New-York tribune., 1921-10-02
How Is Your Title? 1t Nav /
Make or Mar Your Plav
Great Dramatic Critic Gives Some Hints on
Theory and Practice i'm the Art
of Nomenclature

the announcement that she had thu
title for q story. 1t was Poor Mother =
Later she brought plot to fit if and
hiking both 1 wrote the yarn. ''Ths
Ladies' Home Journal" printed it. but
for some reason changed the title IA
The Twins and Poor Mother" which
seemed to lack both brevity and uoin+
because Poor Mother" by itself, is !.
colloquialism with definite hint q,
affectionate amusement.
A. E. Thomas read the story ana
made play out of it, which he called
by the original name. The first thin.
the managers said was that the nam.
would have to be changed. Poor Moth.
er" would simply not do at all. Nohoav
would come to see play called "poor
Mother" The public would think IA
was sob stuff. One actress supeestsd
calling it "Mrs. Daffodil." but that va.
voted down as too pretty pretty. The
play was finally tried out last sprin.
as "The Turn of the Road" This how.
ever, evidently suggested melodrama IA
many people, the more as Miss Mars
Ryan had appeared in so many melo.
dramas in the past, so it had to hs
abandoned.
The name was changed again and thu
play brought to New York as "Onlv
Thirty eight" While that title was
under debate somebody asked man
what it suggested to him.
"a medium-c -caliber revolver he saa
A woman replied to the same cues.
ton, "Some lady's bust MEASURE
"Only Sixteen" would at once bays
suggested age to most people, but evi-
dently "Only Thirty y-eight" doesn't
When you are thirty-eight you aren't
only, you are as much as--which. after
all, is exactly poor mothers predicas
ment, so perhaps the title is happy
one, after all
The Relative Suggestions 3
Of Carriers and Haymows
A few years ago Mr.. Thomas and
Clayton Hamilton wrote a play called
ITO Be or Not To Be-" 1t opened az
Wanted, $4,000" (probably too modest
sumD. 1t finally came into New
York as "The Big Idea" which un-
doubtedly is more provocative of curios.
ity. Recently up in the Haymows
became Getting Gertie's Garter" The
object Of either title being only too
apparent, it is to be presumed that
the management considered garters as
more generally familiar to Broadway
than the amorous employment of hay
mows. We all remember how "The
Admirable Crichton" became in the
movies male and Female" because the
movie public would think it was some
thing about the navy Alas, they
probably would! But what did they
think male and Female" was about?
Was the title anything more than q
catch phrase to suggest sex?
Miss Akins's play "Declassee" was
we'll named. The title was brief, def
mite and descriptive. Yet many man.
ayers would have hesitated to use "
for fear many people would know
neither its meaning nor its pronuncia-
ton. Main Street" is both brief and
descriptive and everybody understands
it.
Some Elements
Of a Good Title
The conscientious author. of course,
tries to get title which will be
honestly descriptive, but not so de-
scriptive that it gives away his plot.
Mr.. Thomas wanted to call "Just Sup-
pose," for example, "The Prince
Passes" but that would have told the
entire story. The author also tries
for title that is provocative and cas-
lily remembered. The Snowman tries
to get title that will be provocative.
1t isn't so hard to tell when title
is descriptive, but the wisest Snowman.
let alone author, is in doubt about the
provocative qualities. The title that
sticks in memory, that attracts, and
the title which rouses no curiosity and
is forgotten-what is the difference
between them? If I could answer that
would command a large salary.
And when somebody, by stroke Of
genius, hits upon a good title he cam
not copyright it, which seems curious
provision of the law If he puts money
into his book or play and establishes
1t as a property, bound up with the
title, he can prevent by injunction the
use Of that title by others. But he
cannot copyright it and forestall this
trouble. The book or play may be his,
but the title, costing him, perhaps,
much thought and labor, is assumed not
to be his, but floating around in the
air for anybody to grab
Somebody ought to Do Something
About 1t.
RronLIx7x, Tnontorc