Evening star., 1923-07-01
ny KARL Il. KITCHEN.

BY KARL X. KITCHEN.
THE fact that Miss Grace Has
kins Is the youngest pro-
ducer of motion pictures In
the world Is not particularly
significant. When any one is noted
either for extreme youth or extreme
age usually that is about all there Is
to recommend.
But Miss Grace Haskins, age twen-
| ty-five, late Of Springfield. Mo-. Is In
teresting because she has succeed
| ed in making successful picture
against the most overwhelming odds.
"Just Like a Woman" Miss Has
kin's first production (for she Is al
| ready started on a second), was be-
| gun last summer with q bankroll of
$500 1t cost $4,000 before it was
| finished, but Miss Haskins recently
arranged to have il distributed by
the Hodkinson Corporation on a 65-35
basis-the larger percentage going
| to Miss Haskins. 1t carries the in
dorsement of "A Hodkinson Picture"
as we'll as the line "A Grace Haskins
Production" which, Of course. means
| nOtniHS as yet " INC ehcatOi -BoiHe
public.
And it has a good cast Margue-
rite de la Motto is featured" And
such favorites as George Fawcett and
Robert Graves are in the company.
However, the really interesting
thing about this picture is the story
never before told-of how 1t was
made.
Miss Haskins. who was in New
York a few weeks ago arranging for
its first showing. told me the story
over the luncheon table at the Hotel
Astor. So 1t is authentic.
'I had an idea that, could make a
picture while / was employed in the
personnel department Of the Los An
geles Shipbuilding Company" said
! Miss Haskins, who is q slender little
person of the business woman type"
l'T told Harry Chandler-the pub
Usher of the Los Angeles Times
about my idea. but he didn't want to
set mixed UP IN the movie game. So
with only $500 I set out to make the
picture myself. 1 had written the
scenario myself, but knew no more
; about the actual making Of a picture
| than any outsider. There were many
actors out OF work last summer and
I succeeded in getting them to waive
their salaries until I got some money
which I hoped to do after had
part Of the picture made. BY renting
sets that had been used for other
productions and using promises in
l<,&z 4, o.
to make quite start on my picture.
| When I got 1t half oompleted-and
worked from early morning until
midnight for several weeks doing it,
4 for was my own director, continuity
writer, property man. wardrobe mis-
tress technical and art director and
treasurer-I succeeded in getting Mr..
Chandler to loan me some money.
This enabled me to keep on. but some
OF my actors, knowing that 1 was
hard pressed for cash, demanded that
L sign over part of the picture to
them in lieu of salaries. and l had to
, contend with sudden strikes, sabot-
age and many other annoyances.
Just before 1 finished the picture
/ the owner Of high-powered car that
had rented at s25 day to use in the
film demanded 500 a day on the
threat Of driving Off with it. and III
hadn't had a revolver handy. he would
have done SO. As attempts had been
made to steal the complied negatives,
had applied for permission to have
a revolver on the "lot" where we were
making the picture, and It was only
by threatening to use 1t that I was
able to protect my rights. told the
driver that as I had rented the auto
mobile for SIS a. day for a stipulated
period, IL he attempted to drive off
with It would shoot him. And need
less to say he lived UP to his contract
After no end Of delays and strug-
giles I succeeded In completing the
picture. I was head over heels in
debt, for had to borrow more money
from Mr. Chandler to pay my camera
men, electricians and such workers as
could not be put off. And I also had
to pay for, making the necessary
prints. If hadn't been able to con-
vince Mr.. Hodkinson that my picture
was a good picture, would have
been bankrupt. But did. He told
me II looked like 100000 picture
meaning q picture that looked as IL
100000 had been spent on 1t. When
I told him it hadn't cost $4,000 he
was dumfounded.
'Tt will take a year or more before
Ii get 100000 out OF Just Like a
i Woman but that much is assured.
and IL the picture is a hit I'll make
twice that sum-which won't be bad
for a girl, especially for her first year
/ in businese2