The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-11-01
TEL ESCOPING THEIR
FADS AND FOIBL ES

this world. there's O. reaSOng
For Crane Wilbur. has had q
long and thorough training az q
screen actor and scenario writer,
his first big success in the films
having been in the perennially
thrilling ''Perils Of Pauline" It
is not difficult to see that Mr..
Wilbur has had q very arduouS
training in the art Of thrills one
which he 10 now putting to prac.
teal use.
quite frankly, / am sick and
tired to death OF movies and Of
acting for Them" admitted Mr..
Wilbur. ~ used to get as much
as $500 q week, and that isn't
to be sneezed at, either" he
laughed, "but that was In the
days before salaries averaged as
high as they do now and got
that figure because ] used to
write my own stories and act In
them as well. Those were the
days, all right, but you get into
q sort Of rut after all, and you
cant help feeling that there isn't
any real future II you stick In
the movie game"
After several years Of artistic
and financial success in filmdom,
Crane Wilbur returned to his
first love, the legitimate stage,
which he embraced at the early
age Of fifteen years, but for the
past few seasons he has devoted
his time more TO play writing
than to acting.
Picture lovers who happen to
be book lovers as well have often
been shocked at the manner In
which their favorite fictions have
been mutilated almost beyond
eemblance Of their original form
or the screen. A vast majority OF
the authors have insisted, more
or less futilely, that this is I'M
necessary brutality. Many mag.
mates have manifested a willing
ness to give the writer's battle on
the point.
Frank Lloyd, producer director
Of "The Silent Watcher" with
to be seen for the first time in
Washington at Cranda1s Metro
politan and Ambassador theaters,
beginning tomorrow. "The Sea
Hawk" Black Oxen" and other
wellremembered photoplays, is in
clined to agree with the authors.
"If a producer cant build his
picture along the same lines as
the author Of a well-known novel
builds his story, he shouldn't &C
cept such a story for production, "
Mr.. Lloyd states. TO often has
. photoplay Of d popular story
been made in such a way that
even the author himself couldn't
/. recognize the plot. This is wrong.
"If such drastic changes must be
made in the text Of q book, the
title. of the picture should be
changed also. The day IF trying
to fool the public passed long
ago."
When Mary Pickford's newest
picture, Dorothy Vernon Of Had
on Hail." is shown at Loew's Pal
ace tomorrow the patrons will
have an opportunity of seeing for
the first time on the silver sheet
Miss Glare Eames. She will APP
pear as Queen Elizabeth.
Miss Eames has been on the
stage since 1915 and has won an
international reputation for her
portrayaIs Of England's famous
queen.
An entire summer was spent in
England, where she studied
through intimate research the
character she was to portray. In
that time Miss Eames viewed
every known portrait Of the queen
and visited places made famous
by Elizabeth.
She started on the stage with
Ethel Barrymore In "DeClasse''
and for the last few years has por-
trayed only the part. of Elizabeth,
Cold and reserved, yet youthful
m spirit, Queen Elizabeth is prob
ably England's most studied and
least understood monarch. Miss
Eames in her portrayal seems
fairly to live the part and audi.
ences who have witnessed "Dor-
Othy Vernon Of Haddon Hall"
seem to sense the very tempera-
ment and varying moods Of the
queen
That q supposedly dead fiction
style Of twenty years or moro
ago is coming back into favor
Is manifested by the appearance
Of two new novels Of the type
that made George Barr McCutch-
con one Of the favorite American
novelists Of 1902.03-04 aid which
aided materially in swelling the
early royalty statements Of Mary
Roberts Rinehart.
The type Of fiction which is
staging an unmistakabIe renais-
sance in 1924, is the so.called
Graustark type Of novel, inyaria-
bly, laid in mythical and natural
1y obscure Central European or
Balkan setting.
The roster Of eminent expon-
ents Of this type Of story should
be enlarged, at this point, to ad.
init the name Of Anthony Hope,
whose novels OF the type Of "Ru-
pert Of Hentzau" sounded ma
jor note in the fiction symphony
of twenty years ago. George
Barr McCutcheon contributed a
whole raft of novels OF the same
order, notably "Graustarl." 'Bev.
erly Of Graustarl," ''Nedra" and
others, while Mrs. Rinehart's
most notable contribution to this
same school of fiction was Long
Live the King"
Mrs. Rinehart's new story has
been made into a thumpingly.
popular movie called "Her Love
Story" which, refusing 70 be con-
tent with a single weeks show
ing at Loew's Columbia, starts
fits second week at that temple Of
the silent drama tomorrow after
noon, with Gloria Swanson as its
star.
Our old friend, the mythical
Balkan princess, It seems, has not
been dead at all, but merely sleep.
ing.
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