
"Why, satrical comedy is the easies.
thing in the world TO do because one
has no competitor. No one seems TO lie
doing it. Every one says to me How 90
you think of such funny things to have
/ your people say? When, as a matter Of
fact, all you have to do is to listen TO
the conversation Of those around you
and put it in your stories. really
heard woman in Los Angeles refuse
to meet another woman because her
/ husband was a distiller, while the hus-
band Of the aspiring upstart who had
dared to try TO be introduced was only
n brewer. ! used that in my story
Am tical Aristoc.acy.' and every one
thought i: was funny but overdrswn
Which only goes 10 prove how easy it,. is
to write comedy scenarios.
Until John Emerson got hold of my
stories no one had been able TO produce
them on the screen.
"Mr. Griffith bought several and then,
after trying to film a couple Of them, he
put them up on shelf and added the
sum paid me 20 the loss column. When
Mr.. Emerson was looking for a story
for Douglas Fairbanks be picked out
one Of mine. His Picture in the Paper
I think e va7, but y Griffith warned
MIN asains. ID. uS that while
they we've up.osiioasy imny to read
they could aot be med Well, Mr.
Emerson determined 10 take a chance,
and the result was the best picture |
ever did
This was due entirely to the titles.
Mr.. Emerson believes, as do |, that the
sub-titles are as much a part of the
picture as the dialogue is part of
play.
80 now We are going TO make our
own pictures. shall write them and
Mr.. Emerson will produce them. [
haven't written a scenario Cor month
and am chuckfUl OF ideas.
"No. I do not know exactly what