Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-05-14
AUTHORS TO BLAME
FOR POOR PICTURES
SAYS PRODUCER


authors writing for the screen are re-
rponsiblc for dwind' ing outrut ~
good pictures. For months producers
have been vocing similar complaints
and anpra'iug 10 writer's Of fiction OF
recognized ability to come tn the rescue
of the screen and earn the large re.
wards that await them there.
Summoned To the home office in New
York. Mr.. Willets came direct from
more than year spent in clos" Assoc
cietion with several Of the big pro-
ducers on the Pacific coast, lie ar
rived in New York filed to the brim
with thcr trouh "s "ud his own.
N"Picturp rroduction.' he said. rs
now engaged in cracking thc hardest nut
encountered IN III" whole "nnrS" OF W.
career. Onlv nnr element nf prosperity
is lacking. and that - the most vital
element Of all-storieS
"Nbe.e are the stories? What is
the matter " th the authors? Fuh:
iisLcrs Of boo';s and producers ot
stnre p,ays rever held out to them
ANYTHING Ike the Inducements OF
fered by the picture screen w,
they fail us. and at time ""en
we are most in need Of their oest
efforts. .
"J-non them rests the rc~ponSlhiIitY
Sor tho present depression in the p"
f,,re industry. Every other unit "t
production and distribution - at ~
highest point of efficiency. There are
directors with big vision starS W!,n !,
big popularity. supporting casts VIZ
big training. detail with big arrnracF
.i,l
supers, ructurp suspended in midmr ""-
inq 10 the lack Of necessary toun"a''oh
OF big stories.
s0T'HE princirai work OF NIL Wn" naN'
i 70 do with production on the "a
ci6c ronvt-ns on the Atantir-lS N"
incessant, oavcr. night and DAY ""n'
for stories-hgCcr and better >torleS |"
secu-o bigger and hotter sales
..For the n oblem of bigger aud better
sa,es T. absolutely and beyond perad-
venture M to the story. IN" SrHdi">
on the Pacific coast are busy WIN tn'
work of rrcnaring to MAKE nett"r pi'
lures. pictures that wi! mrn nr' Wv i"
tbe ,gw of the Surviva! OF me h''tS''
And this means the survival of the MT
test story.
can Of tl,e producers on the Pacihc
CONCENTRATIONS Ethi N"","'
min Hampton. jesse Hampton, Edgar
levi, and nj, the others--kno" that
the ,:sy Of the ordinary no idea story
and the day Of mfd.cc:e Just to- ST
nv vrotIuCtirn are in the twiiiEW:
Ni,l,t IL falling on the nearly good
dc.ure and the sun Is about 10 shine
on the exclusively irst class picture
..And the first class picture is depend
snt no.itivcly and beyond question upon
the first ella story. Bow our heaus we
must to the story.
I'm twelve years Of the existence ot
The motion picture rs literar arr
fncti,m, virtually al Of the olg stories
in the print Of every written 'ahs""se
have been picturiZed'
..Thc inrrea Sng volum" Of modern
6ction cspcCillly in the short story
form. has remained deficient in themes
sufficiently compelling in motives tor
human action powerful enough " D.
tran lated into n big p;cture-and those
are the fatal deficiencies OF large pro-
norton of the stories written dlrectl!
10 rho "cI cen. q
'.In this reg Scct tho rluywr!ghtS do
betrer than do the tict'onists wh" witt"
for print. But th" output of big p'nSs
Is entire inadequate to supply the
needs of the screen. Our only remain
will earnestly SET to work. master the
picturp medium hpI give the best that
is in them.
t.DIGHT here il ought to he de.
N c,ared ruthIessly and with un.
dtu,nble authority TINT all SCRIPTS Oi
aIi pmatplIr writers are entirely win.
out value.
oh knnW
him and not otherwise. An author does
NOT exist except in hi- publicly ac-
ccn,cd works. And such works never
exist until he has served Il long and ex-
net ng Apprenticeship.
'.Thcrrfurc. the picture industry Is
dependent wholly upon the pracuced
and publir'> accepted author. And II
offers them rewa' IS many times greater
than they ever received through pub!ica-
ton in print.
> IAN this we confess TO them openly.
with orr money in oar hands. And then
what happens? N,ne times out Of ten,
nothing--nt rPnst nothing of the btg'Nss
which their proved gifts and their rcpu-
tations warrant vs. III anticipating
Either tho work is done perfume
torily. on the theory that II is hack
work. or the, have failed ~ master
the picture medium, '" compelling
them. no adequate motivation. S"us"-
Less activity - SET of characters who
have no more realty than ~" 90 'UpmnlS
Of a madhouSc,
There are exceptions. Of course but
theS T. no; numer0uS enough nor pro
ductivp enough anywhere near 10 meet
th. ar,l irg hlg stories. The rank
and file are t.All Of academi" objections -
All ol the big stories hav" been told