The sun., 1919-04-06
None Too Fascinat-
ing for the w eak
Story to Blight
Good Plays Often
Lift From Obscur-
ity to Stardom

away wherever shown. So did many
another Hart picture. But his Tho
Tiger Man and Shark Monroe did not
ring the bell regardless of all the
golden opinions this sterling actor had
won. In fact, the public seems to have
an uncanny instinct, a sort OF mob tel
| epathy by which it agrees to stay away
| whenever a picture that isn't exactly
right is offered. Go right through the
list OF players, male and female. and
the experience of Hart and the others
already named Is found to be the COM
| mon lot. Charles Ray, the Paramount
,Ince star, has won a firm hold with the
! public. "A Nine O'Clock Town, His
Own Home Town Playing the Game
! and Claws Of the Hun not to make
| the list too Ions, brought diamonds for
| many an exhibitors wife; but Ray
might as we'll have been John Smith
when he appeared in The Family
Skeleton for his reputation counted
for exactly nothing. Wallace Reid is
equally favorite in such plays as Be
lieve Me. Xantippe' and the 'Fire1y OF
France, but not at all in such plays az
The House OF Silence Enid Bennett
Is a winsome girl whom the public evil
uFUIly WdOlS 10 IKE, Nnt sCOTeu UlE III
Naughty. Naughty The Biggest Show
on Earth and many more. but the
public forgot all about her charm when
she offered The Vamp'
THE whole matter may be summed
up in the words of an exhibitor who
said Amy exhibitor knows that with
all due respect to the alleged artistry
of the players their popularity comes
as result OF a series OF good pictures.
Pick Good stories, That's All.
This simplfies the whole matter and
makes the role OF the producer de
lightfully easy. All he has to do is to
see that his stars always have good
stories. After that he can set the
ONCE boy 10 work clipping coupons
and spend the rest OF his days at Palm
Beach. Rather, it would be simple ~
he knew what constituted a good
story.
IF good stories were as abundant
as good advice there would not be
room in the armament for all the
stars that would presently be twink
ling. But after all has been said tn.
producers game is 10 pick pictures
that the great majority will like and
only the minority condemn. It is a
most fascinating game. but It is like
poker in one respect. IL you stick to
IL long enough you are sure to 60
broke"
Good pictures are" said William
A. Brady, the foundation upon which
rests the success OF the screen star.
Without good pictures the screen star
finds herself in exactly the position
that confronts the actor behind the
footlights whose play is at fault
There was a time in the early DAYS
OF the motion picture when almost
any sort OF story could be carried TO
success by tho personal following OF
its principal player--when Il was not
considered necessary to give the story.
or for that matter the production
either. any special consideration.
But on the screen. AS in the the
atre itself those days are past"
Richard A. Rowland, president OF
Metro Pictures Corporation and presi-
dent OF Screen Classics, Inc, wades
into the present condition Of the bust
ness fearlessly. Mr.. Rowland character
ICES the present star system a folly and
in announcing the policy OF his compa-
MES sets forth that fewer productions,
but bigger ones, with stress being laid
upon the attraction value, will be the
policy pursued during the coming sea-
son. lie says that in almost all in
stances, with the exception OF Nazi-
nova. II has been demonstrated to him
that the production has made the star
rather than the star the production.
and that II is now th:se for the manu-
lecturers of Dictures 10 min fhair h,,si
ness in their own way, SO that the
business can be conducted at pront.