New-York tribune., 1922-02-26

thsv NAV be waited upon by small and un-
assuming delegation, the spokesman of which
NAV announce in hesitating tones that barely
carry to the press gallery:
Begging your pardon sirs, but we rep-
res.n. TIE motion picture industry. May we
have word?
"What?" the chairman may answer. Like
vise "Comqnsnt?"
"The motion pictures" the spokesman may
repeat modestly. "The movies, you know.
The cinema
"Ah, yes. Didn't recognize you at 1rst,"
tie chairman may reply. But, welcome to
our council. Council. register deliberations.
Set up your cameras, boys. Is the light right?
Shoot
But the spokesman may demur.
what? Not just now. Perhaps, them"
the chairman may suggest, "you came to urge
one Of our officials to resign and accept g re-
muneratve position as director Of nterna-
tonal movie distribution?"
"Not primarily, sir"
at may be, then, that you are here to
propose that all the zap cables be allotted to
Hollywood to ease the strain on the overtaxed
system f communications of that locality?"
Later, sir
here?" the chairman may rise to inquire
Whereupon the members Of the movie dele
cation may station themselves about tie hall,
and, stretching forth their hands to the dele
cations of the various nations present in tho
concave, inquire in plaintve chorus:
'Villain, villain, who's got villain?"
The various natonaties may be seen to DC
adamant, shaking their heads vigorously.
Ia 49,
sist ''No cutthroats, blackmailers, stran-
glers, thugs?"
The REFUSAL may continue to be stern and
rncompromising, each nation pointlng to
other.
No rogues, rascals, sedacers rough
necls?
mo not one
"But, our need is urgent We pay well.
Can YOU furnish no scoundrels knaves or mis-
celaneous scamps?"
"Not for movie purposes That's fnal,'
may come from the nations unanimously,
causing the movie delegation to make its exit
sadly, weeping tears, which, analyzed by staff
chemists, may be found to be absolutely pure,
: containing no trace of glycerine.
This glimpse of the future, which may seem
fantasy to many, assumes the aspect of real
itv in the light of the authoritative statement
made recently that the movie world is suffer
ing from an appalling villain shortage,
shortage which has reached international pro-
portions The villain situation has been go
4 ing from bad to worse. Dark, devious and
elusive as the villains were, they gradually
/ have been tracked down and done to death,
never to be revived for another picture.
Things have come to such pretty pass that
/ heroine in q serial movie never knows from
one episode to the next whether the villain
will still pursue her. She cannot count on
her footsteps being properly dogged. She ar
rives at the verge of cliff or a dock or
trestle, looks wildly over her shoulder and
fails to descry any reason for one OF her
little stunts. Similarly, the hero may posi-
lively have to so out of his way to find some
4 body to foil fight and finish. 1t is an alarm
/ ing state of affairs The difficulty is not in
/ finding actors to take the parts Of tiends in
human form. The big problem is: What hu"
| man form?
On the face Of the globe to-day there are
mighty few nations which will, without pro-
test permit a screen villain to claim them as
the land of his birth. The giving Of the home
/ address of the doube-dyed is the signal for
stormy controversy. The low fellow who used
to thicken the plot is repudiated on all sides.
I 1t is the serial pictures with their eighteen
episodes or so which have been hit hardest
BY the limitations on the plans and specfca-
tons of villainy The serial bad men can be
no halfway affairs. They start off being
dastardly in the first episode, by the middle
Of the serial they are downright devilish, and
at its conclusion they dead. There is no
explaining that they meant we'll and were
only weak when tempted. They must mean
evil and come through with it until, curse
theln they rue it and pass on to the Great
atonenaent They die, but never reform
II is such ck-hearted, satisfying, sin
saturated villains as these that various cen
ers of civilization SO dislike seeing III their
aational costume and makeup. Emphatic
ncks, diplomatic and otherwise, have been
made by country after country, and you may
imagine they have carried weight when they
carry the implication that more villain III
.ae guise of native son and the movie clrcu-
eaon manager can debit the circulation OF
'ae picture one entire realm.
serial movie may count on life Of two
1ears or in the United States and five
| ran abroad prerature death is in store