The Washington times., 1921-03-19
ny EDWIN JUsTUs MAYER.

-Jaak" Hawks has just contracted
70 keep on upholding his end. Per
haps you never heard of Jack Hawks.
but IL you are an average American,
with q fair record OF attendance at
movie theaters, the chances are many
that you have seen some of his work.
Mr.. Hawks has been many things In
hts career-cowpuncher. sailor SOL
dier, and other adventurous things.
Also, Jack Hawks has been a
writer, and lin his affiliation with the
screen has proven himself one or the
most prolific of all writer's for the
screen, with 200 original stories to his
credit, OF which 104 have been pro-
duced as features For some time,
now, he has been head of the editorial
department of Goldwyn Pictures. a
post which he has just signed him
self to maintain for a long term Of
years.
America produces a certain quality
of writer's whom it is hare 20 place
to, any categary-the Rex Beach, Jack
London, Jack Hawks type-men who
lead the same, bold, adventurous lives
with which they endow their heroes.
Hawks, like the rest of that class Of
writer's, has always managed to be on
the ground when trouble developed.
To begin with, he was a sailor in
his early years, serving three Of them
before the mast. Then he was q cow
puncher. Then, came the Spanish
American war and the Philippine in
surrection, and Jack Hawks managed
to squeeze in on the deal.
Finally, he turned from advertising
to- become an actor for Mr.. Belasco,
but the imp of excitement was not at
home without Jack somewhere near
to him, and the result was that when
the San Francisco earthquake doomed
and famed and destroyed Jack was
sufficiently near to the seat of the
trouble to become a member OF the
dynamite squad which fought the hre.
After this was over, he returned to
the stage and became director for
various producers and stock COM
panies, until he finally drifted into
the movie industry, then in a much
cruder and less powerful state than
It is today. In those good old days
the story that was being photographed
wasn't thought much, of. as Jack tes-
tifies, and he frequently would re-
write the scripts to suit some excel
lent location" which he had discov-
cred. With an average Of eight COM
panies working, Hawks and c. Gard
ner Sullivan, another famous movie
author, wrote sixty-five per cent of
the picture. which is still considered
an excellent record on the film rialto.
That he should have some interest
ing opinions by this time on the fu-
ture of the motion picture is scarcely
surprising.
The pictures will yet develop their
Shakespeare" he says. "The ad
vance which has been made of late
years in the new medium Is more
profound, I~believe, than most people
imagine. The story has risen, from
despised, obscure, and faulty part
Of the pictures to. the important level
OF the major element. and has be-
come the dominant note in production.
Not so long ago little blonde ladies
and cute little babies and sleepy tab
bies were the important elements!
No more, however. -. .--
"The result of the increase in
prestige, of the story has been fol-
lowed by a great raid on novels and
plays which has almost exhausted
their possibilities for the screen. The
market is opening. now. for original
themes for the films, and the future