The New York herald., 1921-06-26
SCREEN SHADOWS
BY FRANK vREELAND.


TT now appears that the literary
celebrities who were taken by the
hand and led out to Los Angeles
,sth a great flourish Of press agent
tynewriters have left the mad world of
tho studios much more quietly than
they came without apparently having
sgsn hired mourners to bewail their
going. The Goldwyn company led the
way in putting the author on his feet
in the movies, featuring him and max
ing a get OF him, just as is done over
the trained dogs appearing in comedies.
The writer for the movies was ex-
pected to revolutionize the industry,
but it now appears that the writer
usually needed renovating himself, at
least for the films.
Gertrude Atherton has departed from
the custard pie belt. Louis Sherwin,
former dramatic critic Of the New York
Globe, after q start at scenario writing,
has severad the artery that kept him
connected with any particular company
and Is now carrying the fight to the free
lance market with his pen. supplying the
movie world with all the titles 1t can
use.
w. Somerset Maugham, noted English
author. after having tried his best to lis
ten to the siren call Of Hollywood, has
gone to the Orient. declaring he was In
need of more atmosphere--though one
should imagine that all the Oriental or
Occidental atmosphere necessary could
be supplied by Los Angeles with Its cos
mopolitan scenery. Avery Hopwood.
who spent considerable time in the cellu-
Ioid Paradise last fall, and was touted
as a big bet for Famous Players-Lasky'
for whom he was to unchain all the
lightning Of his typewriter in movie
scenarios, has so far flung to the popu-
lace only one film opus. "The Little
Clown" which Realart. Famous Play
ers ally, rescued from the stage. where
it appeared to have been left to expire
by the wayside, and draped around Mary
Miles Minter. Hopwood, while abroad
was understood to be Matching out more
photoplays. but so far no news OF any
clear capitalization Of Hopwood thought
has been rushed redhot to the American
press.
Though Mrs. Mary Roberts Rineharts
his frequent collaboration. furnished the
material for the brightest straight COM
edy in many years in "Twenty-tnree
and Half Hours Leave"-its produ-
GERS are still talking about it-she mas
lately appeared to have had her soul
teSJcQ III tne lire Ol tiiCeAoeAN'''
1t began when she wanted to put on
an anti-Bolshevik war picture, which
she felt would do the country more
good than a large dose Of medicine and
politics. Samuel Goldwyn, who has al
ways tried to encourage the writers De-
longing to his Eminent Authors Fra
ternity, even when he felt they didn't
need it, was chary about producing
such a photoplay, as the market seemed
decidedly flat for war pictures now that
every one had drawn his victory medal
and was trying to catch up on the
world with where he had let 1t go.
But he gave Mrs. Rinehart the Off
cial high sign and she went ahead full
speed to clear the air of Bolshevism
The result was what the most san
guine pessimists had predicted, ana
Mrs. Rinehard since then has been
irving to get her breath back. Sir
Gilbert Parker so far has not made
the screen his immortal debtor. MS
first all-hand-made picture, "A wise
FOOL" being the kind that only
press agent could love.
Rupert Hughes is generally looked
upon as one of the shining exceptions
that have actually made the screen stand
and deliver. For one thing. he has had
thoroughgong stage experience. haVihs
a worked his way through hard neio OF
failures before he could catch up with
a sparkling success like EXCUSE Me:
Moreover, he has actually rolled up MS
sleeves and taken to studying the moves.
realizing they had a technique OF their
own rather than requiring simply that
an author hire q cameraman, get several
actors to make faces at him, take scenes
as they came to mind throw IN a little
original sin and depend on ones literary
instinct for guidance. He has never mis-
taken touch of the Los Angeles sun lot
stroke of genius. consequently III
Scratch NV Back" he wrote very
clever and original Aim farce. and IN
.'T'he Old Nest" starting at the Astor
next Tuesday, he will show what ne has
been UP to lately.
While ".The Great Moment" the first
photoplay which Eiinor Glyn made oe.
llberately herself for Paramount has not
been exhibited yet, affording no oppor,
tunity to judge how TAR sne has pusneu
the screen art, Mrs. Glyn is reported to
have been as distinctive an event as
one Of her novels or a snowstorm In Los
Angeles. where one must be something
Of a trenor to create any sort OF shock
when all around are publicity purveyors
busily splashing stars personalities
everywhere. Mrs. Glyn is said to nave
made as striking an impression as a
Mack Sennett bathing beauty ana the
following Jingle is being quoted ex-
tensively out there In preference 10 any
thing Shakespeare wrote:
Would you like to sin
Like Elnor Glyn
In a tiger skin?
or would you prefer
To err
In some other fur?
Carl Laemmle. president OF the UNI
Nersal company. has few thousand
words to spare about famous authors In
the movies. He says that the screen
has done more for the famous authors
than they have done for the screen and
warns up to his work thus:
Famous author stuff is largely bunk
Nine-tenths of Il can easily be shown
to be selling talk and box office angle.
AS such II is a rank failure Famous
authors seldom deliver the goods to the
screen or draw patronage at the oox
office. There are only three names IN
the entire list of popular American
writer's which mean anything 10 the
moving picture exhibitor or to the public
20 which he caters-Rex Beach. zane
,;ray and Oliver Curwood-And their
posi,ion has been created because they
were advertised and put over as
producers, manufacturers IL you Ike. or
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT as authors only
more than that. when their produc-
tions were flashed on the screen they
hove onI,, n norninal resemblance to the