Evening star., 1923-12-18
AUTHOR WINS SUIT
AGAINST FILM FIRM
Writers Rejoice at Victory of
Packard in Fight Over
Mangling Story.
BY ROBERT II. SMALL.

NEW YORK, December 1S.-Au-
thors who have seen their favorite
brain children mangled into pulp
at the hands of some ruthless moving
picture director are rejoicing today
over the fact that one of their num-
ber has just won an important vic
tory in his suit against the Fox Film
corporation for distortion" and mis-
use of one of his stories.
The appellate division Of the su-
preme court of New York has ruled
that authors have an inviolable prop
erty right in their manuscripts and
that when their names are used in
connection with a production they
have a right to say how the story
shall be rendered.
Fannie Hurst Aroused.
Many authors lately have given up
writing for the screen because they
failed to recognize their story when
through with it. Fannie Hurst had
he shock of her young life recently
when she went to the first showing
"f one of her stories adapted TO the
screen. She. came out Of the theater
in a rage. She claimed her work had
been ruined and vowed she never
again would have anything to do
with the movies or their people,
conventional lot. A picture must
follow certain rules laid down by
them or they regard it as a wash
out" Where che author feels he has
placed his most artistic touches Is
exactly the point where the director
gets in his deadliest work. Nothing
ever is good enough for a director.
. That is why lie places his name in
80 much bigger type than the au-
Ihor's when the preliminary an
nouncements are projected upon the
silver sheet just before the show
begins.
League starts Fight.
The Authors League also has taken
ND the CudgclS against the movies.
L is claimed that ont of some 10000
scenarios passed upon and sent TO
Hollywood within year not more
than four were accepted by the movie
industry. Authors were warned
thcreupon to expect nothing In the
way of remunerative writing directly
1or the screen. 1t was said that the
movie directors had their own meth
ods of obtaining what they consid-
cred the "'wangs" and the knock
outs that the movie public wanted.
Adaptations of popular short stories
or novels Of late have been the ia
vorite methods with the movie folk.
But here again the work of the au-
thor never has satisfied the directors
nights thinking up name for his
%avorite piece. The director throws
=, il overheard. What the author might
term still Waters the movie direc-
ror would call planning Passion
All the latest rules OF the Movie Di-
rectcr..' Union call for flames and
passions" of one sort or another.
Victory of Packard.
The victory of Frank l.. Packard
against the Fox people here is likely
to cause the directors to pause a
moment or two in their ruthless dis
regard of an authors wishes, his
likes or diSlikes. Mr.. Packard sued
for the alleged mshandling of his
story, The Iron Rider, The Fox
people bought the moving picture
rights and the picture was produced
under its original title and the name
of the author. But the story as
produced was not the one written by
Packard. After declaring the prop
erty rights of authors in their works.
the unanimous opinion of the ap-
pellate division reads:
whatever rights the defendant ac-
Quired TO use said story, and con-
nection Herewith were limited to
the terms of the contract. When de-
fendant exceeded the rights thus ac-