Evening star., 1925-10-11


whats that got to do with it?"
1--WE always take in the show at the
Palace Monday nights"
"Oh. Any news?"
mo. Any news out there?"
mot thing. Well, enjoy your.
selves. Night"
Tuesday morning. waiting for Tom
20 start work, l felt q touch on my
arm. 1t was Monty.
Mr.. Stevens" he was rubbing his
hands to hide their trembling, mir.
Foote has just sent for me--to sign a
contract. He's buying my story. you
know. You-you're responsible and I'd
like, if you don't mind, I'd like for
you TO come with me. just to see that
everything 's-all right.
In the office with the boss were New
man, his attorney and the quiet
Smithson. After introductions were
done with. Newman started reading
the contract.
Ii stated that for SIS 900 in the hand
paid and other valuable considerations,
including fat percentage of the gross
profits, Montmorency du Bois vas to
give the Idol Film Corporation the
entire and exclusive perturbation
rights Of his story. And that. in turn.
the Idol Film Corporation agreed to
produce said picture within Il certain
specified time. with the further guar
antee that Mae Murdoch would appear
in the role of Olive. And also that the
Idol Film Company contracted to eX-
pend a certain named ample sum for
exploitation purposes and further
more to secure the Castle Theater stu.
ate in Broadway, New York City, for
the period of two weeks in which to
exhibit the picture. And herewith and
appended hereto was a copy OF the
contract signed by the Inter.World
Releasing Company wherein they
agreed to take over said film and dis.
tribute 1t, etc, etc, etc.
About halfway through the reading
/ saw that Monty mentally had
swooned. l couldn't blame him. The
only thing that kept me hanging on
was JOY on the boss account. For
the contract put the boss and an Idol
Film product on the books of the In
ter-World Releasing Company, the hig-
geSt and most powerful Of them all.
And Mae Murdoch, a genuine star
whose pictures of Broadway night life
had made millions for the Supreme
Company since they had signed her
to a contract. She was the one wonla n
In the business to play Olive. Just
picturinG her In the part made the
whole story seem alive. With her hus-
band directing her-he always directed
her pictures-and the InterWorld
back of it, the picture was a success
before a camera crank was turned.
knowing the tough inside of the pic
ture game, to me it sounded like a
fairy tale in which Monty had rubbed
a ring and a good fairy had suddenly
appeared, waving wand which
sprinkled certified checks where they'd
do the most good. The most good.
That's what the backer, represented
by the keen-eyed Smithson, had ac-
colnplished for us all: for Monty, for
Foote. for the Idol organization. for
even Mae Murdoch, who spent half her
life looking for stories of her type and
worrying the other half because they
we're 50 hard to get. l wondered who
the good fairy could be.
Monty finally revived enough to sign
his name to the contract and take
the check the boss offered him.
And now, MIR. du Bois," MIR. Foote
said, "if you'll step into the inside
office I'll introduce you to Russell
Delan. Do you know him?"
/ understand exactly why Monty
grabbed the back of chair to steady
himself. Russ Delan, whose price for
writing continuities was 81, 900 per
reel, was getting it because he hadn't
turned out a flop in three years.
Hell make the continuity for
Madame Irene" the boss continued.
Before starting, he wants to run
through the script with you. to get
your ideas"
1t took all three of. them. Foote,
Newman and Simpson, to steer
room.
X y II
T EFT alone, thinking over the good
luck that had swooped down on
Monty, checking one clause Of his con.
tract against another started me won,
dering, puzzllng over several odd
things. especially the unknown hacker
and the ungodly influence he appeared
to exert. Taking for granted that he
was the same party the boss had said
he was going to get in touch with, he
had, according to Mr.. Foote, "the
finest moving picture business connec.
tions." All right. But that did not
explain why Hard Egg Rosencratt had
signed to run In his private mint a
yet. When 1t came to business, Hard
Egg had no connections. The Inter.
World had not forced him to book
the picture. They'd tried that game
once on Hard Egg-and hadn't placed
a picture in the Castle for seven
|, months afterward. Rosencratt was
sole lessee, manager and booker, and
he ran only pictures that he himself
liked. Who had made him like a pic
ture that nobody yet had seen?
What had induced the Inter-World
to agree to take over the picture
before seeing a foot Of film? Not be
| cause Mae Murdock was to be the
star. There were several stars whose
pictures the Inter-World plugged
harder than Macs. Speaking Of her
If she was, as everybody in the bust
ness knew she was, the Supreme's big
gest money-maker, who was the bird
that coul6turn down the screws tight
enough to make Supreme lend her tc
the Idol? And why. oh, why and what
! had steamed up the backer to the
| point Of putting on all the pressure he
had applied?
A pun Of breeze through the office
window lifted some papers on the
| desk. Absorbed in my riddles,
walked to the desk to put weight or
them. Across the top Of the upper
most paper couldn't help but see
| Private Agreement Between B. b
Foote and s. w. Crumbely."