Arizona republican., 1921-12-07
Bv H H. Van Loan

There are supposed to be, by ac- tual count-although I've been too busy 10 verify it-about 100,000,000 of us in the United States, and, with the exception of a colored switch man, stationed at the Turnpike, near Eureka. Ga. who has been deaf, dumb and blind since his birth, all of us at times believed we were logically entitled to become the Shakespeare of the screen.
 That's fine. That's good stuff, and a most excellent ambition. But. somewhere between the first and sec ond scenario, something snatched the ''an" out of that word, with the re- suit that the screen has suffered. Something always has to suffer, y'know. However, this particular sort of suffering cannot be due to the fact that there is a dearth of ideas in America, or that creative art is on the decline. The undiscov- cred talent is the greatest talent of all.
 It there is one nation blessed with original ideas 1t is the United States. No matter which way we turn, we behold great evidence of ideas that were born, grew up and still flourish with magnificent success under our local trademark. The way in which 1t was discovered was most original; the manner in which it gained it's independence was decidedly different, and the way it has gone about every thing since it's birth has attracted the admiration of the entire world.
 Think Screen Art on Decline
 Despite this, many of you will sigh , after leaving a picture theater, and, as you plod homeward you admit that the art of the screen is on the decline. with the brakes burned out. You start to reflect on the rise of steel, oil and industrials, and tall to understand why every picture re- leased at the local theaters does not average up to the high grade of best sellers. You admit that you're more interested in the new crop of cotton and prunes.
 A picture is similar to an egg in that it is either good or bad. You don't find the grocer throwing away the bad eggs. Then why should you expect the film producer to throw a bad picture into the discard? He can't, because it represents an out lay. just as the egg does. The only difference is: they both slip across n bad one when you're looking, only you can't see the inside of the egg!
 Now then, we can't expect the 100. .eoO. 900 of us to start and devote our time to making the hens lay bet ter eggs or the producers to make better pictures. Few of us are fanlll- far enough with either, beyond being able to distinguish between the good and the bad; one with the aid Of the nose and the other with the aid oi our eyes. But, we should put our ideas .u the market for making bet Ter pictures, and this can only Dc accomplished by furnishing the pro- ducer with better story material.
 Ideas Are Everywhere
 Some of you will say that you never get any Ideas for screen storles Perhaps you never get them because Nm, are surrounded with so many of them. Maybe you are not of ar observing mind However, you prob ably think you are observing enough 10 see things way off in the future
 For example: You happen to b. passing along a busy thoroughfare ol vour city during the rush hour, anc you see man stumble over an op- feet on the sidewalk Ills cohlor fionS. executed during his efforts tC keen himself from falling, make hin resemble a temperamental leader O a symphony orchestra or an armies: paper-h hanger with the. St. Nitu' dance. The result is, much laughter
 Immediately you decide that herr Is a great subject for comedy pho xoplay. and you feel certain that suci a situation would be an immens hit on the screen. Perhaps such situation would amuse certain au d5ences, but the situation is far iron being original. Then, too, you be lieve that comedy is usually deriyet from injury.
 What is originality? Originality i anything which Is a departure iron the ideal; anything out of the ordi mary. It is something different Yol argue that it is not quite the usua thing for our residents to go aloni -l,e street stumbling and stubbin 4beil. toes. and making frantic ef forts to keep from falling, and s- was. then we wouldn't be inter ested: we wouldn't laugh. But there's where you're wrong. Peopl