New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-09-05
Here's a Peep Into q
| Popular Playwright Shan
| With Avery Hopwoali
Continued from preceding s.axa

Continued from preceding v1aza
out, and once out Of the house | n,,,,l
hot come back to work.
"Before the actual writing AZ !.
dialogue ! have in mind the beRin,,s-
middle and end Of the play. / v,ss.
the whole thing roughly as a 81
then divide it into acts, and somst;,s
even into scenes. All this ia dons u
fore the writing Of dialogue her;ns
saves q lot Of labor. You knaI' ' :, Y
have enough material, and YOU vs ~
write two acts and then find you l,,'
nothing left for third. Dialesve /.
very easy for me. 1t Is in coustrs.s
ing play that l have to take on ~
coat and fight. A scene is USUALLY IA.
the first time. 1t may need cuttins M
polishing. but If the dialogue dcesS
come easily and right the frst tiue !
know something is wrong and tan !
wont come at all, and know thss !
had better try some other motives
Mr.. Hopwood visited David Bela,..
one day in November, and they tsjlsss
over ideas for play for Ina Cla;,s
The playwright suggested two sps'
Jects. and Mr.. Belasco liked the seeosS
and from that The Gold DiggersR a.
developed. a play which is now can.
pleting year on Broadway. The can.
tract was signed. and by the follswiss
May the rehearsals started.
II have been criticized for vr;...
The Gold Diggers.' Il was said th,ss
went too strongly arainst the cho,1'
girl. But / did not try 20 depie, ~
general chorus girl but the suns
chorus girl who has personality AMI
commands a salary Of about $IoS a
week. / had long known of a grsus
OF these super chorus girls who caIl.s
! themselves The Gold Diggcrs' and vAs
gathered each week to exchange nets.
about how much money they had bess
! able TO get from men and how litt,
they had given in return. know W. y
cases where girls made from sl00en
| to $4,000 a year"
Spanish Love- is the first exnsr.
ence Mr.. Hopwood las had in the ad,s.
tation of foreign play for the Amer.
can stage, and he found it a diaisus
task.
What little humor there was in u.
original would have been uuintelisRl.
to an American audience. Mrs. Kim.
| hart and / felt that humor was needed
in it. But you can't write briIlis,,
numor around Sranish peasants. n
other words, as Broadway terms IL y.
could do no wise cracking So we Dc.
c,|ed to treat it iii romantic fashion.
"'The Bat Mrs Rinehart and I
maintain, is q question-proof mystsy
! play. There is "ot question that "a.
be raised regarding the play which vs
cannot answer. Try one"
| The imitation u,oc auS n.
| Fopwood explained away the difficulty
t that vas raised in the simplest sort d
Mr.. Hopwood calls managers III.
tistic prizcfghters." They must !.
good judges Of plays. they must under.
! stand their presentation and they mus.
have physiques which will enable then
to bear up under the relentless grind
"And without doli.t David Belasso
is the strongest manager physically il
New York. He takes infnj', palms, b.
has almost diabolical energy and he
works every one around i'm almost 70
death. When he was rehearsing 'Ths
! Gold Diggers' he would keep Ina Clais,
! Bruce McRae and myself at work until
or 2 O'Clock in the morning. Thst
| he would keep me until almost
o'clock. after which he would 20 u
Childs' restaurant in Columbus Cirts
| order meai of NaD ,acks. strawberrisl
and cream and several cups of coffee
He would arrive home at about hslf.
past four and read plays in bed for aH
hour or two. When he silent is almoit
mystery. Yet At 20 O'clock in tho
/ morning he would come into the oSa
! hloomirr, ,th o wonderful color, while
the rest of Us were wrecks.
"Al Woods is good judge Of plays
He had fine schooling from the Old
melodrama days. He IS in the CANT
for the excitement; he must Rave mshJ
productions going; he can't conesn'
! trate on one or Two as Belasco does
Collin Kemper. I believe, Is one OF tAs
three best directors in the county
and the firm of Wagenhals g. Kempsi
the most popular in the business
After Mrs. R;nehart aud I wrote 'Sevsf
Dpys' for them we promised them out
next play We kept our promise, bus y
took us ten .~ears to dc it. They hops
that it won't be SO long before the nsn
pa" is given 70 them"
INIT XXyEEK .u,,I