Evening star., 1924-02-24
CHAPTER XXI
Some Authors Who Have Travelled ia
HOLLYWOOD.

ing your wagon to a star is
fraught with certain dangers. had
harnessed the Goldwyn Company tc
that steed, and my ride had been any.
thing but a smooth one. Is it All
| wonder, indeed that after the variou,
| disappointments attending my exploi.
tation of big names" I began to dis.
| trust the wisdom of my course:
| Gradually there grew up within me
| belief that the public was tiring Of
the star and a corresponding convic-
! tion that the emphasis of production
| should be placed upon the story rath-
er than upon the player. In the poy-
erty Of screen drama lay. so L felt
| the weakness of our industry, and
which suggested itself to me was d
| closer cooperation between author
and picture producer.
| In 1919 this idea eventuated in an
| organization for which 1 must claim
\ organization, under the name of "The
Eminent Authors" included such
popular American writer's as Rex
| Beach. who assisted me in the devel-
opment of my literary fusion; Mrs.
Rinehart Rupert Hughes, Basil King,
| Gouverneur Morris and LIE Roy Scott
| Under the terms of my contract with
| each individual Of the group the au-
write in direct cooperation with the
| Goldwyn studios.
| So great was the publicity attend
| ing this movement for the production
! the Famous Players-Lasky Company
followed our lead by organizing a
| similar literary service. Whereas,
however. we had been content with
local talent, our competitors i'm
ported their authors from Europe
EHnor Glyn. Sir Gilbert Parker, Ed
| ward knoblock, Arnold Bennett
these were the high spots in the rival
| camp. When you consider that GenA
| Stratton Porter and Zane Grey hsd
mia producers and that ultimately
| Kathleen Norris. Rita Weiman and
Somerset Vaughan Joined the CO.
horts of the pen, you will See why
formed from a picture colony to pic
ture book colony.
Among all the literary names
which have impressed Hollywood
| doubtedly the most spectacular. One
evening before dining at the Fair
] banks home Douglas took me out for
, walk through his beautiful grounds
AS We came to the famous swimming
pool 1 caught sight of woman seat
| ed on one of the stone benches and
gazing pensively into the water. The
evening sun caught in reddish hair
whether these tresses are gift or
| an requirement is often a theme of
| sea-green chiffon. And as the wom-
an lifted her eyes l saw that these .
| too, were sea-green.
That's Elinor Glyn," whispered
| Fairbanks; shes dining with us to-
night"
In a spirit of great curiosity I be-
gan my conversation with the Circe-
looking woman to whom sun and pool
| and Sea-green chiffon lent an atmos
| phere of which she herself was per-
haps not altogether unconscious. She
| was exceedingly gracious and cordial,
but as she talked l could not help
her manner of speaking. She has
| the trick, SO ] found, of convincing
you that her voice is some far-away,
mysterious visitant of which she her.
helf supplies only humble and tenn
porary instrument of escape.
For example, when she remark ed,
isn't this pool beautiful?" it sounded
like some lonely Buddha's prayer
echoing down through the ages from
the far heights of Tibet.
After the dinner was over our host
and hostess offered their customary
method of release from "the cares
that infest the day" Pictures were
turned on. and in this case the selec-
Her Husbands Trademark" in
| which Gloria Swanson took the lead
ing role. 1 can truthfully say that
| never in my life have l enjoyed any
| film SO heartily. This was due, not 10
the character of the performance.
| but to the remarks which garnished
its entire unfoldment.
"See that frock," whispered the au-
she pointed to one of Gloria's crea-
| tionS; 81 designed that gown"
Another second and she was calling
attention to the finish of a certain
setting. do you see that? An ex-
i act copy of my rooms in London. Do
you suppose they would have known
how to arrange a gentlewoman's
rooms if it hadn't been for me?"
But there were other times when
this robust major of self -congratula-
how terrible. how shocking" heard
her moan several times. "All wrong,
all wrong-they've ruined that scene.
I might have known 1t. was away
Verify that evening the silent
/ drama" renounced its salient charac-
teriStic.
Apropos of this incident, it may be
took the greatest personal interest in
Miss Swanson. True, her first COM
ment upon this screen celebrity,
comment quoted unproariously by
] many of the picture colony, indicated
, that she found Gloria lacking in that
| subtlety which she considered essen
| tial for the portrayal of her heroines.
If that comment was made and not
| merely attributed to the author, her
later attitude to Miss Swanson would
seem to reflect the JOY of any crea-
tor in the challenge offered by ap-
} parent intractability of material. Be
| that as it may. / am informed that
! Mrs. Glyn started in with. right
I'LL ha a Cl NJ
| the young actress in her literary
taste, her clothes. her department
and her speech.
During that summer when I first
met Mrs. Glyn I had house on the
beach in California. Here / did
great deal of entertaining, and among
these entertainments dinner which
; 1 gave for Nina wilcox Putnam rep
Hollywood took up the game of au--
thors. For Elinor was only. one OF
! the many writers who mingled that
evening with the luminaries of screen
and stage. That. she was not the
, most retiring of her craft is state
ment bound to be accepted immediate
1y by those familiar with her talent
for being dinner guest. AS a matter
of fact Mrs. Glyn is one OF the great
est social assets I ever knew. NOT
to wear the most exquisite of gowns,
but her narratives and her COM
mentS usually keep a whole roomfui
of people in an uproar of mirth.
That evening l discovered that she
Is an ardent believer in the transmi-
grafton of souls. and her theories re-
garding the former bodily tenements
of some of the individuals present
caused constant f1urries of laughter.
/ think her psychic inquestS began
,, with Mrs. Kathleen Norris. For
long time she fixed upon this cele-
brated author gaze which informed
the rest of us how completely she had
retired into realms where we could
never follow her. Then abruptly.