The Washington herald., 1921-09-04
Takes Peep Behind Scenes
Of Movie" Factory Office
Orsans, and Orchestras Grind Out Music
While aAuthorsD Develop Plots to Be
Produced in Screen World.
ny COSMOS HAMILTON

by COSMOS HAMILTON
The t:ice in question Is a movie
fan, and So IL goes without saying
that she has never been in the NOV
les. She goes every night of the
week to her local theater and in the
little spare time that is left reads
everything that. Is written about
everybody in the pictures. She can
tell you exactly how many. eggs
Wallace Reid eats for breaoxfast
and precisely the number of bottles
Of bath salts Miss Gloria swanson
uses daily. She knows the full de-
tails of Charlie Chaplin's gold fill
ings and how many union suits
Douglas Fairbanks bursts out Of
every week. She talks glibly about
such mysteries as the Coast, and
uses all the technical terms of the
studio in the bosom of her family
telling her dear old father to shoot"
when he Is a little late in replying
to her questions. and talking of the
young people, who have not succeed
ed In winning her acquaintance. as
atmosphere" tr.''' - :'~' ,
One Of the ambitions Of. her life.
was to be taken to- the New York
office OF one of the great picture
corporations where she might SEQ.
with awe and wonder. the embry-
onic stages Of the pictures which
she would eventually enjoy, and go
behind the scenes, as II were, OF
factory Of rare and artistic intel
|.ligence conducted by men % colos-
sal brain power and international
education, who are responsible for
the purchase Of such delicate and
delightful things as Don't bash
your wife," and Look at .Undine's
indies" Knowing many that an
swered most accurately to this de-
scription, as indeed they all do, I
took her yesterday to the headqusr-
ters of the Colossal Pictures Pro-
ducing Corporation, stated my case
to the gracious professor OF litera-
ture who. occupied the presidential
chair in the Vanderbilt room. was
given the vice president as guide.
and proceeded with this elderly and
grave young man Of Il 'on tour
Of inspection.
Keep II Orsanists at Work.
Standing in the outer office for
a moment. which was as large and
magnificent as the Grand Central
hallway station, he waved his hand
carelessly about and turned his
academic eyes upon Alice. IF we
had guessed that Wall Street would
eventually interfere with u.s." he
said, in his clear Bostonian way.
I'VE should have spent more than
twenty million dollars on this ante
chamber. However, here II is. and
it is much admired by all the great
authors of the world whose MASTER
pieces it Is our duty to re-write.
That great organ over there never
ceases to play from nine till six.
We find that incessant music in
spired the door keepers and consoles
our fallen stars. We keep twelve
great organists in constant work,
to say nothing of eighteen full or
chestras-one in each chamber that
is occupied by the heads Of depart
ments. You see. II has been found
that music soothes our savage
breasts and nothing makes a breast
so savage as the moving picture
does. Follow me-"
Wide-eyed and breathless the gen.
tie Alice. more impressed than ever
with the grandeur of her favorite
pastime, entered with me to a mag
nificent room. hung with Flemish
tapestries and the portraits of film
artists. in which, seated in front Of
silent type machines on Jacobean
desks, there were at least a thous-
and charming children busily at
work.
''Our reading department." said
the vice president. talking above the
distant music of The Meister-
singers" "As you can see no girl
in this room is over S.-the age
at which the imaginative percep-
tion is strongest and most alert. 1t
is here that the first stage of our
great art is made. To every one
of these samplers is given daily the
latest work of the earth's dis
tinguished authors-Joseph Kipling
for instance. Rudyard Conrad, Arm
old Wells, H. G. Bennett, Bernard
ellsworth, and John Shaw, for ex-
ample-to say nothing Of the very
promising novels of young Charles
Dickens, recently discovered by our
scenario editor and commissioned
by him to write an original story
once a week for twenty years"
/ twisted a sob into a laugh and
made a sign to Alice to lower her
eyebrows.
Ten Scenarios n Day.
Upon the reports of these girls,
neatly typed and pithily expressed.
these works are accepted or re-
fused. as the case may be-in such
wise" He stretched out his hand
and pulled from a machine a red
hot report. which he gave to US to
read. Romeo and Juliet by James
Shakespeare" it ran. "Old movie
stuff. would never pass the censors." I"
You see?' he added. How valu-
able and true. Now come this way
Now here, in this old-world library
you have our scenario department,
conducted by further army of
fresh and vivid brains of 1O-year-
old girls, who seize upon the stuff
reported favorabIy upon by the re-
porters whom you have Just left
and tear its heart out before il goes
to the Coast-altering the theme,
the characters, the plot and the
title. Wonderful children! From
each we expect to receive, at least.
ten completed scenarios a day. That
Is the second stage. Follow, again"
Nusic to Soothe Authors.
So far as was concerned, icy
and on the verge Of she'll shock, we
passed. Alice with overwhelming
eyes. into yet another superb hai
or barrack. in which, at Sheraton
desks, on thick pile carpet, were
seated beardless bows Tn here a