New-York tribune., 1919-11-16
Langdon McCormick's
Genius as an Inventor
Aids Him as an Autho,

Langdon Mccormick, author of "The
Storm" at the Forty-eighth Street
Theatre, before he completed this play
had written and acted in more than
fifty plays. Mccormick has long been
known as "the King Of Melodrama, F."
and In the days Of Theodore Kremer
he and the latter furnished most of
the melodramatic output of the coun-
try.
Mccormick began his career as an
author when mere boy, more thar
thirty years ago, at his home in Port
Huron, Mich, in small theater con
structed for that purpose, on the third
floor of one of the few brick build
ings in the principal street of his home
town. He collected SO many pins as
box office man at this ambitious open
ing that it inspired him to q theatri.
cal career.
Circumstances caused him to 60 to
work, and he secured position in the
expert electrical department Of the
Thompson Electric Company. where he
remained for several months. At the
age of eighteen Mccormick, who was
blessed with an inventive mind, de-
vsed the basic principle Of the pres
ent-day arc light, which he subse-
quently sold to a tobacco company,
which afterward released the patent
to other companies all over the coun-
try.
The young inventor went to Provi-
dence and hung out a shingle as en- eX-
pert electrician. He found that cleo
k.;~ ~ryttk
matte aspirations. So he returned to
his earlier work, giving platform en-
tertainments of his own writings. While
engaged in this work In Chicago he
came in contact with Otis Skinner, who
assured him that he was meant for
an actor and offered him contract
to play in his repertory company. Nc
Cormick accepted, and played with the
Skinner company for three years. 1t
was Mr.. Skinner who advised him to
adhere to the authors rather than the
actors field. and Mccormick soon de-
veloped into an actor-author.
Mccormick is prolific writer. This
had been discovered by several man
ayers, who in the days gone by--al-
though he is still young man~-con-
than FIVE plays a season. And, for out
side diversion, Mr.. McCormick wrote
and published book and turned sew
Ieral of his plays thas scored successes
into novels. TIE names of some Of his
former plays are: "Out of the Fold"
"How Hearts Are Broken" "Hearts
Adrift," THE House of Mystery" "The
Toll Gate" "a Mile Minute" and for
James Corbett he wrote "The Burglar
and the Lady," in which the former
champion toured the country for sew
eral years.
Langdon Mccormick has created
many scenic and electrical effects. The
sinking of the battleships, in tho "Fol-
lies Of 1917" was his effect: His alse
was the speeding train effect in "A
Mile a Minute" Another scenic effect
was the automobile speeding straight
on to the audience In "The Honeymoon
Express" in which AL Jolson appeared
at tho Winter Garden. ION the High
Seas" in which a ship 10 shown burst
ing into fame and Anally sinking, is
still playing in vaudeville. Presented
at the time when the submarine was
tho serpent of the ocean, Mccormick
introduced several Of these undersea
destroyers into this effect.
His snowstorm in the first act of
"The Storm" Is picturesque; but quite
the greatest thing McCormiek has yet
devised is the forest FIRE at the end Of
tie third act. In this sensational scene
the fire Ia seen TO creep slowly through
the trees In the dastaneA. ~ Il Gs1na